Various East Cork sessions 9th - 22nd December 2009

People:
9th December: Seanie, Patk, Me
12th December: JimmyMellis and Me
13th December: Me
16th December: Patk and Me
19th December: Me
22nd December: Me

Duration: Various

Tide: Various

Weather: Mostly calm, cold and dry

Bait: Crab, lug, razor, squid

Rigs: 3/0, 4/0, 6/0 pennel pulleys, two hook flappers (4/0 and 1/0)

Results:
9th December: 6 codling, 9 coalfish
12th December: 3 codling (largest 2.5 lb)
13th December: 5 codling, 5 coalfish, 1 flounder
16th December: 1 bass
19th December: 9 codling, 1 five bearded rockling
22nd December: 3 codling, 1 flounder




Report: As I was very busy with work over the last few weeks I didn't get the chance to do any shore reports so here is one that summarized my fishing over the last two weeks.

9th December: Fished Green Park in Youghal with Seanie and Patk. There were lots of small codling and coalfish about, but nothing worth keeping. All the codling I got were less than 30 cm. There were fairly constants rattles on the rods - probably the small coalfish nibbling on the bait. Initially I was using 4/0 pennels but after a couple of hours I switched one rod to a two hook flapper with 1/0 hooks and started to catch plenty of tiny coalfish. Highlight of the night was Seanie's conger - it was very big, Seanie got it to the wall and we could see it trashing about below but it was impossible to lift it and as soon as he tried the line snapped. As we didn't see it fully out of the water it is difficult to put a weight on it - 30 lb?? or maybe much more.

12th December: Met Jimmy Mellis on Ballinwilling. We fished the last few hours of the ebb and the rising tide. Shortly after I arrived I got a small codling. About an hour later I got a more substantial codling, about 2.5 lb. Then early on the rising tide I got another small one. All take on crab. Jimmy also got a couple of small ones. After that the bites dried up. Jimmy left but I stuck it out for a couple of more hours but there wasn't a tap.
PS. Thanks very much for those lures Jimmy - I will give them a try next summer.

13th December: In the afternoon I tried a West Waterford beach for bass but there was not a bite despite a nice surf. At high tide I packed up and decided to fish in Youghal for a hour or so on the way home. It was close to dusk when I got there and as soon as the light began to fade the fish came on the feed. In about an hour and a half I got 5 small codling (nothing over 30 cm), 5 small coalfish and a small flounder. All fish taken on two hook flappers (1/0) baited with crab.

16th December: I met Patk for a bass session on an East Cork beach. There was a bit of a surf so we were hopeful of a bass or two but the bass weren't playing ball. It was very quite for a long time apart from Patk getting a coalfish. I guess it was after midnight, I put the extra big thick juicy lug I had been saving on a 6/0 pennel along with most of a razor and cast it out far. A few minutes later I saw a small knock on the rod - picked it up and could feel gentle tugs - I thought it was probably coalfish or flounder pulling on the bait - then suddenly there was sharp pull on the rod - I struck and knew it had to be a bass - sure enough after a bit of a fight I hauled a well fed 47 cm bass out of the surf

Patk had been in the process of packing up at this stage but changed his mind and stuck it out for another hour or so but there were no more bites.

19th December: I decided to give Ferrypoint a go. I fished it for about an hour either side of low tide. On the first four casts I had a codling on each cast. The bites slowed as the tide began to rise - presumably the fish started to move up river. But in the end I caught 9 codling, all taken on crab on 4/0 pennel pulleys. However, there was nothing worth keeping, all fish were less than 30 cm.

On the way home I stopped for a few casts in Youghal to use up the last of the crab. I was getting constant nibbles but couldn't hook anything, probably those damn small coalfish again However, on the last cast I hooked a five bearded rockling.

