Round fish · Rock, pier and boat
Pollack
Dusk over kelp. Wind a soft lure slowly; pollack follow and take on the move.
- Know it
- Bronze-green back, lower jaw juts out, lateral line kinks sharply over the pectoral fin.
- Bait
- Lures, sandeel, prawn or strip under a float
- Table
- Good eating Firm white flesh, a good cod substitute. Bleed it straight away for the whitest fillets.
Season
Typical months on the North West and North East coasts, with this month ringed. Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature and run differently around the coast: see each region's headline fish below.
Legal minimum size
Pollack
Last checked 18 October 2026Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.
| Area | Minimum |
|---|---|
| North West England | 30cm |
| North Wales | 30cm |
| Yorkshire to the Tyne | No legal minimum |
| Northumberland | 30cm |
| Cardigan Bay and the Llyn | 30cm |
| Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales | None set |
| Dorset, Hampshire and the Solent | 30cm (check locally) |
| Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash | 30cm |
No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, South Devon. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.
and 7 other regionsRules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.
Tips
Pollack under a float
Prawn out-fished mackerel strip by about twelve to one for small pollack and coalfish, set just above the kelp. Use a hooklength lighter than the leader, so a snag costs only the hook.
Coalfish or pollack?
A coalfish has a straight, pale lateral line, a smaller eye and a level jaw. A pollack's lateral line curves over the pectoral fin and its lower jaw juts out.
A headline fish in
All year, best autumn into winter
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Off deep rock at dawn and dusk. Spin a weighted soft plastic or try float prawn or a popped-up mackerel strip.
May to October
Scottish Borders to Aberdeen
Berwickshire and Angus rock. Float-fished rag for wrasse, small lures over kelp for pollack.
All year
Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland
Harbour walls and rock edges everywhere. Small metal lures for coalies, bigger lures over kelp for pollack.
May to December
West Highlands, Argyll, Clyde and the islands
Deep water beside kelp-covered rock. Metals or soft lures, with mono or a long mono leader on barnacled ledges.
Where to catch it
Regions with marks where pollack is one of the main fish, and how many marks.
How to cook it
Firm white flesh, a good cod substitute. Bleed it straight away for the whitest fillets. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.
Method 1
Pan-fried fillet
Season skin-on fillets and fry skin side down in a hot pan with a little oil until the skin crisps, about 3 minutes. Turn, add a knob of butter and cook for another minute or two.
Method 2
Fish pie
Poach chunks of pollack in milk for a few minutes, then use the milk to make a white sauce. Combine in a dish, top with mashed potato and bake at 200C (fan 180C) for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.