west clare, 31st and 1st

People: me, nth clare, FMD

Duration: 3hours x2

Tide:filling 31st - ebb 1st

Weather: windy, patches of heavy rain

Bait: mack only!

Rigs: 3 hook flappers

Results: 31st 2 flounders 31 and 36, 1st one 38cm

Report: love this beach as its so handy to fish, in the middle of a town and if you catch a flounder its always big - drove up the coast and looked at 3 beaches before settling on this one

the sea was boiling - weed was everywhere - river channels had moved and rocks and boulders everywhere

it was about the only place fishable and at that just in the first 20-30 yards as then you picked up the kelp

the smaller weed infront was manageable

was questioning my sanity on NYE with hailstones falling after about 1.5hrs - but then got the first a fine thick fish at 36

then 15mins later got the second 31 and it went quiet - was feeling the rain getting in everywhere so chose to pack up and got to the curry house at 10 and just made the pub at 11.40!!!

went to bed far too late at 7.30, so just rolled out at 1 and got set up by 2

at least i could see what i was doing in the day light - the showers were much less frequent

the prospects however didnt seem to go too well for 2hours

had about 15 dogs pee on my rod bag and box - the down side of day light fishing

fielding questions from walkers aswell with my head baning didnt help either

BUT when i pulled in a pile of weed with a 38cm flounder on the end of it i was happy

job done and could pack up and go home

the old 3 day old defrosted mack held up!

pity nth clare or FMD didnt connect with one

good start to the new year for me

good report & nice to catch fish.trick for the dogs peeing on your bag try "get off" a dog repellent smells of lemons,as for the head good old fresh air.....

tightlines

nice one brian pulling in a few flounder in what sounds like miserable conditions my kinda weather!as for the dogs i recomend a gun shoot the owners

well leadhead, it seems if you dont get rid of the first doggy then the scent is there for all the rest to go marking - may look into that stuff

was talking to you about this beach at the start of december so it seems a bit of a year round spot

well rodger believe me i wanted to shoot some of the dog owner "so your fishing are yea?"

so many einsteins on new years day

well done Brian, lovely flounders, what more can you wish for at this time of the year anyway!
And in relation to all these nuisance dogs - use Ammonia: the smell of Ammonia repels dogs more than anything else. Soak some cotton balls or any old rags in Ammonia and place them around your gear. This will keep any dog away from the area. Always works, not sure why, maybe they think there is a bigger predator around? Surely it does a good job of the 'Einsteins' as well
Another good repellent is Vinegar, dogs just hate the smell of it. And less offensive to our senses than the above it is too

Nice one Brian! It's a fine beach alright, complete with chipper:-D Great start to the year as you said!

some really respectable flounder there brian
irresponsible dog owners really get my blood boiling
i've lost count over theyears how many have cocked a leg on our gear or stole bait out of our bucket
i never feel any resentment towards the poor mutts thow. they only do what the owners allow them to do. i had a fella once laugh his head off as his springer spaniel ran off up the beach with a full packet of mackerel fillets belonging to me
he soon changed his tune when i informed him there was a 3 hook rig missing from the bucket!
the look of horror on his face when he realized he might have a costly visit to the vets when he caught up with the dog was priceless .
i was only pulling his leg about the rig, but the fright might have made him a bit more responsible with his dog in the future around anglers

Ahh the plague of dogs!! I'm a dog owner myself But nothing against the dogs just the owners!! I had one tell me I shouldnt be fishing on a public beach as I presented a hazard to her dogs?!?!??! Told her to F off (didnt have the patients to be nice!) Then a walker tried to break 2olb mono with her hands after walking into the line on a retrive??!?!?! She started yelling at a mate of mine who was retriving the line at the time!! told her to let go as it was private property she was holding she then took into yelling at me about right of way!!! So I told her... If I see her in her car at the car park I will ram her car out of the way as my Volvo V70 has right of way Her husband told her to F Off and saved me the bother He apologised later

just on the otherside though Im hoping to get a beach buddy called teh Cod Cabin... It has front doors on it to keep the gear out of the mouths of dogs!!

I think they are supposed to have their dogs on a leash in a public place so they will definitely loose any argument in that respect

in galway all the beaches have a complete ban on dogs during the summer months - think its from 10 to 19hrs

how can walkers talk about a right of way - you were in the area first so theoretically you should have the right of way and they coming into the area should have to walk around you

i had one genius walk into the line - told her to step over it - she didnt think to go back up the beach, just stubbornly walked into the next one even though there were 2 more tripods infront of her

then she complained "i cant see the line" like this was my fault and still persisted on walking on to the next tripod and line

i was waiting for this one to start giving out - but she only had herself to blame

Dog control bye laws are in existence since 2008. Not sure if the signs are still up though
The Picture was taken at Silverstrand about 2 years ago.

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thats the one im on about!

heres the sore head....

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Nice Flounders Brian

i had one genius walk into the line - told her to step over it - she didnt think to go back up the beach, just stubbornly walked into the next one even though there were 2 more tripods infront of her

then she complained "i cant see the line" like this was my fault and still persisted on walking on to the next tripod and line

I know exactly what you mean.
The solution is: (tried and tested from myself )
Dig a fairly deep hole 3ft (at least ) about 5 yards left and right from your gear, fill it up with seaweed and slimy gunk, disguise it a bit (a few sprigs, newspaper and sand are very handy) then enjoy the action (and have your camera handy) That's what we have done in Portugal during a fishing trip and man, did we have peace and quiet after a while
If this should sound a bit too severe, a couple of rocks laid out in line before and after your designated fishing area normally does the trick as well.

Good Report Brian, Welldone on the flounder's and it was good seeing you again
as it has been quite a while since the last time!!!!!

Good Luck

And

Tightlines!!!!!

i had one genius walk into the line - told her to step over it - she didnt think to go back up the beach, just stubbornly walked into the next one even though there were 2 more tripods infront of her

then she complained "i cant see the line" like this was my fault and still persisted on walking on to the next tripod and line

I know exactly what you mean.
The solution is: (tried and tested from myself )
Dig a fairly deep hole 3ft (at least ) about 5 yards left and right from your gear, fill it up with seaweed and slimy gunk, disguise it a bit (a few sprigs, newspaper and sand are very handy) then enjoy the action (and have your camera handy) That's what we have done in Portugal during a fishing trip and man, did we have peace and quiet after a while
If this should sound a bit too severe, a couple of rocks laid out in line before and after your designated fishing area normally does the trick as well.

@ Austrian---- Class!!! Will try it in future!!

Mind you Im figuring on a new technique for peeing dogs.... simple ... pee on them (cant wait to see the owners face)