East Cork sessions 6th-21st February 2010

People: Mostly Me, with Seanie and Patk on 7th Feb.

Duration: Various

Tide: Various

Weather: Mostly dry, cold, light winds

Bait: Mostly crab

Rigs: 3/0, 4/0 and 6/0 pennel pulleys

Results:
6th February: 11 codling, 1 flounder
7th February: 8 codling
11th February: 17 codling, 4 Five bearded rockling, 1 flounder, 1 whiting
17th February: Bass session - Blank
20th February: 15 Codling
21st February: 43 Codling




Report: I was busy with work over the last couple of weeks so didn't get the chance to do any shore reports so here is one summarising my fishing over the last two weeks.

6th February: I picked up a couple of dozen crabs off Bhoy32 and headed to a mark in Youghal that usually throws up a few codling on an ebb in daylight. It didn't disappoint - I had 8 up to 35 cm, including one double on a pennel. I moved to another mark at low tide. Shortly after arriving I had one 35 cm codling but it got quite after that until darkeness then the bites started; I had another two codling and a small 25 cm flounder. But then I had to leave as I promised Melissa I would be back in time for dinner with a few cod.

7th February: I had arranged to meet Seanie at Green Park. There was a very cold strong southeastly blowing across the bay. It was difficult to detect bites. I had one plump 32 cm codling but then we decided to move to the Quays. Patk was already there and had been catching a few. I had another 7 codling there in the 25-35 cm range. I was the first to leave as I wanted to get to the Chinese for a takeaway before they closed at 10.30 pm.

11th February: I decided on a beach session with the aim of targeting flounder. Got to the beach at low tide and set up one rod with a 4/0 pennel pulley and a second with a three hook flapper (1/0 hooks). Shortly after setting up I spotted a timid bite and reeled in a five bearded rockling. A little later I had another, followed by a nice 36 cm codling. As the tide was beginning to push forward I spotted some timid bites on the rod with the 4/0 pennel - I waited - then there was a big pull on the rod - I grabbed it and started to retrieve, I could feel a good fish on the end that was putting up a strong stuggle - then about 15 m out I got snagged on a stalk of kelp that was sticking out of the sand. I waded out and pulled the rig free - but all that was on the hook was a very small rockling I reckon the rocking got hooked and then something grabbed the rocking but what ever it was (codling, bass ???) was only lightly hooked and shook itself free when I got snagged

I fished on for another hour or so and had one more rockling and another two small codling. My plan had been to dig some lug on the beach as I was fishing but I had the NCT that morning and had cleared the car out the day before and forgot to put my fork back in. I had some crabs left over from the previous weekend so decided to head back to the Quays for a hour or so and pull in a few more codling. The codling were really on the feed - I had another 14 as well as a 26cm flounder. The codling were mostly in the range 30-35 cm. I was using a 4/0 pennel pulley on one rod and a three hook flapper (1/0 hooks) on the other, all the bigger codling were taken on the pennel, although I did have two triples with the three hook flapper, plus one 27 cm whiting.

17th February: I had an urge to go bass fishing. During the day there was quite a strong southeasterly wind which had blown up a nice surf but the wind had switched to a light but very cold northerly by the time I hit the beach. On the plus side it was weed free. I had dug some big juicy lug earlier and used 4/0 and 6/0 pennel pulleys with lug or lug/razor cocktails. I fished the last two hours of the ebb down to low tide and an hour or so into the flood - the optimum period for bass on that particular beach but there was not a bite. I guess it is still too early for bass.

20th February: I collected another two dozen crabs off Bhoy32 (some nice big juicy ones!!) and headed to a mark in Youghal. But it was dead - not a bite - the baits were coming back untouched. I moved on to the "secret Youghal cod mark" for the rising tide. I set up two rod with 3/0 and 4/0 pennel pulleys baited with large crab baits. Again it was quite. But at least there was not a problem with weed - that particular mark can be unfishable if there is a lot of weed about. Then just as the light was beginning to go I had the first bite, a 26 cm codling. As soon as it got dark the activity picked up - I had a constant stream of bites after that and some good size codling, most fish were above 30 cm and several were 35 cm with the largest at 38 cm. I fished for just under two hours and caught 15 codling. I packed up at 7.50 pm and headed home with some cod for dinner

