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Kilfarassy Beach, Co. Waterford.  This mark is in my experience very hit or miss, in fact there are three marks here.  It is accessed by heading west from Tramore and following the signpost down from the the coast road past a spectacular private residence to a car park and access over a small stream.  A roughly U shaped beach, sheltered from each side with spines of rock and with islands directly in front, it is a fairly steep shingle to sand affair.  There are dangerous currents in this area.

What about the fishing?

The beach itself is mainly fished for flatfish, predominantly Flounders with relatively small hooks and baits required to take lots of smallish fish.  If you are fishing for the Bass it needs to be near darkness with a large bait cast into a decent surf, no more than 3-0-40 metres out.  Very hit and miss.  Whiting and Codling can be contacted over the autumn and winter, but the size is very variable and you need to be punching the baits out a fair distance (100 m or more) to access the decent fish.  It is an odd mark in that there are several pockets or gullies within the basin formed by the beach, spines and islands which hold the fish and these seem to change after every large storm!  It does fish better towards the end of the high water or at very low water.

Walking to the left, you come to a spine or rocks that run almost all the way out to the islands at low water.  These rocks attract small Congers, Dogfish, smallish Wrasse in the summer and will also offer the odd hunting Bass, again at or in darkness.  it is treacherous in terms of tackle with anglers using float fishing techniques in preference to legering baits.  This is where you can pick up the "slugs" or three bearded rockling, especially if you can keep your baits hard on the bottom in a big swell - this seems to get them into a feeding frenzy.  Mind you there are not too many people who like the old "slugs"!

Provided you are VERY careful, if you turn right and walk over the rocks around the headland into the next bay, (don't get cut off by a big tide) there is a wide expanse of very weedy rocks which is supreme Bass country.  It is extremely rough ground so the only methods that can be used are SWFF (salt water fly fishing) or plugging (a shad on a leadhead will minimise losses in preference to the rapala or chug bug). The ideal spot is a deep gully that runs alongside a distinct high point in the rocks. It is a popular spot! The footing is extremely treacherous and people have lost their lives in this bay in 2004 just swimming there owing to the strong currents.  That said, if the bass are in, you will have several in a single session, with the possibility of one over the maginal 10 lb specimen weight.  I can not stress enough how dangerous this mark is - never fish it alone, not even in daylight.

For proper kit and baits try John O'Briens in Waterford City on (051) 844314.  There is another store, of the Army surplus variety, with an excellent tackle section and frozen bait on New Street opposite the new car park in Waterford City

Probabilities: Flounder, Dogfish (resident); Mackerel, Pollack, Ballen Wrasse (summer); Codling.

Possibilities: Bass (resident); Dabs (summer); Whiting (winter)

Rare Exceptions: Three Bearded Rockling, Mullet.