ballintoy 10/12/11

just myself
12:30-4:30pm

low and then filling

cold but dry very dull and overcast, sea was very choppy

lug, mack, sandeel

single hook clipped down at distance, two hook flapper fished closer in

one flattie

i had a few hours to spare on saturday and i have been itching to get out and try for cod as ive never caught one before.
so i went to the bait shop for some lug but all they had was frozen, as ive never used lug before i didnt know if there was much difference? does it fish as well?
it was a very slow day there were very few bites and i only caught one decent flattie so at least it wasnt a blank!
even the crabs were giving my bait a miss
the conditions were rough so i had to use a 6oz gripper to hold bottom.
i was doubling and trippling the lug and tipping with mack or sandeel on the distance rig, and i just switched it up on the two hook flapper. but bites were very few and as i said i only caught a flattie.
i had heard the ballintoy fised well after a storm and in rough conditions, can anyone offer me any further advice?




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Go in the dark, but don't fish alone.
Hard to get fresh lug from a tackle shop, best digging your own.
You probably got frozen welsh black/sticky/gutted lug, it has its moments but does seem to attract every 5 bearded rockling within a million mile radius.
Maybe try some frozen Peeler too, it could work...

yea fresh dug lug is a must try putting a couple on the hook and even tip with some mussle or peeler whipped on with some bait elastic,i would have no confidence with frozen lug for codling,

use a cocktail/sausage of lug peller ( if you can get them!!!!! ) mussel and wrap them in razor or squid and tie up with bait elastic and try and fish on the rising tide till the ebb....

just so you all know the tackle shop in coleraine is providing me with top quality lug on a regular basis - phone outdoor and country sports on 02870320701 and speak to keith if you are interested.

dont be afraid to put on very big baits for the cod out there and it'll fish better in a stormy NE wind with a good surf - but it can be rough at times so always be aware of the water and yourself.

dave

Best advice I can give is keep at it! You tend not to get instant results around these parts but you'll soon work out the right tides, weather conditions etc. TIP - most places tend to fish better on new moons

in Regards of frozen lug I found if used in razor wraps it can be well worth it, my method is get two frozen black lug whip them into a nice sausage, then wrap tight with razor nice neat presentation is a must... when the lug is wrapped tight it releases a slower scent trail,,, now if its the lug or the razor that attracts the fish thats up for debate, and frozen black lug can be expensive, still the best baits this time of year are fresh lug, mussel, mackerel, frozen peelers, squid tips, whitting (you know the greedy ones that have swallowed the hook right the way down) im sure Im missing a few coffee hasnt kicked in yet..........

just so you all know the tackle shop in coleraine is providing me with top quality lug on a regular basis - phone outdoor and country sports on 02870320701 and speak to keith if you are interested.

dont be afraid to put on very big baits for the cod out there and it'll fish better in a stormy NE wind with a good surf - but it can be rough at times so always be aware of the water and yourself.

dave

Dave is spot on with the bait, that conger took a whole crap tipped with mackerel i had the other night, and just to jump on and add, if you can use stonger line and rod, if you have it? because the weed is a nightmare after a storm and i have seen my old century komp sport bent double bringing in weed against the current down there

thanks for all the tips folks, ive never used crab/ razor/ bait elastic before is there anything special i should do or look out for? i do fish this area at night but my regular fishing buddy has been tied up with a new baby lately so ive had to do all my fishing alone in the daylight. do you need to be casting out far in this area? my gear is fairly basic (a cheap shakespere 10ft beachcaster 4/6 oz casting weight a matching reel and 4/5/6oz sinkers and single hook clipped down rig) and i get out a bit but not massive distances, could this be a problem? cant believe i didnt even get a doggie!

Don't worry about distance mate, fish can come in to your feet in even the shallowest water. Let me know the next time your out and I will try and come down and say hi

will do nicki wonder if there are any bait shops open over the holidays? are good live lug hard to get this time of year or are they available all year round?

Outdoor and country sports is open over Christmas and he will have bait in there. Need to pre order the lug normally as it sells like hot cakes