Spearfishing MASSIVE Pollock & Coalfish at dawn in a remote coastal wilderness

Hunting some very large Pollock off the Llyn Peninsula, North Wales Spearfishing. Got into the water at first light and shot 5 excellent Pollock, a Sea Bass and a Coalfish. The Pollock were shot in very shallow water, but dropped deeper as the sun came up and light levels increased
Dawn is without doubt the best time for spearfishing, however it means getting up extremely early in summer!
If you enjoy the video do leave a comment, I'll happily answer any questions about the session or about UK Spearfishing in general
North Wales Spearfishing is excellent, with bass, mullet, pollock, coalfish and all flatfish species present
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[@joelfildes5544]

Big rip on the left at Oer…got me once…at night…exciting stuff.

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

I nearly got swept out off the point at Nefyn in 2021, would have ended up near Holyhead!

[@joelfildes5544]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 aye,when she rips,she rips ! Bardsey sound would be terrifying I would imagine….

[@andy-thebodyforge2904]

@@jackmetcalfe8542is that an exaggeration or are they that strong there? Scaring the life outta me 😂

[@peterwilson2402]

Hi Jack, amazing footage. You give a whole new dimension to fishing I’ve never thought about love it 👌 Teaching people a lot about the habitat and day-to-day life of fish

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Good to hear you enjoyed it, I think the most fascinating aspect to fishing is the fish themselves, far too many people spend all their money buying the latest gear but don't understand the fish!

[@majesticsausage9521]

5:40 Words to live by!

[@joelfildes5544]

Great stuff.Bang on my stomping ground ! BOOM !

[@JackAcid]

Heading up in May for some recces. Cant wait!❤

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

So many good marks on the Llyn, just have to spend a lot of time finding the pockets of fish

[@jonathanmawdesley-thomas1863]

Superb video Jack , you’re very generous with all your advice and locations .

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Glad you enjoyed it, no one can be bothered to walk the distances required to my marks so don't really mind giving them away!

[@babthooka]

Little compares to catching and eating such nice fish.

[@ianhoward8572]

Great video. You have a talent for editing/narrating. Very high quality production. Good spearo too. Love watching your vids.

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Thank you! Really glad to hear that you're enjoying the videos, I aim to make them as useful as I can

[@under_jersea]

Epic video. Inspired me to try a few of the marks here which look similar!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Enjoy!!

[@johnman559]

Wow I was on the Llyn Peninsula the same time as you, anyway well done Jack!

[@carlhescornish]

Great video again.. Nicely narrated and some great info.. Cheers

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Thanks, hopefully it'll help everyone shoot plenty of good fish!

[@4amwaj]

Another Banger!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Glad you enjoyed it, people seem to have got a lot out of this video

[@JackAcid]

Fabulous. Heading up there next week for another session. Great shooting, fella!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Thank you! Conditions are amazing currently, enjoy!

[@davyboy555]

Great video mate!

[@josvaballer]

Great video mate! Awesome commentary and some great shots!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Thank you!

[@lifesmeaning5797]

New sub ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Hope you enjoy the upcoming videos!

[@lifesmeaning5797]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 i think i will 😎🙏

[@tamariderr]

Hey dude, love the vids. Well done for recovering that Pollock. Slight tip. Think you might find they brain slightly more conclusively if you stab slightly further back. I have to remind myself to draw an triangle between the eyes and go the same distance back

[@UKSpearo]

Let's goooooo! Donkeys mate 😎💪

[@garyweston1673]

That is impressive in all areas! It is a really professional looking video, Jack - excellent footage, informative and clear narration , with superb shots and editing. Subbed! I am heading to the Lynn peninsular for 5 days in Mid April during time off from school ( I teach, so I am limited to school breaks) and am taking my SIB for some explorations and maybe try lure fishing for bass. I know it’s early in the season ( too early?) and weather is looking to be wild - I’ve identified Ysgo and a few other areas of cove/ broken ground and boulder areas to explore for bass; any other tips, or advice? I’d like to try for pollock too but they may be still spawning, Hmm? Stay safe and good shootin’. Regards, Gary

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Good to hear you enjoyed the video, will hopefully be making a few more this season The smaller Bass are present all year, have shot them in March in 8 degree water, but generally vis is poor until the plankton bloom dies down in late April Porth Meudwy can be excellent in the shallows and one of the few marks possible to hunt at when there is a W or SW wind Have personally had much more success with Pollock in very calm conditions Enjoy the trip!

[@Dougie_Wood]

Amazing video as usual! Where would you recommend a good mark near Pwllheli for a first time spear fisherman looking to get started in safe shallows? It would be great to see you do a video titled “how to get started spear fishing” with some recommendations for marks, species of fish to target, equipment and general useful insights 👍 Keep up the great videos mate!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Thanks! Porth Meudwy would be an excellent place to start, you can get bass and mullet in the stringweed and flounder in the bay. Also no real current there It’s one of the first marks I went to and I’d thoroughly recommend it as a safe mark for beginners

[@Dougie_Wood]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 brilliant, thank you Jack! 👌

[@ahmedkurdi_6893]

Great video mate hope you make a video about the equipment that you use i live in Liverpool and i will try spearfishing this summer Also can i do it this time a year hope u get back to me thanks

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

There's few fish off N Wales other than Flounder and small Bass until late April, also vis tends to be poor until early May. You can shoot Flounder all year however getting decent conditions in winter is unlikely

[@robcritchley986]

Great videos Jack. Were do you recommend getting your equipment from. Any advice on brands speargun ect for newbie .

