Sole in Ireland

Does anybody out there know (you don't have to be specific!) if any where in the country can actually be targetted for black sole? I've got a few spots picked out locally to try but its a bit of a mystery why they don't show more often :? .

Never tried for them myself pete but have heard they do turn up around Arklow. Small hooks rag or maddies on a size 6 or 8 after dark with a grip lead to stop the bait moving. Id say booms would be worth trying too to keep the bait on the bottom.

i know unscrupulous people catch them in nets on beaches in the shannon estuary this time of year. Carrigaholt beach is ok, off the handball alley in Querin seems best. Don't know what would be best rod and line methods

Hi

very small hooks, bait must be stationery as sole are frightened by movement and don't be afraid to miscast into very shallow water!
Darkness helps, and if there is shingle in the area, better still.

FWIW

Hi

very small hooks, bait must be stationery as sole are frightened by movement and don't be afraid to miscast into very shallow water!
Darkness helps, and if there is shingle in the area, better still.

FWIW

Anyone ever had them in Greystones or Killiney that you know of? What baits are best, rotten worm?
Also I'd appreciate if you could give an exact hook size.

Thanks.

Also I'd appreciate if you could give an exact hook size.

On the rare occasion that I have targeted them I have used size 4s but you could go to 6s or even 8s, standard worm hook pattern... B940 or similar, might be an option ot use the fine wire hooks available if it is snaggy.

Lgworm is probably your best bet, you want something very smelly with a decent scent trail, crab legs might be good...think strip of mackerel too.

Have not fished in Dublin for a decade, someone else might advise.

FWIW

Interesting. It probably is a case of anglers just not using the right tactics for the species, very small baits and again very small hooks. Outside of match scenarios what reason would I have for using that size of hook :idea:

It is strange because any small inshore trawlers I've been on nearly always have a few boxes of sole onboard. Talking to them its always been clean fine sandy bottoms(not sure bout the shingle Kieran :?: ) they've taken them from, and having looked at the plotters they've been towing in shallow ground, well with reach of the shore. I feel another wild goose chase coming on :oops: :lol:

i know unscrupulous people catch them in nets on beaches in the shannon estuary this time of year. Carrigaholt beach is ok, off the handball alley in Querin seems best. Don't know what would be best rod and line methods

I've heard of one being caught off querin with a crab pot sent out for bait during winter. I didn't realise there were enough to be fished for. Is this in recent years?

Donagh

Talking to them its always been clean fine sandy bottoms(not sure bout the shingle Kieran Question ) they've taken them from

I've only had three ever (all impaled on 1s by luck more than anything else) and two were off shingle/sand, perhaps coarse sand would be a better description, or the margins between sand and a shingle bank, one in Kilmore Quay (St Patrick's Bridge beside the beach), one off the rocks at Westtown in Tramore and the other in Kilkee Bay (off a small boat at slack water). They do catch lots of them. Slimy feel to them does not endear them to me albeit a decent one is said to go well with a knob of butter under the grill!

:D

Slimy feel to them does not endear them to me albeit a decent one is said to go well with a knob of butter under the grill!

:D

That would be an understatement, it's possibly the finest eating fish there is, we used to sell it at 60 marks a menu in the restaurant in Germany ten years ago, nice nice fish.

I feel another wild goose chase coming on :oops: :lol:

Great craic. Having recently cracked the Donegal Bass WGC, I was thinking about Black Bream or Triggerfish for the next turn. I could be persuaded to join you..........sounds like you don't have to be an Olympic Grade Caster, either!

:D

have seen them when wading out in killiney as well as turbot very close to the shore, but have never got one there.

Friend of mine has had a couple of them off the beach in Brandon Bay(Formoyle I think - but presume anywhere along there would be good) - more by luck than by design as he'd normally be after bass.

Last year in September I know for a fact that two 3lbish sole were caught in Fermoyle, during a beach seine net survey for flatfish. The fish were tagged and returned. The sand there is very fine.

A friend of mine also had a 3.5lb sole on a connemara beach a few years ago, during a gale, at night, to lugworm. Very small hooks needed as their mouths are tiny.

Caz

Lads,

That's interesting about Fermoyle... Have heard reports about them in Ballyquin beach which is just west of Fermoyle, past Cloghane. Steep beach with coarse sand. Saw a 2lber caught off the top of Inch last year by an angler tagerting flounders

Liam

I know of a place near cork harbour where a trawlerman friend of mine (drowned at sea God rest him) used to trawl for them from October to christmas, and the closer to the shore you got he reckoned the bigger they were, I have been meaning to try for them for years, but never did it yet, he used to get a couple of boxes up to 3lb most times he tried it. its not somewhere i am going to put up here but pm me pete if you are interested.
Dave

had a bumper catch on bray one night 6 or 7 ,rag and size 2 hooks on the muddy sand that the council put 6 million tonnes of shingle on :evil: at the south side of the harbour maybe still worth a go on a calm night

Just back from my holidays and I caught 3 sole (I WAS targeting them :wink: ).They were caught with small rag tipped with a tiny sliver of mackeral on size 4 hooks.The sand was very course and they were caught inbetween 2 shingle banks about 10 yards apart.

Thanks Dave, i might take you up on that. From what everyone has been saying then they are on quite a few venues, been an interesting thread this so definetly going to have a bit more confidence when i manage to put a few sole targetting sessions together