During the winter period in January 2020, my friend Loïc and I were on the lookout for any information about wrecks likely to hold very large pollack. Here is the story of a successful search.
One Goal Only: Breaking a New Record
While reviewing the previous season with my friend Loïc, we decided to head toward new horizons and prospect wrecks far offshore which, potentially, have seen very few fishing lines in their entire history. Our research focused offshore from Dieppe, regardless of the distance, between offshore Le Havre and offshore Dunkirk. One goal only: break a new record.
Choosing the Best Spots for Big Pollack
Large pollack tend to settle especially on the biggest offshore structures, in depths greater than 35 meters. Once again, for the umpteenth time, we went through our wreck directories. We focused in particular on wrecks we had never prospected before: the largest sunken cargo ships located near the shipping lanes. These are the deep waters of the Dover Strait / Pas-de-Calais Strait, where maritime traffic is among the densest in the world, with an average of nearly 400 vessels per day and peaks reaching 800!
Each wreck identified as potentially promising required thorough research into its history: the sinking date, the type of vessel, its orientation, and, if possible, accounts from divers who had already visited it. The wrecks offshore from Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk are quickly close to the English side, so we also searched through British records.
At the same time, I methodically prepared the lures for this expedition, in order to be ready for any conditions. We set a date for a first prospecting trip. Weather windows being limited, we scheduled several possible dates and monitored the forecast day by day. The first session started from Dunkirk during a small tidal coefficient. Loïc launched his boat at Grand-Fort-Philippe, and we headed straight offshore, limiting stops that would have wasted precious time. Temperatures were close to 0°C. But very quickly, a generous sun appeared, and we immediately felt the difference in comfort.
First Stop Offshore from Dunkirk: 4 kg Pollack
We dropped our lines on a first wreck in 40 meters of water. I chose a 23 cm slug rigged with a 50 g “darting” jig head, while Loïc prospected with a 12 cm vibrating lure (a shad) fitted with a 42 g head. This way, we complemented each other in our approach and could find the right strategy faster.
The first observation was that, following a gale the day before, the water seemed fairly loaded with particles even offshore. Visibility near the bottom was likely not very good. After two or three timid bites, we landed a small cod and decided to move on to the next wreck.
During the run, we noticed a change in surface clarity which could very well lead to better results. The next wreck was a cargo ship over 100 meters long — a monster likely to shelter large predators. The current was getting slightly stronger, and it was not the best moment to work the structure. Nevertheless, on the first drift, as we each dropped a slug to cut through the water column, we slowly retrieved our lines and both felt a solid bite. This prospecting attempt was a real success, as we boated two pollack of around 4 kg.
A Great Concentration of Pollack… but Too Much Current
The bait ball visible on the sounder, suspended off the wreck, clearly seemed to be a strong concentration of pollack! On the next drift, the current increased even more and fishing became more difficult. We registered a light bite, and then nothing — not a single sign of life. Even though we increased jig head weight, the wreck was scrolling past quickly on the sounder, and the fish seemed to be holding tight inside the structure, waiting for the tide to turn. No point insisting: we headed for the next spot to try and locate a wreck shared by diver friends on the English side.
Discovering a New Wreck Offshore from Dunkirk
The ride was incredibly comfortable, as we were lucky to enjoy a calm spell after more than 15 days of unfishable conditions. Once on location, we only found a tiny piece of wreckage. We then had to start searching by running wider and wider circles around that point, drawing a whirlpool pattern on the GPS until we finally found the main wreck. After three circles, we located a 3-meter rise significant enough to stop on. We moved onto the zone and advanced slowly until discovering a substantial wreck over 8 meters high. This one lay across the current. Not ideal! We were in the middle of a flooding tide and would not be able to drift along the wreck lengthwise.
The wreck was massive, and on the sounder I could clearly distinguish small marks glued to the structure. We used the strong current to thoroughly scan the entire structure and properly identify it on the chartplotter. The first drift in full current allowed us to land a first 3 kg pollack, which was a good sign for what was coming. After a few drifts using heavy jigs in strong current, the flow dropped below 1.5 knots, and we re-rigged the rods with sand eel imitations.
Big Pollack Up to 85 cm and 6 kg
The technique then consisted of dropping the lure vertically over the wreck as it appeared on the sounder, and as soon as the jig head hit bottom, slowly retrieving up 10 to 15 meters. This retrieve brings the pollack up from the bottom where they are holding. With bottom-scratching retrieves, pollack are almost insensitive to lures passing right in front of their noses. Up until the current break, we landed seven big pollack. The largest was close to 6 kg for 85 cm.
