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pollack have a protruding lower jaw, a dark brown lateral line which curves over the pectoral fin, and
are brown on the back which suddenly gives way to golden brown on the flanks.
In addition, coalfish appear to have no chin barbel, though one should be just about detectable. Pollack
on the other hand have absolutely no trace of a chin barbel at all.
Big coalfish in small numbers have always been present on the deep water mid channel wrecks,
particularly over the late winter months when they fatten up ready for spawning. Some of the Welsh
wrecks too, particularly those lying in over three hundred feet of water in St. Georges Channel off the
Lleyn Peninsula, plus those out from Amlwch on Anglesey.
Whitby and the ports either side of it over on the other side of the country have also produced their
share. But its not until you head further north around the Scottish and Northern Irish coasts that you
really start to find them in increasing numbers out over open ground, with the reefs off Shetland
currently the most consistent big coalfish producer of them all.
I'm not talking about isolated specimens of the type we used to see off Blackpool while winter cod
fishing, or the shoals of small mackerel sized coalies they see around the east coast borders region.
For good solid numbers of potentially decent sized coalfish, the best areas to target are the deeper lying
reefs off Scotland's west and north coast where they can be fished for on the drift with shads, soft plastic
lures, even feathers if that's what turns you on.
In short, tactically speaking, it's pollack fishing with either a mixed or a different outcome, all of which
I've detailed already under the pollack heading, so no point in repeating it again here.
As a snapshot of how coalfish can be locally abundant, yet at the same time missing over what might
seem like suitable ground just a short boat ride away, try a trip out from Cushendall on the Northern
Irish coast.
I was over there fishing with Hamish Currie aboard his RIB 'Predator II' during a week when conditions
were so bad that even the ferries out of Cairnryan had to miss a few crossings.
It was wild. But, it was all coming from the west, which over on the east coast of the country meant we
could at least get some shelter tucked in close fishing on the drift over heavy ground with strips of
mackerel belly on long traces under the cliffs just to the north, where as expected, we caught some nice
pollack.
But only pollack. Not a single
coalfish mixed in amongst them.
Yet on another day when the wind
subsided and we were able to get
off a short distance to the salmon
cages further out in the bay, we
caught nothing but coalfish, some
going well up into double figures.
Coalfish top, Pollack below
So why the separation, a question
to which I have no definitive
answer. But, like many people, I
do have an opinion, mine being
that although they can mix
together in suitable areas of
depth and habitat overlap, they
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