Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

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Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:12 pm

Duncannon, Co. Wexford

I had two sessions here over the Bank Holiday. The first , began just before midnight on Good Friday. I fished from low water right up to hightide at 07:00 a.m. I had 1-up/1-down rigs, up and over running Ledger in case of something bigger. I used frozen sandeel and frozen mackerel. Things started off ok with several small Dabs and whiting. This was followed by six small codling all around the 30 cm mark, one even swallowed a 5/0 hook right down. It went quiet for about an hour. The last three to four hours of the flood were the best with 6 fighting dogs, four small flounder and a 30 cm Dab. After watching the sun rise I went home grabbed some breakfast and a nap.

Before my second session, I dug some lugworm on the beach to add to the frozen mackerel I had. Again, I fished low to high. I had plenty of dogs, which were most welcome, some very light in colour, others really dark, almost black, with striking markings, but every one of them provided great sport. The last dog that I caught, I honestly didn't think I was going to land it, because of its strength. I also had three codling around the 25 to 30 cm range , one pin whiting and a small flounder.
When I headed home an hour or so after a beautiful sunset, I left a rod outside against the window, fully assembled, including a rig with some morsels of mackerel still on the hooks. I hadn't even put my tackle bix down when I heard a crash and something being dragged off making an awful racket, my dog barking like crazy. I could see the butt of my rid disappear into the darkness. I thought some bugger was away with my gear. On closer inspection, it was a cat. It was ditting high upon a wall with a hook in its mouth , and a 12 foor rid hanging from around 6 metres of fishing line. I went to get a towel to put over the cats head to assist with the unhooking but by the time I returned, the cat had bitten through a 30lb snood and made its escape.
Early the next morning when getting ready for another session, I realised that I was missing a reel. I then remembered that I had left it resting on some fishing nets that were piled at the end of the pier as I was packing up the previous evening. Despite numerous searches I couldn't locate it.
All in all it was a very enjoyable trip. Plenty of fish for the time of year and I tried out some new leader knots and new line. It was unfortunate that a cat got a hook stuck in its lip and I'm devastated that I lost a reel that has great sentimental value but I guess that's fishing.

Tight lines

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:42 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:30 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:54 pm

Nice fishing, Duncannon's only down the road from me and I've rarely fished there tbh. I've seen hounds caught there in the summer so it's really not a bad spot. I'm out on the Waterford Estuary tonight so hopefully I'll have success similar to yours.

About that cat, it happened to me before with one of my own cats and a mackerel rig. I stupidly left it out in my room a few years ago and the cat had started playing with one of the feathers. I came in to find it with a hook straight through its jowel. Let's just say unhooking a cat is something I don't exactly want to experience again! She was okay though, I broke the barb with a pliers and it came out easily.
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:04 pm

Yeah, the estuary is fishing well at the moment on all sides from what I've heard. I have caught lovely hounds there right up till late November, the only down side is that its virtually impossible to hold ground there on the ebb, maybe the neap tides from time to time but it does throw up a nice variety of species, nothing massive but not a bad little spot, even at night as the pier is well illuminated. There were lots of dolphins just 30 or 40 yards from the harbour on both days.
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:10 pm

Rod Tips wrote:Yeah, the estuary is fishing well at the moment on all sides from what I've heard. I have caught lovely hounds there right up till late November, the only down side is that its virtually impossible to hold ground there on the ebb...


That's great to hear. I haven't been out much but I'm going to try and change that. I usually only fish the late flood at the piers, do you find other stages of the tide are successful too?
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
2023 species: flounder
2024 species: dab

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Daz » Tue Apr 23, 2019 7:32 pm

Great fishing,and some crazy stuff about hooked cat and lost reel.sounds like a great weekend 8)

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 7:39 pm

Yes Teegerstk , on the neap tides, Arthurstown and Ballyhack, the rare but occasional thornie. Also , at low tide close to harbour mouth there is a mussel bed, hit the edge of that for flounders or straight out into the edge of channel for dabs, also on the edge of mussel bed there are bass to be had.
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:45 pm

Rod Tips wrote:Yes Teegerstk , on the neap tides, Arthurstown and Ballyhack, the rare but occasional thornie. Also , at low tide close to harbour mouth there is a mussel bed, hit the edge of that for flounders or straight out into the edge of channel for dabs, also on the edge of mussel bed there are bass to be had.


Jesus I've been fishing here for three years and never caught a thornie, that's on the list. What bait provided successful? And at what stage of the tide on a neap tide?

