Garfish

Anybody noticing or hooking garfish from the shore this summer. Lost one whilst spinning for macks in Donegal Bay at the weekend and seen another jump out of the water beside my spinner. Never seen them from the shore here before. What would anybody suggest: spinner or float fished mackerel strip?

Pete

We catch them over here on the Essex coast from the piers using a small spiral lead behind a 2ft clear 6lb trace with a strong size 8 or 10 hook with a small sliver of mackerel from the belly area.This is cast out and retieved fairly slowly.I fish Chesil beach in Dorset regularly and use float tactics there either fished stationary or retrieved slowly.I have even caught them on tin foil moulded around the hook when I have had no Mackerel !.Hope this helps. :D

Cheers for that Brad. You find a slow moving bait induces more takes then? Going to head off this evening and see can I get one. The one I hooked jumped clear off the water and it took a few moments before I knew what I had (not many sea fish jump clean out of the water when hooked), scared the hell out of me :o

Pete

Did you catch any Gars Pete? :D

Got meself one at Fanad last weekend weekend on a set of plain white feathers.

Great sport - they know how to fight!

Fraid not Brad. The mark where I lost one last week was swarming with biting midges, having climbed down to it we where forced to flee within 15 minutes. They were everywhere, whilst spinning I happened to look down at my hand and it was almost black with the wee beggars. Ate alive :x I was.

Anything else moving at Fanad Irish Shamrock?

Pete

Not a thing Pete. Four of us fished it for a good 6 hours on a rising tide, wiith nothing but that garfish I mentioned to show for it.

Quite disappointing really - it looks like a great mark.

Might give Culdaff a go this weekend.