East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:15 pm
People: Me
Duration: 25th September: 4.30-8.30 pm; 26th September: 5.45-8.00 pm
Tide: HW 7.30/8.00 pm
Weather: 25th: northerly wind, clear, sunny; 26th: calm, broken cloud, partly sunny, warm
Bait: Various lures
Rigs:
Results:
25th September: 3 bass, 12 pollock, 6 mackerel, 1 coalfish
26th September: 2 bass, 8 pollock, 1 mackerel
Report:
25th September: I headed to a reliable rock mark in the afternoon. The northerly wind had flattened out the surf, apart from the occasional large swell, However, the water was still quite coloured. I started out using a variety of surface and shallow diving lures but without any interest. I then switched to Giant Xlayers, and fished them close to the bottom. After about the third cast I had a bite, it stayed deep for a few minutes so I was unsure if it was a bass or a large pollock, but when it eventually broke the surface I could see a quick flash of silver. I coaxed it in on a wave breaking over the rocks. It was a 49 cm bass
About 15 minutes later I had another bite again on a Giant Xlayer. This fish was putting much a much stronger fight. I got it in close and lifted it in over the rocks on another breaking wave. It was in a shallow gulley so I tried to get a landing net under it, but the fish struggled violently and threw the hook, but fortunately I was quick enough to get the landing net over the bass’ head before it got a chance to escape. It was a well fed 57 cm fish
A little later I had a third. This put up a much weaker fight and turned out to be a 42 cm bass, again taken on a Giant Xlayer
The bites died off then. I tried surface lures again but still no interest, so I switched back to the Xlayers. Then I spotted some activity in the water about 25 m to the left. I cast an Xlayer over the area and hooked a mackerel. So the disturbance was a shoal of mackerel. But I reckoned that if they were feeding on a shoal of bait fish then there might also be a few bass lurking around. The shoal moved much further out, further than I could reach with any of my plugs. I switched to a small metal lure and cast it out – first cast another mackerel. I continued casting over the shoal and got a total of 6 mackerel, but no sign of any bass.
As the sun began to set the pollock came on the feed. Every cast I could feel them hitting the lures. I landed 12 but probably lost as many. They were in the 1-2 lb range. I packed up as the light was beginning to go. The pollock were still on the feed but I wanted to get up off the rocks before it was totally dark.
26th September: I headed back to the same mark. The northerly wind had died down, there wasn't any noticable wind. The sea was much calmer compared to the previous day and the water looked a lot clearer too. So I was hopeful of a good session. On about the second cast with a patchinko I had a big splash behind the lure but the fish wasn't hooked. I kept casting over the same area for a while, but there was no more interest. I changed lures but still couldn't tempt a bite. I then tried Xlayers but still nothing. I switched back to surface lures and fished over a shallow reef, bass were often lurking in gulleys there. I did have a fish make a lunge at a lure very close in but again it missed.
As the tide pushed me back I was in a position to fish into a narrow gulley that runs perpendicular to the shore, it is only about a meter wide but has overhanging sides, an ideal place for bass to lurk, waiting for waves breaking over the rocks to wash food into the gulley. Last year I got quite a few bass out of this. But it is snaggy and you have to be very precise with casting to get a lure into the narrow gulley especially when it is submerged. I first tried Xlayers but lost a couple within a few casts, so switched to the cheapest lures I have, white latex shads - so cheap in fact that they cost me nothing. About a month ago I bought a bunch of tackle from Dan Lynch of Halfway Tackle and he threw in a handfull of these for free
On the second cast I connected with a fish, it didn't put up a huge fight so I knew it wasn't big. After a short fight I landed a 43 cm bass
I continued fishing into the gulley with the same lure, about 20 minutes later I had another bite. This fish was putting up a much stronger struggle and was diving into the rocks so I had to be careful the line didn't snap but eventually I coaxed it out and brought it to the surface and onto the rock platform. It was a plump 53 cm bass
So where the €25 Japanese lures failed to catch a cheap piece of latex outfished them
Pat arrived down at that stage, and fished the other side of the rocks. The bites died off after that. I stayed fishing around the same area hoping that dusk would bring on a few more. Unfortunately it brought on the pollock. If there were any bass there they didn't get a chance of a bite with the pollock. Every cast I could feel them hitting the lures. I landed about 8, wasn't really counting, lost about 12 as I got them in close, but wasn't too concerned about that as the target was bass. Most were on the 1-2 lb mark although there was one bigger fish, probably 3.5-4 lb. I had him in a rock pool just on the edge of the breaking surf but he shook the hook. I probably could have caught him with the landing net if I had been quick enough but he took advantage of a wave breaking into the pool and was gone. In amongst the pollock mayhem I caught a solitary mackerel.
