Skate from the Shore.......?

Just reading on a Scottish Forum (Shore Angler.co.uk) about 2 Skate targeted and caught from the shore. The biggest was 236lbs and took 5 1/2 hours to land. Got me thinking if there is anywhere in Ireland that Skate can be caught from the shore...?

I had an old angling book as a kid and I am almost certain they used to catch them off Fenit pier. But the book was from the 50's or 60's when Fenit was alive with Monkfish etc. Would Clew Bay be worth a shot? Any skate experts out there?:grin:

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One of 75lb was taken off Fenit Pier back in the early 70's by Marion O'Donovan fishing with Celtic SAC

They get them from the boats in clew bay, there might be some lurking close to shore, ya never know untill you try.

i think a lot of lads might have hooked them and even knew they hooked one they probably thought they just hooked the bottom
i am 100% sure i hooked a skate one night 2 years ago,i had a 2 hook flapper out on clean sandy ground trying for flounder and when i went to reel in to change bait i thought i had hooked bottom but knew that the ground was too clean,i have seen it at low spring tides
i put a bit of pressure on and felt a small movement i kept the pressure on for 20mins before the fish lifted and started heading out to sea,it was pretty slow swimming and i could feel a thump every few seconds
i think it was feb or march when i hooked him,it was too early for ray and it was way too big to be a ray
i kept a bit of pressure on but could not turn the fish and when i ran out of line he just snapped it
i think if people were targeting them using the right bait and gear you might hear of a few more being caught

I was in kerry a few years ago and went into a little tackle shop for a look. Got chatting and the lad who owned it was telling me a few dutch lads had a huge skate of off a local pier a few weeks earlier. Wasnt sure what to think as he was trying to get me to rent gear off him:grin:
I asked someone who lived nearby about it. He hadnt heard of the fish but said they had been caught by commercial boats not too far away so it was possible. Still not sure if i believe it.

i think a lot of lads might have hooked them and even knew they hooked one they probably thought they just hooked the bottom
i am 100% sure i hooked a skate one night 2 years ago,i had a 2 hook flapper out on clean sandy ground trying for flounder and when i went to reel in to change bait i thought i had hooked bottom but knew that the ground was too clean,i have seen it at low spring tides
i put a bit of pressure on and felt a small movement i kept the pressure on for 20mins before the fish lifted and started heading out to sea,it was pretty slow swimming and i could feel a thump every few seconds
i think it was feb or march when i hooked him,it was too early for ray and it was way too big to be a ray
i kept a bit of pressure on but could not turn the fish and when i ran out of line he just snapped it
i think if people were targeting them using the right bait and gear you might hear of a few more being caught

Something similar happened me last sep in Galway fishing for ray, I had just cought a few mac and knew there was some nice Huss around , so I trough on a tope trace and a full BIG mac only out about 40-50 yards , I was half lying and half leaning agenst the rocks with rod in hand , after about 15-20 mins I noticed a bow coming into line, it was slowly moving towards me! That's strange is said so tuck up the slack and struck, what happened next I will never forget, what ever it was pulled me down about 10-15 foot of rocks but some how I still held on to the rod and could not stop what ever it was, it tuck about 100 yards of line and stopped, after a Mad tug of war I managed to get him off the bottom and away he went again but I let the drag off too much and the line went slack, fish or what ever it was was gone to say I was upset would be an under statement,after that day I swore I would give it a go every time I head over , next time I will be armed with boat rod and reel and some rope to tie myself to the rocks

Something similar happened me last sep in Galway fishing for ray, I had just cought a few mac and knew there was some nice Huss around , so I trough on a tope trace and a full BIG mac only out about 40-50 yards , I was half lying and half leaning agenst the rocks with rod in hand , after about 15-20 mins I noticed a bow coming into line, it was slowly moving towards me! That's strange is said so tuck up the slack and struck, what happened next I will never forget, what ever it was pulled me down about 10-15 foot of rocks but some how I still held on to the rod and could not stop what ever it was, it tuck about 100 yards of line and stopped, after a Mad tug of war I managed to get him off the bottom and away he went again but I let the drag off too much and the line went slack, fish or what ever it was was gone to say I was upset would be an under statement,after that day I swore I would give it a go every time I head over , next time I will be armed with boat rod and reel and some rope to tie myself to the rocks

Sounds like possibly a porbeagle too?

I was in kerry a few years ago and went into a little tackle shop for a look. Got chatting and the lad who owned it was telling me a few dutch lads had a huge skate of off a local pier a few weeks earlier. Wasnt sure what to think as he was trying to get me to rent gear off him:grin:
I asked someone who lived nearby about it. He hadnt heard of the fish but said they had been caught by commercial boats not too far away so it was possible. Still not sure if i believe it.

Heard alot of fishermen in Kerry refer to ray as skate. I'd take it with a pinch of salt unless there was a photo knocking about.

I was in kerry a few years ago and went into a little tackle shop for a look. Got chatting and the lad who owned it was telling me a few dutch lads had a huge skate of off a local pier a few weeks earlier. Wasnt sure what to think as he was trying to get me to rent gear off him:grin:
I asked someone who lived nearby about it. He hadnt heard of the fish but said they had been caught by commercial boats not too far away so it was possible. Still not sure if i believe it.

Heard alot of fishermen in Kerry refer to ray as skate. I'd take it with a pinch of salt unless there was a photo knocking about.

I would bet good money that if people tried, then they would hit a Skate around Kerry. It wouldn't be easy but I'd be fairly confident it could be done. I know people who have had massive fish that they've never seen 150 yards off Brandon Head while bottom fishing, so if you could find a good safe platform to fish from and were willing to put in the undoubted bottomless amount of hours, I think you'd eventually see a result.

i was talking to a lad last week who was swimming at the mark i was fishing and asked him if he saw any mackerel while swimming he told me he was swimming the week before and saw a skate and as dangler said a lot of lads refer to ray as skate up in galway as well so i asked him was it a thornback ray and he said no that it was a common skate and that his dad caught them from the boat a good few times
he sad the one he saw was about 3 feet from tip of wing to tip of wing

the mark is the same one i am sure i hooked a skate 2 years ago

has anyone any tips on what kind of bait,hooks and gear i should use to try for one?

i was talking to a lad last week who was swimming at the mark i was fishing and asked him if he saw any mackerel while swimming he told me he was swimming the week before and saw a skate and as dangler said a lot of lads refer to ray as skate up in galway as well so i asked him was it a thornback ray and he said no that it was a common skate and that his dad caught them from the boat a good few times
he sad the one he saw was about 3 feet from tip of wing to tip of wing

the mark is the same one i am sure i hooked a skate 2 years ago

has anyone any tips on what kind of bait,hooks and gear i should use to try for one?

i dont think your macky feathers will work to well for skate all piss taking aside go on to world sea fishing Scottish forum and ask the lads there they know there shore skate fishing

I was in kerry a few years ago and went into a little tackle shop for a look. Got chatting and the lad who owned it was telling me a few dutch lads had a huge skate of off a local pier a few weeks earlier. Wasnt sure what to think as he was trying to get me to rent gear off him:grin:
I asked someone who lived nearby about it. He hadnt heard of the fish but said they had been caught by commercial boats not too far away so it was possible. Still not sure if i believe it.

think i recall reading about one being taken of the beach in ballybunion a few years back