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Pollack
'Trusty Pollack'
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Inhabitants of wreck and rock and capable or powerful, surging dives, pollack can be difficult to wrinkle out of the kelp. .
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Vital Statistics:
Scientific Name: Pollachius pollachius
Maximum Weight: 30lb
Average Weight: Inshore: 5-6lb Offshore: 10lb
Maximum Length: 3ft
Life Span: 8-10 years
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Pollack characteristics:
Pollack, also called lythe, can easily be confused with another closely related member of the cod family - the coalfish or saithe -
but there are a number of ways to tell them apart. Coalfish have light coloured straight lateral line - quite different from the darker
curved line of the pollack. Coalfish jaws are failrly even but with pollack the lower jaws juts out. Coalfish have a much more obviously forked
tail and a tiny barbel on the chin, where pollack have none.
The pollack has a dark green back and a white bellie, and a golden sheen to its side. Its colouring can be variable, and young pollack living near
kelp beds can have a brownish-red hue.
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Where to find Pollack:
Pollack favour habitats with plenty of cover - reefs, rocks, wrecks, piers - anywhere with nooks and crannies and plenty of weed to harbour prey fish.
Feeding Habits:
Young pollack live on a diet of shrimps, crabs and other crustaceans, these young pollack also eat marine worms, shellfish and any other small rockpool creaures.
Mature Pollack feed mainly on fish, particularly sandeels and open water species such as herring and smll members of the cod family, which they ambush from behind cover.
Their preferred method of feeding is to hover, head up, in the lee of a wreck or reef. They wait in this position for the tide to bring them food.
Pollack Baits:
King Rag makes a deadly bait for reef pollack, but seems to take most fish in the summer months. Fish baits such as mackerel, pouting, sandeel and other livebaits
make good baits, as does squid strips and artificial eel. Feathers and prawn are also worth a go.
How to catch Pollack - Techniques at a glance:
Specialist Pollack anglers seem to like the 'Flying Collar' method - with single hook and a long trace (this involves a ledger attached to a boom, large ledger weight, long trace and a large hook dressed with feathers).
Trolling, heavy float tackle and ledgering can all produce pollack.
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