Trying for thornies and huss

Whats the best rig for targeting thornbacks and huss?
What should I up my snood strength to?

I've seen running paternoster mentioned or a bomber for distance. Probably using whole frozen squid or decaptated frozen sand eel as bait. I'm planning on trying out marks on the south bank of the shannon and the only real information I have on marks, best tides and times is from this site and the shannon FB site so any addition information on marks would be great.

Donagh

Carrigaholt Pier in Clare not far from Kilkee is a cracking spot for Thornies. We had about 6 or 7 of them there on the day after stephens day. use Mackeral tail cuts on a clipped up wishbone rig. Bothe hooks should be 4/0 and the main snood 50lb line. You do not need to cast far. Catch the tide rolling in to the small bay and you will get them on their way in. Make sure to catch the start of tide. We used Mackeral as I say, but the two we kept had crabs in their stomachs and so they must be coming in to feed on them in the bay. Most were around the 5lb mark and one was 7lb. Not bad fish from the shore! Courtown on the East coast from the boat last year I took a 16lb, a 13lb and an 11lb thornies not too far out from the shore. In March they come inshore to lay their eggs so chin up you should bag one if you keep at it. Make sure to release the Spring Rays as they need to be allowed to spawn as they breed quite late in years.

Hi donagh

For most of my ray fishing I use a pulley pennel rig, clipped down if needed for distance but i usually dont need to clip. Main snood line would be 30lbs over snag free sand or a bit heavier over snags, which should stand up fine to rubbing over the fishes skin.

Hooks would be 4/0 or 6/0 depending on bait size, and bait would be mackerel tail, fillet, squid or sand eel. With added sardine oil optional.

Have also used a wishbone before with squid on one hook and mackerel on the other.I usually use a 5 or 6 oz flat lead, and only use breakaways if i really need to.

There are a number of great ray marks on the dingle penninsula, had thornies to over 10lbs from the shore there in the summer.

For boat fishing for huss and ray in brandon bay i stuck with a plain running ledger.

Best of luck
ADAM

Adam,
I just had a look at your site. Very good but one picture in the sea angling gallery concerned me a bit - it appears to show a dozen or so dead bass, all but one of which look undersized. Surely my eyes deceive me?

Hello guest

Yes your eyes do decieve you, i have only ever killed two bass.
If the below picture is what you are talking about they are all mackerel, except the one im holding which is a bass

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SADdAsIUmfTZLIPTdFO0XL5gaHqwA2QRkwzjRZvwy*BonRhVG5cAWKcPtHGtRC!4bQ3jb!UC*uFmDTJ3I47**WLdXBQaPZRrgDkX5ahG46AvAAAAcXJaAg/mackbass.jpg?dc=4675386281836492930[/img]

good luck
ADAM

Adam,
Thanks for setting the record straight - glad to hear you practice conservation as far as bass are concerned.

Luke, Adam,

Thanks for the advise. I'll stick to fishing the south bank of the shannon as its the nearest but hopefully I'll get down to dingle during the summer and I'll be fishing competitions on the Clare side. I'm off this Sunday to Carrick Island to put theory into practice.

Thanks
Donagh

I would agree with using a pulley rig. Although I haven't visited in a couple of years, I used to travel a couple of times annually and had huss, ray and conger from Foynes through Glin and the little pier (not Kilteery on which I have personally never had a good day). At Glin, I found the best time to be over low water for the ray. Big tides combined with little rainfall always seemed to produce best. As the tide makes, stick it out with a large bait . For huss, I like a peeler/fresh mackerel cocktail, as large as you can comfortably and safely cast, fished on a pennel rig. Make sure that you use a strong snood, good conger will pick up this bait also. A lot of the local anglers use wire for the snood but I always prefer nylon, even if they have wiped my eye a couple of times !. Sandeels or less than fresh mackerel can be good but are better for dogs than the more preferable species. The many straps over this side can go potty on peeler

Hi Cooke

Its great to get information from someone whose fished these marks as I don't seem to meet many other anglers when I'm out. The only other info I had was from a fellow angler that had caught 10 10lb thornies off foynes pier at low tide last year so I'll give this mark a crack again and Steve from the fishing shop who always recommends Glin as they had used to have big returns there from competitions when he had his angling club running.

Thanks
Donagh

Hi

The important thing to remember about Glin is that you fish (from the car on wet days!) when parked in the lay-by on the Limerick side of the village rather than the pier, just in case that was not obvious...