Blackhead Antrim Saturday 19th

People Just Me

Duration 8am-1230pm

Tide Hw about 7

Weather Cold, Then Wet, Then cold and wet

Bait Frozen Mackerel

Rigs Free Lining

Results whole load of pollock and colefish, 1 wrasse, 1 mackerel, 1 seagull




Report slept in so missed the slack water at high tide land down about 8 o'clock and the tide was already ripping its way out of the lough. set up my new super light rod with 1 hook, 4 beads and a single swan shot and cast out. immediately it was swept way round to my left, but it was going into a fairly wide gulley so it wasnt all bad. let it sink a bit and got bites straight away. brought in a wee 6 inch coalie, 2nd cast produced the same, 3rd cast was a pollock of same size, 4th cast produced a coalie about 1/2 a pound. the fishing continued like that the whole trip. bites were instant and on every cast, in the end i must have caught about 50 pollock and colefish between 6 and 12 inches, along with 1 wrasse. nothing huge but lots of fun.

during the trip i was having a constant battle with this big brown seagull constantly going for my bait. since i had very little weight on it didnt sink very fast and it kept going for it. usally i was able to pull it out of its way as it dove to get it but at one point i wasnt quick enough and hooked up with it. it put up a good 10 minute battle. when it took off it just spread it wings and hovered in the wind, was kind of like flying a kite. everytime i got a foot of line it took it back again. luckily i managed to battle it into the side. it had stopped flying so essentially just dragged it slowly across the water, very delicate work on 6lb line. at the edge when i was debating how to get it up and unhooked it did us all a favour and spat the hook. after this it buggered off and didnt bother me again



during the first hour of the trip i had a huge hook up, as soon as i connected the rod bent double and it took about 10 yards of line. given how i was getting small fish all morning i nearly shat myself with shock. just as i composed myself and it took some more line the line parted and the fish was gone. i was unimpressed but that fishing isnt it. i reckoned it was a bigger pollock, well over a pound at a least, which seemed about right given the tackle i was using was so light. a moderately sized fish could put up a fight like that. about 2 hours later same thing happened. Striked and the reel was stripped of line, was a bit calmer about it this time and played it in. after about 2 minutes i got it with 5 yards of the rock and saw the distinctive silver flash of a mackerel. it started running from left to right to left to right but eventually gave up and i got it onto the rock when it spat the hook and bounced of the rock back into the water, reckon it weighed about 3/4 of a pound. wasnt too bothered as i was probably throwing it back anyway. its been a long held ambition of mine to catch a mackerel on really light gear. previous ive only ever caught them off a boat or when from the shore of a faily sturdy rod with a 2oz lead attached. i always knew they could put up a good scrap and on a super light rod with essentially no weight i was not disappointed. i was so chuffed, cant wait till next year to try and get a bigger one.

come about half 12 it had been raining solid for the last 2 hours and i was finding it difficult to remove slimy mackerel skin from the hook with cold, wet, half numb hands so called it a day and went home to tea and a bacon sandwich.

great report man those herring gulls fight well on light tackle were there many down fishing the rocks when you were down? we went down 3 weeks ago and could'nt get a spot to fish i never seen it so busy there before. half of county antrim must have taken up fishing down there this year . but good to see so many famalies fishing togeather having a day out

Nice report .Gull and coalie pie is nice i hear

were there many down fishing the rocks when you were down?

there were 2 other guy float fishing with whole sandeels and not catching much. after seeing my success we had a wee chat and i lent them a few splitshot and they free lined small chunks of sandeel just enough to cover the hook and they soon caught a few. when they left they gave me a few left over sandeel but it wasnt anywhere near as productive as the mackerel.

read you report from the piers. sounds like you had as much fun as i did with the wee fish.

and a JOHN DORY!!!. who ever heard of the like before! congrats.

my mate was calling me all the jammy sods under the sun . just goes to show that you just never know whats out there until it's on the end of your hook