As the light was going I packed up. Pat came over at that stage, he had a few bass but was plagued with the pollock as well once the sun began to set.
Duration: 25th September: 4.30-8.30 pm; 26th September: 5.45-8.00 pm
Tide: HW 7.30/8.00 pm
Weather: 25th: northerly wind, clear, sunny; 26th: calm, broken cloud, partly sunny, warm
Bait: Various lures
Rigs:
Results:
25th September: 3 bass, 12 pollock, 6 mackerel, 1 coalfish
26th September: 2 bass, 8 pollock, 1 mackerel
Report:
25th September: I headed to a reliable rock mark in the afternoon. The northerly wind had flattened out the surf, apart from the occasional large swell, However, the water was still quite coloured. I started out using a variety of surface and shallow diving lures but without any interest. I then switched to Giant Xlayers, and fished them close to the bottom. After about the third cast I had a bite, it stayed deep for a few minutes so I was unsure if it was a bass or a large pollock, but when it eventually broke the surface I could see a quick flash of silver. I coaxed it in on a wave breaking over the rocks. It was a 49 cm bass
About 15 minutes later I had another bite again on a Giant Xlayer. This fish was putting much a much stronger fight. I got it in close and lifted it in over the rocks on another breaking wave. It was in a shallow gulley so I tried to get a landing net under it, but the fish struggled violently and threw the hook, but fortunately I was quick enough to get the landing net over the bass’ head before it got a chance to escape. It was a well fed 57 cm fish
A little later I had a third. This put up a much weaker fight and turned out to be a 42 cm bass, again taken on a Giant Xlayer
The bites died off then. I tried surface lures again but still no interest, so I switched back to the Xlayers. Then I spotted some activity in the water about 25 m to the left. I cast an Xlayer over the area and hooked a mackerel. So the disturbance was a shoal of mackerel. But I reckoned that if they were feeding on a shoal of bait fish then there might also be a few bass lurking around. The shoal moved much further out, further than I could reach with any of my plugs. I switched to a small metal lure and cast it out – first cast another mackerel. I continued casting over the shoal and got a total of 6 mackerel, but no sign of any bass.
As the sun began to set the pollock came on the feed. Every cast I could feel them hitting the lures. I landed 12 but probably lost as many. They were in the 1-2 lb range. I packed up as the light was beginning to go. The pollock were still on the feed but I wanted to get up off the rocks before it was totally dark.
26th September: I headed back to the same mark. The northerly wind had died down, there wasn't any noticable wind. The sea was much calmer compared to the previous day and the water looked a lot clearer too. So I was hopeful of a good session. On about the second cast with a patchinko I had a big splash behind the lure but the fish wasn't hooked. I kept casting over the same area for a while, but there was no more interest. I changed lures but still couldn't tempt a bite. I then tried Xlayers but still nothing. I switched back to surface lures and fished over a shallow reef, bass were often lurking in gulleys there. I did have a fish make a lunge at a lure very close in but again it missed.
