Clifden this weekend

Hi,

I've just joined this site today 'cause it has some great advice for a relative novice like myself .... really helps!! Thanks ...

Anyway, a couple of us are heading to Clifden this weekend (and on to Doonloughlin area) for some pier and shore angling ... Has anybody got any good tips on what we should be chasing and the best way to achieve a good result?

Thanks!!
Pablo

Hi Pablo, my family are from Clifden and i go there regularly. If you go to a shop called Stanleys in town you cant go wrong! The guy there is really helpful. Bring some mackeral with you as its a killing bait there! Also to cast out frozen sandeel on a pulley rig and retreive at differing speeds, kills pollack! If you can, dig some black lugworm and they are great for wrasse on the bottom of float! Stanleys will sell you all the frozen bait you need. Then kick some limpets ( i think thats what there called) of the rocks and add them to any bait you throw out! It worked for me! Then with all the fish in the boot of the car, go to Guys bar and ask Dominic for a pint on the house! He's my cousin! Enjoy.

I do believe it is illegal here (open to correction on this) for pubs to give out 'free' drink. And I certainly hope that

Then with all the fish in the boot of the car, go to Guys bar and ask Dominic for a pint on the house! He's my cousin! Enjoy.

is not implying that said premesis endorses a policy of 'buying' fish from anglers with alcohol, or allows their employees to pursue such an endeavour, either on their own behalf or that of the bar.

Hello,
Joey you're spot on with your advice all the way, is that Dominic L in Guy's? Haven't been in there in a while.

If your going to Dunloughan you have pollack and wrasse (known locally as gunner [url]not[/url] wrasse) on your doorstep!

Ask any of the older generation that you find and you have a good chance of being pointed to a good spot, or just take a chance finding one yourself

Aparently around the 'surfer's beach', rocks either end?? is good, but i haven't had a chance to check it out yet.

Try Berkely Gulp crabs for gunner, set up with expectation of very snaggy bottoms (maybe try float).
Try cheap tobis/sprat imitations spun very deep in the kelp, worked very well for me across the bay in Aug, but tried the same spot recently with little success.
Lug worms should work well for gunner too, but you'll get through them quick.
You might be able to get mackeral from the charter boats, John Ryan docks in Clifden, but mightn't be out every day at this time of the year. You could get his number in Stanley's.

Let us know how you get on!!

Blackie

Hey,

I too am heading to Clifden this weekend and am a complete novice at this fishing lark!
I know Clifden very well and have a good knowledge of the areas around Doonlaghin(have I spelt that right?) I have surfed there regulary put now days would prefare to fish in the area.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on different rig setups. To be honest I'll be happy to catch anything! I have used feathers before and caught pollock. Is there any good spots around Clifden to use feathers?

Also if anyone could tell me how to setup a simple bass rig and what bait to use that would be great.

THanks

Ken

Gents,

Thanks very much ... that's a great help!! We had a rough idea what to look for but your advice tops all! I'll give it a go! I'll be in Dominics for sure for a couple to warm us up when we're done.

Sandman, I'm sure Joey was just being friendly and I'm sure Dominics dont advocate the 'Fish for Beer' barter practice ... more is the pity :)

Hey blackiemc that is Dominic L, he's sound. Ther isnt many bass around these parts! being doing well to catch one! Pulley rigs work best as the fish or and the lead will away from the snags at the right times! i.e if the lead is at the bottom among the kelp the bait will be up enough to attract the fish! and when the fish takes the bait, the lead will lift out of the kelp! thus nothing getting snagged!

By the way Pablo, your spot on with your comment, i was only being friendly, and god forbid having the craic!!

Sandman............ take a chill pill!!

Thanks Joey,

So just to recap, A 'pulley system' involves your line split with a three way swivel, one line going to your lead bomb the other (approx 12" long) going to your hook? Is this correct?


Ken

There's a pic here:-

http://www.torbayfishing.com/rigs/pulley-rig.htm

Excellent !!!


Thanks Sandman


Ken

Lads this is all great stuff!!! Thanks!

