Rossnowlagh - 16th June

Duration: 4 hours

Weather:Overcast

Bait:Frozen mackerel and frozen launce

Rigs:2 hook flapper

Results:6 sea trout


Report: First four casts and I had four sea trout. Very surprised to see so many as I was after flounders or a dogfish. By the time I finished up I had six with the smallest a pound and the largest a bit shy of 3lb, four of them were over 2lb. All fish took mackerel strip and fought really well. Seen others jumping at the end of the surf. When gutted the stomach contents contained a mixture of sandeel and tiny sprat. Best days sea trout fishing I've ever had and not a river in sight! I've tried uploading the pictures on to the gallery but aint having no luck.

<img src="http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bulletin%20board/album_pic.php?pic_id=199">

Pete

Those gill tags don't really show up well with the blue background....

I have got them myself on Rossnowlagh, well done Peter

Those gill tags don't really show up well with the blue background....

Well spotted Viper - and no doubt his log book will show that 2 of these fish were returned and are in fact still alive in the picture - otherwise that would be in contravention of the 3 fish per day bag limit ...

Well done Pete, great catch, you got me all reved up to have another go at Cromane, I got one earlier on in the year from the boat on a sandeel, the last time we were out we kept seeing fish follow mackeral chunks up to the surface, they looked like Sea-Trout, I then tried a belly strip on a long trace, they had a good nibble but did not connect, hopefully next time!
Sean,

whats the deal with keeping 5 trout?

Cheers Dingbat and Sean, I was really delighted to see them. I get so few bass in Donegal Bay that I'm thinking the sea trout fill that ecological niche on the beaches here. Not complaining too much!

4 fish got their tags, the smallest was under 40cm and is not required to be tagged. Logbooks filled out and contrary to what a lot of anglers do, I will and always have sent my logbook back. I've never heard of a 3 bag limit with regard to sea trout from the sea, there is no mention of it on my NRFB license either.

Hi Keozer,
Any fish I kill get eaten.

Pete

pete , nice haul, were you fishing southern end and was it dark

Hi Booner,
Southern end alright. Got most of them during daylight except for the last fish. Lots of fine weed in the water and a large amount of tiny dead hermit crabs, really small ones but there were lots of them.

Pete

http://www.cfb.ie/fishing_in_ireland/An ... ations.htm

Thats me put in my place! I honestly wasn't aware that a three bag limit was in place for sea trout. I knew that there was 3 bag limit on the local salmon rivers but never knew sea trout were also subject to a limit. You didn't report me to the CFB did you Viper? :)

Pete

Of course not!
I personally have no problem with people taking home fish for the pan, I'm more concerned about someone unwittingly announcing it and getting into trouble for it!
Good evenings fishing though :-)

This is not about whether its ok to take a fish for the pot. It's about taking more fish than is sustainable and allowable by law. It's unfortunate that people are ignorant of the laws or unwilling to abide by them. If people continue to ignore the law a time will come where catching 1 sea trout let alone 6 is a thing of lore.

For reference ...
__________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, MARINE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

FISHERIES ACTS, 1959 TO 2003

CONSERVATION OF SALMON AND SEA TROUT
BYE-LAW NO. 797, 2004.

I, John Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 9 (as amended by section 3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1962 (No. 31 of 1962)) of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 (No. 14 of 1959), section 33 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1962, the Fisheries (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1977 (S.I. No. 30 of 1977) (as adapted by the Marine and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 307 of 2002)) and the Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 374 of 2002), hereby make the following bye-law:

1. (1) This Bye-law may be cited as the Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout Bye-Law No. 797, 2004.

(2) This Bye-law comes into operation on the day of its making.

2. In this Bye-law -

“salmon” means a fish of the species Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon);

“sea trout” means a fish of the migratory form of Salmo trutta, other than a sea trout which is 40 centimetres or less in length measured in a straight line from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.


3. Notwithstanding anything contained in any bye-law prohibiting the taking or having possession of more than a specified number of salmon or sea trout, a person shall not take by rod and line more than 20 fish (being either salmon or sea trout or any combination of both fish) in any year.

4. Subject to Article 3 of this Bye-law, a person shall not take by rod and line on any day in any year -

(a) more than one fish, being either a salmon or sea trout, during the period from 1 January to 31 May, and

(b) more than 3 fish, being either salmon or sea trout or a combination of both, during the remainder of the year.

5. Notwithstanding Article 4(b) of this Bye-law, a person shall not take by rod and line on any day more than one fish being either a salmon or sea trout during the period from 1 September 2004 until 31 December 2004.

6. Any salmon or sea trout taken inadvertently in contravention of this Bye-law shall be handled carefully and returned without avoidable injury to the waters immediately upon being taken.

7. This Bye-law does not affect the operation of any other bye-law which prohibits the taking, or having in possession of, salmon or sea trout.

8. The Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout Bye-law No. 786, 2002 is revoked.

GIVEN under my hand, _25_August 2004.

__John Browne__ Minister of State at the Department of Communications,
Marine and Natural Resources.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Bye-law and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

This Bye-law provides for a bag limit of 1 fish being either a salmon or sea trout per angler per day from 1 September 2004 to 31 December 2004 and continues the imposition of a bag limit of 1 fish per angler per day from 1 January to 31 May, and 3 fish from 1 June to the end of the fishing season, subject to a total allowable catch of 20 fish per year.

FOOTNOTE

Section 11 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959 as amended by Section 27 (b) of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1999 provides that any person aggrieved by this Bye-law may within 28 days after its publication in the Iris Oifigiuil, appeal against same to the High Court.

Dave Haddock,
I think it is unfair of you to imply that I am somehow unwilling to abide by the laws governing the capture of sea trout or any fish for that matter. There is a massive difference between being unaware of a particular rule and willfully ignoring it. As I have already stated in a previous post I didn't actually know there was a three bag limit.

You do have a valid point with regard to sustainable fishing but to judge that on one days fishing alone is missguided. In 1993 I caught 58 sea trout for the year, I kept 16 of those fish for eating. In 1994 I caught 62 for the year keeping 15 fish for the table and so on and so on. Those five fish(the sixth was released) I kept on the 16th of June this year were the first ones I killed for the year and so now I have enough sea trout fillets in the freezer to keep me happy for the rest of the coming year hence there is no need to bring any more home. What I am getting at, is that it is over the course of a season that an angler should be judged on his conservation motives not just on one session. If over the course of the season you kept five sea trout then I wouldn't exactly call you a butcherer or a poacher. If you kept a high % of your catch all the time then yes that would be unsustainable.

Keeping fish for sale is an entirely different matter. When I was younger I sold a salmon I had caught and afterwards felt so guilty that I vowed never to sell anything I caught again. That to me is where I draw the line between an angler and a fisherman.

Pete

Peter
I did not know there was a bag limit either (on sea trout). Still the net men are allowed to catch all they can
dingbat

Hi all
I'm locking this thread- I think what needs to be said has been said..
jd