Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:55 pm
People: me and me da
Duration: 530 - 10pm
Tide: lw 7pm
Weather: mediocre
Bait: mackerel and pollock
Rigs: freelined mackerel and conger traces
Results: pollock colefish and conger
Report:
So me da landed back from a 3 week stint in China on Friday and managed to twist his arm to come out fishing with me. Plan was we would meet down there at 6 fish till 10. I landed down at half 5 and had my first run on the conger rod within half an hour. It would a screamer of a run but in my excitement I hit it too early and missed the fish. Cast out again and 15 minutes later got another run, landed it this time at 6 ¾ pounds. Yeeeeeeooooooooo says I to the guy who was passing and stopped to take the picture for me. Dads rings and says he’s running late (hes already a half hour late) and should be done by about 7.so I fish away, get another nibble in the next 15-20 minutes, short sharp runs on taking about a foot of line at a time. Give it time and hit it but there’s nothing there, although the bait is well and truly mangled. I only brought 4 mackerel between us, using half a mackerel at a time I had already used up nearly half the bait and my dad wasn’t even here yet. So stuck on a Pollock in the half pound region, cut it from tail to head on both side so it flapped but left the tail and guts attached. Whacked it and let it sit, not really confident I would get anything on it but it would enable me to still fish and conserve bait at the same time. not long after I get another run, hit it and fish on. Felt a bit bigger and had a bit of a time getting it through the weeds but once clear I started getting it closer to the side. This was when it made a run straight for the rock face. the braid came dangerously close to rubbing the edge but fortunately managed to keep it clear and walked it round to the wee ledge bit to land it. Just as i was hauling it out of the water Dad shows up (2 hours late). Helps me photo it and then release it. weighed in at 8 1/4 pounds. Im all excited by now and am telling him of how well the fishings been going. 20 conger and about 30 pollock and coalies ranging from 4 inches to half a pound or so. This is where it all goes wrong though. First of all dad tried to cut a mackerel in half. Usually we just cut in 2 and I don’t know what he thought he was trying to achieve but in the end he ended up with 2 half fillets and a mangled half of fish on the hook. Tried to cast it out. Went about 10 feet, got a big tangle in his braid, which he took 10 minutes trying to sort out before I had to do it for him and then lost his bait in the weed. I complained at this due to the shortage of bait and the fact he had essentially wasted a whole mackerel so I put on 2 fillets out of the 6 pack of fillets I was using for Pollock bait and cast out for him. (sometimes when my dad fishes you are best to just stay out of his way or do it for him) so it was now dark, we both had baits in the water and it was starting to get rough. We took it in turns to catch the coalies that had moved in. we weren’t getting much on just mackerel and beads but when I changed the beads for one of those wee chemical lights it was a fish a cast. Ive used these light on and off at night and success seems to be hit and miss. Still not convinced they make any difference. Although im not 100% convinced beads make any difference either unless the water is clear but I still use them out of force of habit. Caught about half a dozen more each then went to sit down as he told be about his trip to china. For an hour he talked about everyone in his tour group and some of the people he met but didn’t really tell me anything about any of the places he went to. I mean imagine going to china and coming back and spending more time talking about some guy from Scotland you met in your tour group than about china!! Anyway dads initial run of bad luck continued and spread to me and we didn’t get any more runs for the rest of the session. Probably cos it was getting quite choppy at that point, so pack up and headed home happy.
