De Wall, Monkstown, County Cork 03/02/2008

People: me and Marco (later joined by some of Crosshaven SAC including petekd) and some other random fishermen

Duration: 9.30 - 12:15

Tide: LW about 9.00

Weather: slight drizzle cleared quickly, mild and calm

Bait: crab and lug

Rigs: single hook clipdowns

Results: Marco - I forget exactly- maybe7/8 cod landed including one biggie) - me (1 whiting, 4 cod) and a couple more dropped by both of us (including another biggie for Marco).




Report: Awoke on Sunday morning to the sound of a gale. Was supposed to be going fishing with Marco to the de wall, but thought better of it. About 10 minutes later the wind suddenly stopped and it was actually quite pleasant, so a quick breakfast and 5 minute drive later we were at the wall.
Didn't have to wait long with bites from the off and fish each on the second cast. Neither of us could hold bottom, despite it being pretty much slack water and small tides. As the tide started to flood, Marco was into a fish a cast. He just let the bait swing round in the tide and bang he'd have a fish. I was just downriver of him, but not being so lucky. I lost one and had a few bites, but didn't land anything.
About 11 Pete turned up, marco landing his big cod about this time and I got my whiting.
I think Marco landed 4 cod on one piece of crab (just refreshed with a lug) which he then gave to me as he was leaving for home. I moved to his spot, cast out, and was into a fish. Managed another two in quick succession, until the magic bait was finally stripped off on my last cast. I was intending to leave then anyway, but unfortunately wasn't able to hand the bait onto Pete - I would love to have known how many fish we could have caught with it :lol: - although 7 is a good return on half a peeler and a few lug.
Pete was fishing near where I had been and was doing no good there, so he moved the few yards to the more productive spot, where I think he did ok by the sound of things (coming second in his comp).

Good result there Scotsman...were you fishing the green patch?

very economic with the bait there lee, well done on the great results... if i was a bait dealer i wouldnt be counting on you for my pension fund :lol: :lol: :lol:

yep, the green patch Rory. There were a few other guys around (one at the end of the green patch and a few futher back along to Monkstown - who definitely had a few themselves.

Yeah Paul, we were having a laugh about the bait alright, a Cavan man (kind of), a Scotsman and a Yorkshire man (Marco, me and Pete) - could you get a stereotypically meaner bunch :lol:. Not doing ourselves any favours anyway.
A tried and tested bait....how could I not use it?
(in fairness to Pete, he said he wouldn't use it anyway - think he could have cost himself first place in his comp though with that attitude :lol: )

Had a handy few fish for the day myself including a bonus Dab. Lost a fortune of gear to the reef though, gutting when you know you have a good fish on. We spent the last hour and a half or so of the comp up at the other end trying for a conger but it wasn't to be, beaten into 2nd by 4 points, one more whiting would have done it..... Not to worry, nice to be getting a few fish off the Wall again. Its not my favourite venue but its great to hit it occasionally and get a few.

Fished there Friday for about 2 hours same results a fish a cast but nothing worth talking about. Used about 3 crab, a dozen lug and half a roll of bait elastic :D In the end I think there was more elastic on the hook than bait.

ya ya, hit the wall last night on foot of those vicious rumers that there might have been a cod caught there this year.
had work in monkstown till 9so wandered over for last of the drop and low water. hit several donkeyesk pout and a few savage dab and a half pond schooly but no codies, had the best of fresh and frozen bait, as always! but no codie.
story with that gaff all year like? I've yet to see a cod there all winter. I'v met em below in yaughal on and off all winter but they gave the harbour bit of a miss this year? any theories all you budding marine bio(psycho)logists?

Codling disappear off that mark as a general rule once it gets dark Hugh. Sounds daft I know but thats what happens. No idea why, there are numerous theories about conger on patrol and the like but I haven't a clue. Only had a handfull after darkness there myself and most of them were off the pier.

hugh whats a donkeyesk? :lol:

Its a hybrid donkey and pouting-they grow to specimen size below in the wall. you should see the dimensions on em, your misses'd love em Brian!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

i know what dimensions your on about :wink:

:lol:

I know man I'd one last night must have been a pound and half - gettin out of this one fast-tope anyone seen any tope lately...............

Two of us fished the Wall yesterday for the last of the ebb & the first of the flood. We had the best of fresh crab and lug. Had a few rattles but no fish. Ah, that always happens when you have plenty of bait! Should have known - its when you're stretched for bait that you'll catch the fish. Also forgot one other essential fish catcher - sambo's.

At various stages there were four others fishing. As far as we know only one had fish. A walker told us that the angler fishing near the monkstown end had three small codling.

Hi Pat

I went yesterday from about 4.30 - 6.00pm and had one possible bite (some bait was gone anyway). Pete told me how you'd got on, but I had some lug to use up from our ill-fated trip the night before so I went down anyway.

Ah well, I got one good day out of it anyway.....

hi pete, ya they thin out alright but I'v had odd one's at night-normally hit wall in evenings when off so maybe thats why i'd pick odd one up-not this year though.. love to know where they go-I think they might head to waxy's on marlbouragh street was in there recently and half the clientel were definatly cod! seriously though I wonder do they venture in to lough mahon. i heard one rumer of them being had below in little island in carrigrenan-but that was in a better year then this.

A lot depends on how much fresh is in the river. There is no doubt they venture further up. The commercial lads do trawl up there from time to time so that's a sure indication. Since Sunday there is a lot more fresh water coming down the river so that may have driven them further down. As for why they didn't show before Christmas, may be the commercial lads got them first. There were catching cod off Ringaskiddy pier in Sept so they were starting to show up.

ya,it'd be mighty to find your very own cody mark up river a bit. the fresh is a good general rule alright. Pat? did you get that specimen you were looking for one night off the left of inch last october?

No, despite intense effort I had no such luck. Had some good bass, but not at Inch and no specimen. Hadn't a bad night that night with a mixed bag of flounder, coalies, and doggies.

There's always this year, though. :)