21st February: After the success of the previous evening I headed to the "secret Youghal cod mark" for a longer session in darkness. I got set up at 6.20 pm just as the light was going with 3/0 and 4/0 pennel pulleys. As soon as it was dark the bites started and then became crazy - Although I had two rods set up most of the time there was just one in the water. No sooner would I have cast out one when there would be a codling on the other, and as I was unhooked the fish or photographing it there would be a knock on the first rod. If a rod was quite for five minutes I would strike and find that there was a codling on the end just sitting there swallowing the bait. Even if there was just a scraggy bit of crab left on the hook I would cast it out and have a codling on the hook within a few minutes. Some of the codling were a nice size, between 35-40 cm and most were over 30cm. I had two doubles on the pennels. The bites slowed a bit over high tide - maybe I had to wait 10 minutes between some bites, although every now and again there would be a flury of activity and I would haul in three or four over a period of five minutes. I packed up at about 10.45 pm after catching a total of 43 codling My best ever fish total excluding mackerel bashing.

My arms were aching at the end of the session and I was so warm from all the activity that I thought it was a very mild night until I got back to the car and found a layer of frost on the windsceen.

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Some more photos

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Now I know where you have been over the past wee while Frank - out fishing!
I wondered why you hadn't been on the site posting reports for a while.
That is some haul of fish you got there, well done to you and to everyone else who was with you.
I see there's still no sign of any bass then

A few more

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Very nice Frank getting some serious hours in there. A few nice sized ones too!

ninety four codling in five days! i hate you!!

catching them like mackeral i havent seen a codling over 30cm in a long time

nice fishing frank some good fish there . was going to go down later and tommorow night is there anything left

Thats some amount of Codling A few Tasty looking fish there

well done!! some nice sized ones too!!

jesus frank thats some fishing well done im nearly tempted to load up the momo and
head straight down to youghal some lovely codling there ,i have only seen 1 codling
like that since my visit to your end of the country keep the reports comming

Kerry's right we thought Youghal fishing had been the same as when we were there well done some lovely keepers there i'd say Melissa and you got a nice dinner

Thanks,

That is some haul of fish you got there, well done to you and to everyone else who was with you.
I see there's still no sign of any Bass then

No not yet - but at least the colding are getting bigger

ninety four codling in five days! i hate you!!

Thanks for adding them up for me

catching them like mackeral i havent seen a codling over 30cm in a long time

It was like that alright - I reckon if I had put on a 3 hook flapper I could have been hauling them in three at a time last night, but then most of them would probably have been small - I stuck to the pennel pulleys to try for the bigger ones.

nice fishing frank some good fish there . was going to go down later and tommorow night is there anything left

The estuary is full of them at the moment - I am sure there are a few left

jesus frank thats some fishing well done im nearly tempted to load up the momo and
head straight down to youghal some lovely codling there ,i have only seen 1 codling
like that since my visit to your end of the country keep the reports comming

They seem to be getting bigger - a month ago it was rare to get a codling above 30 cm now there are a good few over 35 cm knocking around.

Kerry's right we thought Youghal fishing had been the same as when we were there well done some lovely keepers there i'd say Melissa and you got a nice dinner

The "secret Youghal cod mark" was the first one I took you to the day you and the dad were down - the one we couldn't fish because of the weed - I reckon it would have been good that day too if we had been able to fish it.

You'll put Sea Angler out of business with reports and pix like that! It was never that good when I was there - amazing stuff!

Well done Frank,goes to show when you put the hours and effort in you can get great results.Seriously good fishing .God help the Bass this year

well done man thats some fishing im so Jealous of ye Great stuff but

well done lads great fishing like the pictures with the five in a row..

Thanks,

That is some haul of fish you got there, well done to you and to everyone else who was with you.
I see there's still no sign of any Bass then

No not yet - but at least the colding are getting bigger

I hope the bass fishing starts to pick up soon, it's only approx. another four weeks or so until I come down to fish for them myself.

Yeah the weed was the problem that day

Thanks guys,

I hope the Bass fishing starts to pick up soon, it's only approx. another four weeks or so until I come down to fish for them myself.

They should definitely be fairly plentyful by then - at least I hope so

It was never that good when I was there - amazing stuff!

The conditions were just right for that mark on Sunday night; dusk as the tide was starting to flood, not too much fresh water flowing down the river as it had been dry for the last couple of weeks, no weed, and fairly slack tides so holding bottom was not too much of a problem.

Well done Frank,goes to show when you put the hours and effort in you can get great results.Seriously good fishing .God help the Bass this year

I am waiting for them