WHOOP WHOOP
Duration: 530 - 10pm
Tide: lw 7pm
Weather: mediocre
Bait: mackerel and pollock
Rigs: freelined mackerel and conger traces
Results: pollock colefish and conger
Report:
So me da landed back from a 3 week stint in China on Friday and managed to twist his arm to come out fishing with me. Plan was we would meet down there at 6 fish till 10. I landed down at half 5 and had my first run on the conger rod within half an hour. It would a screamer of a run but in my excitement I hit it too early and missed the fish. Cast out again and 15 minutes later got another run, landed it this time at 6 ¾ pounds. Yeeeeeeooooooooo says I to the guy who was passing and stopped to take the picture for me. Dads rings and says he’s running late (hes already a half hour late) and should be done by about 7.so I fish away, get another nibble in the next 15-20 minutes, short sharp runs on taking about a foot of line at a time. Give it time and hit it but there’s nothing there, although the bait is well and truly mangled. I only brought 4 mackerel between us, using half a mackerel at a time I had already used up nearly half the bait and my dad wasn’t even here yet. So stuck on a Pollock in the half pound region, cut it from tail to head on both side so it flapped but left the tail and guts attached. Whacked it and let it sit, not really confident I would get anything on it but it would enable me to still fish and conserve bait at the same time. not long after I get another run, hit it and fish on. Felt a bit bigger and had a bit of a time getting it through the weeds but once clear I started getting it closer to the side. This was when it made a run straight for the rock face. the braid came dangerously close to rubbing the edge but fortunately managed to keep it clear and walked it round to the wee ledge bit to land it. Just as i was hauling it out of the water Dad shows up (2 hours late). Helps me photo it and then release it. weighed in at 8 1/4 pounds. Im all excited by now and am telling him of how well the fishings been going. 20 conger and about 30 pollock and coalies ranging from 4 inches to half a pound or so. This is where it all goes wrong though. First of all dad tried to cut a mackerel in half. Usually we just cut in 2 and I don’t know what he thought he was trying to achieve but in the end he ended up with 2 half fillets and a mangled half of fish on the hook. Tried to cast it out. Went about 10 feet, got a big tangle in his braid, which he took 10 minutes trying to sort out before I had to do it for him and then lost his bait in the weed. I complained at this due to the shortage of bait and the fact he had essentially wasted a whole mackerel so I put on 2 fillets out of the 6 pack of fillets I was using for Pollock bait and cast out for him. (sometimes when my dad fishes you are best to just stay out of his way or do it for him) so it was now dark, we both had baits in the water and it was starting to get rough. We took it in turns to catch the coalies that had moved in. we weren’t getting much on just mackerel and beads but when I changed the beads for one of those wee chemical lights it was a fish a cast. Ive used these light on and off at night and success seems to be hit and miss. Still not convinced they make any difference. Although im not 100% convinced beads make any difference either unless the water is clear but I still use them out of force of habit. Caught about half a dozen more each then went to sit down as he told be about his trip to china. For an hour he talked about everyone in his tour group and some of the people he met but didn’t really tell me anything about any of the places he went to. I mean imagine going to china and coming back and spending more time talking about some guy from Scotland you met in your tour group than about china!! Anyway dads initial run of bad luck continued and spread to me and we didn’t get any more runs for the rest of the session. Probably cos it was getting quite choppy at that point, so pack up and headed home happy.
WHOOP WHOOP
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Last edited by yngkmd on Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Mon Sep 27, 2010 11:25 pm
Two fine conger eels. Well done.
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:02 am
decent congers there well done lads
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:30 am
that marks fishin well for ya, they are decent congers
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 11:02 am
well done.u have pulled somw nice congers out of that place.seems always to produce.u seem to be the only 1 on here to fish it too.maybe im wrong 
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:18 pm
well done 
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:22 pm
can i just ask, where exactly is blackhead, is that out by the end of the lough on the larne side? and would a boat rod with 80lb braid be too heavy for fishing for conger. . . .i might make that my next target fish lol
and well done on your catch
and well done on your catch
Re: Blackhead Antrim Monday 27th sept
Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:33 pm
carp angler wrote:is that out by the end of the lough on the larne side?
yes go into white head and walkout the path towards the lighthouse
carp angler wrote:would a boat rod with 80lb braid be too heavy
i use a 20lb class boat rod with 40lb braid. i find with the braid it helps to get it out of the rocks and weeds quicker due to lack of stretch and give you a light advantage but on the other hand its far more prone to rubbing on a rock and going ping.
its my aim to have one into double figures befere the end of the year
have come close a few times but not yet.