Howth Head - Saturday 6th Nov

[IDPearl]

Fished early on Saturday morning - came up with my first cod! 2.5lb.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/idpearl/DSC01626.jpg[/img]

m.b3 also pulled in this fine wrasse..
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/idpearl/Markswrasse.jpg[/img]

Last edited by IDPearl on Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:49 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Bloody hell! Thats probably the biggest wrasse I heard of or seen from this area! Well Done both of you.

Where abouts were you fishing?

Cheers

Matt

where abouts was that exactly Id ?

Nice one lads. Nice fishing and two nice fish for the area.

Well done,

Kev

Looks like web's castle rock from the background, i'd recomend this mark at the moment, cod to 4lb being caught on peeler black lug cocktails.

Sorry guys, didn't check back on the posting for a while. Well done on your powers of observation George! There are some other marks around to the north of webbs that look equally interesting. Trouble is, I think you would need ropes to get down.

I'm thinking of getting some drainage tube and sticking my rods inside so they can be towed behind my canoe. I could then canoe round Howth Head and find a good spot! Bit risky though me thinks.

What sort of tackle(lines,rigs,rotten bottoms?) is needed for this venue and what species are present?

[IDPearl]

It is snaggy! You will need pulley rigs, grip leads with rotten bottoms and a good strong line. We were using 25lb to 60lb shockleader and 60lb rig body. Only using 2/0 hooks, but I dare say you could go bigger with bigger baits. Next venture will be with whole squid as a bait on a pennel pulley rig - made them up last night so I'm ready!! Don't let the line go slack though. If you do, the rig will drop into the rocks and snag you.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/idpearl/DSC01719.jpg[/img]

Last edited by IDPearl on Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Is this the spot that has the large rock about 10 meters off shore right in front of you and to your left? .. and you have to hang on to a little rope thats tied onto an iron bar to get lower yourself down to the area you fish from??
Bren

Nope. There is a crumbling path with a big drop either side. It is gradually being eroded and the loose covering of earth is getting more loose, so take care crossing.

I know the path u talk about but where do you go after that?? :shock:

Hi

Kayaking around Howth Head (not a good idea). The currents around Howth can be astonishingly quick - take it from somone who once drift fished around there on a 14 foot Darragh. I had a 10 hp engine and with just two of us in (a few pounds lighter too) we had trouble getting back against the current. A mate who was into the sailing aspect said that he measured the current on the bigger tides as approaching 7 knots in places (sounds a bit high to me) but the bottom line is, if you want to get around howth, do it in slack water...

Nice fishes.... there is another mark that can produce Wrasse to that size, it is the sea stacks below the bird colony on the nose of howth, but it involves the trip down to the split rock, followed by some exceptional distance casting off the top across the bay, or scrambling along the shoreline under the birds (with their attendant leavings all over the rocks). Very snaggy too...

FWIW

Been down to the split rock a few times, I have cast out to the bird colony but never landed a wrasse. I did get a temendous bite once, but when I hauled in, the hook had been bitten off and the snood was all mangled with what appeared to be teeth marks. Thoughts at the time were conger!

Wonder if there's cod there??

hi Ian

In all the times I fished it I never took a cod off the split rock, always pollack and coalfish. You would imagine there would be fish there but...

There are some very large conger around howth, dating back to the days when the boats gutted the fish on the way in leaving a massive trail of fish offal for the doggies and congers... the big fish are up near the harbour but the ground is so rough, you never have a hope of landing them unless you fish from inside the harbour itself. You can pick up big fish from the rocks from Balscadden up and indeed back along the east pier if the rats do not scare you away! Always an idea to keep the bait in a locked container...

FWIW... hey, my wife is finished her exams and I have so many brownie points built up, its only work that is getting in the way of the fishing now!!!

tight lines

Is there anywhere in Howth worth fishing where you dont have to risk your life to get to the mark :?: :( How snaggy is the East pier and is it worth a shot??
Thanks, Bren.

A nice easy accessable mark in Howth is High Rocks Ballscadden. Drive to the end of the village and around up the hill to the car park right at the end. The mark is on your left as you drive into the car park. You still have to fish off a decent height though.

I've fished Balscadden many many times over the years, and it generally produces tiny dabs and pin whiting. It's very handy for a short session, as it's very accessible. But I've only ever caught one codling here, so it wouldn't be the greatest spot for decent fish. However it does tend to throw up the odd good fish, so it can't be rules out - you just need to be lucky!

I'd fish the East pier, the size of the fish is a little better, and as the ground is rougher, there's a better chanceof a decent codling or two.

You'd be beterr off still trying some of the spots around the Bailey though, it's by far the best spot in Howth.

Sorry - forgot to say, wherever you do fish, fish at night. Sport is generally very poor during the day. And try fishing one rod with a bigger bait - a cocktail of lug or rag, with peeler or mussel, fished on a pennell rig, will give you a chance of a codling. The other rod can be fished with worm baits to keep you interested whilst waiting for the "big" one!

hi bren


there is balscadden its not 2 dangerous you jump a wall bout 3ft high walk dawn a gently sloping hill 2 the rocks its easy and tou need not worry bout your funeral....!

Thanks Steve I'll definitely give that a try as soon as I get over my terrible flu.. :cry: Only logged on to order my shopping online from superquinn coz I'm too wrecked to even go outside.. not a good condition to be in for any fishing ya know! I think it is all down to me being stubborn and going out fishing last Thursday when it was pissin out of the heavens and too cold to even move my hands.. and the flu was already on its way.. now thats dedication for ya! :D Hopefully your Greystones tactic will work out better for me.. look forward to giving it a try!
Damien, thanks for Balscadden advice, sounds very like the place I went before, the one I mentioned in a previous post where you lower yourself down a little rock at the end with the aid of a rope tied to a bar protruding from a rock!???
Anyway.. they'll all have to wait until I can move again :cry:
Thanks again,
Brenner