North Antrim Rock Mark, Saturday 26 July 08

People: Arthur and I

Duration: 5.30pm to 10.15pm

Tide: ebbing

Weather: overcast / sunny spells, warm with little wind

Bait: rag / frozen sandeel and mack / fresh lug

Rigs: spinners / float / two hook flappers / one hook clipped / three hook pats with wire booms

Results: coalies / pollock / grey gurnard / dogs / wrasse




Report: Decided to head up the North Antrim Coast for a days sport. Picked Ark up around 12.30pm and went to Comber for a digging session. After stocking up with some fresh lug and collecting the gear we hit the road. On the way we called into Causeway Tackle and picked up a couple of packs of rag.

Finally got set up on the mark at around 5.30pm and Ark was first to connect with a coalie on the spinner followed soon after with a pollock. I opted to fish of the bottom using a two hook flapper with lug and mack and sure enough the dogs didn't take long to move in.

After a while decided to change tack and switched to the three hooks on wire booms armed with a variety of baits to try and outfox the dogs. Wasn't out more than ten minutes when i got a nice touch. Didn't feel like a dog and so it proved when a grey gurnard broke the surface.

Changed tack again and opted for a sandeel and rag wrap and lobbed this in a different direction from my previous casts. Hadn't settled long when I got a couple of tugs, tightened the line but felt no resistance so I left it for another 10 mins or so. However on going to retrieve my trace felt like it was snagged on the bottom which was unusual as I know this area to be realtively clean. Fought with it for a while - certainly tests your knots :lol: and was about to pull for a break when it came free. Reeled in to find i had a nice wrasse on :oops: - obviously had taken the bait and headed for cover.

Over the next few hours Ark changed to a float and had a couple of pollock and I continued to play with the dogs. Just as we were about to pack up around 9.30pm events changed. I lobbed out the three hook rig with lug and mack and a coalie hit me on the way down, rebaited and cast out again no sooner had the bait settled than a very aggresive bite had me diving for the rod - result a nice pollock which I would say was in the 2lb bracket. Several more casts using the same tactics resulted in more pollock. This was obviously turning into a feeding frenzy with a fish a cast :) .

With light running out and a tricky climb from our perch we called it a day around 10.15pm.

Overall I lost count of the number of fish caught but all fish would have been counters taking "rounds" at 12" with the biggest being the pollock at approx 2lb. All fish were returned except for three that had been deeped hooked and were kept for the table.

Well done Stevie. Nice session with plenty of fish to keep you busy.

class report mate. sounded like a cracking session and a day like that there is no better place to be. well done on a variety of species bagged

nice session there, a good mixed bag stevie :D must start digging my own bait soon as i'm spending between £6.50 to £30 a week on rag alone :( :( :( :( :( if you don't want to say on the forum could you pm me about anywhere thats any good for digging. cheers