Bray Harbour7-02-09

People:me

Duration:7-10pm

Tide:High at 10pm approx

Weather:cold,

Bait:couple of lug, frozen mack and squid

Rigs:2+3 hook flappers, pennell

Results:8 whiting, 1 dab,1 x 5 bearded rockling




Report:Went to Greystones to use up about 10 lug leftover from Friday but when i got there the waves were crashing over the steps . Sea was quite flat but there was a big swell throwing up waves as they beached so I headed back towards Bray to check out the Harbour. It seemed ok to fish here so i reversed down the pier. There were a few guys at the end of the pier, not Irish, who had just got there and hadnt caught anything yet so i set up near them. It was quite pleasant out, not as chilly as the previous night though a guy told me later on it was -5 degrees. I suppose the wooly hat, balaclava, 5 tee-shirts, 3 jumpers, fleece, overcoat, hi-vis yellow trousers, jeans, longjohns and 3 pairs of socks must be doing the job . Took a while (hour and a half) to get the first fish ,a 5 bearded rockling on lug and squid, but after that the bites started coming. I tried to keep some of my 10 lug till near high tide but they were disappearing fast, thankfully the whiting werent too fussy. The guys beside me werent too chatty, maybe its only me who likes to have a bit of banter, but you should be careful what you wish for . I made the mistake of saying hello to an old guy walking the pier and that was his cue to have a rant about almost every aspect of life in Ireland in the 21st Century The economy,blah,blah,blah,Govt, Foreigners taking our jobs blah,blah blah,people shopping up the North, unmarried mothers blah blah blah.When the rant was finished i got his life story,,where he was born,where he worked, his kids, etc,etc,etc. He was talking non stop for about 30 mins but thankfully he's also a bit of a litter warden in his spare time and he set off to investigate a van parked down the pier ( I told him the guy might be dumping something ). Back to the fishing,,with all the lug gone, i tried a pennell rig,size 2/0's, with a 6inch piece of mack, and cast out in the hope of a doggie. No bites, but on the slowish retrieve, i felt a good take, thought it was a coalie, and reeled in. As it surfaced and splashed about, i saw it was a big whiting, which turned out to be the 30cm one i'd been after for ages .I was thrilled and believe me the photo doesnt do it justice, it was really thick and had a huge mouth which had swallowed the whole bait and 2 x 2/0 hooks. Took a while getting the hooks out so i gave him to the guys beside me for the pot. They finally talked to me . Got a dab on the last cast which was nice after all the whiting so i went home happy out.
ps All fish caught on Neils (fishface) traces ,,,except for the catch of the night,30cm whiting

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nice whiting!

I made the mistake of saying hello to an old guy walking the pier and that was his cue to have a rant about almost every aspect of life in Ireland in the 21st Century The economy,blah,blah,blah,Govt, Foreigners taking our jobs blah,blah blah,people shopping up the North, unmarried mothers blah blah blah

Wasnt Bertie (in disguise) was it

Nice results Dave given the small amount of bait.

Havent been out in a week or 2 now myself, toooooooo much work on

sorry dave didnt mean to go on just out for a stoll thought you recognized me p.s nice plump whiting ,shame about greystones

Havent been out in a week or 2 now myself, toooooooo much work on

I had a can (or was it 12) of the black stuff yesterday, cant watch rugby/footy without a drink, its against my religion

Its all about priorities Mark

sorry dave didnt mean to go on just out for a stoll thought you recognized me p.s nice plump whiting ,shame about greystones

Didnt want to name and shame Roger:roll:

nice whiting!

This gives a better idea of the size

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[shamoo0804]

This gives a better idea of the size

I think the measuring stick does a decent enough job of that on its won, no need for photoshop

Unless you've done it for those guys who cant count/read

Last edited by shamoo0804 on Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

excellent report and pics dave. at 30cms, them whiting put up a good scrap

nice whiting!

This gives a better idea of the size

thats a big one you got there dave

Well a big congrats and a slap on the back for the 30cm whiting. It's nice to get it after trying for so long. Unfortunately you get those chatter boxes every where. The old "catch anything yet" always sends a shiver

Nice dab too Dave fair play to get those fish on only a few lug.

Well a big congrats and a slap on the back for the 30cm whiting. It's nice to get it after trying for so long. Unfortunately you get those chatter boxes every where. The old "catch anything yet" always sends a shiver

Nice dab too Dave fair play to get those fish on only a few lug.

Thanks Conor,,,i shouldnt be slagging the guy,,im a bit of a chatterbox myself at times ,,,the dab was nice at the end alright, he was caught on mack and squid,,,,the mack or squid didnt work on their own ,but as a combo they did ok.Most of the whiting caught as i retrieved the bait,,,i think they go after the slivers of squid trailing behind the hook.

Dave,
Man, you're a hardy soul.... ...well done and what a whopper of a Whiting for Bray harbour.
As a Bray resident, I tend to only hit that mark sporadically...guess I'll have to get there ahead of you next time!

Haven't been out in while..so missed our chatty angling sessions in Greystones...drop me a word if you're planning to go out soon..I might be able to tag along...hoping some of your luck rubs off on me.
Congrats again...love the 'scientific', metric pics!
Aidan