KAYAK FISHING BLOG | CORNISH KAYAK ANGLER
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Information Guides
    • Choosing a Fishing Kayak
    • Choosing A Paddle
    • What to Wear
    • Essential Safety Equipment
    • Paddle or Pedal Kayak?
    • Installing A Fish Finder
    • How to Anchor A Kayak
  • Kayak Modifications
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Places to Fish
    • North Cornwall
    • West Cornwall
    • South Cornwall
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Photos
    • 2013 Photos
    • 2014 Photos
    • 2015 Photos
    • 2016 Photos
    • 2017 Photos
  • Marine Life Photography
    • Fish
    • Cnidaria
    • Echinodermata
    • Mollusca
    • Crustacea
  • Links

Kayak Fishing Blog

ROKK, Wrasse and Wrecks

30/4/2017

 
Big Ballan Wrasse Kayak Fishing
A few weeks ago i was contacted by George, Product Designer at Scanstrut. The guys at Scanstrut are releasing an exciting new range of accessory mounts for the kayak and small craft market using their ROKK Mini mounts. We had planned a day on the water to test a range of the new products, discuss future products and provide George with a taste of kayak fishing to better understand the needs of us kayak anglers. The day went to plan, the weather was perfect and i caught a stunning new PB....
If you aren't familiar with the brand Scanstrut, they are a UK based company who manufacture high-quality mounts and installation products for a vast range of marine electronics. ​​The guys at Scanstrut are releasing an exciting new range of accessory mounts for the kayak and small craft market using their ROKK Mini mounts. The ROKK Mini range is based on a 3 component system. First up is the base mount - which can be in the form of a screw down/bolt down mount (A nice low profile design - perfect for kayak decks), rail mounts, sticky mounts or a suction mount. Onto this base clips an adjustable captive ball-in-socket mount, and onto this again a top mount which can house a variety of accessory mounts. As the name suggests the mount is absolutely rock solid when fitted and put in position - high quality and very impressive. 
ROKK Mini Mount
Given the calm conditions the day before, i decided on another launch at Sennen to fish in the bay. The forecast was looking even more favourable than the day before - perfect conditions for George to try his hand at kayak fishing! We met mid morning and spent some time looking over the range of ROKK Mini accessory mounts before rigging up the RTM Rytmo and Hobie Revo 16 with various accessories to test on the water including Go Pro Mounts, Digital Camera Mounts, Fish Finder Mounts, Phone/VHF Mounts and more. We discussed a few other very cool accessories which are at the design stage too - watch this space!
Kayaks rigged, it was time to get suited and booted. Well i say suited - it was actually really warm so it gave me a chance to try out my Palm Neoflex top - a stretchy neoprene which is great for wearing in warm weather. We launched onto mirror calm water. ​​
Cam conditions for Kayak Fishing
George was a natural paddler from the off and took to paddling like a duck to water! ​
George paddling the RTM Rytmo angler
It was so calm and George was paddling well so i took the decision to head a little further out than planned in the hope of finding some Pollack in deeper water. Things were a little slow but that gave me chance to show George the ropes and he was soon working a lure through the water by himself. I found a few smaller Pollack on the first mark but the tide was making it difficult to fish. We moved ground and a few more bites started coming our way....
Pollack Kayak
After several bites and missed takes, George soon had his rod doubled over with his first fish! A good scrap and a Pollack was soon in the kayak with one happy kayak fisherman! ​
George with a nice Pollack caught kayak fishing
We kept moving around with eyes on the fish finder, looking for tempting spots to lower the lures down too. The tide was making things a little difficult with working the lures....
Tide running against Buoy
We persisted and had a few more Pollack up to about 6lb. Another move and i found an anomaly on the bottom which almost looked like part of a wreck sitting in 100ft of water. Lures down!

First drift over the mark produced a few nibbles. And then on the next drift something special happened. The lure hit the bottom, i wound in the slack and immediately had a big bite, wound in a little more and BANG... the 30-60gr lure rod doubled over and knowing that the lure was so close to the bottom i really had the rod and braid at the limits of breaking to keep the fish away from the bottom. Something powerful was at the other end and it really wanted to get back to cover. Harsh persuasion and a squeaky arse moment, and the fish was turned and i could get some line back and bring it up into mid water. This felt like a big powerful fish, maybe a nice double figure Pollack. 

