what are the small green fish

Any time I've swam on any of the sandy beaches in wicklow I've noticed small green fish only a couple of inches long. Are these fry or sandeel? Anyone capture these and use them for bait?

Donagh

hi Donagh

I ave also seen these of the old pier and some sort of ray follow.
I think they are small herring as i fowl hooked a couple(trying to get the ray) and a man said they were herring fry.

eel

Hi Eel,

I know the fry you talk about that run along the pier and are commonly said to be herring fry though I've never investigated them but these lads are different. If you ever go swimming out in silver strand or the similiar beachs your sure to see a big shoal of them under your feet.

I said I'd never seen any ray caught off wicklow pier when I sent my information to kieran but it has to be said only rag was used by most people when I fished off there regularly and thinking back there may of been a couple of palm sized ray caught. I'm told a live prawn can do the trick on the east coast ray marks.

Donagh

The fish might be smelt sometimes used by pike anglers as bait. They are long and green shoal fish that can be found in creeks, piers and esturies in the spring and summer. They are known as Atherine smelts or sometimes Argentines.

Hi Donagh

when i ran a search on google for smelt and found a picture.
Go to

http://www.mbnms-simon.org/sections/san ... 170&sec=sf

It is on the bottom.

If this is the fish let me know.

eel

Sounds like sandeels, maybe?

I only know sand eels from a packet. These are bright green all over.

Donagh

The colour of sandeels does change when they come out of the sea so it could be eel.