"Under Runner" - a dangerous form of wave/swell ??

Hi Guys ,
Fishing off the rock platforms up by Aughris Head ( Co Sligo ) . A local warned me to be particularly alert to , I think , "under-runners" . He described these as a relatively low , gentle swell that didn't look much but which would carry on up the platform much further than any of the others and would certainly take the legs from under you . Called "Under-runners" because a freak current runs under the swell . Apparently a seasonal occurence - between mid Sept and v early Oct and only around Aughris .

Has anyone heard of this type of thing , and is it something to watch out for at other venues ?
Cheers Nick

Is that Like a rip current, or a tidal current?

Blowin, Where exactly are you fishing, I have fished the beach and from the pier in the past without much success. What are you after and what is your experience with the fishing around Aughris. I can't remember the name of the beach beside the pier but it looks great. Must be a good coalie spot in winter? Any info would be appreciated as I hope to fish it over the Christmas period.

Hi guys , many thanks for quick response .
BC - I'm afraid that I myself have more Q's than A's . I was hesitant to even post this query because I might just have been sucked in by a bit of local folklaw .Also I speak with something like a BBC accent and the local was v broad Sligo so there was some slight communication difficulty .
Anyway - we started off by discussing the usual risks , given that the "normal" swell was pretty big ( @ 3 metres ) and the rock platforms are fairly flat , going down in short steps to a steep drop-off . Tide was high and the lower steps were awash . He knew that I knew about the odd big wave that comes in about every 20 mins . At first I thought he was warning me about a seasonal rip-tide that would carry you out if one of the normal big waves washed you off ( wouldn't stand a lot of chance at the best of times anyway ! ) . You do get serious rips along Strandhill which isn't far away but that was apparently not what he had in mind .
As he described it , the under-runner would be a smooth , not exceptionally high wave which would occasionally come in amongst the rest ( like the odd big one but not the same - not so obvious ) . When it came up against the rock face it would not crest and break but would keep coming on like a solid wall about 4 ft high . Sounds like the Tsunami thing .
He was very specific about the seasonality too - I think he said from 14 Sept to 5 Oct . If it hadn't been for that comment I would have taken him to mean anytime when conditions were similar to that particular day ie strong onshore wind and excetionally high tide .
I mentioned this to a mate after putting up this post . He reminded me of a story he'd told me some time ago - a mate of his , experienced rock fisher in these parts , had the life frightened out of him by a wall of water which came from nowhere . Apparently he dropped all his gear and ran like hell . Lost the lot . Hasn't been on the rocks since . Scary , eh .

DrS - Was on the other side of the headland to the West of the pier . I think this is the place described under Shore Marks . Access is easy enough but you need to know where to start from . Platform runs for I guess a mile but as far as I can see there's only a stretch about 40 ft long which is worth fishing . Happy to explain or even better show you . Good pollack ( well , I think so ) - to 5 lb . Must be other stuff . Only been there twice , in summer . Drop me a pm + phone no if you like .

Pier has loads of kelp which floats up quite close to the surface so loose a few sets of feathers most times . Mackerel and small pollack there . Oh , plus conger straight down off the left side of the end at HW . Lost one I guess near 30 lb last year . Diver says his big brother is still there . Trick for the macks is to float fish v close in ( 10 to 30 ft ) despite what the locals will tell you .
Beach looks good OK . Have tried a couple of times but absolutely nothing . Did leave rod alone for 10 mins and had to retrieve it + the rest from the surf one time . Don't know if good bite or sand shifting . Locals say complete waste of time but I still reckon they don't catch anything simply because they never put a bait in the water .
Seem to be v few people who can tell you much about shore fishing between Sligo and Ballina ( but I think Kieran has a few secrets he'll share if you ask him nicely ) . I'm probably not the best guide because I'm ever optimistic but generally crap at it !
Be in touch .
Nick

Sorry , that was me .