Catch Report - Ilfracombe - 4th August 2017 (10)

Date: 04-08-2017

Time of day: Evening

Location: Ilfracombe

Mark: The pier

Low Tide: 10:33(2.57m) 22:55(2.34m)

High Tide: 04:27(7.30m) 16:56(7.69m)

Time fished from: 19:45

Time fished to: 23:55

Weather: Cloudy and some sunshine with a gentle wind from behind.

Sea: Choppy and slightly murky with a swell of around 4ft

Method: Ledger (homemade pulley rig) | Ledger (homemade pulley rig) | float

Bait: Frozen mackerel segments, frozen squid | frozen sandeel | frozen mackerel strips

Caught (weight): 1 Tub Gurnard (1lbs 4oz, Guessed) | 1 Whiting (0lbs 8oz, Guessed) | 1 Pollock (0lbs 6oz, Guessed), 3 Pollock (0lbs 8oz, Guessed), 3 Pollock (1lbs 0oz, Guessed), 1 Pollock (0lbs 12oz, Guessed)

The Session: I began on the lower part of the pier and with the float rod dropped just down the edge of the pier set at a depth of around 10 foot deep and baited with a mackerel strip. The intention was to catch a few pollock while I was setting up the ledger rods as I wasn''t expecting much on them until later.

It wasn''t long before I saw the float go under really fast and I dropped the rig I was baiting up and grabbed my float rod. The float was still under the water so it was certain I would land the fish. It was a typical sized pollock of around 1/4 of a pound.

I put it back and cast out the first ledger rod which was baited with a small mackerel segment. It went around 70 yards straight out. Almost immediately after tightening up the line the rod tip was shaking, so I grabbed it and lifted in to something I could feel pulling quite well. After a few moments a small Tub Gurnard came to the surface. I hadn''t caught one of these in a while so I was pleased to see one again, and right on the first cast too.

I recast this rod and set up the other one. I cast it around 50 yards, first baited with frozen black lugworm. It was around half an hour before I had another bite and it was on this rod. A small Whiting had taken the bait I had only just put this back after photographing it when I saw the float go under again. It came back up before I reached the rod but soon wnet again and I lifted into a slightly bigger pollock.

Less than 10 minutes later the float went under again and this time the fish pulled the rod along the pier railings. I grabbed it and played it carefully as it was obviously a bigger fish. I guessed the weight at around a pound and then over the next hour or so I had 5 more pollock all 12oz to 1lb in weight. These were the biggest catch of pollock I''ve had from this mark, usually only catching the occasional 1lb fish in a session.

With the final fish put back at around 22:15 it was as if they switched off as quick as they started biting. I continued until near midnight and after getting no more bites I packed up a little bemused at the lack of fish on ledger after dark but very pleased at the larger than usual pollock.