[jjdbike]

Hey fellow fishers
I just read the latest Easman's fishing report for 8/07. It claimed that there are pollck around in good numbers but they are having trouble getting them to bite. The previous trip I heard it was a 50/50 mix of pollack & haddock but the bite was slow & those who "know how to fish" did ok, some not so well. I'm booked on the marathon on the 11th & want to be prepaierd, gear & technique wise.
I was under the beliefe that pollack were aggressive oppratunistic feeders and would generally bite anything if they were around... obviously I was wrong. The last pollack I caught was on a whole squid on a large baitholder hook. It was attatched to a long dropper loop about 5' up from the sinker on a "high/low rig. This was fished over a wreck. It slammed it! I have also heard that they will bite jigs and flies pretty good. Apparently on Easman's they've been catching them more on chunks of herring.
Question.... If pollack are there & not bitting.... what techinques do you employ to try to entice them in to bitting?
Thanks
JD

 

[FishFooler]

I'm no expert but I love jigging for pollock....

I've had my best luck on pollock with 12-14 oz jigs and blue teasers. The trick is usually finding where they are in the water column as they are often suspended. I like to go down fast 1/3 of the way to the bottom, halt abruptly, bounce the jig a few times, then drop another 20 feet, halt, bounce it again and repeat untill I hook a fish or hit bottom. Then I repeat the process in the opposite direction, reel up 20 feet real fast, halt, bounce, reel, untill I find the fish. Since we're talking pollock I'll add that it makes a HUGE difference in the quality of the meat if you bleed and ice them as soon as they come out of the water. Makes almost as much difference as with blues IMO. I might play hooky and go jigging for pollock on Eastmans tomorrow.

 

[jjdbike]

Cool. Thanks Bud.
Please let us know how you do, i.e., post a report.
Thanks.
JD

 

[codmaster]

Sometimes also if Pollock are around, "speed jigging" like for bluefish will also work! other times i have had good luck with just suspending the jig a few feet off bottom and waiting for them to hit.

Couple of times on the yellowbird, the only way that you could get them was to use a bait rig with a single hook attached about 5' up from the sinker with a piece of herring. (Thanks, Capt. Rick - never thought it would work but he was right!)

Point is that sometimes you have to experiment with Pollock, and sometimes they will hit almost in a frenzy1 That is why they are fun!
And great to eat if you bleed them as mentioned above!

 

[reelfisher]

What works for me is to focus intently on jigging codfish. Then if pollack are around they will bite my jig and teaser with reckless abandon

Seriously though when they are active its almost impossible not to get bit. If they are off the feed, keep trying different methods and speeds of jigging (of course different teasers and jigs too)to figure out what will entice a bite.

 

[628852]

Just My Opinion and My 2 Cents

This EXACT same situation has happened in the last 3 Years. When the Pollack first move in good Numbers which on Jeffreys and Scantum and surrounding areas one day they catch them good and the next day they read them good but wont bite. This time of the year the issue can be DOG FISH as for some strange reason there ae times where the Pollack WON'T HIT JIGS but will be savage on Herring. That is when the Dogs are a major factor. Usually in October and November the Pollack are savage where as soon as your Jig hits the bottom regardless of type of Jig with the EXCEPTION of the Cod Bomb which is a BOMB EVERYTHING works. Blue / Purple both flys and tube teasers are usually best but I have seen Green, Siver & Black work as well. I am pretty sure where Phil goes on the Marathon trips you will catch all the Pollack you want as he gets their at first light which is usualy when they bite best. Bring 10 thru 16 Once Lav jigs either plated or not they all work. For some reason crippled Herring Jigs work on occasion but the Lav, Angerman, Viking and other type immitation seem to work best. Like Codmaster said vary your speed, vary your swing and keep an eye on Phil as he catches them while others can't figure it out.

 

[YankeeCapts]

Inshore fish tend to feed on krill at nite. They come way off the bottom to do it. So during the day it can be a trick to get them to take off. Also if they are getting anchored up on day after day they get smart.

I think the best way is a 10oz diamond jig with a 40p Sekora tube(I would not worry about color). Drop it to the bottom, take 10-15 turns off the bottom and repeat. When you get the bite it will feel like you are stuck on bottom and then they will take off. Make sure your drag is light if your fishing PP. Learned this from Tim Coleman and have not seen a better technique up here.

As a matter of fact I made 7 casts yesterday for 7 markets and a haddock. Cod love this technique too.

Greg

 

[657494]

I've read somewhere, I think from captain Ralph, that what worked best last year was a rig concocted of something called a "Scotchman rig with a 17 oz. jig below it. Chunks of herring were attached to the two hooks on the Scotchman rig. Braid line was a must, skip the "top shot".
Sam

 

[morning dew]

I was on Eastmans last trip of the year last year and the pollock fishing was o.k but before that had been a slaughter.Last year the pollock run started kinda late. If they are already around this year, October should be good and any cod caught of legal size can be kept until November so I'm gonna try nd make it up in the last 1/2 of Oct this year.

What I noticed is - on a party boat day trip- do not use braid. Most of the guys using braid spent more time untangling then fishing - I think this out weighs the benefits of it. Especailly when everyone is using a jig and the baot is crowded and drifting. On a private boat or charter boat - its great. I also noticed that different methods produced at different times so vary your methods from squidding to plain jigging, to stop/go strait reeling.

 

[RUFUSZ]

I think that was the "I dont need no stinkin gaff " scotchman rig.

 

[Westcoastfish]

BucketOfJigs wrote:
I've read somewhere, I think from captain Ralph, that what worked best last year was a rig concocted of something called a "Scotchman rig with a 17 oz. jig below it. Chunks of herring were attached to the two hooks on the Scotchman rig. Braid line was a must, skip the "top shot".
Sam

But I thought he used about 150' of rope with 80# mono a jig and 4 or 5 hooks. (and yes RUFUSZ I think that Prof. Ralph was saying "I don't need no stinkin gaff on the Nov FoodBank Charter)