Co. Waterford - 9th May 2009

People: Me

Duration: 10.00 pm - 3.00 am

Tide: LW at 1.00 am

Weather: Cloudy, light rain for a while, light southwesterly

Bait: Lug

Rigs: 3/0 pennel pulley, two hook flappers (4/0 hooks)

Results: 1 Bass, 2 Flounder, 1 Dogfish




Report: I arrived at the beach at dusk. There was a nice surf but a bit of weed at the eastern end of the beach. I set up futher down than I usually fish. After about half an hour I had the first bite, a strong knock. I struck and hooked a fish that put up a bit of a fight. When I hauled it through the surf it was a 47 cm bass

That was my 36th of the year - I had now equalled my total for last year

I was hopefully of getting a few more as there was a good surf rolling in. However, there then ensued a trail of misery. I have never had so many missed bites in a session. After about an hour and a half I moved back eastwards along the beach as the weed had mostly cleared. I got a small 25 cm flounder in amongst a clump of kelp. A little later I had a slack line bite, quickly reeled in the slack, connected with a fish which I thought was a smallish bass but turned out to be a dogfish

While I was reeling in the dogfish I must have got another slackliner on the second rod - I only spotted the line had gone slack when I was about to photograph the dogfish. I grabbed the rod and retrieved the line but too late - whatever it was had dropped the bait Bass or another dogfish??

I had a few more strong bites after that but failed to connect with any of them and a few missed slackliners too. There were lots of smaller tugs as well that I suspect were small flounder pulling on the lugs as they couldn't get their mouths around a 4/0 hook. I persevered hoping to get at least one more bass. Shortly before packing up I got another small 21 cm flounder.

I was rather disappointed with that session, I had been expecting a few more bass given the almost ideal conditions; good surf, strong tide, cloud cover, light southwesterly winds - I had managed to get 4 bass one night last week when there was practically no surf. But that's fishing for you. But at least I did get one bass and equalled my total for 2008

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Congratulations on beating last year total. Only 1 bass it must be terrible

fair play to you frank for getting your bass. you certinly covered some ground trying to get into them just makes you wonder what the slack liners could have been thow well done man, 3am was some going.

Well done Frank thats some fishing to equal your total for last year all ready well done

Thanks guys,

Only 1 Bass it must be terrible

I guess I should have been happy with that - I just got spoilt over the last few weeks. But if I had managed to connect with a few more of those missed bites it would have been a different story

just makes you wonder what the slack liners could have been thow

.
Most likely bass - although the dogfish I got did do a slackliner on me so maybe the slackliners wern't all bass.

Well done Frank thats some fishing to equal your total for last year all ready

At this time last year I was just fishing the East Cork beaches - most of my bass from this year have been from Waterford. The netting that took place last December, and is still going on, has taken its toll on those East Cork beaches, there is the odd bass about but they are scarse so I have had to travel a bit further for a decent session. As well last year was really my first year of bait fishing - I have learnt a lot more since then.