Lure Fishing in the footsteps of Poldark

Lure fishing in Cornwall, may not be the first thing that springs to the mind of many people thinking of visiting Cornwall this year. especially after watching the BBC’s recent drama Poldark.  In this article, I hope to let you in on a few of the marks that are real gems, for lure fishing fanatics like myself.

Well it looks like 2015 could be a very busy year here in the far west with all this ‘Poldark Fever’ this is great news for the tourism industry which I myself work in and I’m sure some of you lure anglers will get talked into a holiday around these parts to visit some of the stunning scenery, like this where Aiden Turner (Ross Poldark) and the cast filmed a lot of the new series!

Now if you lure fanatics are anything like me you will probably get distracted looking at marks like this wondering what might be lurking down there that would engulf a soft plastic lure, metal or hard plastic if that’s your thing! Personally I mainly fish SP’s and small metal jigs and my main quarry are Wrasse which with the right conditions of calmer seas and half decent water clarity, can be caught year round.

This particular mark at The Crowns Botallack not far from St Just where a lot of filming took place is not the easiest mark to get to and should be avoided completely on wet days or if there is any size of swell as it is very prone to larger sets rearing up from nowhere. There are plenty easy access marks around this stretch which throw up Wrasse and Pollack and a few Bass, plus plenty mini species if you fancy a bit of LRF!

Pendeen Lighthouse, just a bit further along the coast road towards St Ives, has some much easier access marks and plenty parking with a chance of a decent pollack. Other species include Bass, Garfish, Mackerel and the odd Coalfish falling to small metals, Texas rigged SP’s and lures like Savage Gear Sandeels. As you can see from the second picture the northerly facing side has plenty of fairly easy access to rocky outcrops and gullies if you walk down the track to chuck a Texas rigged lure into. The only drawback is again the black rocks that are very slippery when wet and watch out for swells.

There’s also a very nice beach there if you fancy a dusk or dawn session when it’s less busy, just follow the main coast path that will take you right down to it. It is worth trying a few surface lures there if conditions are right!

Cape Cornwall is another easy access mark with plenty parking for only  2 or 3 quid I think for the whole day, it is free for National Trust members. It also has toilets and a small snack bar. I have picked up Wrasse, Pollack and Bass down there! Great spot where the Mrs and kids could have a few hours down the pebble beach, while you sneak off round the Cape to chuck a few lures around!

As you can see from the pictures below, it can be a very productive mark.

 

If your staying around the Penzance area there’s no shortage of marks in Mounts Bay plus there are a few good charter boats that do short mackerel trips, or more specialised charters for sharks and species hunts.

Plenty Mullet and the odd flounder around the harbours at Penzance and Newlyn, which could be targeted with Mepps and Power Isome. In addition there’s the odd decent Bass cruising around too and Wrasse off the harbour walls. Just be aware of parking charges and restrictions on both harbours (Newlyn requires a permit).

Early morning around Newlyn pebble beach is worth a try even if it’s just to see the sunrise over St Michaels Mount!

After reading this article back to myself, I decided that I didn’t really have enough good pictures of decent Pollock, so I went out with my mate Joe this afternoon and caught a few more. Joe managed the larger of the two at 5lb. That is what I call a lovely Pollock.

Good Luck and enjoy the wild west!

Steve