Irelands eye

Hi,
I'll be going on a fishing trip from Howth in the next few weeks.
As far as I'm aware we will be fishing around Irelands eye for Mackeral.

The boat has a limited supply of tackle so I intend on bringing my own, I have
a two & three quarter pound test curve specimen rod which I intend on using with 12lb line.

Would this rod be suitable? Any advice on rigs/techniques/baits for this area?
Any other species worth fishing for in this area?

Thanks in advance,
Patrick.

12lb line might be a bit light for the rough ground around irelands eye.you might want to step it up to may be 20/25lb.rigs hokkais red are good u get pollack on them too.bring a few rag and bait the last hook on your hokkais.and the rod i dont may be someone eles can shed some light.
hope this helps you.

If you're doubtful about the rod reduce the number of snoods e.g. don't fish with 6 hokkias use 3 instead or 2 even if you're fishing at debth or against a strong current, ask the skipper, he should be able to advise you.
Another option would be to use a spinning rod with one leadhead (1 or 2oz) and a jellyworm for pollock, cast as far as you can let is sink to the bottom and reel it in as slow as possible.

Thanks for the info guys,
Think I may need to step up the line alright. I'm not too worried about the rod as I have caught lots of pike on it & it wouldnt have any difficulty swinging in a few pounds of fish but still retains much more action than a traditional 'sea' rod.
I have a boat rod & a beachcaster also but don't really want to use them as I want to be able to appreciate the mackeral & don't want the hassle of transporting them.

Will definitely get some hokkais & jellyworms!!

One more question - any idea what depth it is around here?
I don't want to run out of line.....

Thanks again,
Patrick.

well i think the deepest spot is the cod drop that about 80ft so you should get away with 100meters of line i used a 100mwters no problems so far.
happy fishing

I have a boat rod & a beachcaster also but don't really want to use them as I want to be able to appreciate the mackeral & don't want the hassle of transporting them.

Here's something I intend trying for mackeral next time I go boat fishing:
Take a 3 way swivel and attach it to your main line, attach about 3' of line a bit lighter than your main line to the other side of the swivel, attach 1 ofd the following: hokki, feather, small jelly, small spinner to the other end (Make sure the hook size isn't much bigger than a 1/0). Attach a bomb shaped weight to the middle eye of the swivel (1 or 2oz). Then try the lead head cast sink and draw method with a spinning rod, I reckon it would be good fun, a silver tensil feather would be well worth trying.