Ballyhenry Bay & Portaferry Pier 03/04/11

People: Dan and Drew

Duration: 6.30pm - 9pm

Tide: Over the Low

Weather: Chilly, Bright

Bait: Rag, Lug, Mackeral

Rigs: DDP, 2 Hook Scratcher, Flowing Trace, Sheppy

Results:

1 Codling, 1 Coalfish

Report:

Ok, So fishing seems to have taken priority over all other things, but I'm really enjoying it at the minute and I'd say this run will continue for some time to come.
Ballyhenry bay in Strangford lough was the first mark we tried, nice deep looking bay with a few kelp beds, felt sure if I landed a bait in the deeper water I'd hit a dogfish, sadly we didn't get anything here, but it's a beautiful spot and will be visited again.
Got to our Banker, Portaferry pier at about 7.45pm fished 2 boom scratchers, and Sheppys at varying distance, obvious from the outset there wasn't much about and after around 45 minutes I finally had a positive pull on a rod I'd plonked a bit further out, a small but beautifully marked red codling, Blank beaten, happy man.
While waiting for bites I'd set up a 2ft flowing trace on a small spinning rod, carried out by a mere 1/2oz of lead, this is how I got my coalfish, flicking a ragworm into the tide and giving it a slow retrieve, a sort of "mini deep spinning" I guess.
Anyway, 9pm was time to head home, stopped at the chippy then straight home.
Another good night out.

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ah well drew, you gave it a go man. still early enough in the year thow. definetely worth some further investigation after easter when things pick up

You're right there mate...

we wernt far from yous mate. had a go at the trout but never saw one. beautiful day and evening.

Aye mate, it was gorgeous alright...

blank saved drew well done and some great photos

Ballyhenry Bay produces plenty of dogfish in the summer months.

Ballyhenry Bay produces plenty of dogfish in the summer months.

Anything else of note caught there man??

Mostly just dogfish, always threaten to give the island to the right of it a go, walk out at low tide and fish as the tide comes in. Looks ideal for seatrout. Maybe this summer!

You can get mullet there tho i've never bothered for them myself. You'll see plenty of seatrout in season and you can expect codling and some nice wrasse as well mate. You can also expect to loose quite a lot of gear

great photos

I've dived from ballyhenry round to ballywhite and fished here too with fyke nets and gill nets (legally i promise - I'm a marine biologists!) and it has some interesting stuff going on. Its quite shallow but sandy with patches of weed and seagrass. Has a load to small fish as its a classic nursery ground but we did net doggies, flounders, plaice, rockling, sea scorpions, codling, wrasse and mackerel in the deeper parts.

Anyway just thought it might be of interest you