Donaghadee Harbour, Co Down, 27th August 2008

People: Me

Duration: 4hrs

Tide: Rising - High

Weather:dd Dry & calm

Bait: Prawn & Mack
dd
Rigs: 2 hook flapper & Float

Results: Wrasse, Pollack, Pouting & Mackeral




Report: I nearly didn't bother when I saw the number of Mackeral Bashers on the pier but as I'd gone so far I thought I might as well.

To cut a long story short I was into fish straight away on the float with prawn as bait.

After a while it went quiet so I switched to the Flapper with a mix of prawn & mackeral. This brought a succession of Pouting & Pollack up to 11/2lbs.

Then the mackeral appeared. They were everywhere. Apparently it was the same the night before.

They were chasing herring fry into the harbour. The guys with feathers were getting a full house nearly every cast. There were plenty of pollack up to 1 lb about with one guy getting a full string of pollack twice in a row. One guy got a nice pollack of about 4lbs on feathers.

Like I said earlier it was mayhem. I stayed on until about 10:00pm by which time the mackeral guys had packed-up after having a full scale battle with mackeral (ie throwing them at each other).

I'm glad I didn't have Daniel with me. I've never heard so much bad language in my life (and I've heard plenty) also an Asian family on a charter boat got a real torrent of racist abuse as they went past.

Don't get me wrong, some of the guys were OK! but others weren't!

PS. I noticed that apart from the mackeral all the fish were taken on the bottom hook.

Even when the bottom hook had been stripped the top hook had barely been touched (if at all).

thats a shame nobuzz, thats what puts me off fishing at donaghadee harbour, and it seems to be a good mark at the min too!

yeah i would go there quite regulary but i would say as soon as the schools are back on there wont be as many kids down there!!! last time i was down some clampit was climbing up the street lights, i think there must be somthing in the water down there lol

Went back to the Dee this morning and fished the rising tide.

Lots of wrasse on the bottom on rag.

Got my first Scorpion Fish & 3 Goldshinny Wrasse.

It all went quiet at high tide so I switched over to very light float gear and had great sport with wee pollack.

Didn't see any mackeral although I'm told the harbour has been stuffed with them and sandeels every night this week.

hi nobuzz, it was the same last night. the same kids in question bullied a quiet kid until he left upset and when his father appeared they all played the innocent claiming they were trying to help him. i told the guy who the 2 main antagonists were, but what can you do? i lost the head with them when they started lifting our bait without asking and killing everything they caught regardless of size or species. they were impailing them on the railings round the lighthouse and jumping on them. some sick little serial killers in the making i reckon. after giving them a vicious verbal dressing down some of the wee scroats cleared off, but i was left wondering what their parents would have made of their behaviour, and also why do they think it is acceptable to torture defenseless creatures. if they were doing the same to a cat or dog they would be liable to arrest or prosecution. but when the 2 cops who walk the harbour came round and were told about what the kids who were still there were doing, they had the attitude of " sure they are just fish, and are'nt you hooking them anyway" mabey next time we go down i'll invite my mates 12 year old son down to give out a helping of rough justice

Nobuzz
Just woundering what prawns did you use??

________________
good things come to those how bait

Cooked & peeled King Prawns from Tescos.

These are a bit big.

What I do is cut them into 4 bits. This enables me to put each bit on the hook facing the opposite direction from the previous bit. This results in a straight, tapered bait which the fish can't strip off in one piece.

I noticed other guys fishing with the smaller "freshwater" prawns that u can also buy in Tescos.

I'll probably try them myself next time.

Hi. I started Fishing a bit last summer, but haven't had much time since to do much, and having been out a couple of times with no result, couldn't be bothered having to drive out to places (if only I lived right beside the sea...)

Been to Donaghadee a few times. For most I didn't even feel a bite. I did however manage to catch a reasonable sized pollock off the rocks at back of pier within 5-7 mins of starting, which was nice considering i just nipped past for 30mins on my way somewhere.

Whats the best way to fish Donaghadee? Where roughly on the pier, and what sort of bait. I used mackerel, but being a novice I don't know much about bait etc. Could really do with going out with someone who knows what they're on about...

Also, I hear Bangor can be good?