Youghal & W Waterford

People: Me, Billy & 2 Joe's

Duration: Friday night, Saturday & Sunday morning

Tide: Around 9ish

Weather: Calm Friday & Saturday. Weak SW wind Sunday

Bait:Lugs, Razor, Crab

Rigs: 2 hook paternoster

Results:Codling, Whiting, Coalies, Rockling, Flounder & Bass




Report: Headed to Youghal on Friday and arrived around 7pm. Joe Mc had rods out of van and in the water in 2 minutes. Before I even had the reel on mine he landed 2 good coalies. For the next 40 minutes fishing was frantic with nearly a fish per cast. Then the fish just disappeared. We fished until about 9.30pm but only got a few fish.

All fish would have been counters in a comp.


Next morning we set off early and were spinning for bass from the rocks by about 8am for 2.5 hours. Results nil.

The afternoon plan was to head out in Billy's boat and fish in Youghal. Unfortunately, due to an engine problem we never got going. So plan B came into action and we headed back to another mark in W Waterford. There was a small bit of surf and to be truthful it didn't look good for bait fishing. The 2 Joe's lashed out some lug and I headed off spinning from the rocks. As I returned to the beach Joe Hickey was stuck into a good fish and landed an nice bass.

Joe's first.jpg

I should mention at this point that this was Joe's first sea fishing adventure and I was showing him how to fish. He also outfished me on the coalies and probably the codling. I am either a good teacher or a lousy fisherman!!!!

A couple of minutes later my bait rod got an unmerciful bang which was no doubt a bass. Hook up was unsuccessful.

That night it was back to Youghal for another session. There was plenty of action for about 2.5 hours. Most of the fish were coalies but we also had some small codling.


One worrying matter was that 2 small fishing( not angling) boats set off out to sea in the dark. I was of the opinion that they were netting and my rumours were more or less verified by a local commercial fisherman later. Maybe that is why we only caught small codling.


Isn't is amazing that since gill nets were banned locally the codling numbers increased dramatically. Unfortunately, some local cowboys are out setting nets and ruining the benefit that this ban has brought.

On Friday night there were loads of anglers in Youghal, no doubt for the codling. I am sure that some of these anglers were staying locally . Like us they would eat a few meals and have a few drinks each night. If this fishery were allowed to develop properly it would bring quite an amount of money into the local economy. Instead a few greedy men make few bob and to hell with the benefit to their local community.

We got up a little later than planned on Sunday morning. John Jameson delayed our planned early start. We hit the beach about 9.45. There was a lovely surf running. I lobbed two big baits of razor and lug out and with a few minutes had a fantastic bang but no hook up . THis was followed soon after by another missed take. Guess it just wasn't meant to be that I would hook a bass this weekend.


All in all it was a great weekend and we look forward to getting back ASAP.

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well done joe on the bass fine fish

Thanks Seanie. Joe now has the bass bug!!

good stuff nice bass

Nice fishing lads

One worrying matter was that 2 small fishing( not angling) boats set off out to sea in the dark. I was of the opinion that they were netting and my rumours were more or less verified by a local commercial fisherman later. Maybe that is why we only caught small codling.

The last week or so the bigger codling seem to have disappeared. Two weeks ago there were plenty of codling in the 2-4.5 lb range but the weekend of 4th-5th codling were very scarce and small, similarly last Sunday the biggest I caught was about 1.5 lb. Commercial fishing may be to blame, but it might also be lack of food in the bay. Crabs probably stopped peeling with the cold weather over the last few weeks. Over the last month the codling that I kept either had empty stomachs, or one or two tiny crabs, or small fish (sandeels, herring) in their stomachs. I reckon that the bigger fish have moved out of the bay in search of food.

Hopefully you are right. I will have to try to get out in the boat next time.

Tight lines.

Nice fishing Stan and nice bass for Joe, pity about the bigger takes though, nice to see some nice fish still around all the same.

Ta Declan. Bigger fish next time I hope!!!!!

Tight lines,

Stan