SEA-ANGLING-IRELAND.ORG

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Fenit Harbour, Co Kerry.  This picture was taken on a grey evening in February 2004 with the mountains hidden in mists and a nasty northerly breeze to boot! Access is from Tralee on the R558 through the village of Spa Blennerville.  There is plenty of B&B accommodation in the local area or failing this, just a few miles back in Tralee town itself.

What about the fishing?  

The most popular venue is the bridge across from the mainland to the harbour, known locally as "the viaduct", and you fish off either side, typically on a flooding tide of an evening.  Remember that you can only park on the seaward side.  It is a good venue and produces all year round, however the species can vary dramatically.  There are several deeper water channels meandering through the sea bed here, and it is important to fish into or ideally onto the margins of these rather than the flat sandy sea bed itself.  Dropping a line straight down will work too, but you have the challenge in this of keeping fish away from the barnacle encrusted piles.  If you hook a big fish, you will have to "walk" it towards the shore at either end.

Further down, past the grassy knoll pictured distantly above, follow the pier around to the very end and this offer deep water fishing into the boat channel.  This is a commercial fishing port with some very large boats and an excellent charter fleet.  From this, either fishing into the harbour mouth or directly south off the pier you can tackle the Skate, Tope and Monkfish, with the option of taking Rays on the same strength rigs.

Mullet will congregate in the harbour in summer and ground baiting will keep them close.  Wrasse can be taken off the rocks around the "grassy knoll" and smaller specimens from around the harbour walls.

There are plenty of mudflats locally, especially on the beaches on Fenit Island where lugworm can be dug, and peeler crabs can be collected at low tide.  Some ragworm reported from shingle areas.

For tackle shops try Landers on (066) 7126644 in Courthouse Lane in Tralee, John Halpins on William Street in Listowel on (068) 22392 or failing these, and a bit of a trip depending on where you are coming from... O'Neills on Plunkett Street in Killarney on (064) 31970.

Probabilities: Whiting, Codling, Flounder (winter); Pollack, Mackerel, Dabs, Mullet in the harbour (summer); Dogfish, Coalfish & Conger Eels (resident)

Possibilities: Dabs, Plaice (resident); Ballan Wrasse, Thornback Ray (summer)

Rare Exceptions: Red Gurnard, Monkfish, Tope & Skate (deep water channel, summer)