Pollack

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Dave Hawkes proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 15th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Dave's group of anglers proudly hold up their fine Pollack and Ling which they caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Tue 10th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Stuart Pearson proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 15th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Roger Symonds proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 15th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Mark Rogan proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Mike Woods proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Mark Rogan proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Reg Renton (L) proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison Pete Walley (R) proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Paul Jones (L) proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison Mark Rogan (R) proudly holds up his fine brace of Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Mon 9th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Peter Walley proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 8th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Paul Jones proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 8th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Darren Leatherbarrow proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 8th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Darren Leatherbarrow (L) proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 8th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison Mike Woods (R) proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 8th Feb 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Ray Brooks proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 25th January 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Two of Dave's happy anglers proudly hold up their fine Pollack which they caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 25th January 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Ray Brooks proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 25th January 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Dave's happy anglers proudly hold up their fine Pollack which they caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 25th January 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Dave's happy anglers proudly hold up their fine Pollack which they caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini Sun 25th January 2015 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Ray Brooks proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' 29th December 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Brian Coles proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' 29th December 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Lee James proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' 29th December 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Bill Harkness proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' 29th December 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Paul Flavel proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' October 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Paul Flavel (L) and Gerry Craft proudly holds up their fine Pollack which they caught on Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' October 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Two of Dave's happy anglers (L) proudly hold up their lovely Pollack which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Sun 27th July 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Bill Harkness and Brian Ivey proudly hold up their lovely Pollack which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Sun 27th July 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Ian Humphries (L) proudly holds up his lovely Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Thur 19th June 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Phil Green proudly holds up his lovely Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Sun 27th July 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Kevin Turberville (L) and Jason Mortimer proudly hold up their lovely Pollack which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' May 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	Matt Beard (L) proudly holds up his lovely Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Mon 26th May 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison
	One of Dave's happy anglers proudly holds up his lovely Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based, 'Gemini' Fri 18th April 2014 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Richard Butler proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based charter boat "Gemini". Sunday 11th August 2013 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Ray Brooks proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught during the Torbay Festival aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based charter boat "Gemini". September 2013 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison	Fred Taylor Neads proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Dave Harrisons, Dartmouth based charter boat "Gemini". Sunday 11th August 2013 Picture courtesy of Dave Harrison

Pollack

by Martin Bowler - Angling Times

Martin Bowler the well known and
respected writer and TV angling presenter
proudly holds his Pollack caught from
a mid-Channel wreck aboard Dave
Harrison's Dartmouth charter boat,
"Gemini"

Photo courtesy of Martin Bowler

As the boat chugged along the Dart Estuary on its way to the open sea, Dartmouth with its hillside full of colourful cottages slipped away and the castles which had fortified this coastal town watched yet another vessel head out into the English Channel full of hope and expectation. I was just one of six anglers: Andrew, Jules, Wayne, Kev and Steve who had put our trust in skipper Dave Harrison of Gemini. For my part I had complete faith that he was the man to track down the monster Pollack from a distant wreck as they gorged on sand eels and sprats in preparation for spawning. This confidence came as a result of a conger eel trip with Dave last summer when a series of huge pythons were pulled onto deck. So we had the right man were in the right place and even, for once, the weather was right! As at last this winter the conditions had turned in my favour seeing the strong winds subsided leaving little more than a ripple across a vast expanse of open water.

