10/11 July 2011, Varied fishing in various spots, NE Antrim.

Me and my bro put a bit of time in these past 2 days.

On bait (Lug and squid): 2 pollack to 1lb 5oz
2 dogfish.
2 plaice, not big.
2 coley.

On spinner: 27 pollack to 1lb 4oz.
1 mackerel 14oz.
1 sea trout 12oz (released).
1 grey gurnard, small, 1st 1 ever on spinner.
1 coley, no size.

On fly: 16 pollack to 4lb 3oz(released). Other biggest was 1lb 8oz. 3@ 1lb 4oz.
1 sea trout 1lb (kept).
1 coley, small.



Report:Fishing various spots along the coast road from Glenarm in the south to Cushendun in the north, the coast road is a gift to anglers.
If I went into detail it would take me all night to recount it, but its been a great 2 days, a few good fish were hooked and lost inc mackerel, sea trout and another solid pollack of I dont know what size which took the tandem pictured this evening just after dark and just after I released the 4lb 3oz pollack, incredible fight, it took the fly on the drop about 20 foot from where I was standing as I tried to untangle the fly line from around the rod. Took a good while to get it to the net. Seeing plenty of sandeel close to shore and millions of small pollack taking them near the surface, wish a big shoal of mackerel would visit the shore.

Heres a few pictures. A few more to follow.

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Some more....

Both sea trout landed were plastered in sea lice, totally disgusting, see pic of the injuries to the head of the wee one with sea lice removed before being released. There is a salmon farm near to where they were caught, I wonder is that the reason for the excessive sea lice on these fish? WAY too many sea lice, smaller fish are dying at sea due to loads of sea lice like this, they cant take it.

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Terrific fishing! Would make you want to go every day.

fantastic fishing Cathal and great results with the fly. I must get out after the good Pollack soon as they're perfect for a 2 day sized fish pie.

brilliant fishing there mate, crackin pollack and on a fly, WOW!!!! GOOD MAN

well done cathal great fishing and great photos

classic well done cathal

wow exellent fishn there again cathal well done a pollack that size on the fly would be an awsome battle.

Thats some fishing cathal, i was hoping to get down that way for myself the last few days, but the reports on the news with the bit of trouble i gave it a miss. (long drive from newry). So hopefully i will get down in the next week. Cracking pictures, well done...

Great fishin, and great report and pics well done.

well done some great looking fish there

excellent fishing might take a run up that part of the coast its been a very long time since I did...well done

some great fishing there cathal the pollack on the fly rod must have been good craic man

Thanks everyone for the responses, yes that pollack gave a great fight on the flyrod, only got stuck in weed once and it freed itself up after a few seconds, its my biggest one on fly by 2oz, last August I got my previous best and a 3.5 and 2 over 2lb in one evening, it was that evening that openned my eyes to the effectiveness of the fly for pollack, I got 47 in 2 hours, my cousin was spinning beside me and he only got 8 wee ones, bonkers.

Thanks again.

Very good session Cathal well done, which would you say put up the best fight on the fly the mackerel or sea trout?

Very good session Cathal well done, which would you say put up the best fight on the fly the mackerel or sea trout?

Hi Brian,

my brother Donal got the mackerel on the spinner, I stuck it in beside the sea trout for the pic, a pound sea trout like that (in my experience) gives a frantic churning on the surface kind of fight without really running or jumping as a bigger one does. They refuse to go down, writhing on the surface and the only option is to horse them in because they will do that until the hook comes out, if you dont keep pulling the in they just get away. Ive only had mackerel on the fly while out in the boat and they give great fights, I'd say a pound mackerel would give a better fight than a pound sea trout. But theres nothing like the fight of a 2lb plus sea trout, they are completely mental, so much so they are are hard to keep on especially on spinners with treble hooks, they are buggers for throwing spinners away to frig out of their way. Hooked on fly they are easier to keep on, much fewer get away.

That evening Donal had a sea trout of about 2.5-3lb hooked on spinner (which he had a single kamasan B175 size 8 tied to with braid, instead of the woeful treble) played the fish to about 20 foot from the net and it threw the hook. He was gutted, hes lost so many on spinner with treble he was experimentng with a good quality single and it STILL got away.

Yeah if there were only 3 and 4lb mackerel to be caught it would be frightening on a fly rod.

Cheers Brain.

Very good session Cathal well done, which would you say put up the best fight on the fly the mackerel or sea trout?

Hi Brian,

my brother Donal got the mackerel on the spinner, I stuck it in beside the sea trout for the pic, a pound sea trout like that (in my experience) gives a frantic churning on the surface kind of fight without really running or jumping as a bigger one does. They refuse to go down, writhing on the surface and the only option is to horse them in because they will do that until the hook comes out, if you dont keep pulling the in they just get away. Ive only had mackerel on the fly while out in the boat and they give great fights, I'd say a pound mackerel would give a better fight than a pound sea trout. But theres nothing like the fight of a 2lb plus sea trout, they are completely mental, so much so they are are hard to keep on especially on spinners with treble hooks, they are buggers for throwing spinners away to frig out of their way. Hooked on fly they are easier to keep on, much fewer get away.

That evening Donal had a sea trout of about 2.5-3lb hooked on spinner (which he had a single kamasan B175 size 8 tied to with braid, instead of the woeful treble) played the fish to about 20 foot from the net and it threw the hook. He was gutted, hes lost so many on spinner with treble he was experimentng with a good quality single and it STILL got away.

Yeah if there were only 3 and 4lb mackerel to be caught it would be frightening on a fly rod.

Cheers Brain.

A, 3 or 4lbr would be some scrap on a fly rod the biggest I ever caught was A Mac of 2.5 lb last year on a spinner & that was some scrap you never know someone might be lucky enough to get one yet but there like hens teeth these days

A 2.5lb mackerel is a hell of a fish, well done on that one, biggest one I ever saw was exactly that weight, I pulled it off a salmon net(legal one)it was caught by the teeth.

Yeah I know mackerel have been caught up to 5.5lb or so (Cornwall?) but the man who catches a mackerel over 3lb is a fortunate and rare person. Even a 1lb 4oz mackerel is a lump of a fish, I think Ive had them to that size on feathers but its a good while back.

The oul pollack might not be a psycho fighter but he gives some bloody good hard diving runs. I think the fly is the best way to get the best fight from a pollack, he doesnt seem to want to charge deep into the weed the same when hooked on fly, thank God!

Just to throw a spanner personaly I think pound for pound there's no other fish that can compare to a coalie on a fly rod

Just to throw a spanner personaly I think pound for pound there's no other fish that can compare to a coalie on a fly rod

Agree with you there John,coalies are good graic on the fly alright.