East Cork - 27th May 2008

People: Me

Duration: 8.00 pm - Midnight

Tide: HW at 11.30

Weather: LIght easterly wind, mild, mostly dry, with light sprinkling of rain for half an hour

Bait: lugworm, sandeel, squid, mackerel

Rigs: size 1, 1/0. 2/0 two and three hook flappers

Results: 2 dogfish, 1 three bearded rockling




Report: Since the bass ban rather than fishing I spent a bit of time last week roaming around the coast checking out potential marks. On Sunday evening I discovered one that looked promising, a bit of sand with low cliffs on either side. So on Tuesday night the urge to go fishing got too great to resist so I headed out there.

The sea was quite calm and there was just a very light eastern breeze. I had a couple of missed bites and something was eating my bait - it did not look like crab terrain so I presume small fish were pulling the bait off the hooks.

Eventually after dark I got the first dogfish in close - on size 1 hook baited with lugworm and tipped with a small slice of sandeel. It was about 60 cm.

Maybe 40 minutes later I got the second dogfish on sandeel. I think it was the same one - about the same size and colouring.

I had another bite in close, good pull on the line - but the line snapped at the knot on the clip. It was probably another dogfish.

About 11.30 pm I got a knock on the rod that was cast at distance - at first I thought it was another missed bite but when I reeled it in I discovered that there was a three bearded rockling on the line, about 28 cm. A new species for me :lol:

I fished for another half hour - had one more missed bite and decided to pack up at Midnight.

I will have to return to this mark. I think it could fish well under the right conditions. There is probably a good chance of pollock and wrasse off the rocks too.

sorry rockhunter that looks like a shore rockling (that does have three beards just to confuse you) - but not the right patterns or colouring to be a 3 bearded one - good size to him all the same

well done on ur new spot :D

Thanks Corby,
Last month I caught a couple of shore rocklings but the beards on their snouts were not so obvious as on this one - so I thought that it must be a three bearded rockling - I stand corrected :oops:

So what kind of colouring does a genuine three bearded rockling have?

generally the 3 bearded rockling is far more orange in colour with large dark blotches on the side

check out ronalds species guide

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... hp?t=16063

That's the Rapala folding measure that I'm looking for
http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... hp?t=10265

Please tell me you picked it up in a Cork tackle shop (I'm there this weekend)

Hi Mga,
I did indeed - I got it in the Cork Angling Centre.
Its off the Kinsale Road Roundabout, beside Harvey Norman's at the back of a tile store.

Hi Mga,
I did indeed - I got it in the Cork Angling Centre.
Its off the Kinsale Road Roundabout, beside Harvey Norman's at the back of a tile store.

Excellent. Thanks RockHunter. :wink: