Conserving Our Stocks Is Important!
Onyer Marks Sea Fishing Charters are very much involved in conservation and angling politics. All the Pollack caught with Onyer Marks Charters are released. We also take part in tagging schemes on to provide data to enable us to campaign for management plans etc. I really believe that with declining fish stocks, sea anglers should adopt the attitude of the fresh water angler and fish for the sport and not the pot." ~ Ian Burrett, Skipper, 'Onyer Marks'. Check out what's going on at the Scottish Sea Anglers Conservation Network website.
The four boats are licensed for four anglers and most of the
fishing is carried out within a few miles of the shore. No
angler has ever blanked in 20 years chartering. We specialize in
light line Pollack and Tope fishing although an average day will
produce between 10-15 species. [More abut the sundry and diverse
denizens of the deep on our
Species Page.
THE TOPE FISHING
When conditions are right we will catch Tope from the beginning of May right up till the end of October. The early run of the immature fish is my favourite fishing of the year. An incredible day in May, a few years ago, produced 53 Tope in an 8 hour shift for just three anglers. At that time of year we are fishing for Tope up to 35 pounds in just 25 ft of water. Spinning rods or 6-12lb class boat rods, are great for these Tope that go like wild banshees in the shallow water. Float fishing for the Tope is also great fun. See the video here.
June-August sees us travelling further offshore to locate the
larger Tope in the breeding packs. 20 Tope a day is not
unrealistic and 30-40 fish days are common. I must warn that
locating the shoals isn't an exact science and these figures,
although regular, are not guaranteed as the Tope do go off the
feed for the odd day or two. We are seeing an increasing number
of Bull Huss in recent years and regularly see 6-8 specimen Huss
per boat per day. The Rays are also making a slight sign of
recovery and often take the Tope baits and the big bonus in the
last few years has been the appearance of 7-16 lb Bass which
regularly pick up the live baits intended for Tope.
September and October sees fewer in numbers, but it is the time
when the 'big mamas' and the 50lb males show. We have released
three Tope that would have broken the British record and
regularly release fish between 50-70 pounds. Rods, reels and
rigs advice can be found on the
Tackle Page.
THE POLLACK FISHING
A typical day will start with a five minute steam to the nearest headland where we will pick up a few dozen Mackerel or Herring; then weather permitting and another short steam, we will swap to Sabikis or shrimp rigs and feather for the Launce (large Sandeel) which we keep as live baits for the Pollack. The Pollack grounds are only a few minutes away from here and another quick change is needed to fish the Launce under a float or free-lining with just a small drilled bullet. An average day will produce well over 100 Pollack for four anglers. We look for double figure fish everyday but if these aren't forthcoming there is usually plenty of fish in the 5-9 lb range. The Pollack give a tremendous fight on 20 lb class gear but the enjoyment is increased by using Carp rods or spinning rods.
Please remember these inshore Pollack are on a catch and release only basis....
But we can go offshore for the Cod or Haddock, if you require 'one for the pot'. The young ones particularly enjoy the Pollack fishing as they are kept busy all day. On the same grounds as the Pollack are four types of Wrasse, Conger, Coalie, and the occasional Ling
SALT WATER FLY POLLACK FISHING
A big growth area for us is the
'Pollack on the fly' fishing.
See video here. We return all Pollack but would have 6 IGFA
world fly records if we had claimed them. Thanks here, goes to
Salmon guide. Alan Everington for helping us to develop this. We
have had Pollack to 9 pounds on the fly but have lost a few
bigger fish on a 12 lb. tippet. A 6-10 gauge rod is recommended
with a fast sinking line. For safety reasons, please note there
is only room for two people fly fishing at any one time. Other
species caught on the fly are Coalie, Bass, Mullet, and Mackerel
and I am determined to catch a Tope on the fly when conditions
are right!
SPECIES HUNTS
If the lads are wishing to try something different then we go a
few hundred yards offshore where the species hunt begins.
Species regularly caught here are 3 types of Gurnards, Plaice,
Dabs, Rays, Cod, Whiting, Haddock, Lsd's and Huss. Bass and
Bream can also be targeted but, as yet, not in any large
numbers. The Onyer Marks record is 27 species in one day out of
a total of 53 species we have caught over the years. See the
Species Page for details.