Bulloch & Colimore 8th June - New Species!!! (I hope)

people: me and Stephen8wood

duration: 8pm-10.30am

tide: low to high (LT was 5.40pm)

Bait: Rag

Rigs: Feathers, plugs, 3 hook flapper

Result: me Pollack (1) Shore Rockling!!!! (1) Stephen Pollack (1) (I think that was all)

We tried fishing the rocks near Bulloch Harbour but it was quite windy and the sea was fairly choppy so we decided to move on and try Colimore. It was considerably calmer here. A few lads were there when we arrived who said they had caught a few wrasse but noting else. They left shortly afterwards kindly leaving us some bait (thanks lads! ).

We started by doing a bit of spinning with feathers and spinners. Stephen got an ok sized Pollack very close in and then it went quiet. A while later I was about to pack up the feathers and decided to mess a bit with them, they were nearly reeled in all the way and I just started to jig them given that Stephen had caught his Pollack close. The rig was no more than 10 feet from the harbour wall and lo doesn’t and good sized Pollack try to eat a feather with his eye. He was about 34 cms and approx. 1lb in weight. Yum!

After a while of spinning I chucked out the other rod out with bait. First two casts got snagged, lost a hook on the first and bent a hook on the 2nd. I just left the third cast out there as I spun with the other rod. A few lads came down from Sorrento rocks just as we were packing up and had caught nothing.

Just as I was going to pack up the 2nd rod I noticed a knock on it. Reeled it in a discovered a new species on the end of it. Never before have I caught a shore rockling. I took a photo with my camera phone but don’t know how to get the blasted thing off the phone. I’ve seen photos of shore rockling on the site so I’m fairly sure that’s what it was.

The photos on the site really don’t prepare you for the deep orange/red colour of it. It’s amazing. It was dusk and so I didn’t need a head lamp to see it. They really are an increadible looking fish and it really made my night! Can anyone confirm from my description that it is indeed a shore rockling? As mentioned he’s deep orange/ red in colour with yellow spots all the way across him. He has a long dark orange fin (??) running the length of him. I’m absolutely made up to have added this little fella to my list. He’s a great looking fish. I asked Stephen if he thought it was a shore rockling, but he doesn’t know a 3 bearded from a 5 bearded, they’re all just ‘bloody rockling’ to him so little if any help was forthcoming. If I can get him off my phone I’ll post it, but does anyone recognise him from the description. I’ll be really thrilled if I’m right. He must have been a little dazed & confused because as he re-entered the water he swam head first into the harbour wall! He seemed fine though and swam off. I just hope he managed to avoid the seal who hovered for the session. At one point he even followed the rig as Stephen cast.

Nice work, mms the pic to your email

YEah.. new phone can't figure it out

is this the wee chap? (shore rockling)

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Nice one Al. Why don't you post a pic of a coalie too

That's the fella. Thanks Al. Shore Rockling it is! Ain't he a beaut?

well done lads

Well done lads.and congrats on the new species

Paddy

Good work lads and well done on the new species, those rockling certainly are a colourful little fish alright.

Well done on the new species, sounds like a shore rockling alright. They're a beautiful fish alright and give a nice little scrap on light tackle.

No offence but sorry lads, your all mad and Beebub your the maddest of the lot. It was a Rockling, ok a shore rockling which in my humble opinion is a slimy, sticky rodent of a fish. Yes they make a change from whiting every now and again but they are just big slugs that are partial to a bit of bait on a hook. The words sea mouse come to mind. Ok the colouring is mildly interesting when there is nothing else to look at but give me a blank over a rockling any day.

If the above sound like a bit of a rant I apologise but I'm tired of catching what I can only consider to be bye-catch, such as: micro whiting, scorpion fish, rockling regardless of the amount of beards, small codling (and by that I mean 15 -20 cm) tiny pollock, mini wrasse, invisable dabs etc. I use large hooks and big baits and even still pick up way more small fish than the big ones. Give me a doggie, mac, or a good pollock any day. Just something that brings the element of sport into angling.

I'm not in anyway having a go at those who find the small fish interesting and put up the posts about catching them and I'm jealous of the satisfaction you can achieve from "hauling" them in but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Well done on the new species mate