Catching Pollack, possibly the 2nd most targeted fish in salt water with a fly rod, can be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel once you have the right knack for it.

What do I Need?

The standard saltwater fly gear listed in my blog is more than sufficient for this target. Pollock are designed to feed in low light conditions, much the same as scad mackerel. First light breaking from dark through to first light and again in the evening fish through untill darkness - they will still take a fly in the dark.

Where do I Start?

Look for an outcrop of rock that is safe to fish from and then look for deep water drop offs, pollack are a predatory fish that will sit in wait and ambush baitfish as they are washed past by tidal currents. All we do here is imitate the baitfish in the area.

At either dawn or dusk, you can fish with a floating or intermediate line as the fish will be just below the suface and feeding heavily. If fishing during the day you may have to go down anywhere up to 14 ft deep to reach them dependant of where you are fishing.

Which Flies do I Use?

A classic baitfish pattern that I almost always use when targeting pollack is the DNA spare olive clouser, or DNA Clouser

Ok. So you are now ready to fish, what next?

Cast the fly around 30 yards out or as far as you can and slowly retieve the line in small strips through the water.
The line used will determine how deepit sinks with the fly.

When I fish I roughly do this:

Cast 30 yards or so allow the fly and line to sing to 2ft deep and start a retrieve.
Recast same distance allow time to sink to 3 ft deep and start to strip the line again.
Recast same distance allow time to sink to 4ft and so on untill, you start to feel takes once this begines you are at the right depth for the fish and continue to fish this depth untill you catch.

When you feel a take on the line strike after 1 second and then try to get the line back on the reel asap.

Remember, when stripping line it is laying loose in the basket and not on the reel. This is how it is meant to be done.
To get the line back on the reel with your rod hand clamp a finger on the line against the rod and keep the line to fish tight strip further if you have to.

With the other hand, wind like crazy to get that reel on and then swap to playing the fish from the reel.

Fly reels have amazing drag systems, they are there because we use lighter rods that lure fishers, bait casters and float anglers.
Play the fish, don't bully it - either the leader will snap or the rod will - believe me, I have done it a couple of times!

You can land smaller fish by sripping the line by hand and not playing on the reel. But it is always good practice to play off the reel you will land more fish this way around.  Reel drag systems have a low start up inertia thus when a fish runs it will run smoother and less chance of throwing the hook as opposed to when you play by hand even the most skillfull angler will jolt the line with playing by hand (especially with Pollack since the larger fish will try to run deep and fast with a short burst of speed)

All that remains is for you to get out there and fish.