Breaking free of the estuary the white water at the stern intensified as we made good speed to the rich hunting grounds over 20 miles off shore. The tackle now needed to be rigged and so with it the banter came trying to out do each other with our lure collections. Twin tailed, red gills, sidewinders, jelly worms and shads – you name it between us I think we had every lure a Pollack had ever seen with a few to spare. For a while during the journey the one up-man ship of who had the biggest and brightest seemed to take precedence over the fishing itself. Fifteen pound class rods were combined with small multipliers to provide a balanced outfit while 30lb braid also ensured a sporting mentality. To my mind broom handle rods and over-gunned lines provide little enjoyment as filling the freezer is unimportant but a good fight is paramount. To the braid I connected 15 feet of a clear 30lb mono as a rubbing leader against the harsh metal structures likely to be encountered. A stiff 10 inch boom came next to which a cannon ball lead of 8ozs was suspended off via a weak link. The round nature of the weight guaranteed that it would drop directly to the sea bed and also be less likely to snag up once there. A swivel and bead then terminated the leader before 12 feet of 18lb fluorocarbon provide the hooklength to which the lure of choice would be tied to. To prevent this long length of mono twisting up I placed a swivel in the middle. Then finally came the choice of artificial of which there had been much conjectured about over the previous hour. Common consensus saw the majority of us leaning towards an orange and yellow combination shaped in the form of a sand eel. Therefore to begin with I would alternate between the Savage and Side winder versions. With preparations complete there was only one thing left to do –establish the parameters of the sweep stake. Five pounds per man with biggest fish taking all found agreement and further intensified the banter onboard.

Pulling back on the throttle the echo sounders screen became filled with jagged peaks highlighted in red as the wreck slipped by some 150 feet below the gunnels and there tucked behind the broken metalwork sat our target waiting in ambush for its prey. Expertly Dave positioned his boat to drift slowly across the fallen vessel and eagerly we took our position ready for the skipper’s call. ‘In you go, wreck coming up,’ was all that was needed for a series of multipliers to be kicked into the free spool, sending 6 sets of tackle tumbling to the bottom. With a bounce of the rod tip the destination was reached and the reels once again reengaged - counting the turns of the handle we reached 30 before the process was repeated along with more instructions from Dave ‘you’re on the wreck now’.

Suddenly rods began to arch all around me as the Pollack surged out from cover to attack the wave of colourful intruders heading in their direction. A distinct thump was the first sign I encountered and as I continued to wind the pressure increased until a fish’s presence became apparent. Leaning back the rod lurched over and I was taken aback by the clutch singing in response. Whatever was now diving back to the crumbled metal hull festooned with old fishing nets had no intention of meeting me. Then without pity the tackle became locked in place with no chance of ever returning to the surface, swallowed up and destroyed by the sea. I had been beaten and needed to show more faith in the tackle so while licking my wounds I turned the clutch setting up a couple of notches – I would be ready for the next drift.

The smiles of success already sat across most of my party’s faces as we started again, the tide visibly strong separating the lead from the lure. Anticipation rippled up and down the line of anglers, deep in concentration counting the turns of the handle waiting for an attack from the depths. Simultaneously Steve, Andrew and Wayne made contact then embarked on a personal tug-of-war. Momentarily my gaze was drawn over to the action before a hit dragged it rapidly back to the rod in my hands.

Again the strain grew, testing every knot and material which linked me and the pollack. Its speed was rapid and its force powerful which caused a frown of concern on my behalf. Clenching teeth I sought to suppress the dive and with each turn of the handle my body relaxed a little more. Now a heavy weight needed winching through the layers of water. First darkness enveloped the fish but as light began to penetrate an olive back etched with a golden sheen gave way to a silvery flank before merging into a creamy white belly and its proportions became apparent. Eighteen pounds of pollack was my prize along with the sweep stake – today Lady Luck was with me and the beer would taste sweeter than ever tonight.

Martin’s Tackle

Rod 9ft MTI 15lb class rod

Reel Okuma Solterra 10l

Braid 30lb Okuma with 30lb Amnesia rubbing leader (15ft)

Hooklength 18lb ESP fluorocarbon

Lures Savage sand eels, sidewinders and jelly worms

To book Dave Harrison on Gemini call 07968 599245/01803 851766 or visit www.geminifishing.co.uk

View Video approx 10 minutes "Red Gill" Lures catch Pollack aboard "Gemini"
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