Beach fishing at night

hi all, i am going to try night fishing for ray in east cork (inch or ballybranigan) will a good headlight be enough lighting or will i need a base light as well. if yes is there an eletric one you could recommend.
Any other hints or tips would be appreciated

If you have a decent headlight and spare bateries youll be grand. You can get energiser ones for under thirty euro or a led lenser for 55 .

your headlight will be fine just always bring spare batterys or a spare lamp to be on the safe side or a tilly they give good light and heat

spare batteries thanks. i havent tried fishing in the dark before and would not have tought to bring them

Make sure to bring tip lights for your rods or use reflective tape on the tips to aid bite detection

thanks Preston, will do

I'm not entirely sure, (maybe one of the Cork lads will confirm) but I don't think ray are caught from Ballybrannigan beach.
Your probably better off trying Garyvoe, Ardnahinch or Ballycrenane.

Hi Shane,

there is a great club in your area that would be only too happy to give you some pointers and a very good group of anglers they are too!

http://westcorkanddistrict.webs.com/

thanks kstaff, i will have a look at the link
thanks MONKEYwrasse, guess i will try one of the others

[quote="Shano"]hi all, i am going to try night fishing for ray in east cork (inch or ballybranigan)

like monkeywrasse said and like wise i wouldnt be to sure of rays in ballybrannigan or inch,there is a good spot for thornback rays in east ferry called gold point,check it out on google earth..just get your tides right,use rotten bottom rigs,as tis sandy and rocky and bring your casting arm,although there usually (i think) they are more plentyful/active during the spring..hunted for them this spring but no luck,but have seen lads again this spring with a rock pool with 4/5 thornies in it,that all went back into the drink.fairplay.
specimen thornback and blonde rays were recorded here all the ways up through the years...throw a squint at last years book...

[quote="MONKEYwrasse"]I'm not entirely sure, (maybe one of the Cork lads will confirm) but I don't think ray are caught from Ballybrannigan beach.
Your probably better off trying Garyvoe, Ardnahinch or Ballycrenane.[/quote


Spot on.
If you are after ray then the Youghal or the Gerryvoe beaches from Sept - Dec are you're best bet.

[quote="donal domeney"][quote="MONKEYwrasse"]I'm not entirely sure, (maybe one of the Cork lads will confirm) but I don't think ray are caught from Ballybrannigan beach.
Your probably better off trying Garyvoe, Ardnahinch or Ballycrenane.[/quote


[quote="donal domeney"]Spot on.
from Sept - Dec are you're best bet

Or springtime in estuaries,like gold point,when the female thornbacks come in to deposit their eggs.i think they are more active from round the end of march till round the end of may...i know that in faster flowing tides on beaches they cover themselves deeper in the sand letting the tide rush over them,not as feeding as much as in a sheltered estuary where they move about alot more freely...also sand banks and the edge of reefs give them cover from tide where they will sit and wait to feed...flat,plain unterrained sand will hold rays..but always the smaller,in amount and size...

[quote="lucky13
specimen thornback and blonde rays were recorded here all the ways up through the years...throw a squint at last years book... [/quote]

Are you sure that specimen thornies and blonde rays have been caught from the mark you mention last year,whenever i looked at the specimen books and saw east ferry as location for a specimum fish like the ones you mention i always thought that east ferry was where the charter boat that caught them was based or left from,same as the likes of crosshaven etc.
Would love to think that specimen blonde and thornback ray can still be caught from the shore in cork harbour.

East ferry is a tackle graveyard the ferry its self can only be fished at low water. A very hard mark to fish when the tide starts to rip in or out it can be very hard to hold bottom at times not the best place for night fishing .Oh and mind the otters they are all over the place down there

[quote="lucky13
specimen thornback and blonde rays were recorded here all the ways up through the years...throw a squint at last years book...

Are you sure that specimen thornies and blonde rays have been caught from the mark you mention last year,whenever i looked at the specimen books and saw east ferry as location for a specimum fish like the ones you mention i always thought that east ferry was where the charter boat that caught them was based or left from,same as the likes of crosshaven etc.
Would love to think that specimen blonde and thornback ray can still be caught from the shore in cork harbour. [/quote]

i have seen thornies and blondes caught ther from shore so they are still there beachbuddy..but as razor2 said very hard to hold bottom and only fishable at low water,kinda got lost in it all,missing the details,not very good for night fishing.no.theres a sand bank out a little bit and they seem to gather there in the shelter,bit of a cast out tho like...i have never landed either blonde or thornie there,but like i said seen em being landed...
good point too about the specimens recorded,but there is a couple of lads i know who live there,(i used to live around the corner) who have landed specimens from shore,pity its not specified on the book,shore or boat...why not i dont know...seems like a logical thing to do!!

hi all, i am going to try night fishing for ray in east cork (inch or ballybranigan) will a good headlight be enough lighting or will i need a base light as well. if yes is there an eletric one you could recommend.
Any other hints or tips would be appreciated

If u decide to go to east ferry rite down in front of the little church i fished before and caught bass there low tide aswell...... Good luck......

Well aware of the mark as i live very nearby too and fish the area regularly.I know thornies can be caught there and have been down through the years,but ive never heard of a blonde ray landed down there.I'd love to know how recent those specimen ray have been landed.
Tope used also be caught down there years ago late 60's and across the channel used be a well known thornback ray mark ,my dad used get 5 or 6 every time he fished it but thats years ago.Oh if down there at night mind the seal as the fat f.....er has a habit of popping its head up right infront of you just to scare you a little

thanks for the info guys i think i'll give goldpoint a try and see if i can break my ray duck . Tope ah the good old days.

thanks for the info guys i think i'll give goldpoint a try and see if i can break my ray duck . Tope ah the good old days.

crazy...tope!! would love to hear of a f@#kn tope being landed there again,(not that i'd heard of em being caught ther before,but how cool) it'd be sweet! if gold point fails try marloag on the other side of the channel,have landed nice sized flatties from there,casting right to cobh side where the tide can be a little weaker but no rays...
best of luck man,let me kno if you land any thornies ther lad...