The powerful lunges and runs continued all the way up, and peering over the kayak the expected flanks of a Pollack did not show. A stunning golden orangey beast was heading for the surface..... it was a Ballan Wrasse and a big one too. Thankfully it arrived at the kayak and was brought onboard swiftly without any issues. A monster Ballan was now sat on my lap!
6lb 13oz Ballan Wrasse caught Kayak Fishing
WOW! This was a special fish. An incredible set of nashers too....
Big Ballan Wrasse Teeth
George came over to do the honours with the camera. A quick weigh on the scales and the reading showed around 6lb 14oz! ​
Big Ballan Wrasse caught kayak Fishing 6lb 13oz
To put a dampener on the situation, the fish unfortunately wouldn't swim off. It had been brought up from a fair depth and Wrasse species don't tend to fair well with such a pressure change. Despite trying to kick it was struggling to swim down, even though little air appeared to be held in its swim bladder. I stayed with the fish for around 10 minutes but it just wasn't happening. I don't like to kill Wrasse but i couldn't let this magnificent fish float away to be pecked by the gulls. Later at home i got two big fillets off the fish to be eaten - it wouldn't go to waste, and the fish weighed 6lb 13oz 6dr on land. A Personal Best for me, and one that i may not beat for a while! 

Back to the fishing and a few more Pollack came our way. Sport was slow though so seeing as it was so calm we paddled down the coast to explore the rocks beneath Lands End as i had done the day before. ​
George Paddling the RTM Rytmo at Lands End
I couldn't resist going through the cave under Dr Syntax's Head again!
Kayaking through Lands End Dr Syntaxs Head
You may notice something on my bow. It a Rokk Mini Go Pro Mount with a suction cup base. It attaches really well to the smooth bow on the Revo 16... i like it a lot! Easily removable at the end of the day too. It held firmly in place for the whole session.
ROKK Mini Go Pro Mount
Heading back to the launch we took a closer look at the wreck of the RMS Mulheim, but this time it was calm enough to land the kayaks on the boulder foreshore....
Hobie Revolution 16 and RMS Mulheim Wreck
Time to explore!
The Wreck of the RMS Mulheim
We climbed onboard for a look around. The wreck sits at quite a steep angle on the shore which makes climbing around it a little tricky, and certainly dangerous in wet conditions. ​
RMS Mulheim Wreck Sennen
Exploring the RMS Mulheim Wreck
RMS Mulheim Wreck Wheelhouse
It's quite an impressive sight. It's not everyday you get to climb around a shipwreck and i have been wanting to look around this one for years. It's the first time it has been calm enough for me to actually access it via kayak. 

That finished off a successful session. We headed back to the launch just as the wind started picking up. Everything went to plan and we both caught fish. We discussed the products we had been using a little more and George kindly left me with a few mounts to use and test over the coming months. We discussed further mounts which would be useful for kayak fishing and George went away with a better idea of what kayak fishing is all about, the requirements we need for our accessory mounts, with some ideas for new products and a Pollack for tea! I'm sure we will be sorting out another session again in the future. 

A great two days on the water. The weather has now closed in for a few weeks. Hopefully the next session won't be too far away as the fish seem to be biting! ​

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Liam Faisey

    Liam Faisey Cornish Kayak Angler

    SPONSORS

    palm-equipment-logo
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Navionics Logo

    Proudly associated with
    Cornwall Canoes
    Cornwall's only specialist kayak fishing shop

