Also known as
- Atlantic Pollock US
- Pollock US
- Coalfish US
- Coley US
- Boston Blue US
Identification
A torpedo-shaped North Atlantic schooling pelagic-leaning gadid — deeper, more muscular, and faster than pollack or cod.
- Brownish-green back grading to silvery-white below; dark greenish-black above the lateral line
- Bright silver lateral line running straight along the flank — distinctive ID
- Three dorsal fins, two anal fins, and a small chin barbel
- Upper and lower jaws roughly equal in length; small eyes
Where it holds
- Inshore
- Offshore
- Oceanic
- Rocky Shores
Behaviour
A fast-schooling North Atlantic mid-water predator — aggressive packs hunt baitfish through the column over wrecks, banks, pinnacles, and reef edges, often boiling at the surface chasing herring and sand eels. Bigger fish hold deeper and tighter to structure. Active by day, dormant at night. Migrates with temperature — inshore in cooler periods, dropping to 200-350m on warm spells. Juveniles nursery in shallow kelp 2-4 years before joining offshore schools.
Diet: Herring, Sand Eels, Capelin, Mackerel, Sprats, Small Squid, Shrimp
How it's caught
Line Fishing
Jigging
The dominant Norwegian, Icelandic, Scottish, and UK boat-charter method. Vertical-jig 80-300g pirks, slim metal jigs, and large soft-plastic shads over wreck shoulders, offshore banks, and pinnacles in 30-150m. Locate the school on the sounder, drop to depth, sharp lift to 1-3m off followed by controlled flutter — saithe smash on the drop. School fishing means multiple fish per drift is normal. 50-65lb braid handles depth and short hard runs.
Spinning
The classic Norwegian fjord-and-shore approach. Cast 30-80g chrome metal slugs, slim sandeel-pattern soft plastics, and silver spoons into surface boils, gull-marked feeding fronts, and along structure edges. Steady fast retrieve through schools — saithe key on speed and flash and the take comes mid-strip. Shore anglers from Norwegian piers, Scottish marks, and Faroese rocks all rely on this. 8-15kg braid with a fluorocarbon trace.
Trolling
Cover ground over banks and shoulder structure to locate scattered or feeding schools. Troll silver and blue spoons, sandeel-pattern lures, and deep-diving plugs at 3-5 knots along depth contours and around wreck fields. Once schools mark, switch to jigging or spinning for production. Most useful on big offshore Norwegian and Icelandic banks where fish move with bait shoals.
Drift Fishing
Drift baited rigs and weighted soft plastics across long offshore banks and shoulder structure to locate scattered schools in unfamiliar Norwegian and Icelandic water. Sounder up the marks first, then drift downwind across the contour with 200-400g lead. The classic Norwegian charter style when weather suits and fish are spread.
Spear Fishing
Inshore Spearfishing
A popular Norwegian, UK, and Faroese wreck-and-deep-reef target. Hunt offshore wrecks, deep reefs, and pinnacle structure in 20-50m on calm-day visibility. Saithe school in numbers above structure and approach divers boldly — multiple shot opportunities are common. Solid 8m+ visibility and good depth conditioning required.
Inshore Spearfishing
Shore entry to deep rocky marks and headlands with quick drop-offs in 10-35m. Smaller fish more common inshore than on offshore banks; calm sea and good visibility essential. Best on cooler-period inshore feeding pushes when schools track baitfish into accessible depth.
