pollack question.

[F1F3R]

Hi,

after a recent good session off Pollack fishing, i found while spinning off the shore with a jelly worm , i had 3 good takes, line screaming off the baitrunner so im guessing decent sized . anyway i lost 3 off them, while keeping tenison on the line, they took me into rocks, at this point i didnt really have a clue what too do . lol.

my question is : do i keep applying constant pressure on the rod/line or do i give the fish free line hoping it will swim back out ?

its was proabably due too my inexperience i lost these fish , and they all seemed alot heavier than the best i caught on the day at 3 lbs 8 oz.

cheers.

[Marcus]

dont let them take you into the rocks in the first place...

Bully them from the original take!!..They'll fight you!..but try and keep them away from the kelp/rocks..

If they get stuck...Just pull till you pull free.

Thats what i do

[Snaggletooth]

Agree with Marcus, bully them from the start and don't let them tie you up.

If, on the other hand, you have a Wrasse that snags you, give it slack line as it will come back out again and you can then get it in.

[F1F3R]

hi, thanks for help.

they seemed too take after i cast out a good distance , let the worm sink then bang,summit took the lure and must have headed straight for rocks, i didnt see the underwater rock positions so didnt know which way too try pull the fish,
i managed too get it in maybe 20 yrds closer.
they seemed very powerful and a good weight too them , before they headed for some rocks, i did keep tension on hoping too pull them out but i must have pulled a bit too much , snapped the 14lb snood.
braid and shock leader ,weight all in tack , simple too clip another on and start again.

but do you ever get that feeling " what if i got that in what size would that have been " in your head lol. all i know they felt alot heavier that the 3 1/2 lber i caught .

so cheers for advise i will try keep the fish up and keep tension on line when it happens again.
Andy.

[dabcatcher]

set your drag so that you only give line just before you line or rod breaks. allowing them to screem off looks and sounds good but doesnt put many fish on the shore.

[F1F3R]

set your drag so that you only give line just before you line or rod breaks. allowing them to screem off looks and sounds good but doesnt put many fish on the shore.

hi,
i dont want too break the rod too set the drag too max so what method do i do too set the drag properly ?

the weakest line i used was 14lb snood. honestly think the rod would snap before that. so i basically set the drag so i had good compression / curve on the rod , even with that set it screamed the baitrunner too the rocks.

it did sound good but i think if i set drag much more summit would snap. unfortunately the snood did when i tried too pull out the fish and i lost it.

[Lands End Tony]

Down here in West Cornwall many of my club mates and others I know who fish for pollack use 20-25lb main line straight through with say 30lb amnesia as the hook length onto a 4/0 long shank kamasan with jellys or big sand eels.

Takes are fierce and you musnt let them get an inch if possible. I have my drag done up real tight almost to breaking strain and when hit pump hard and fast.

In reality a fish over 7 or 8lb is very difficult to keep away from the rocks or kelp. Keep the pressure on and bully all the way......great fun and a great fight......

[dabcatcher]

if fishing on a mark that has better fish on it i now use a 3lb carp rod with 20lb braid and 15lb hooklength to get them moving. lighter gear was loosing the better ones.

[F1F3R]

cheers guys

i may keep with the 20lb braid , but put the snood up from 14 to 18lb,( so its still under the 20 lb braid strenght ) this may just be enough too pull them out off the rocks/kelp hopefully catching one off the bigger fish.

thanx again.
Andy.

[Ruff Ground]

Your trace is way too light if you actually want a good chance of landing a decent fish. As Tony says I also use 30lb trace as it resists snapping better when trying to pull from a snag and also allows you to drag a fish from the water when you cannot get to it with a net.

I use an 18lb mainline with a longish 30lb leader. Rod choice is important too depending on where you are fishing. If fishing in Summer in flat seas right next to the water you can get away with lighter rods e.g. a heavy carp rod and fixed spool, then use a net to land the fish. On some of the marks we fish netting is very difficult or impossible, especially when there is a sea running. Therefore I fish with a 12oz spod rod which has plenty of backbone for bullying fish and lifting/dragging them clear of the water. For the same reasons I use a multiplier reel (Penn 525mag). With this setup I can lift fish up to around 5lb clean out of the water. Bigger ones require a mixture of a good plan, patient timing with the swells, and plenty of luck to land!

Have fun whatever gear you use!