Beginner looking for tips

Hi All

I saw the special at Aldi for the beach-caster rods for a measly 25 euro's, and as I used to love beach fishing as a young lad in my native Holland, I thought I would give it a crack.

I am heading out to Dollymount strand tomorrow morning to see if I can catch a few flounders - next to sole, these are my favorite eating fish. I plan to try bottom-fishing for them with lugworms, using two hooks per line and a 6 ounce torpedo weight.

If that fails, I might make my way up to Howth harbor and try feathering for some mackerel.

Does anyone have any tips? Good spots, things to watch for, bait to use?

two hook flappers with size 4 hooks,small leads,one ounce or two ounce leads to get the bait moving,fresh lug tipped with mackerel,and keep your rigs right in the surf line,that should get you some flounder if there there!

Thanks for the tips! I have lugworms aplenty - what exactly do you mean when you say to tip it with mackerel? (yes, the beginner in the title is not just for show )

Also, what is the surf line? What should I look for?

http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutoria ... ail-baits/

Should help re:bait

By fishing in the surf doggie means fishing into the waves that are breaking onto the shoreline.

Flounder are often in a foot of water and within yards of the shore.

Try just a belly strip of mackerel on its own aswell, which can be effective and also plain lug, vary your baits a bit to see what works on the day.

If bites are slow, try twitching the rod a bit to put some movement into your baits.

wow - and there was me looking to cast as far as humanly possible for them

Thanks for the tips and the useful links guys - I will give it a spin tomorrow, I am really looking forward to it.

If I can't get any flounder I intend to try to go for some mackerel - any tips for them? I have a few feather rigs ready to go, amd I thought I would give them a go.

wow - I am glad I asked here before going out. I was planning to cast as far as I could

Thanks for the tips guys - I will give it a spin tomorrow morning and see what happens. I can't wait!

If the flounders aren't biting for me, I intend to go and feather for some mackerel. I was going to go for the piers around Howth harbour. Do you guys have any pointers for that?

wear a hard hat three oz sinkers hurt ragworm is good for flounders also.with feathers just belt them out as far as you can let them sink then wind them in quickly,if that dont work try sink and draw ie.lift the rod and wind in as you drop the tip down level with the sea ,lift the rod up without winding and do it all again and again and again,if that dont work just gig them along the bottom ,if that dont work GO HOME

did any 1 see those aldi rods.wat r they like.is there beachcasters in it.they mite do me 12 yr old nephew.wat ye think

Tipping with mackerel means put a small bit of mack on after a mushy bait to keep it on the hook, mack skin is tough, you will see what I mean when you go to take it off again - though hopefully there is a seafull of fish waiting to take bait for you!

As for the Aldi/Lidl rod if you are starting off I say make all your mistakes and do all your learning on a rod'n'reel that cost you 25 splats for sure, when you get properly hooked (geddit?!!) you can start shelling out the serious wonga. Same goes for presents for nephews, though the yoot of today would probably prefer Bass Angler on the Wii

Also for the beginner, talk to people on the marks, some times (rarely) they will be grumpy, in my experience mostly they will unload an encycopedia of info on you. You will learn more there than here (more even?) - a week or so ago I was out for a stroll with the nippers and stopped to talk to a guy at the mouth of a local estuary, he landed a 4lb sea trout as he was telling me all he knew about bass**, I was nearly as happy for him as he was himself!

Be prepared for some tales though about the one that got away and/or the one that was caught last week!!!!

(it was this big, honest!!!)
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Lastly as somone who has the young waan's goldfish on the species list to bulk it up, don't be too worried if it doesn't all happen on your 1st cast. I recently spent 4 hours on a boat with the brother in law and a 6-pak, all we caught was the tide, but I would be hard pressed to find 4 better hours that week.



Have fun!!!!


Budawanny

Species 2010: 1+1 smoked cod , and Goldy



PS: If you hit the mother lode on Dollier don't forget to post back here and I will be down with my kids' shrimp net !!!

** He was spinning tobies into a nthrly headwind on a falling tide. Go figure, it worked.

As the lads said. And size 2 or 4 hooks rather than 1/0s or 2/0s. I don't know what time you plan to fish, but tide is rising in Dollymount from about 9am.

yep, use small hooks. also if your a beginner i'd probably say use a size 1. it might make it a little easier to unhook the flatties but once you get used to unhooking them, go down to size 2 or 4, altho if your planning on eating them it wont matter. just kill them before you try to get the hook out.
as for tipping the worm with mack, a bit the size of your thumbnail is big enough. just make sure you have the hook point showing or you might miss a few hook ups.
lastly, i wouldnt fancy a 6oz lead on the aldi rods, not unless you want to buy another rod.
good luck

Well, I had a great time at the south wall at dollymount strand- I didn't catch anything but a tan oh yeah, and a few crabs.

I noticed that as the tide comes in, large silver fish are jumping in the surf close to the pier! Would they be salmon? Somehow seabass does not seem like a jumping kind of fish to me. They wouldn't bite for me - I tried mackerel, feathers, flashy spinners but to no avail.

I will try to catch some mackerel next time, with feathers.

Most likely mullet that you had seen jumping, the area can be full of them at times.

Sorry to hear you didnt catch, but keep at it. Fishing off the pier (as you call it) back towards dublin port, or even further back towards the wooden bridge (again out towards the port) can sometimes yield a result.

Mullet is it? That would explain how I could see them jumping within meters of me, but never a nibble - my bait was probably way too big. I will give them a go next time by throwing some ground feed in.

Does anyone know a nice spot to catch a few mackerel? I have some feather rigs I would like to try, and I hear Mackerel is a bit easier.

poolbeg lighthouse should get you some mac or west peir dunloire

poolbeg lighthouse should get you some mac or west peir dunloire

In at poolbeg alright,a chap lashed his mack trace out and when retrieved pulled in 5 and that was 2 hours after high tide and there was a right few caught earlier during the day

sweet ill see if I can make it there this weekend. Thanks for the tip guys!

Matt I mentionned the same fish in a previous post ( http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bulletin%20board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29468 - cheers Shamoo!) had them down for mullet too, haven't been back since cos I've been out in the boat more.

Have plans to start baiting it up soon on the way to/from work, so if you see some clown in a suit who looks like he's feeding the birds you know who it is.

Will report back if anything comes of it.....

dont be too sure there all mullet there used to be some fine bass caught off dollymount and clontarf.they would move with the shoals of mullet at the first hour of the tide . filling the channel and then move under the bridge and over the other
i ha vent been there in number of years but it does throw up a good fish every now and then. and not many fish it no.
everybody seems to head for the bridge but any of the fishing i remember was from the clontarf wall. seen some huge bass
caught here