Whats your fish of the year 2011...

my best fish of 2011 would be my first ever smoothound from the shore or else my first ever ray and my best boat fish 2011 would be my biggest conger or my 14lb 8 oz ling

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Great fish there Junior Conger

Great fish JC I bet you will have plenty more next year and even bigger too!

Great fish there Junior Conger

thanks al

Great fish JC I bet you will have plenty more next year and even bigger too!

thanks keith hopefully thell be bigger next year

those are some crackin fish for the year JC. always great to get a new species and that ling is a cracker, well done.
ok, so i thought i would add my first ever ray here too - caught this year. (yeah, thats my foot )
i had to put some miles in to get it. it was a memorable day and i was well chuffed. maybe between 3 and 4lb.

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good fishing guys, simply didnt get out much this year myself. best cathces were prob flounder in the 30-38cm bracket.
heres hoping for a better 2012!!

Year started well on 2nd January with a great nights flounder fishing in west Clare, numbers not that high but all fish landed over 30cm and a few over 40cm (although not caught by me )
Only my second full year sea-angling so happy to get 7 new species on the board with a few targets missed but I'll get them in 2012

Best day was probably end of June fishing a boat out of Culdaff, Co. Donegal. Big red gurnard, nice few macks and coleys and then had a go for my first tope. Boated two to about 35lb........ great buzz Now to get one off the shore............................

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I had some good days out this year; a spurdog from the shore, specimen dogfish, a few good "flattie-bashing" trips, some good days ray fishing from the boat including a couple of trips with over 20 rays per trip, new species; painted rays to just under specimen weight, being some of the highlights. Some beautiful sunsets added to the pleasure on some occasions as did seeing a whale and having a seal pup swim round the boat. Difficult to pick just one but it must be either the spurdog or the near specimen painted rays. I don't know if anyone has started a Best Tackle Buy of the Year but for me it must be the Penn Waveblaster Evo 8-12lb Boat Rod, I had great craic catching rays to 11lb from shallow water marks, the painted rays in particular go like steam trains!

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Brilliant post Johnwest, was just havin a good laugh at your head, and then saw the great pic of the 2 rays, great comparison shot.

The sunset shot is unbelievable. Magic.

Cathal.

crackin snaps of the rays there. class fish

Brilliant post Johnwest, was just havin a good laugh at your head, and then saw the great pic of the 2 rays, great comparison shot.

The sunset shot is unbelievable. Magic.

Cathal.

Thanks Cathal, if you think my avatar head is funny you should see the real one! I can't wait to have another crack at the rays later in the year. The sunset picture was taken using the "Sunset" setting on the camera so really Mr. Olympus gets most of the credit.

crackin snaps of the rays there. class fish

Thanks Chuckaroo, that was one of the best days for many years. My left elbow is still tender from straining. I was fishing in very shallow water from my boat, this year I intend to cobble together some form of underwater viewer so I can actually watch the fish take the bait! I have the plans, just need to source a few bits and pieces.