the west is the best!

Kayak(s): Me

Duration:2.5/3 hours

Tide: rising

Weather:cool, overcast, heavy showers

Bait: sandeel, mackerel, soft plastics

Rigs: homemade

Results: ray, ray, ray, occasional dogfish, ray, ray, ray

headed out to a spot i have fished a couple of times out this way and got launched for about 12.30. i paddled a little bit out and started drifting, casting a plastic sandeel for pollack. this is usually a good mark for the pollack, has been so far anyway but it wasn't to be today. did a good hour of drifting and casting but never even stirred a fish.

the main intention was to fish baits on the bottom for ray anyway so after a fruitless hour i dropped anchor over deeper water and got to work with the bait - a whole sandeel on the smaller rod and a whole mackerel on the larger. first drop and i was into the ray;



the obligatory dogfish showed up soon afterwards;



followed by ray after ray after ray;



i had the heavier rod out with full mackerel but nothing positive happened on that all day. i did get a few bites and the tip pulled around a few times but i think it was a couple of small ray tearing lumps out of the bait, too small to take in the whole thing. all i was catching was smallish males and i had hoped the bigger bait might sort out one of the females. as it happened, it was the sandeel that started to take better females. after one bite i struck in and this felt a better fish straight away on the smaller rod;



it put a good bend in the rod and when i got her to the surface she was far and away the biggest fish of the day. i weighed the fish but the small scales i had maxed out. it's a scales i use for roach and perch but the female ray maxed it out with no trouble. here she is;



i had a few more females after that but none were as big as the first one;







i fished two packets of sandeel and every single time the bait went down a ray was caught. every single drop. some small, some nice, despite the weather it was a cracking day's sport. i hope the winter gives slack winds because i can't wait to go for another run up in that spot. i'll leave you all with a photo of the last fish that i called "stumpy" on account of having a good bit of it's tail missing. probably the smallest fish of the day too!

that was a excellent report and well put together .very nice to see so many ray and if stumpy is caught again it will be easly know. well done.

I haven't been envious of someones reports in awhile but man.........well done

that's the magic of kayak fishing

Looking good Gary. Well done. What gloves you wearing ?

Excellent report and great fishing, well done I was always tempted to get into kayak fishing and your report has fueled this temptation, alas my missus wont like the idea at all

Looking good Gary. Well done. What gloves you wearing ?

just a cheapy neoprene set from the outdoors shop in carrickmines. wetsuit gloves. i think they were about €20.

Excellent report and great fishing, well done I was always tempted to get into kayak fishing and your report has fueled this temptation, alas my missus wont like the idea at all

mine isn't mad on it either, especially when i tell her i'm out after tope and she sees the pictures but i have everything well planned, i'm well prepared and i always mention that there is far worse things i could be doing!

The weather and tidal times are lookin good for Saturday Gary

The weather and tidal times are lookin good for Saturday Gary

i'm fairly sure i have to head eastwards this weekend but i'll let you know tomorrow

The weather and tidal times are lookin good for Saturday Gary

i'm fairly sure i have to head eastwards this weekend but i'll let you know tomorrow

The winds are lookin less favourable, an inland lake will do ne instead.

The weather and tidal times are lookin good for Saturday Gary

i'm fairly sure i have to head eastwards this weekend but i'll let you know tomorrow

The winds are lookin less favourable, an inland lake will do ne instead.

i'm back home so the kayak stays dry this weekend.....

Nice Fishing there gary -

Well Done

That was a great report and the photos are also great to,well done on a great session.

John A.

Good man Garry .Plenty of studying getting done.

Good man Garry .Plenty of studying getting done.

well it is a freshwater and marine biology course. i figure i can write the fishing off as research