David Norman of Angling Adventures West Cork, praises pencil lures…
After finding Sandeels in large numbers on the run in from a guided kayak fishing trip, I looked at what I had to match the hatch the following day and realised that the 19g / 125 mm Sandeel Pencils I have for other uses could be ideal for our big West Cork Pollock, even maybe at depths of 30ft+ and so it proved to be! These seemingly simple hard plastics needle style lures that were I think primarily designed for Sea Trout have to be one of the most versatile lures available to us saltwater lure anglers. They…
- cast like a rocket,
- can be counted down to a chosen depth during which time they level sink with wobble,
- you can jig them at depths,
- wind them slowly up through the water column with a nice subtle rolling action,
- stop winding (or spin stop) and let them fall backwards,
- wind or work them across the surface
- and oh they have a nice rattle in them and the colour choices are superb!
A young Angler I was coaching even caught a monster rainbow trout on one at the 2025 Irish Spring Angling Fair. They worked really well for me doing a mixture of the above when landing this Monster West Cork Pollock and about a dozen or so others of a good size – I’m sold!
One final note is that I upgraded the supplied rear Treble to a Size 1 and will probably switch to a Size 1 inline single for all the known benefits of less fish damage, quicker unhooking, less weed pickup etc…
Landing Gear
Rod – SG2 Fast Game Spinning Rod Black 2.43 m/15-50g (Handle customized by Rob’s Custom Rods)
Reel – Daiwa BG 3000
Line – Daiwa J-Braid 28lb
Leader – 18lb Berkley Trilene
Lure – SG Sandeel Pencil 125mm / 19g (With 2 x upsized Treble)
Go fishing…
Contact me now to arrange your 2025 Guided Trip or Workshop –- Mullet, Pollock, Bass, Wrasse, Fly or Lure, Kayak or Shore, plus Junior Coarse Fishing.– david.aawc@gmail.com
