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The day had arrived that Ken Robinson, Phil Skinner and myself headed up to Edinburgh to fly up to Reykiavik in Iceland. Took off at 4-30pm for the two hour flight. Met at the airport by Steve Mason who first inspired us to come and have a look a couple of years ago with the knowledge he has acquired from living and working and fishing there for the last 13 years or so.
We packed our gear into his estate car, and headed north for a 200 mile plus, journey to Brimness, our base for the week ahead, passing a camp site where young children were playing kick-a-bout football, in sunshine, at 1am in the morning...........surreal. Coming out of a long, long tunnel through a mountain, the sight of Olafsfjordour in a beautiful setting is breathtaking.
Into the log cabin, a couple of largers and into bed, and up in time to catch the ferry to Grimsey, an island that lies about 25 miles north of the mainland, and takes 3hours-15mins. There are about 80 people live there in the village and are very friendly and helpful. Dumped our bags at the guesthouse, and with no car with us, we walked to the little harbour to fish off the short pier there.
We baited up our big rods with mainly fish baits, a short chuck into the flat calm sea, then it began...........cod after cod after cod came in, fish in the 2-5lb bracket, Steve was running round like a headless chicken using the drop net to land the now getting bigger fish, up to 7-9lb.
By now, I had changed over to using my spinning rod with rubber shad leadheads, and was catching fish to 7lb
Between the 3 of us, we must have landed 60-70 fish in a couple of hours, all returned bar half a dozen which w
ere gut hooked but were given to some people in another near by guest house.
We went there the next day, but was not as prolific, but carried on fishing there until early evening. Went back to the digs for a bite to eat, Ken and Steve went onto the rocks a couple of minutes walk away. By now, after a couple of drinks, and 10pm, stayed indoors with some brandy
. when Steve and Ken returned in the early hours, I learned they had a frantic session with fish after fish coming in, all a very good stamp of fish between 5-9lb, only fatigue made them pack up.
The next day was filled with the same sought of thing, when a message came that the lads working on the fishing boats had a couple hours spare, and would we like a trip out. Certainly dooooo was the reply. Boat rods quickly rigged, within minuets we were speeding out to nearby hard ground. I set up with a 6 inch pink shad, Ken with a lure and muppets, and Phil with a white shad. Within seconds of hitting the bottom at 180ft I was into a good cod around ten pounds, then another around 14lb.
Ken was steadily catching some good fish behind me at the back of the boat
Then Phil got a great pull from a fish that fought all the way up, this lovelly 7lb plus haddock
In one and a half hours, we had some cracking fishing with quite a few 2-3lbers returned
We then headed back in as the lads were going back out on a larger boat fishing further off were they catch massive cod, haddock, red fish large coalies, wolf fish, etc, etc,.
The potential for boat fishing is enormous, virtually untouched with rod and line.
Next day, we headed back to the pier, but after a couple of casts, I headed onto the rocks seaward side of the pier, picked a spot, and cast out a leadhead lure, bang, immediately into a strong fish which wasn't pulling like a cod. Then I could see it was a good coalie.
Chucked in again, and after a few more casts, wallop, line screeming off the reel with the line cutting through the water, finally got a glimps of a bigger coalie. Eventually landed it, weighed it at7lb 4ozs, then took pic and returned safely.
Ran back to the pier to let the lads know what they were missing, and they soon came over, with Ken getting into fish and snapped off with even bigger fish, phil into the action as well with some big coalies. Those pics are on his camera but will upload some if he can send me them.
Without making this report much longer, I will sum up.
The shore fishing is brilliant and the potential also. There are thousands of miles of coastline which will never have seen a baited hook or lure.
The boat fishing has not even scratched the surface and all within a few miles of the shore with the potential for many record breakers.
YOU GOT TO GET OUT THERE..............its all waiting for you.
If the pics are repeated, i,ll sort it out when i'm not so tired.
We packed our gear into his estate car, and headed north for a 200 mile plus, journey to Brimness, our base for the week ahead, passing a camp site where young children were playing kick-a-bout football, in sunshine, at 1am in the morning...........surreal. Coming out of a long, long tunnel through a mountain, the sight of Olafsfjordour in a beautiful setting is breathtaking.
Into the log cabin, a couple of largers and into bed, and up in time to catch the ferry to Grimsey, an island that lies about 25 miles north of the mainland, and takes 3hours-15mins. There are about 80 people live there in the village and are very friendly and helpful. Dumped our bags at the guesthouse, and with no car with us, we walked to the little harbour to fish off the short pier there.
We baited up our big rods with mainly fish baits, a short chuck into the flat calm sea, then it began...........cod after cod after cod came in, fish in the 2-5lb bracket, Steve was running round like a headless chicken using the drop net to land the now getting bigger fish, up to 7-9lb.
By now, I had changed over to using my spinning rod with rubber shad leadheads, and was catching fish to 7lb
Between the 3 of us, we must have landed 60-70 fish in a couple of hours, all returned bar half a dozen which w
ere gut hooked but were given to some people in another near by guest house.
We went there the next day, but was not as prolific, but carried on fishing there until early evening. Went back to the digs for a bite to eat, Ken and Steve went onto the rocks a couple of minutes walk away. By now, after a couple of drinks, and 10pm, stayed indoors with some brandy
. when Steve and Ken returned in the early hours, I learned they had a frantic session with fish after fish coming in, all a very good stamp of fish between 5-9lb, only fatigue made them pack up.The next day was filled with the same sought of thing, when a message came that the lads working on the fishing boats had a couple hours spare, and would we like a trip out. Certainly dooooo was the reply. Boat rods quickly rigged, within minuets we were speeding out to nearby hard ground. I set up with a 6 inch pink shad, Ken with a lure and muppets, and Phil with a white shad. Within seconds of hitting the bottom at 180ft I was into a good cod around ten pounds, then another around 14lb.
Ken was steadily catching some good fish behind me at the back of the boat
Then Phil got a great pull from a fish that fought all the way up, this lovelly 7lb plus haddock
In one and a half hours, we had some cracking fishing with quite a few 2-3lbers returned
We then headed back in as the lads were going back out on a larger boat fishing further off were they catch massive cod, haddock, red fish large coalies, wolf fish, etc, etc,.
The potential for boat fishing is enormous, virtually untouched with rod and line.
Next day, we headed back to the pier, but after a couple of casts, I headed onto the rocks seaward side of the pier, picked a spot, and cast out a leadhead lure, bang, immediately into a strong fish which wasn't pulling like a cod. Then I could see it was a good coalie.
Chucked in again, and after a few more casts, wallop, line screeming off the reel with the line cutting through the water, finally got a glimps of a bigger coalie. Eventually landed it, weighed it at7lb 4ozs, then took pic and returned safely.
Ran back to the pier to let the lads know what they were missing, and they soon came over, with Ken getting into fish and snapped off with even bigger fish, phil into the action as well with some big coalies. Those pics are on his camera but will upload some if he can send me them.
Without making this report much longer, I will sum up.
The shore fishing is brilliant and the potential also. There are thousands of miles of coastline which will never have seen a baited hook or lure.
The boat fishing has not even scratched the surface and all within a few miles of the shore with the potential for many record breakers.
YOU GOT TO GET OUT THERE..............its all waiting for you.
If the pics are repeated, i,ll sort it out when i'm not so tired.
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