bait fishing around dalkey

with the good weather on the way, soon i'll be back out fishing in a boat! normally i rent monica's boats as i dont have my own boat just yet. for years i have fished only really using feathers as when i first started i used bait. caught some nice wrasse but with the crap anchors they give as soon as it hits bottom, it drags and you get snagged! so you either loose the anchor or waste every bit of energy trying to free it. and then if you decide to drift, then ur trace will get snagged.
So lads what can i do? surely there is a way to bait fish that area as i know there are good fish down there as i have done some diving in that area
cheers
donal

Hi

Anchoring is very difficult in some places and you are rarely given enough rope and chain to do it properly IMHO...

Would you consider drifting with a single large bait like a mackerel flapper. Many years since I fished there but there are tope in the area in summer and a long flowing trace off a boom and a junk lead bouncing off the bottom will take them... will also pick out pollack, dogs etc. It does leave you at the mercy of wind and tide but you can also use a drogue?

FWIW

yea i heard ther does be a few tope around the frazer bank alright, there was one that i know of caught last year, and i have tried without success.
i will try the flowing trace on the drift tho, but if there is a way of anchoring around the rockier areas of the muglins i would like to know how as i would be interested in doing a bit of conger fishing around that area because there are some big fellas round there, if its a case of buying a good anchor and rope so be it. i just need to know can it be done
cheers
donal

iv scuba dived the are around the muglands last year and there is quite literaly nothing there in 45 mins all i was was 1 coalie, 1 ballan and 1 doggie, theres a seal colony there and theye have the place cleared out

buy one of the anchors in liddles or aldi when they sell em a decent anchor for monicas boats will only cost you around 25 to 30 euro
the anchors she supplies are grand for rough ground as you can bend em out although might be a good idea to bring some more rope

and yes there are tope around the fraiser bank and some good huss around the back of the islands

iv scuba dived the are around the muglands last year and there is quite literaly nothing there in 45 mins all i was was 1 coalie, 1 ballan and 1 doggie, theres a seal colony there and theye have the place cleared out

I was out in the boat around Dalkey Island and the Muglins. Saw a couple of seals and a porpoise, but not a single fish......using baited feathers.

thats pretty strange its been a long long time since ive blanked around that area actually cant remember ever going ou around there without a fish

launched boat on Saturday and fished around the islands plenty of fish to be had mostly whiting dabs and a lone haddock another new species for my son Darragh :D very nice day to be out glorious sunshine all day. like wise fishing dalkey area for as far back as i can remember and don't ever recall having a blank fishing from the boat cant say the same about fishing from the shore. :oops:

to fish dalkey and how to reduce the amount of gear lost

1.

to fish dalkey and reduce the tackle loss

1. use paper clips or rubber bands on your weights, the first thing to snag is your lead.
2. use plain and simple tackle , one of the best rigs working in dalkey is the shamrock tackle pink sabiki,s, beleive me!!! i had over 8 species in dalkey on them just tipped with rag
3. instead of dropping the anchor (be careful) there are plenty of pots in the area tie on to one off them instead.