Pollack Fishing off the Rocks on the Sound of Islay

Fishing from the rocks on Islay's East Coast in to the waters of the Sound of Islay

Following the three part series I featured on this blog relating to fishing on Islay in July 2012 and before moving on at least for now to pastures new, I thought this postscript would be appropriate. This trip actually took place in the summer of 2011 but these pictures and details are all previously unshared and unpublished. They relate to a different part of the island from any previously spotlighted. The target species was pollack and the venue was a rocky formation on the East Coast of Islay, fishing the treacherous waters that are the Sound of Islay, the narrow channel which separates Islay from its neighbour, the Isle of Jura.


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A decent pollack taken from the rocks

The bait used on the day was mackerel and calamari squid, together with a number of different lures. Beachcasters and spinning rods were used, over a variety of different casting distances. It was actually a miscast - landing close in to shore - which resulted in the dogfish featured below being taken.

Lesser spotted dogfish will also be around when fishing for pollack on Islay

The pollack were generally taken on spinning rods and of course provide good sport on this lighter tackle. As more people are fortunately starting to realise, pollack also make for great eating.

Decent pollack keep coming and make great eating

The scenery in this part of Islay is particularly stunning, with fabulous views available over towards the Paps of Jura on a clear day.

The Paps of Jura as seen from Islay, across the Sound of Islay

Rock fishing can be dangerous at the best of times but it is especially important when fishing the Sound of Islay to be aware of the treacherous currents which run down through this narrow channel of water. These currents even see the Islay to Jura ferry requiring to follow a long, indirect course at stronger stages of the tide. Falling in to the sea here would see you whisked away in no time.

The waters of the Sound of Islay are beautiful but treacherous

Shore Fishing on the Isle of Islay: July 2012 (Part Two)

The Paps of Jura as seen from the Kennacraig to Islay ferry

Welcome to part two of three of this feature on shore fishing on the beautiful Isle of Islay, off Scotland's West Coast. The group who kindly shared these photos and the information had two full days' fishing planned, with a day's travel at either end. On the first day, they were on the hunt for locations likely to afford the possibility of sea trout, while on the second they were intending focusing on a broader spectrum and happy to catch anything which showed interest in their baits.


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It is more than worth pointing out at this stage a curious fact with regard to the saltwater shore fishing on Islay. While the inland freshwater lochs and rivers are hugely popular with trout fishermen and boat fishing on the sea is equally popular, there is a distinct comparative lack of interest in beachcasting and other types of shore fishing. While on the plus side this of course means you are likely to find a decided lack of competition for places at your chosen mark, it also means that there is very little information available on shore fishing, "Hot spots," or top marks. If you are going shore fishing on Islay, therefore, it's very much about studying the terrain, perhaps taking a look at grounds at low tide and simply hoping you have the very best of British luck!

Rivers of peaty water run in to the sea all around Islay

Fortunately, by studying the landscape and fishing near the mouths of what at least appeared to be likely rivers, the group enjoyed a successful day's fishing for sea trout. The one drawback of the day was that the recent very heavy rains made the water in such areas particularly brackish, decreasing significantly the likelihood of catching most other species at their chosen specific venues.

Beautiful sea trout taken on an Islay beach

Despite catching a number of prime sea trout specimens, the members of the group still had to buy their dinners that night. They were staying away from home, remember, so all the fish caught on both days were returned to the sea as unharmed as possible - with the exception of the mackerel caught in part one of this article at Kennacraig, which was kept to add to the bait supplies.

Fishing for sea trout on a beach on Islay

So fishing day one went down as a definite success and the group headed out for a wee dram or two that night looking forward to what would hopefully be an equally successful second day, with a number of different fish species on the agenda. Hopefully, you'll come back again to this page this coming weekend to find out precisely how they got on.

Another beautiful sea trout