Hi Bigden
Rays - shallow beaches, on a flooding tide. The rock mark on Keem Bay on Achill Island (an hour from Newport, but take it easy on the road) has lots of Thornbacks but fresh mackerel or ideally fresh sand eel bait is essential. You can spin for Mackerel, Greater Launce and the odd Sea Trout off the rocks, especially of an evening. Use a german sprat. The mark fisheds only on a flooding tide and better in or approaching darkness. Cast no more than 50 yards for Thornies from 2 - 12 lbs.
Several species of Rays can be taken off An Corraun, the penninsula before Achill Island heading west from Newport. Small Eyed common amonggst the Thornies. Follow the coast road from Mulranny harbour and stop at the second set of steps on the coastal side. Fish from a clearly visible rocky arm, but expect to lose a few rigs. You will have no idea what shows up on each cast... bizarre stuff can be caught here, and as often you can blank. About 5 miles past the harbour. Spectacular views, needs very calm weather and a flooding tide, ideally towards darkness.
Huss - Rosmoney is a small harbour midway between Westport and Newport and it produces the odd Huss, mainly over high water as it is a very tidal mark. There is another mark, Rosanrubble which is known to produce them routinely - not a fish I go out of my way to catch. Rocky and sandy bottom essential, with a good depth of water at low tide and you are in with a shout - loads of small to medium sized conger eels. Rosmoney can produce mullet and some excellent bags of flatfish from under the boats. If you really want one, head for the Tippe Rocks, outside Ballyglass on the Belmullet penninsula (an hour and a half from Newport, due north west) and fish the channels at high water. Loads of bigger Conger too.
Turbot - small fish can be picked up on Keel Beach on Achill (better around low water down towards the end near the cliffs), but you need western storm beaches rather than the more sheltered marks in Clew Bay. I usually target them off the northern Mayo beaches like Ballycastle and Rathlacken East. Flesh baits essential, with a nice mackerel belly strip ideal. Size 4 - 1/0 hooks as most of the fish are quite small, under 1 lb and need to be returned. Anything over 1 lb is good, with up to 4 lbs possible. You will doubtless encounter lots of Flounder, the occassional swarms of Dab, and the odd Plaice on these marks, and if fished further out, Gurnard. You will inevitably pull out lots of wrasse near any rocks.
LSDs: I can't remember that last time I met someone who seriously wanted to catch these buggers! Low water specialists, ideally over sand with a decent current and some rocks and weed. They find you more than the other way around. Entrance to Lough Furnace is a good mullet spot and right at the mouth you will find doggies, mullet, sea trout and the odd bass. You might even find the odd Salmon heading for Lough Beltra!
The best option is really smelly baits - lugworm (big beds outside Newport heading west just beside Rosturk house), and old mackerel (if its a big high even better so long as you can stand the smell!)...
Hope this helps...
If by some misery you are having no luck, PM me and I will give you my phone number and we might get to go on a short session somewhere (I have two lads myself which require lots of sand castles and the like at the moment!)
Thanks
Last edited by kieran on Fri Jul 02, 2004 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
