Rockpool tomfoolery.

I had some pinkies left over from my bitterling fishing on the last day of my staycation, so I decided to head down to Dunbar to mess about in the rockpools at the back of its old harbour. A simple split shot rig was used and I fished in the bigger rockpools, dropping the wriggling green bottle larvae down in front of gaps and cracks where I though fish might be hiding. It didn't take long for a few common blenny and long spined sea scorpions to give away their positions. I then caught a leopard spotted goby and the smallest five bearded rockling I've ever seen.

How can you not love these aggressive little goblins. They were more interested in my shiny split shot though so there's a presentation lesson there.

Only the third time Ive caught a leopard spotted goby during a session in this specific area.

The smallest five bearded rockling I've ever seen let alone caught! I had to pop it in a tub of water to positively identify it.

Next I spotted some red claws poking out of a crack down the side of a rockpool and offered up a pinkie. The owner quickly grabbed the bait and I quickly lifted it up onto the rocks.

Even this very colourful spiny squat lobster couldn't resist a pinkie!

Before I left I popped into the main harbour and spent half an hour targeting flounder in "Flatty Corner", a sandy area where they seem to like to congregate as the tides floods before they then head round into the old harbour to feed on the worms in there.

Slowly dragged along the bottom, several small flounders inside Dunbar harbour also took a liking to my fairly unorthodox bait choice.

Quite a fun little session, the rockpool exploration was inspired by a conversation I'd had at work with a customer who told me what he has, in the past, found in rockpools while he was out gathering bait. More on the topic of the potential of rockpool fishing in my next post.

Tight lines, Scott.