First trip, new boat.cahore wexford.

Hi lads

First time out on the new boat yesterday we just got last week, two boats went out, everything went well , apart from the fishing.
The sea was like a lake there wasnt a ripple out, we all got burned in march? YES!
We headed out to the two boys to the right hand side of the pier, about 3/4 of a mile out for tope or ray.
Found our mark , big shelf anchored set up , mack and squid for bait and unfortunately not one run bait not even touched,
We moved once or twice in search of a fish but nothing.
Moved further in shore , set up flappers with small pieces of bait, jigged try d everything, not so much as a whiting.
Is the water too cold?
Wrong time of year?
Could anyone help.
Thank you.

Good to get out. Great all went well.
It is a tough time of year. It is the middle of winter water temperatures wise. Temps will usually rise (slowly) towards the end of March onwards. Many of the species that you would anchor for are either not present or are lethargic and not doing much feeding. Ideally drifting will cover more ground and increase your chances - whiting, codling, pollack, etc. The "perfect" day may not be the "ideal" day. Flat calm with slack tides - little or no drift.
Still you were out, that in itself is a bonus.....for now

The two charter boats in Courtown aren't operating yet and going on whats doin from the shore might be a bit early especially for ray and tope. In the process of getting my boat ready for the season , only got it as my first boat last year.

How small a hook were you using on your flappers? I'm suprised you didn't pick up some small stuff like dabs and whiting on it! That mark you fished at the bouys is heavily fished in the summer and produces some great fish.

It was a really enjoyable day , i have to say.
Can you drift with running rigs ? will it not distract a fish , bait being not still?
Also when we dropped leads 18 0z they were trailing way behind the boat, it was flat calm but a serious, serious current, could that of being the problem also?
Hooks on flappers were 1/0 KAMASAN .
I know a lot of people fish at those buoys, i have been before on other boats and i know its good. but thats the only mark around there at sea i know.
Is there any other gulleys, drops, sand banks e.t.c. in cahore that could produce a certain species of fish.
I know all the spots for the bass relatively close in at the rocks from a boat, we plug or troll for them, we have had bass up to 11 lb from there every year since i was a kid.
Thanks for the replies lads

If your drift is below 2 knts you'll pick up fish. I personally like it a little slower 1.5 knts. I'd fish two down one up and go smaller on the hooks, small neat baits on 2 or 4's for the dabs and other small fish. the up hook I'd have slightly bigger and a makerel strip or rag bait. I've landed good smoothies and ray to 6/7lbs on this size of hook. There was a couple of codling showing on every trip i was on last year. My background in competition fishing keeps the hook size down even on my boat rigs. Can't provide exact marks as am only mounting fancy electronics this week

Maybe joing either the cahore or courtown club would be an advantage. Alot of the lads from courtown fish around Rooney reef. Fished the Courtown open last year and did pretty well with scratchin for smaller fish.

Both charters in Youghal not in the water yet,but as Jim says as the water temp rises you will see a big improvement...

there is a good bit of the E WINDS around at the moment is not helping fishing

Thanks lads for the answers defo help next time!
Think i might wait for another four weeks or so.

The East coast can be tough fishing at any time of year but it is very tough at the minute.
I just love being out on the boat fishing.
I use these bad days to spend a bit of time sussing out new likely spots to fish at better times.
To lessen the pain avoid easterly in the winds and check tide times and heights to give yourself a better chance.
Oh and above all get out there and enjoy the fish will come along in their own sweet time and then you can post up reports to make the rest of us jealous.

Yappo

Hi yappo

i love being on the boat or shore, i know a lot about shore fishing , but in regards the boat, i feel somethings just not right, surely its all about finding a gulley or immediate shelve, where bigger fish feed.
how do figure that out? rigs bait e.t.c is not a problem, its finding the depth ,right mark that i find is the problem.
I can just figure out the fishfinder, so is it a case that you drive the boat to a location far enough out and drive around to see if there is a sudden change in depth or drive around until you see fish on the fish finder ? which is really a kind of geuss i think, which is best?

cian

Been researching on the internet about habitats and so on about tope, says whiting and flounder are 6/1 better baits than mackerel, and always mix mackerel and bran together for a ruby dubby ? and big baits are not nessary pieces of bait 3X2 inches is plenty.
We were using mack flappers and a fillet. are these too big?
is squid any good for them?

Hi Cian,

surely its all about finding a gulley or immediate shelve, where bigger fish feed.

Exactly its all about features which show up on you sonar. Notice I didn't call it a fish finder. If you have it showing fish symbols please turn them off. The sonar is trying to show you depths and type of seabed. Use your hard won shore knowledge to figure just what you might expect to find around the type of features you see on your sonar.
Not sure where you are based but as you fished out of Cahore just be aware it is very early in the fishing season for inshore fishing and your expectations of tope and ray are way off the mark, although nothing wrong with your rigs or tactics.
As I said before I use this time to suss out new areas for fishing.
My advise would be to launch the boat on a day with NO Easterlies and not on huge tides head out to whatever mark you decide on and just drift fish watch the sonar and vary your rigs and tactics just like you would on the shore and ENJOY your day, fish are just the bonus we get with the sport.

Yappo

Yappo,

Thanks for that bit of information, one very important thing , what i do is ring joe in the courtown angling shop and ask him is the weather alright to go out.
How do you find the winds , what direction e.t.c.
i look at the three day weather forcast but does not say much about what direction the wind is coming from.
Thanks pal

Try xcweather.co.uk

Yappo

thanks yappo