Donegal Slog, 28, 29, 30 April

People:Me

Duration:3hrs on 28th, 4.5hrs on 29th and 8hrs at 2 marks on 30th.

Tide:All stages of the tide.

Weather:Dry, sunny but with a very fresh N wind.

Bait: Rag, frozen mackerel, prawns, squid.

Rigs:3 boom flappers, clipped single hook.

Results: Ballan and corkwing wrasse and one tiny poor cod.




Report:
Saturday, 28th. I decided to give the beaches a rest and try for a few bigger wrasse this week-end and started with a short session on Saturday evening. The tides were very slack and the water depth hardly seemed to change at all over the week-end. It was close to low water when I started and surprisingly I was getting bites from the start. The bites were usually nothing but a quick rattle which failed to developn inton anything serious but eventually I connected with what turned out to be the first Corkwing wrasse of this year. For a short time they fed a little more enthusiastically and a total of seven wrasse, 3 corkwing and four ballan, none of any great size, were landed. A second rod at distance over sand failed to register a single bite with all baits remaining un-molested. As darkness approached, the bites dropped off and it turned decidedly cool so with the first stars appearing I packed up.
Sunday 29th. I returned to the same mark as yesterday for a longer session and had a couple of bites straight off but these were just hit and run types and the baits were left battered and bruised but not consumed. Even these bites stopped after about half an hour and for the next 3.5 hrs.....nothing. Again a rod at distance failed to register a single bite. The N breeze was freshening and starting to throw spray over me, I don't mind getting showered but only if there is some kind of reward but not even a bite was forthcoming. First blank of the year.
Sunday 30th. Somewhere different seemed like a good idea so I headed for a deep water mark where the wind should have been at my back but it never seems to work out that way so I had to settle for a side wind. This caused a huge bow of line when casting and by the time I got the loose line tightened up, the line had fouled somewhere in close. 1 lost rig. A change in casting direction and trajectory with the reel spool being heavily feathered helped reduce the problem. Second cast produced a good bite, fish on but then it snagged and I ended up pulling for a break. 2 lost rigs. A change to pulley rigs didn't help and after losing 2 more rigs and no bites showing I decided to try somewhere else. Somewhere else, a mark I haven't fished in years, turned out to be very sheltered and almost sub-tropical, not that the fish were impressed. Again, not a bite at range over sand but eventually after3 hours (just when a second blank seemed inevitable), a bite in close! A short time later a small corkwing hooked himself, blank saved. A feeding frenzy (compared to earlier at least) turned up four small ballans and a tiny poor cod, one more for the species list. Running out of bait, food and drink and bites; time for home.

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Some nice Wrasse there, photos are brilliant.

well rewarded for the hours you put in with 7 wrasse great report and pictures!

Good pic of the corkwing, think they are one of our nicest looking shore fish

nicely coloured pics on all fronts jw.
pity about the oul slog
good effort mind

Hard luck on the mixed results Johnwest but fair play on getting a few wrasse You did well to get to April without a blank!

Love the photos mate, beautiful colours on that first Corkwing.

Monty

Good pic of the corkwing, think they are one of our nicest looking shore fish

Thanks Pete, the corkwings look almost tropical reef though this one was quite dark compared to others I've caught.

Well done on sticking it out, a few species at least for your effort, was out on the 28th in donegal too, beautiful sunny day, couldn't have got a better day for my blank (2nd of the year). that north breeze even had a hint of east in it, at least thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Hard luck with the blank John, I was out spinning today & had my first blank of the year lost the one & only fish of the session but at least the second day produced a few for you, great pics & the second Corkwing is a female there not as colorful as the males & have a black spot on there tail

Hard luck with the blank John, I was out spinning today & had my first blank of the year lost the one & only fish of the session but at least the second day produced a few for you, great pics & the second Corkwing is a female there not as colorful as the males & have a black spot on there tail

Thanks Fisherking, I thought that might have been a female; just like anglers women, they're nowhere near as attractive as the male! Thought you might have been chasing a few wrasse yourself.

the fishing might not have been great man but those pics are brilliant. great to see the wrasse turning up again

great pictures of wrasse John, i was out on last thursday me self over the rocks and nearly blank, just stoped on beach on the way home where i was awarded with sea trout and 7 flounders, so is hard to know what happening, one day one way, another day another way
anyway well done John, nice few sessions

Well done john,nice pics and great report.

PS Ive been eating your tinned fish from i was a nipper. Ive just turned 60 and your still fishing away, your a bloody fit man, good on ya.