Stronsay report (Read this davy).

[Bob on Stronsay]

As lots of you know from this forum we are still learning this fishing business up on Stronsay. This is our third year of summer boat angling. The first was mainly using feathers. The second year we moved over to jelly worms and bait but all our fishing was done on the drift. We are well used to catching large numbers of Coalfish, Pollock, Mackerel and Cod.

 

In all this time I have been telling my friends that there are some big fish and loads of species never caught on a rod on Stronsay just waiting for us but some of them were beginning to doubt me.

 

This year we are trying fishing at anchor (Apart from bait fishing) and this is a small summery of how we are getting on so far this year.

 

Our first trip a few weeks ago yielded good size dogfish (First doggies ever caught on a rod on Stronsay).

 

Sunday we set off for Odin bay on the east of Stronsay in three small boats. We had a quick drift for Mackerel and had a box of them in about 20 minutes. We headed to the foot of the cliffs and anchored up. We caught more dogfish.

 

In the evening we went out again but this time we went North of Stronsay into the water we call Sanday sound. We had planned a place to fish and plotted into the GPS and within minutes of arriving I hooked into a Cod that actually turned my 13ft boat around (We decided to drift to start with). Within an hour we had a few more Cod and a Ling and some dogfish. My engine started playing up so we came in early. But I can claim to have been towed around the North Sea by a Cod and a boat called Pugwash.

 

Last night (Monday) saw us back out on the same ground but only using one boat (Got the engine working but only three people so no need for extra boat).

 

This time we anchored up and caught nothing so we moved to a place I used to work creels, the depth was only 60ft, again a few Cod but then it started to go weird. I had taken two rods. One was my 7ft standard rod with 30lb line and the other was a 50lb class rod with a massive Okuma lever drag (Purchased from another AN member) loaded with 700 yards of 50lb line and 100lb leader (All my friends on Stronsay laughed when they saw this reel). I had a size 7/0 hook with half a Mackerel belly on. I had the clicker and clutch set light and it started to let off line very slowly. I waited for a minute and then picked up the rod and set the drag to strike and lifted the rod. The line went solid the rod bent and even though the clutch was now set high, line kept on going off the reel in a series of one or two foot long runs that just felt like I was stuck on the bottom and the boat was drifting in the tide. I knew this couldn’t be right because we were still at anchor. Eventually I snapped off. The same thing then happened to my other rod and my friend’s rod except it happened much quicker as they both had much lighter line. When I reeled in what was left of my line on my standard rod it was in ribbons as though it had gone through a series of knife blades.

 

I put another rig on my heavy rod and put on a whole fish as bait, my mate who’s heaviest duty reel was a Penn 85 loaded it up with his spool of shockleader (Only spare heavy line on board) and down they went. There was no more action until my mate shouted, “Look at this.” His son and I looked over the side to see a very large male Skate, no more than 10ft away from us, swimming up to have a look at us, it then just swam back down into the very clear water. By our best guess it was four to five ft across and six or seven foot long. I would estimate WELL in excess of 100lb.

 

We fished for another hour and I caught a very dark dogfish on my standard rod but it was now after 11pm and getting dark so we came home.

 

On the way home I thought through what had happened. I know I should have let the fish have less clutch and let it run but you learn this with experience. This is the first time I have ever had contact with a fish that I couldn’t just winch up.

 

After we get an order form Veal’s of heavy duty swivels, heavier leader, some wire and bigger hooks we will be going back to find more our new friends.

 

Just as an after thought, A week or so ago a diver was swimming just off of Eday pier and was approached by a large Porbeagle. Eday is only 30 minutes away from Stronsay.

 

I wonder if they will laugh at my reel now!!!!!!

 

Bob

[SandTiger]

Interesting

[Davy Holt]

Hiya Bob,

 

very Nice... so they are still there

[Spur-Hound]

Very cool! Hmm i must get back up there!

[captain cojones]

an interesting read bob.good luck when you get your heavier gear!!

cheers dave.

[Norm B]

Davy Holt:

Hiya Bob,

 

very Nice... so they are still there

:cool: Looks like we could do with an AN trip to Stronsay.

 

[ 13. July 2005, 12:26 AM: Message edited by: Norm B ]

[Bob on Stronsay]

You would all be welcome and I am sure we would help you all as much as we could with boat access, accommodation, getting you out of the pub before the ferry sails and generally moving around the island.

 

We have been looking for an experienced angler to come up and help us with all areas of angling for some time, I thought Kcrusty was going to come up but he is obvoiusly busy with house moves.

 

Be aware we are almost off the map and travel can be difficult but we would help as much as we can.

 

 

Bob

[thurso angler]

sounds good bob well done!!!