People: Me and Melissa
Duration: 5.45 - 9.45 pm
Tide: HW at 8.00 pm
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy, warm, light southwesterly breeze
Bait: ragworm, razor, sandeel
Rigs: size 1 three hook flappers, 1/0 pennel, feathers, lures
Results: 2 dogfish, 2 wrasse, 4 mackerel
Report: I intended to get going early at least by 3.00 pm and planned to get some ragworm from the Cork Angling Centre on the way but phoned them first to check they had some in stock - they wouldn't have it until 4.30 pm - so I went out and dug my own which delayed me - then got stuck in traffic on the southern ring road around Cork city. My original plan was to fish three different rock marks but with the delays I just fished one in the end.
When we arrived I put on a set of feathers and made a few casts in case there were mackerel about and there was the chance that pollock would go for the feathers too. But not a single bite. I then baited up another rod with the size 1 three hook flapper, two hooks with ragworm and the third with a sandeel and dropped it into the deep water pool at the base of the cliff.
I set up another rod with the 1/0 pennel baited with razor and cast it out as far as I could. Then did a bit of lure fishing with the spinning rod hoping that there were pollock about.
The first bite was on the rod in close - good strong pull on the line - a 65 cm dogfish. A little later there was another bite on the same rod - the fish had a very strong pull on the line and managed to shake itself free before I could land it - it may have been a wrasse.
I did a bit more spinning, this time with a sandeel on a 1/0 hook.
Then there was a knock on the rod at distance - but it was not hooked. I cast out again to much the same spot. A little later there was another small pull on the rod - but missed it again. I cast out again and held the rod, sure enough shortly afterwards there was another bite. I retrieved and found it was another dogfish.
The first rod had been quite for some time so I cast it across the little bay to the edge of the cliffs about 25 m away. No long afterwards there was a bite - a ballan wrasse of about 1 lb, 32 cm - from the stuggle it was putting up I expected something at least twice the size. It was taken on rag on size 1 hook. But another new species for me :lol: :lol:
I rebaited and cast back into the same area. It did not look as if there were any pollock about so I decided to have another go with the mackerel feathers but this time put them on the 13.5 ft rod with a 4 oz weight and blasted them out as far as I could. When I began to retrieve I could feel several hits - as I reeled them in I could see three good size mackerel :lol: :lol:
I continued spinning the feathers with the beach casting rod then there was a good knock on the other rod - it seemed as if it was snagged at first but then I managed to dislogde it and could feel a fish pulling on the end. As I retrieved it I could see another bigger wrasse. This guy was 1.75 lb, 33 cm. Again taken on size 1 hooks baited with rag.
After rebaiting I returned to the beach caster and continued blasting it out - I got one more mackerel again fairly good size - about 1 lb. The main shoal must have been a long way off the coast further than I could reach.
I lost the feathers on a snag close to the shore and as it was getting late I decided that was probably enough. Then there was a another knock on the other rod, it was pulled off its resting place against the rocks and only that Melissa was standing beside it the rod would have been gone out to sea. Presumably another wrasse - this guy was really putting up a fight - eventually I could feel that I was beginning to dislodge him - them disaster - the snood snapped off the trace and he was gone :evil:
We packed up after that - at least we had some mackerel for tomorrows dinner and I had another new species :lol: :lol: :lol:
About this time last year I had fished that mark and it was full of pollock - but no sign of any there this time - maybe the water is still too cold.
Last edited by RockHunter on Sat Jun 07, 2008 12:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.