As for this mussel bed, do you mean the one by passage east?
Really appreciate this info, biggest fish I've had around here were smoothies.
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
2023 species: flounder
2024 species: dab
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:12 pm

At Ballyhack, on the neap, 2 hours up and 2 down, you need a big cast? 120 or 140 yards, if I'm trying for ray, I fish the opposite side to the "pier", on the byrnes pub side. There is a big snag in that area, but that's the risk you must take, you have to be aware of the boats and ferry, and your line! Originally I caught one from Arthurstown pier, with a good cast into the channel across the front of the small ''beach" which is to your left. I wasn't targeting rays or anything in particular, I was fishing for flounders and had a second rod with a pulley pennel rig and a 5 imch elasticated mackerel bait on, at first I thought it was a huss, but surprised it was a ray. When I related that to some locals most said it was a fluke, but equally others said they sometimes come in. A Wexford angler told me of the Ballyhack spot, the tide to fish, what distance to cast and what to expect with regards to time and effort. I almost gave up after many sessions, but on two occasions I took one. I think I may have missed more than I caught, but then again I'm not a ray expert. I've had hounds as far as Arthurstown but never at Ballyhack (that doesn't mean they aren't caught ) .Arthurstown I caught in August on Mackerel. At Ballyhack, it was September and November, both on mackerel and squid wraps, changed every 20 minutes.
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:20 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:21 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:21 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:22 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:23 pm

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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:26 pm

Rod Tips wrote:At Ballyhack, on the neap, 2 hours up and 2 down, you need a big cast? 120 or 140 yards, if I'm trying for ray, I fish the opposite side to the "pier", on the byrnes pub side. There is a big snag in that area, but that's the risk you must take, you have to be aware of the boats and ferry, and your line! Originally I caught one from Arthurstown pier, with a good cast into the channel across the front of the small ''beach" which is to your left. I wasn't targeting rays or anything in particular, I was fishing for flounders and had a second rod with a pulley pennel rig and a 5 imch elasticated mackerel bait on, at first I thought it was a huss, but surprised it was a ray. When I related that to some locals most said it was a fluke, but equally others said they sometimes come in. A Wexford angler told me of the Ballyhack spot, the tide to fish, what distance to cast and what to expect with regards to time and effort. I almost gave up after many sessions, but on two occasions I took one. I think I may have missed more than I caught, but then again I'm not a ray expert. I've had hounds as far as Arthurstown but never at Ballyhack (that doesn't mean they aren't caught ) .Arthurstown I caught in August on Mackerel. At Ballyhack, it was September and November, both on mackerel and squid wraps, changed every 20 minutes.


Thanks man, I really appreciate this info. I'm not sure which part of ballyhack you mean, at the main harbour side near the houses or the small little quay beside the ferry slip?
I'll have plenty of time on my hands this summer so I'll surely be putting in plenty of hours considering how close these spots are. Thanks a lot for the advice.
What mussel bed did you mean though? Is this the one that sticks out into the harbour from passage east?
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
2023 species: flounder
2024 species: dab
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:39 pm

The bed I'm talking about is at Duncannon, if you are standing at the end of the main pier you will be casting towards land between the inner pier on your right and the lighthouse on the left, 60 yards should do it.
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:30 pm

Rod Tips wrote:The bed I'm talking about is at Duncannon, if you are standing at the end of the main pier you will be casting towards land between the inner pier on your right and the lighthouse on the left, 60 yards should do it.


Ah I get you now, I haven't fished the pier in a good 2 years so I'll be sure to head down there soon. Is this from low tide and up? I also blanked last night at Arthurstown unfortunately :oops: :lol:
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
2023 species: flounder
2024 species: dab
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Rod Tips » Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:24 pm

Sorry to hear about the blank! You can't beat that pier, lots if clubs fish there for flats. I find frozen mack, and squid best baits there, sometimes the local lugworm are hit and miss, even locally caught razors donated by fishermen is the same, if you are fishing for hounds there, drop a trap or net over the side of pier with a whiting in it and you'll have your live hardbacks ready to go.

Its almost impossible to hold ground on the ebb, you may get away with an hour after high water at most, maybe longer on the small tides, last hour down and all the way up.
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Re: Duncannon - Fierce Dogs, a Cat and a lost Akios Reel

Postby Teegerstk » Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:00 pm

Rod Tips wrote:Sorry to hear about the blank! You can't beat that pier, lots if clubs fish there for flats. I find frozen mack, and squid best baits there, sometimes the local lugworm are hit and miss, even locally caught razors donated by fishermen is the same, if you are fishing for hounds there, drop a trap or net over the side of pier with a whiting in it and you'll have your live hardbacks ready to go.

Its almost impossible to hold ground on the ebb, you may get away with an hour after high water at most, maybe longer on the small tides, last hour down and all the way up.

I appreciate the advice man. Got out at Arthurstown again last night and managed 2 codling and a doggie all falling to sandeel. I'm hoping to get out one more time before this supposed storm hits!
2019 species: codling, whiting, flounder, dab, dogfish, spurdog, sole, smooth hound, bass
2020 species: codling, dab, whiting, flounder, dogfish, turbot, smooth hound, bass
2021 species: flounder, black goby, dogfish, smooth hound
2022 species: dogfish, smooth hound
2023 species: flounder
2024 species: dab
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