It was a beautiful catch — a true trophy fish that made us really happy. That being said, from these new prospecting missions we were expecting enormous fish, at the limit of what the species can produce. In other words, we hoped to break our records. January is generally a slow month, and it truly feels good to catch fish averaging 4 kg. We headed back thinking about the next step: an expedition departing from Dieppe.
The Record Pollack Stage: Dieppe
After a few days of research through our charts and databases, we located three large wrecks offshore from Dieppe, including two we had never visited before. It was a real expedition, as these deep-water areas are located very far offshore. We were targeting wrecks likely to hold record pollack that had rarely ever seen the silhouette of a soft lure. This time, I welcomed Loïc to my home in Dieppe. The weather dictated the timing, and we went out during a very high tidal coefficient, which is not ideal for targeting big pollack.
A coefficient above 100 made us hesitate for a moment, but the calm conditions were simply too good to waste: we had to go! We left Dieppe harbor for a very long run toward the English coast. The ride was pleasant as we crossed the shipping lanes. But before this critical area, we dropped our lines on a huge wreck known by only a small handful of anglers from Dieppe. On this wreck, we caught two fish over 3 kg, but they were not the big pollack we were looking for.
Discovering a New Wreck
The current was still very strong, so we decided to move on to the next wreck — a real discovery. We passed a few large cargo ships, letting them go ahead of us to reduce the risk of breaking down right in front of them. As you may have seen in the movie Titanic, these massive vessels need several kilometers to stop, and you must remain cautious around these giants of the sea! We arrived on a wreck found by a professional fisherman, which appeared to be of significant size: over 6 meters high.
This beautiful wreck, perfectly sunk in line with the current, allowed us to make long drifts right along it. We rubbed our hands at the idea of prospecting this unknown structure, which, by the way, had no name. Our first drifts were carried out meter by meter, and we were more focused than ever on the goal of pulling a big fish off this wreck. Unfortunately, the strong current only allowed us to hook a small pollack, which we released to grow bigger.
A 96 cm Fish
So we pushed even farther, just a few minutes from there, to prospect our third wreck. Of course, we hoped results would be better. We arrived on it at the current break of the flooding tide and immediately registered bites. The first two hook-ups brought up pollack that were average in size. We released those fish, hoping for something bigger. It was slack tide. Even though we carefully worked our retrieves and reduced jig head weights and lure sizes, nothing worked.
Activity was very average… so we returned to the previous wreck where we had seen more life on the sounder. The ebb tide set in and we began drifting in the opposite direction. Loïc got a powerful strike while retrieving an 18 cm slug rigged on a 50 g darting head. The fight was intense, and Loïc was not very talkative — that’s what happens when he is impatient to see what is at the end of his line. I was also very curious to see the fish, as the head shakes were wide and heavy. Sure enough, Loïc boated a big pollack measuring 96 cm.
We were thrilled — it was the reward for all our research! Very quickly, we took a few photos and repositioned the boat, as the current was about to increase sharply due to these strong tidal coefficients.
The Big Pollack Takes 10 Meters, Comes Unhooked… and Hits My Lure Again!
On the next drift: same technique, same lure, same retrieve. This time, it was my turn to feel a massive strike as my lure was halfway up in the water column. I was using a 10–35 g rod and 12/100 braided line. The fish then took 10 meters of line — the fight was thrilling! However, as I was retrieving and the fish was about 10 meters up, it came unhooked. I was furious!
But even though my head was boiling, I kept enough composure to continue the retrieve, slowly turning the handle. I didn’t really imagine that a fish I had fought for 10 meters would strike again. I had barely made three turns of the reel handle when the fish slammed the lure in my hands and charged back toward the bottom. The rod was so sensitive, the reel so light, and the braid so thin that the fish forced me to extend my arm — the contact was that direct.
The Moment of Truth: I Land a One-Meter Pollack
A magnificent fight followed, ending with the landing of a pollack just as impressive as Loïc’s. We laid it on the measuring board next to the other fish and could hardly believe what we were seeing. It was a pollack measuring one full meter!
We were like kids, completely euphoric. At that exact moment, the day was a success no matter what happened next. Of course, we made two or three more drifts before the current became too strong. Despite having found the right lure, we only managed to land one more pollack of around 4 kg.
Rather than waiting three hours for the current to drop below 1.5 knots again, we decided to head back. On the ride home, we had stars in our eyes. There was still a long run before washing down the boat, and then Loïc still had the drive home. We were fully satisfied to have found the very large pollack we were targeting. It seemed wise to end on that high note and truly enjoy it.
Those two days in the heart of the winter break were worth gold! These are fishing memories that will stay engraved forever. And honestly, we never get tired of telling this story again and again.
