Plugging for pollack

• I went to try for bass again around the low water on Friday evening, and again the conditions looked good - not quite as promising as the day before, but still very favourable. It was just me and my dog Jess and nobody else. After all the rain we had, I never had a drop of it out fishing and there was even a really pretty sunset as well. What an awesome way to spend a Friday evening - out on the rocks with nobody else in sight.

• Low tide was around 8.40pm, and I really wanted to try the last few hours of the back tide and then an hour or so up, but unlike on Thursday, I never even saw a sniff of a bass. Why ? I have no idea. It felt good, I liked the slight jump in the size of the tide, and it just screamed bass at me, but all I caught were some small pollack. At least these honest little things tend to jump on the hook when a blank is looming, and while I love catching (proper) pollack from the shore, it's the bass that I am after.

• Pollack are actually a species that more anglers should chase - I don't mean the little ones that are hitting me all the time at the moment, but the bigger fish that you can catch from the deeper rock marks. I love fishing for them in Ireland, but the best shore fishing for pollack that I have come across so far has been out with my mate Del in the stunning Isles of Scilly. Hooking big pollack in over twenty five metres of water on deep-spun jellyworms and sandeels is about as much fun as fishing is going to get. I also really like using lighter spinning gear to chase them from the millions of rock marks over in Ireland - I still believe that there are many thousands of spectacular fishing spots over there still waiting to be discovered. I only with I had a lifetime to spend looking around...........

• The tides are now building nicely into next week, and I'm going to try and fit in as much bass fishing as weather and work will allow before heading off to Montana in a couple of weeks. The great thing about going plugging is that you can do lots of short, sharp sessions that can fit in well around a "normal" life. I love the fact that you are always doing something - it is a very "involved" way of sea fishing, and moving around the rocks and gullies all the time to look for places to cast really keeps me thinking. Staring at rod tips chasing bigger fish is what makes us sea anglers what we are, but light tackle, mobile fishing is where it's at for me at the moment.

• I am booked up for a week's fishing and photography with my mate Graham Hill over in Ireland for July - the tides are fantastic and all we can do is hope for a bit of decent weather. There is a strong chance of some awesome bass fishing at that time, both on lures and on bait. Check here for the sort of fishing I have had with Graham over the last few years. Any keen sea anglers should get themselves over to Ireland for their shore fishing. I can't get enough of the place.

• After that week with Graham, I head back via North Wales to do a couple of bass related jobs up there. This should be a blast and I can't wait to see this part of Wales, I have heard so much about it. It should be really interesting.

• And then at the end of that week in July it is the CLA Game Fair where Nick Hart and I do fishing demonstrations together over the three days. If you have any interest in fishing, hunting, shooing or the outdoors, you should get yourself along to this fantastic event, held this year up at Blenheim Palace. I always look forward to this weekend - what a shame it had to be cancelled last year, but this one is the 5oth anniversary and it will be a blast. If you come along, I'll be around the Fisherman's Village most of the time, so please come and say hi. You could even come and watch the demos that Nick and I do !!