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Personally I've had good experiences with both Spearfishing UK and Start Point Spearfishing The things it's worth spending the money on are the gun and the wetsuit. £70 Plastic fins are absolutely fine and the SEAC float (as shown in my videos) does everything the Epsealon Patrol does at 1/3rd of the price Gun wise I reccomend the Rob Allen Sparid, it's robust, spear comes with a large flopper, closed muzzle makes it easy to load and it shoots so nicely I have a Salvimar Metal 85cm (as seen in this video) and a Rob Allen Sparid 100cm

[@BR0SE1DON]

Well done mate, super video! Huge congrats on the pollack, those are epic, I know that spot can throw double figure specimens late in the year but am amazed to see fish of that quality there at this early in the season. I’m in Abersoch at the moment for a couple of weeks - I was over at that spot a few nights ago to watch the sunset, found a snapped spear band half buried in the sand - not yours? 😅 Anyway, great video, top spearing as ever. I went to some deep spots earlier today, no pollack but lots of bass, seem to be a lot of decent sized fish around this season 👍🏼

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

The place I shot the fish isn't shown in the video! However those two headlands look very interesting so I'll try them this week Have shot good Pollock every time I've been near the tip of the Llyn, they seem to like the faster currents there Is your boat running again this season?

[@BR0SE1DON]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 sorry mate, I was half asleep when I posted that last comment, I meant the ‘area’ of coast you were diving, I know you headed off down the coast past the little island - I’ve dived around there quite a lot over the years - my dive buddy had two double figure pollock in one session in September about 10 years back. I had an 11lber up there last summer, although that wasn’t a pollack… 😅 So it definitely throws up decent fish, I really don’t like the currents though, had a couple of bad experiences with them. No joy on the boat for me this season, I’d ordered a brand new boat and engine in the Spring but various things conspired that meant it didn’t arrive in time for the summer, I’ll have it for next season. Have done some good dives off various headlands so far this year though, dived a new cliff mark on the South Llyn yesterday that was recommended by a local spearo I met last week, really bassy. Came across a dead tope that was almost the size of me, which was a cool thing to see, would like to see a live one!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

@@BR0SE1DON That's a monster Bass then!! I saw what must have been a double figure Pollock in the Hells Mouth area last August, and have seen other big fish off the Aberdaron Islands, always coming in behind me and impossible to shoot! Am looking for entry points near Anelog now, have you shore dived that area at all? Was also nearly swept out near Porth Iago...currents are so fast there

[@ddd34660]

great stuff, keep on going! useful hints and takeaways! I'm thinking to head up to Snowdonia in July to combine some hiking and spearfishing. Would you recommend Anglesey or Llŷn Peninsula for calmer waters? I'm thinking where to base myself there. Many thanks.

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

All depends on the wind direction. Llyn generally has better vis, some marks you can get good vis even with an onshore wind. However Anglesey has much less strong currents Another consideration is how you like to hunt. On Anglesey well over 75% of my fish are shot off the surface - they like it shallow there. However off the Llyn 95%+ of my fish are shot on breath hold

[@ddd34660]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 many thanks for the technical info! I haven't tried hunting from the surface so may be worth giving it a go. I guess Airbnb prices will also have a big say in where I stay, haha. Many thanks!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

@@ddd34660 personally have shot around 20 Bass of 60cm or larger and of those only 2 have been on breath hold. Pinnacles off Devon seem to hold big Bass but in Wales they're mostly very very shallow

[@ddd34660]

@@jackmetcalfe8542 interesting, looks like a totally different tactics to what get used to here down South. Will check more of your videos to learn some life hacks! :)

[@spruik72]

Great Video Jack. I shore dive here in 4 - 8 meters. I'm finding an hour after High tide is the best time for me to find decent pollock. Is this the norm or am i judging this wrong? I'm based off the NW coast of Ireland. Water so far this June is a little murky but warm. Pollock starting to come in but no biggies yet....

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Varies mark to mark. The fish here were shot just before high tide. Light levels make more difference that tides, Pollock have massive eyes and seem to really hate bright light...however in Ireland last year I shot an absolute beast in 4m in blazing sunshine!

[@finners3878]

Are you a serving RM?

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Left a few years ago, was at 43 Cdo

[@dontalkt2meboutheroes]

What happens to the caught fish?

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

I eat them! Personally I only eat meat that I've caught/hunted myself, would rather eat an animal that's lived a healthy and natural life over one that's been cooped up in a shed and few hormones to fatten it up Pollock are delicous cooked in breadcrumbs or battered, similar to Cod but much more sustainable

[@derek6579]

Stop this or there will not be any fish left!

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

Yh that's right, clearly I'm so good at breath hold spearfishing that I'll singlehandedly empty the ovean hahaha

[@dazzer273]

Hi Jack, Darren here from Éire (Ireland). Are you on IG or anything?

[@jackmetcalfe8542]

yes mate Jack_Metcalfe_3. I don't post much about Spearfishing on that though! Will be in Ireland during August, planning to go to the west coast, anywhere you'd reccomend?