People: Me
Duration: 12.30 - 7.00 pm with travelling between 4 different marks
Tide: HW approx 12.00 pm
Weather: Showery, strong westerly wind/gales
Bait: Rag, mackerel
Rigs: Single hook and two hook paternosters (size 1/0 hooks)
Results: 1 pollock, 1 mackerel, 2 wrasse
Report: After having a successful wrasse fishing trip the previous weekend on the Beara Peninsula I decided to head over that way again on Sunday although this time my main target was going to be pollock. Got on the road before 9.00 am (good for me on a Sunday morning!!!). The weather seems nice at first, the sun was shining but the further west we got the more overcast it became. But the time we got to Glengarriff the weather was downright nasty with a very strong westerly and heavy showers.
I stopped first at a mark on the north side of the peninsula between Eyeries and Allihies. It was on the west side of a small bay so was sheltered from the wind but the water was still quite choppy. I had spent a hour or so there the previous weekend at low tide and thought it looked an ideal mark for pollock and wrasse - this time it was high tide and I has hopefully of getting a few decent pollock. I baited up one rod with rag and used various lures on the spinning rod - but nothing was biting - there were a couple of missed bite on the bait rod but by the time I got back to the rod the fish had managed to shake itself free.
After about an hour and a half I decided to head across to Dursey Sound. I was hoping that Dursey Island would provide some shelter. Set up in the same spot as last week but the sea was extremely choppy, with large swells crashing on to the rocks. It did not look good. I set up two rods with rag and cast them out but had to struggle to keep the rods from flying off the stand with the wind - Dursey Island was not providing much in the way of shelter. But shortly after setting up I got a small bite - retrieved the line to find a small pollock.
A little later I got another bite - this time a mackerel - a bottom feeding rag worm eating mackerel :shock:
After maybe an hour and a half with no more bites but a lot of snagged lines I decided to move to a more sheltered spot. I drove down to Garnish Pier. That was very sheltered, the sun even started to shine for a few minutes. But there was a lot of weed in the water. After about 20 miuntes I got a bite - a small wrasse.
Since I had intended to target pollock on this trip I decided to move on again and try Fair Head across from Bear Island. That was again sheltered from the westerly wind. I found a likely looking spot and set up. I was getting timid bites but nothing hooked for a while then got a moderate size wrasse - just under 2 lb.
Unfortunately his swim bladder became over-inflated due to decompression within a couple of minutes of being out of the water. But he seemed to swim away OK after I released him. I didn't think the water was that deep there.
I had another strong bite after that (presumably another wrasse), but as I was hauling it in the knot on the hook must have slipped and he was gone :oops: :oops:
With that I decided to pack up and head for home. Not quite what I had hoped for but a reasonable result considering the weather conditions.
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