Hello Folks,
My tip for any beginner is to get this book
"Sea Fishing Properly Explained", it's part of the 'Right Way' series of books, they have a very good website - http://www.right-way.co.uk if you can't find it in a shop.

I got it a couple of years ago when all I knew about was fishing for Gunner a couple of miles from Dunloughin, it's a cheap and very useful little book!

Ken if you manage the pulley rig then it seems to be the best for that type of ground, BUT for a complete beginner it might take a while to get comfortable with it. If that's the case you could fall back on a Standard Pater Noster Rig, there's a picture available on this great website under 'tackle', under 'traces(shore)'.

You could use this rig with MAX 2 hooks, at the bottom attach a cheap weight with lower strength line to the rig (rotton bottom set up). If the lowest piece of tackle snags (the cheap weight), if it's not free-able, then you lose only the weight when you pull hard, you keep the trace, hooks and maybe a fish. Have a few weights at the ready to allow you to keep fishing away even if you lose an odd weight.

Around this area look for rocks with some decent depths close in (probably kelp visable). Casts will be very short usually, eg up to 20 feet out, then wait for that deffo bite of a gunner. (Ask locally for any good 'gunner rock').

You'll have to use some type of 'bait', lugworms, crab bait, mussels (a pain for fishing with), little hard back crabs seem to be good but I've never used them, I want to try them soon. I'm fairly sure that sandeel isn't much good, mackeral strips ??, little squid (I think you can get it in Stanley's, Clifden) might work, never tried them yet. Buying lugworm for gunner fishing sound like it could be expensive as Gunner tend to go through bait rapidly.
If I were going gunner fishing and I hadn't a big bucket of bait I would buy the Berkely Gulp little fake hardback crab, also a packet of good fake lugworms as a back-up.
Gunner are always hungry at this time of year :D
Be careful of the sea swell!!!

Have a good one

Blackie

Excellent stuff Blackie!!!!

Thanks heeps for all that info! If I don't catch anything this weekend then something is seriously wrong!

Thanks again for your help

Ken

Sorry Blackie,

What sise hooks should I use for the like of gunner, pollock etc?



Ken

Hello Ken,
If you want to fish traditional Connemara style then you'll need BIG hooks, stones that weigh about half a pound, copper wire, and about 30 fathom of good quality BUILDERS LINE :D , ahh the good old days :lol:

So you can see the danger of getting advise from me! I'm a bit of a feather-brain when it comes to hook sizes, but after being well outfished by my uncle a couple of years ago (he had a rod, no reel necessary) I blamed my choice of hook, and to be fair to him he went along with that. So now it's biggies only, I've just checked and I'll be using size 6/0 the next time I fish with my uncle, that's a big hook by any standards. Get twisted stainless, with barbs on the shank to help hold on the bait, GET BAIT ELASTIC if you're using a soft bait.
You could probably go with a smaller size, anyone else got any opinions?

For pollack a smaller size would be fine, but maybe you're better off trying to spin deep with lures for pollack.

By the way if you catch a bass then a PM to myself with where and when, and I'll get you started in Guy's for beer without getting Dominic into any trouble :D

Blackie

Blackie your a legend!

Sise 6/0 and a maybe a bit smaller for pollock and the like.

If I catch anything I'll be happy!!!

So if I catch a bass everyone is going to here about it!

Thanks again man.


Ken

Lads,

Cleggan Pier and Saltlake were great stuff altogether!! Myself and Ken ended up throwing 30 fish back in with a brused ego over the weekend. While admittedly they were mostly pollack (and some Mackeral) it was still great craic for a man who has never caught a fish in his life!!! Thanks for all your informative posts .... now I'm after that elusive Bass!! :0)

Pablo

Hey Lads,

As Paul said, great weekend. Success in th form of pollock and mackeral.

Thanks for all the tips! We''ll be back down for some more fishing very soon

Thanks again

Ken

Well done lads! :D :D :D

Why not put up a report in the Shore Report Forum.

Blackie