Seals

Hi all,
Was fishing off Howth a couple of weeks ago & got plagued by two seals.
It didnt help that one of the people on the boat (Gobshite..) fed them after express instructions not to...

We moved about 5 times & each time after about 15 minutes they found us again. It got so frustrating as they were taking the fish off the hooks & made it impossible to fish.
They got hooked twice & nearly pulled the poor lads that hooked them in.
Am going out again in a couple of weeks & dont fancy more of the same.

Anybody any tips for getting rid of them (without hurting them)?
They seem immune to being roared at.

Thanks,
Patrick.

sorry cant help you here them seals are very smart.had the same problem a while back tried the mackerel and bottle trick didnt fall for it just ate the mackerel with out taking it and diving like they usually do.

There is no real way to discourage a seal if it decides to hang around.

I've seen seals tail salmon drift netters for 80 odd miles, stick with them for days at a time, cleaning out the nets. Most of the seals know what getting shot at is about, so if you put the boathook to your shoulder like a gun they'll dive, but won't go away.

Once they learn there's an easy living to be made, they won't give it up. Even worse, if you're on a charter boat that habitually allows idiots to feed the animals, they'll recognise the boat by sight and sound and every time it puts to sea the seal or seals will come running like they heard the dinner bell. It's the death of a boat for angling purposes. Unless you can find some way of playing the sound of killer whales hunting underwater, I hear....

My advice, don't fish with idiots and find another boat.

If anyone wants to try playing the sounds of killer whales in feeding mode to seals to see if the bottle it, you can get 8 of the best in MP3 format here. Transfer these to a tape (loop the sounds on the pc before recording), get an old walkman and a small 8 ohm speaker and a waterproof enclosure and submerge.....playing loudly of course....

Do let us know if it works. I've wanted to try something like this for years...

sounds a good idea you could be famous for this invention.. soon all boat skippers will be using it :wink:

unfortunately this is one of the things that fisherman are going to have to endure as seals know that the bait being used is easy a meal for them.I myself have had to put up with a seal or two whilst fishing,but if u wait patiently and stop casting while the seal is about it will soon dissapear.

i would ask the bloke who shoots bass to shoot them or else take out a rope with a size 12/0 trebble attached to a mackerel flapper and put the other end onto me towbar and wait for a bite in all..... :lol:

I remember fishing with a certain Irish skipper-ess called Mary for skate about 3-4 years ago and I was the only one on the boat fishing a whole mackrel, everyone else was fishing either flappers or fillets and were getting no runs. Every time I dropped after 5 mins or so I would get a run and bang it was gone. This went on for about 6 times. Remember we were fishing really deep water and no one else was even getting a nudge. Then we noticed a seal but it was so deep it just did not seem possible a seal could dive to the bottom. However out with the heavy duty kit and bang next take was hooked we all knew immediatly it was not a skate and after a few mins and a kilometre of line of the reel up pops salty. Clutch engaged wooden handle wrapped around line and... well you get the picture line snapped and a few days later salty spat out a rusty hook. No one could believe even Mary a seal could even dive as deep to get a whole bait. My advice just give up they are streetwise SOB's

Seals are good to eat - apparently

http://www.lewrockwell.com/edmonds/edmonds228.html

With rising oil prices it won't be long before we are rendering seals for heating oil!

And if they are that intelligent it won't take them long to work out that hanging around is not in their best interest.

I was fishing off the pier in Kilmore Quay a few weeks ago and this seal got right in the way.
Went to Carnsore two weeks later and the same thing happened - its not just boats that have problems with these potential fur donors. :D

Really though, they have as much right to the place as we do and they look nice and make me feel all green and conservational. I love fishing and part of that love is to sit on rocks watching these seals even if they stop me catching fish. Not that I am much at catching fish!

Really though, they have as much right to the place as we do and they look nice and make me feel all green and conservational. I love fishing and part of that love is to sit on rocks watching these seals even if they stop me catching fish. Not that I am much at catching fish!

Yep, I do agree.
Though after spending 250 euro for a few hours fishing from a boat you find you don't feel the *love* so much... :wink:
Went out again a few weeks later & there wasnt a sign of them. They probably got sick of being hooked with feathers!