As the tide pushed me back I was in a position to fish into a narrow gulley that runs perpendicular to the shore, it is only about a meter wide but has overhanging sides, an ideal place for bass to lurk, waiting for waves breaking over the rocks to wash food into the gulley. Last year I got quite a few bass out of this. But it is snaggy and you have to be very precise with casting to get a lure into the narrow gulley especially when it is submerged. I first tried Xlayers but lost a couple within a few casts, so switched to the cheapest lures I have, white latex shads - so cheap in fact that they cost me nothing. About a month ago I bought a bunch of tackle from Dan Lynch of Halfway Tackle and he threw in a handfull of these for free
On the second cast I connected with a fish, it didn't put up a huge fight so I knew it wasn't big. After a short fight I landed a 43 cm bass
I continued fishing into the gulley with the same lure, about 20 minutes later I had another bite. This fish was putting up a much stronger struggle and was diving into the rocks so I had to be careful the line didn't snap but eventually I coaxed it out and brought it to the surface and onto the rock platform. It was a plump 53 cm bass
So where the €25 Japanese lures failed to catch a cheap piece of latex outfished them
Pat arrived down at that stage, and fished the other side of the rocks. The bites died off after that. I stayed fishing around the same area hoping that dusk would bring on a few more. Unfortunately it brought on the pollock. If there were any bass there they didn't get a chance of a bite with the pollock. Every cast I could feel them hitting the lures. I landed about 8, wasn't really counting, lost about 12 as I got them in close, but wasn't too concerned about that as the target was bass. Most were on the 1-2 lb mark although there was one bigger fish, probably 3.5-4 lb. I had him in a rock pool just on the edge of the breaking surf but he shook the hook. I probably could have caught him with the landing net if I had been quick enough but he took advantage of a wave breaking into the pool and was gone. In amongst the pollock mayhem I caught a solitary mackerel.
As the light was going I packed up. Pat came over at that stage, he had a few bass but was plagued with the pollock as well once the sun began to set.
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Last edited by RockHunter on Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:28 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:18 pm
Nice goin frank. your really making up for lost time. Very nice fish. 
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Wed Sep 29, 2010 3:20 pm
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together! Well done again Frank, yet another great report and pictures. That's a fantastic result for you. Your hooking into the bass rightly now which is great to see, I'm glad your dedication and time your putting in is paying off for you. Both the lures and the bait seem to be doing the business , keep it up. Your bass tally is getting higher and higher.......nice one
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:36 am
evan699 wrote:Nice goin frank. your really making up for lost time. Very nice fish.
Thanks, I have a lot of time to make up after about 6 weeks of no fishing over the summer due to my sore foot.
KERRY1 wrote:Don't you just love it when a plan comes together! Well done again Frank, yet another great report and pictures. That's a fantastic result for you. Your hooking into the Bass rightly now which is great to see, I'm glad your dedication and time your putting in is paying off for you. Both the lures and the bait seem to be doing the business , keep it up. Your Bass tally is getting higher and higher.......nice one
Thanks, nice to get a few bass on lures, if the weather was more settled then I am sure I could get a lot more. Unfortunately bait fishing is not too good over the last couple of weeks due to weed, I met up with Mitch and Seanie on Tuesday night for a beach session but it was unfishable - I had three casts, and lost three rigs and two shockleaders
The previous time I went bait fishing last week on another beach it was much the same - just a few casts before I lost a shockleader and had to give up.
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:50 am
i have never seen bigger weed fish than that night wind is good tonight heard ye had weed in the other place aswell might try laterit was unfishable - I had three casts, and lost three rigs and two shockleaders
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:54 am
dear god frank 
dose'nt seem to matter what lures you use, those bass are pratically throwing themselves at you man 
some cracking fishing man
dose'nt seem to matter what lures you use, those bass are pratically throwing themselves at you man some cracking fishing man
Re: East Cork lure sessions - 25th & 26th September 2010
Fri Oct 01, 2010 1:07 pm
Al and Jordan wrote:dear god frank
Thanks Al, think I am going to stock up on those white latex lures - great for fishing into rough ground as it doesn't really matter if you loose them, but loosing a €25 lure is a different prospect altogether
seanie35 wrote:i have never seen bigger weed fish than that night wind is good tonight heard ye had weed in the other place aswell might try later
Strange there was so much weed, there hadn't been too much wind, normally that beach is clean unless there has been a big storm.