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    February 2022
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Anchor
    Anchor Chain
    Anchoring
    Anchor Reel
    Anchor Trolley
    Atom Bib
    Baillons Wrasse
    Ballan Wrasse
    Basking Shark
    Bass
    Battery
    Black Bream
    Blonde Ray
    Blue Shark
    Boat Fishing
    Bull Huss
    Buyers Guide
    Camera
    Clothing
    Cod
    Common Skate
    Competition
    Conger Eel
    Corkwing Wrasse
    Cornwall
    Couch's Bream
    Crate
    Cuckoo Wrasse
    Dab
    Diy
    Dolphins
    Drift Fishing
    Drysuit
    Equipment
    Extendable Pole
    Fishfinder
    Fish Finder
    Fishing Kayaks
    Flounder
    Footwear
    Gilthead Bream
    Goby
    Goldsinney-wrasse
    Go Pro
    Gps
    Greater Weever
    Grey-gurnard
    Grey-gurnard
    Haddock
    Herring
    Hobie
    Hobie Eclipse
    Hobie Outback
    Hobie Outtfitter
    Jellyfish
    Kayak Fishing Guide
    Kayak Review
    Kayak Surfing
    Kayak-wars
    Launce
    Launch Venues
    Leashes
    Lesser Spotted Dogfish
    Ling
    Lithium Battery
    Live Bait
    Lowrance Elite 4x Dsi
    Lure Fishing
    Lures
    Mackerel
    Marine Biological Association
    Measuring-fish
    Megrim Sole
    Mirage Drive
    Modifications
    Mother Shipping
    Mounting-board
    Oceanic Pufferfish
    Ocean-sunfish
    Octopus
    Paddle
    Paddling
    Palm
    Palm-kaikoura
    Pedal Drive Kayaks
    Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet
    Pfd
    Pilchards
    Pilot Whales
    Places-to-fish
    Plaice
    PLB
    Pollack
    Porbeagle Shark
    Pouting
    Railblaza
    Ram Mounts
    Ram Tubes
    Ray
    Raymarine Dragonfly
    Red Band Fish
    Red Gurnard
    Red Mullet
    Reef Fishing
    Review
    Revolution 16
    Rigging
    Rock Cook Wrasse
    Rod Holders
    Rod Rest
    ROKK Mounts
    RPF Master
    RTM
    RTM Abaco 420
    RTM Abaco 420
    RTM Luxe Seat
    RTM Ocean Duo
    RTM Rytmo Angler
    RTM Tempo
    Safety
    Scad
    Scorpionfish
    Scotty Mount
    Selfrescue
    Shark
    Shore Fishing
    Skate
    Slide Track
    Small Eyed Ray
    Smoothound
    Spotted Ray
    Starting Out
    Storage
    Storm
    Streaked Gurnard
    Tandem Kayak
    Team RTM UK
    Teksport Xplore 330
    Thermals
    Thornback Ray
    Tompot Blenny
    Tope
    Triggerfish
    Tub Gurnard
    Turbot
    Ugly Stik Elite Spin Rod
    Ugly Stik Kayak Rod
    Undulate Ray
    VHF Radio
    Video
    Viking Kayaks
    West Cornwall Kayakers
    Yak Attack

    Add my blog to your feed reader by clicking the button below 

    RSS Feed


    Cornish Kayak Angler - Kayak Fishing Blog

    Get blog updates via email

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    blog web counter
    Web Counter

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Kayak Fishing Videos

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Kayak Bass Fishing Video
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed Widget
    Custom feed reader powered by FeedWind

    Useful Links

    Anglers Afloat
    Cornish Shore & Kayak Fisherman
    Cornwall Canoes
    ​Palm Equipment
    ​Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet Info
    Saltwater Kayak Fisherman
    Magic Seaweed
    XC Weather

    Picture

    Choosing a Paddle for Kayaking

    Kayak Fishing Clothing

    Pedal and Paddle Fishing Kayak Pros and Cons

Cornish Kayak Angler - Kayak Fishing Blog

Popular Pages

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Kayak Modifications
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Places To Kayak Fish

Sponsors

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Navionics UK

YouTube

Facebook

Website powered by pasties and the hope of good weather!
© 2023 Liam Faisey
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Information Guides
    • Choosing a Fishing Kayak
    • Choosing A Paddle
    • What to Wear
    • Essential Safety Equipment
    • Paddle or Pedal Kayak?
    • Installing A Fish Finder
    • How to Anchor A Kayak
  • Kayak Modifications
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Places to Fish
    • North Cornwall
    • West Cornwall
    • South Cornwall
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Photos
    • 2013 Photos
    • 2014 Photos
    • 2015 Photos
    • 2016 Photos
    • 2017 Photos
  • Marine Life Photography
    • Fish
    • Cnidaria
    • Echinodermata
    • Mollusca
    • Crustacea
  • Links