Blacksod Lighthouse, Belmullet, Mayo 29.9.04

Blacksod Lighthouse, Belmullet, Co. Mayo 29 Sept 04 3 pm - 7 pm

Fished from the rocks to the south west of the lighthouse - very foul ground but a good mark especially if there is any tidal movement. You want to avoid heavy tides or poor weather as it is dodgy ground and exposed to just about every side. Spent a lot of it hunkered down out of the blowing mist and rain!

Great session. Need lots of junk leads as it is a very foul mark unless you can cast to the sand well out - there are pockets closer in, less than 80 m but difficult to find especially in any wind. Started with several coalfish. I was fishing small mackerel baits on 2/0 hooks on a three hook paternoster with snort snoods of 15 lb line and a rotten bottom link to the spark plugs, main line was 30 lb trace, and I had added an extra long 60 lb rubbing leader for the hand hauling to get the breaks on the inevitable snags. Short casting was all that was needed, in fact I was after codling so I was lobbing them out only 40-50 metres tops. Coalfish all ran to 2-3 lbs. The odd pollack to 3 lb was in amongst them. Took a few wrasse, not very big but good fun. Took a nice strap conger which was a surprise, about 5 lbs and nearing the end, with darkness coming I took my pb cod - 7 lbs 4 ozs.

BTW, three anglers in all, several more codling taken in the last hour, all on mackerel baits fished close in, quite a few fish lost to snags and weed. One nice bull huss also landed, around 8 lbs. Ribble were a fierce nuisance and there was one whiting caught, which is really weird there.

A real cod, first one in Mayo, first one over 6 lbs from the shore. Great stuff. Malachy has promised me photos as I had forgotten the digital camera. My thanks to the lads for humping all the gear over the rocks...

Back on my feet now, and I am planning a few winter sessions in the south and south west. More anon!

What's a ribble? :?

Hi Tanglerat

Sorry, local name for small coalfish, shoaling in their millions , all aroudn the 1-3 lb mark. Had 64 of them on a 1 hook rig in a four hour session once...

FWIW

make sure you get them photo's! nice fish Kieran, lovely!

I know I know

Bloody idiot that I am I gutted it on the rocks and cleaned it out, took off the fillets and all, and then realised if I had kept it whole I could have taken my own photos at home! :oops: :shock: Malachy is now back in Manchester so God only knows how long I will have to wait for the photos to be developed. My only saving grace is that he landed the huss so he will want to see the proof to show off to his mates - not to mention the kids...

Really fished well, if not spectacular. People with distance can cast onto the sand and take all the flatfish including big dabs and even the odd megrim.

FWIW...

That certainly beats the hell out of our magical 2lb codling chasing, here on the east coast. Great fish and congratulations :D

sounds like a cracker of a spot Kieran. mengrim from the shore. i can only dream of such a mark and have wanted to fish the shores of belmullet for years. i'm looking forward to retirement! the species that can be caught around this area.... agree with Seaniebo about the codling chasing. ah well, we'll have our day yet.

sorry Kieran, meant to ask, how did the 15lb. snoods hold out? did you have to replace them much?

Yeah...

Had half a dozen tied up before I left for quick replacements and found I only had one left when I got home, but that's not bad for four hours serious fishing. Should have brought a spinning rod as well as there were still a fair few pollack and Malachy had the best one, a nice fish of around 5 lbs...

I'd rather lose a hook than the whole trace, overall it worked very well. As a mark it can be very good or just awful, and I have been lucky so far. One of the lads was from Belmullet originally and when he heard where we were heading he was not impressed :shock: but he was happily surprised by the result. I should lay off fishing for a month at a time if this keeps up!

thanks for the reply Kieran. i have used 15lb. line snoods in rough ground before and found it quite useful. however i did have my doubts about landing a larger than average fish on so light a snood. anyway you put my mind at rest with that cod! cheers.

There have been reports of cod caught off the rocky headlands in Co Clare with squid and fish baits but i would not recomend to fish from these places in rough conditions. Dunlickey and Bridges of Ross.