South Connemara Mace Head Area 13.12.09

People: corbyeire and myself

Duration: 16:30-20:30

Tide: HT @ 14:45

Weather: Clear Dry and very very cold E/NE breeze

Bait: Sandeel, Squid, Mackerel, Whiting

Rigs: various

Results: Thornback Ray, Whiting,




Report: Had a spot i'd sussed out on a previous trip around the Islands in South Connemara. So arranged to head out with corbyeire to suss it out. Deep water plenty of features looked very "fishy". corbyeire was first in with a whiting followed by a nice Ray put a good bend in his rod then disaster got him in close and the line caught itself around a rock ping main line snapped i could see the Ray between two rocks flapping away trying to shimmey himself back to the water from the top of the kelp where he was.... just as we reached him he'd worked himself free.... i was next up for a bit of action couple of good rattle waited for a third... picked it up and struck nothing there bottom bait was gone top one well chewed... i was kicking myself for missing it. A couple of whiting later and around the last cast time when wallop good downward bend in the rod and the rachet started going something was taking line... picked it up struck felt like a decent ray in the depth of water you could feel him trying to dive back to the bottom anyone who thinks Ray don't put up a fight should try fishing for them in over 100ft of water. I let the flex of the rod lift him and when i felt him moving again started reeling. Was a bit disappointed when i saw him as it felt like a much bigger fish in the depth he was the angriest Thornie i've caught yet, plenty of go in him he was flapping away and swishing his tail obviously caught him on a bad day there was a baby thornie on the top hook trying to get a whole sandeel in its gob while the bigger fella fell for a half sandeel both tipped with squid. Packed up as the mark was getting very icey and crunched our way back through the fields to the car.

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nice work lads ,that little thornie has lovely markings

great going there lads-
nothing like an angry fish tryin to get one back on ya...

unreal lads, well done again, ye are getting ray everywhere ye go now!! o and 100ft of water, how do you find these places haha

we were both saying the same thing about the small ray - great markings

i dont know how the first ray got away - had him straight infront of me on the surface of the water - as i went to lift and reel again - he must have dived to the left - but the line ended up being snagged in front of me

suppose you have to expect things like that at a new mark when you dont know the layout of the ground infront of you!

nice work lads ,that little thornie has lovely markings

great going there lads-
nothing like an angry fish tryin to get one back on ya...

Cheers lads should be a good mark in the summer smacks of big pollack

unreal lads, well done again, ye are getting ray everywhere ye go now!! o and 100ft of water, how do you find these places haha

Cheers Chris the OSI mapviewer, admiralty blue chart and a good bit of milage and scouting around... everytime i head out that way there's somewhere new to try the whole place screams fish

P.s. Cheers for the Malbec Brian very nice indeed

Well done lads, nice to see your work paying dividends, hard luck on the ray that got away.I said 4 hail marys trying to land one in Bray Harbour with pictures of my knots and hooks going through my mind ,,,,,but a rock plinging your line,,,,,,not much you can do about that .

it was my second cast - so i was still full of optimism - if it was after 5 hours - i could have been packing up and heading to the car after that

that malbec is savage alright

nice one lads . deep sea fishing from the shore, you can't beat it