Sea Angling Ireland

Hi guys

Heading out on Sunday - weather looks fair, high tide 4.1 m late afternoon - probably myself and the two lads (anyone else feel free to drop me a PM).

Looking for advice on what to target, what bait to order, any ideas.

Mobility could be a bit of an issue for me, as I tore a quad two weeks ago and its only mending now. Spectacular bruising, viciously painful. Ended up in the GP who told me it was a MAMIL injury. Middle Aged Men in Lyrca! Funny. Never gone near lycra, although I suspect if mentioned rubbed waders, he's wet himself!

Anyhow, all suggestions welcome.

Kieran

After a few years away from Ireland I'm hoping to try get out this weekend too as a pure novice would appreciate some pointers for Dublin/Wicklow too please.

My usual technique is throwing out random spinners and hoping for the best or maybe rag on a hook with a weight!!!! Yes I'm that green.

Boris

I think your best bet would be to join a local sea angling club - lots of expertise, local knowledge, people to share trip costs with and insurance.

Thanks, unfortunately I don't have the time to make a larger commitment to joining a club and getting hugely involved. I'm just an occasional fisher who just like to get out there and seeing what lives under the surface. I was just hoping for some basic pointers not any secret hot spots for record fish. For me its a way to take the mind off life and relax.

Ok

Here's a quick guide to beach fishing.

Most fish are caught inside 50 yards from the shore.
Casting to the horizon is overrated. It can land you different species but it can just as readily land you dogfish or even nothing at all.
Keep your rigs simple.
A three hook paternoster is composed of a swivel - three snoods (hook lengths) holding your hooks - swivel - lead.
The cleaner the terrain, the lighter your lines can be, which helps with some species that are finicky. Mullet is a good example.
Learn to tie the uni know, its the most reliable. Lots of guides online.
The smaller the hook size, the more fish you will catch. Obvious and yet people miss this.
Use circle hooks, as they make unhooking very easy in most cases.
Match the baits to the hook size. It's bait, not food!
Big fish can be caught on small baits. Smaller fish will feed on big baits but not get caught!
The fresher the bait the better. Dig or collect your own. Its cheaper too. There used to be a free downloadable guide on here somewhere...
A small lead will roll around and cover more ground.
A heavy or wired lead will usually stick in the same place. Experiment.
Learn to read the sea, I.e. learn how to look at a beach and know where there is a gully, sand bar, hole, current, rip current etc. Fish tend to lie up in the deeper sections and wait for food to come to them. Observe where you will be fishing at low water. Draw a small map, mark in gullies and the like...
Some marks fish best on the flooding time. Some fish best on the ebbing tide.
On the flooding tide your snoods (line between the main line and the hook) can be shorter.
On ebbing tides, its better if they are long (30 cms or more)
Some marks fish best at low water. Some at high water. Some in between low and high water.
Keep a diary. Record your catches, the tide, the conditions, time of year, baits used and over time, you will figure out what combination works best.
Different fish like different conditions. Flatfish like it calm, bass like a bit of surf (not too much), pollack and wrasse like it really rough.
Check the foreshore for any bait items that have been thrown up by a recent storm. If there are lots of mussels, for example, try them as bait.
Different fish show up at different times. Coalfish feed in darkness, sea trout often show up at dusk and dawn (ditto bass) whereas pollack like the light.
Some fish are migratory and only show up in the late spring (smoothhounds) summer (mackerel), autumn (triggerfish on west coast) or winter (codling).
Different fish like different baits e.g. flounder will eat anything, turbot like mackerel belly strip, dabs like stinky old lugworm and plaice love mussels. Sole are almost never caught in Ireland because they have tiny mouths (size 8 required) but they are by far the tastiest of all the flatfish here.
Consider fishing two rods. If you do, fish one close in and the other at distance.
The old rule of thumb was to cast to the third breaker (foaming wave). That is not a golden rule... people have caught fish in nothing more than suds.

Use these forums - search under species, rig names, venues. The people on here are very knowledgable.

GL

Thank, you for that much appreciated. Hopefully I'll have something to report on Sunday.

Terrific post Kieran, well done.

Well unfortunately I've nothing to good to report. I tried inside and outside the rocks on dolymount at high tide a,d howth west pier as the tide was going out. Tried squid and sandeel I think on the bottom, spinner sand feathers. Not a single tap, nothing even touched the bait.

Ont the positive note i got out in the fresh air for a few hours with a mait and had a laugh along the way. I'll just have to tryagain when the weather gets better.

try the east pier next time, either off the rocks at the elbow, or at the lighthouse but on the older side of the pier, not the new extension.
Harbour mouth used to be good for flatties, just watch for the traffic!