Cork rock mark with 2 "giant" rats - 12th September 2009

[RockHunter]

People: Me and Melissa

Duration: 4.30 - 7.00 pm

Tide: LW at 5.45 pm

Weather: Great - sunny, clear skys, light easterly breeze

Bait: Lures

Rigs: Xlayers, Asturie, Pachinko, Shallow Feed

Results: 2 bass, 1 pollock




Report: I am a bit late posting this report. I headed down to a rock mark mid afternoon on Saturday. I would be fishing it over the last of the ebb and beginning of the rising tide so it was far from ideal but unfortunately I needed to do some work in the morning.

Shortly after I arrived I saw a bass crusing around just a few feet from the shore. So I knew there was at least one fish around. I startled the bass and it darted off. I chucked out a range of different lures and had one follow on the Shallow Feed. After a while I returned to using an Xlayer and on about the second cast the lure had barely landed in the water when it was hit by a strong fighting bass. It put up a good struggle before I landed it. It was 57 cm well feed fish

After that it got quite. I moved a bit further along and could see some fish swirling about further out. Unfortunately I had to cast over a very shallow reef with kelp on the far side of it. I used the surface lures and after 15 miuntes or so I had a hook up on an Asturie. This was a smaller bass - 44 cm

I continued casting in the same direction, I had a few splashes just behind the lure and felt a few hits but no hook ups. When the tide turned and the water began to rise I switched to an Xlayer. After four or five casts I hooked a much bigger fish. I worked it in to the edge of the rocks and was holding the line as I stepped down to pick it up. As I did so it made a couple of violent head shakes and the line snapped I jumped down, and had my hands on the fish but he slipped out and swam up a narrow shallow gulley, only about 8 or 9 inches deep. I thought I had it trapped but as it reached the back of the gulley it launched itself out of the water, jumping cross about a metre wide rock and into a deeper gulley and swam away with my Xlayer still hanging from its mouth

I put on a new Xlayer and continued casting. Then I felt another hit but this fish was putting up a much weaker fight. It turned out to be a 40 cm pollock. It looked like the fish were beginning to come in with the rising tide. Then I heard a blood curdling shreak coming from the direction where I had left Melissa. I looked back but she seems OK but I thought I better head back in case something was wrong. I got back and was told the story. As the tide had begun to push forward she had started climbing back over the rocks. She heard shrill almost shreaking noises behind her, looked back and saw two giant rats, as "big as cats" bounding up the rocks after her and shreaking at her - so she gave out a scream and ran I guess she must have been approaching their nest and they were warning her off. Not sure if she will ever accompany me to that mark again

I would probably have got a few more fish if I had stayed and fished the rising tide but Melissa was not too keen to hang around after being chased off by two "giant" rats. But I was happy with that session as I hadn't expected too much since I was fishing the wrong stage of the tide.

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Last edited by RockHunter on Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

nice session man seems to be no end to the bass those xlayers catch id say the air turned blue when it jumped off with the lure still in its mouth.tell mellissa that bob geldof always has that effect on people i was fishing poolbeg one evening
2 of the lads were mack bashing they had maybe 50 by the time we finished all in a big plastic sack i dropped them home they went in to the kitchen and emptyed the bag in to the sink and heres two of the biggest liffey rats you ever seen with chunks gone out of the fish it took 4 people 3 hrs to catch the rats in a small kitchen. so at least the two chasing mellissa
were probley only looking for a lift home to her kitchen

nice session frank pity about the biggie but your knocking on the door for one id say giant rat guts make great bait

Well done RockHunter , some dose about the one that leapt the rock to freedom I purchased some Xlayer the other day I'm wondering could you give me some tips on how to fish them please

Thanks guys,

id say giant rat guts make great bait

Might do, but I would have to catch one first

I purchased some Xlayer the other day I'm wondering could you give me some tips on how to fish them please

I have only been using them for a couple of weeks so I might not be the best person to give advice on how to use them. I use a moderately slow rate of retrieve, enough to keep them from sinking to the bottom, and put in plenty of jerking motion, stop for a second or two letting the lure drop then jerk it forward again. That sort of motion seemed to get the bass to strike much more readily than a steady retrieve.
If I want to get a cast of 40m or more I use 12g lead heads with 3/0 hooks. But for fishing in close I use lighter lead heads with 1/0 hooks (they are also less inclined to snag when fishing over shallow rocky kelpy ground).

Well done Frank, great lure fishing there, and Melissa got mentioned twice in the report