22nd December: I headed to an East Cork beach for a cod session. It wasn't as cold as I was expecting, and fished it from high tide down to low tide as I had heard it fished well for cod on an ebbing tide. But not that night - I got 3 small coaling, again all less than 30 cm, and a small flounder. Fish were taken on lug/razor on 4/0 pennel pulleys and the flounder on 1/0 two hook flapper.

That was my last session before Christmas but hopefully I will get out a few times before the end of the year - and hopefully a few bigger cod will make an appearance.

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most in convienient having to go to work and all that fishing to be done lol as always a great report them bass seem to stick to you well done and a happy christmas all the best for the new year

Nice report Frank,
i was begining to think you had stopped fishing .Your a brave man to have been out the last few nights.Was'nt brave enough myself did manage a bit of codding myself during the days ,roads too bad out my way these nights.
Amyway hope i'll see you over the hols once we get sick of the leftover turkey and ham sambos.Enjoy the hols and i hope santa will be good to you.
Happy hols and tighter lines for 2010

howdy frank went back there on monday night much the same loads of small fish nothing over a pound it was bloody freezing, reckon that conger was about 20lb strange getting it on peelercrab ....biggest tug ive had on me rod in many a moon , was good meeting up with a few of the lads off the site including tom maher, bhoy32, james barry , barry murphy and patk sound bunch

44 fish in 6 sessions not to be sniffed at nice one

howdy frank went back there on monday night much the same loads of small fish nothing over a pound it was bloody freezing, reckon that conger was about 20lb strange getting it on peelercrab ....biggest tug ive had on me rod in many a moon , was good meeting up with a few of the lads off the site including tom maher, bhoy32, james barry , barry murphy and patk sound bunch

only the best of crab

nice fishing

Thanks guys,

most in convienient having to go to work and all that fishing to be done lol as always a great report them Bass seem to stick to you well done and a happy christmas all the best for the new year

Inconvienient alright Happy Christmas to yourself - and hope you have great fishing in 2010.

i was begining to think you had stopped fishing .Your a brave man to have been out the last few nights.Was'nt brave enough myself did manage a bit of codding myself during the days ,roads too bad out my way these nights.

Roads on the way back were a bit dodgy - a bit scary especially when I could see all the skid marks on the bends !!!!
It didn't feel too cold out on the beach but I discovered a new leak in my waders I had to keep moving - once I stood still for a while the cold started to set in.

reckon that conger was about 20lb strange getting it on peelercrab ....biggest tug ive had on me rod in many a moon

I would have thought it more than 20 lb judging by the size of its head.

went back there on monday night much the same loads of small fish nothing over a pound it was bloody freezing

At the moment there doesn't seem to be anything bigger there. There were about 8 other guys fishing Ferrypoint last Sunday and nobody seemed to be getting anything over a pound, same with the Coal Quay the two times I fished there.

44 fish in 6 sessions not to be sniffed at nice one

Thanks for adding that up for me

only the best of crab

[/quote]
Great crab alright - thanks very much. I will be in touch the week after Christmas about getting another couple of dozen off you.

Enjoy the hols and i hope santa will be good to you.

I hope he is bringing me a set of binoculars to keep watch on those netting scumbags.

Have a good one - hopefully see you for a session after Christmas.

Nice fishing again Frank, the weather certainly hasnt kept you from it .I've had a nasty flu virus the last few days and am trying to convince the family that i didnt get it out fishing. Most probably got it in work as my workwear isnt as warm as my fishing gear. Thats my story and i'm sticking to it ,,,,,,,Happy Christmas to yourself and Melissa and all the best in 2010, Dave

i fish youghal all the time there is good fishing there

I've had a nasty flu virus the last few days and am trying to convince the family that i didnt get it out fishing.

Unlikely you got flu fishing - more likely you got it shopping for the Christmas presents.
I hope you are recovered and raring to start your 2010 fishing with a bang.
Happy New Year

i fish youghal all the time there is good fishing there

Youghal is a great spot alright - although I didn't fish it much this year until the last few weeks when the cod began to come in.

nice few fish well done