A hint for Kilmore Winter Comp night sessions.

When all else fails use size 6 or 4 hooks with a lug or rag threaded on with a baiting needle two up one down with cascade swivels clipped down and a small strip of mackerel or sandeel hanging at the end of the hooks worked a treat for me last winter i was getting a lot of fish till some show off was a week late for halloween and decided to let off a few fireworks and the fishing died for nearly and hour.
I wont be fishing this year but enjoy the fishing down there.
I use size 6 for most of my whiting in the shannon estuary sounds small but it guarantees a hook up as the very second the whiting smashes into the bait they will automatically hook themselves well most of the time it works.
I also tried bigger fish baits for the dogs and they worked too.

One of those forseps for fly fishing comes in handy for un-hooking the small hooks from the fish.