Wheres all the Fish???

Is it just me or is anyone else finding it really hard to catch anything now, i mean i usally catch alot around this time of year and there's not even a mackerel to be seen! weird!

I've noticed this too. I've been fishing a lot of my favourite Dublin bass venues, but none of them have produced a single fish yet. Also tried some of my regular haunts in Wexford last weekend, but only small flounder were biting.

Then again, August/September/October is the best time for bass in these parts, so maybe I'm just being impatient!

I am of the opinion that the Irish Sea is completely messed up. You see how close the trawlers are coming to the shore and the type of netting thats going on & its no surprise that catches are reducing & also the size of fish are terrible.
It will take a generation to recover if it ever does.

On the other hand it could just be that i'm a crap angler!

Lads,I keep telling you all that we lure the fish away to Kerry. :wink:

i've been practising my pendulum casting off loop head and i still can't reach the bloody fish in yer parts!!!......i'm finding the same here though, the fishing is just very hit or miss, even the mackeral aren't staying very long.....and the bloody wind is killing my trout fishing

Its always been like this on the east coast, I can recall matches 7-8 years ago when the winner would have anywhere from 35-45 fish and thats when the old size limits where in place, and I am not talking about pin whiting either, good Coalies, COD, Bass etc.. Well at least the highly skilled trawler men invest their earnings wisely, I mean have you seen the Guinness sales around our coast recently!!!!! Obviously not aiming that at all trawler men just the ones that don't respect the laws in place :evil:

Its not just on the east coast our last competition in the estuary produced 2 fish for 10 anglers and these dismal rates of return for our competitions seem to be all to regular. I'm told the same marks a few years ago would of produced big hauls of decent sized fish.

Donagh

I agree with Donagh in some ways I think they might migrate or move to different areas as the beaches in Clare produce some good results when the fishing in the estuary isnt good there are some good marks around west Clare where the fishing can be good in darkness but I suppose thats debateable too.

I generally fish mostly the same marks year after year - as I guess most of us do - so I am well familiar with how they fish. Sometimes the fish aren't there, sometimes they are. I've also noticed that there are times when they appear to totally ignore lures that worked for years. Sometimes they follow, but you couldn't provoke a take to save yourself.

During one thin patch 3-4 years ago, poking around a tackle shop in Galway, I happened to spot a couple of packets of Powerbait. Asked the guy in the shop if it was any good - oddly enough he didn't have much praise for it. He was either honest or the worst salesman ever. But I tried it and it was a roaring success. Pollock comitted suicide for it. Even the odd wrasse - never had wrasse fall to spinning an artificial lure before. That was the natural colour.

Two years later, it wasn't much cop, but the black variety with the red tail worked a treat. It now seems to have gone out of fashion so I'm looking at the Berkley Gulp! baits. I figure it's all a matter of the right lure/bait at the right time of the day / state of tide.

One thing I have noticed this year is that either everything is on the small side or else it'll all be happening later in the year. Anyone else think the average fish size is down this year?

yea sandman any pollock thet i seem to catch are all half pounders lately, i cought a sand eel on a lure last week (my first sand eel catch woo hoo) used it as bait and what did i catch, yea you quessed it, a bloody doggy

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€800 for the Week, Stay at K2 Cottages, Free use of a boat, Sample some of the best fishing in Ireland! (Cough*Mackeral*Cough).




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Not just east coast that's short of fish atm. Just back from 5 days fishing round The Rosses area donegal. Fished every tide at different place. Some pollock spinning from rocks. Very few mackeral and not one bite on the bottom!!!. Others I chatted with were having the same results. But like Sandman..I just enjoy fishing...good or bad, so after one day home I've decided fek it!.. I'm going back this morning to try another few places 'cos it's the hunt I enjoy most.... Tight lines everybody.

It's a wee day out sure. Beats sitting on your arse watching TV all day!