new mark on Achill, Mayo

People: Myself and Mans (that's his name)

Duration: 6 hours

Tide: low to HW

Weather: cloudy occasional drizzle, wind N to NW (behind us)

Bait: everything

Rigs: float, rotten bottom, lures, feathers... pretty much the kitchen sink.

Results: sigh.... 1 mack each

Report: New mark, I had been given directions from a local priest a few weeks back and decided today would be the day. Found "the pub" in Dooagh village (its the one with "the pub" on the gable) and kept going only to not find the road on the right we had been advised to take. Stopped in Gielty's Hotel and was asking the barmaid (optimistic I know) when across came Kevin who heard we were looking for directions and gave us the perfect guide to this mark.

"Park just past the last white cottage on the road to Keem and take the track down. Theres a bit of a scamble to get on the rocks but there is a lovely flat section you can fish off. The wind being in the north today, its perfectly safe... but if its in the south or west and a bit rough, its not the safest place. And wind in fast if your using a German sprat."

OMG what a fishy looking mark. Just superb. Facing south, you can see Minaun, Clare Island and the Bills Rocks were so clear today.... Steep walk down on a sheep track, next to a ditch. Scramble down onto the sloping rocks, tricky bit getting down to the flat barnacle encrusted platform and what a fantastic looking spot. High steep shields of rock on either side, its only really open to the south and south west. Crystal clear water, mussels on the lw rocks, limpets, even purple urchins and small fish in the pools... loads of kelp waving around in the depths (and it gets very deep in spots). Looked fantastic.

Set up a float fishing rod and popped it out just as LW turned. Mack bait. Got a nice bite past a visible reef and thought lovely hurlin' (we wont mention the Dubs hurling team today)... Wrasse and pollack heaven was under our feet. Tons of boils and currents close in, from various spurs jutting out into thee water. Lots of spines, blocks and reefs and deep holes. Very uneven ground. Kept the float out there, mack as bait, didnt get another touch. Bugger. Mans had a float out as well and also started feathering. There is a mild lateral current running towards Keem on the incoming tide, for the record.

Getting frustrated and knowing the loss of tackle would be inevitable, I tried legering with a rotten bottom and found it a very tackle hungry spot. No bites to mack, squid, black lug, sand eel... nothing. No bird activity. No gannets. Flat calm.

Be-calmed, so to speak.

Hm. Wandered around to a small cove, sheltered on three sides and tried there - nothing! Coming back, Mans pulled in a nice mack. At last... or words to that effect! This was around 3 hours into the coming tide, so feathered up and thrashed the water in all directions. Used a koster on the end instead of a lead to keep it up over the weeds. Nothing. Snagged on some distant and very shallow reefs which were a nasty surprise.

Around this time, we were joined by a third angler, so we were all trying with feathers.... nothing. Nothing on the floats. Slipped and put a boot on the top of my Greys Mission 6 travel rod. Obvious result...

Snipped down to the next ring and carried on with the float. By now we had a slick in the water half way to Keem from all the mackerel. Still nothing. Gave up on the feathering as we reached high water and switched to a single Koster on what remains of the travel rod. Finally! Foul hooked a mack. Kept at it just past HW with no benefit.

There is no heavy fresh water outlet near the mark. Its perfect yet we got feck all. No small pollack which are inevitable pests normally on these marks. No wrasse. Maybe it was too calm. Very odd. Two single mackerel was poor to say the least. The third angler disappeared after a phone call after an hour. We should have followed him!

AND NOW THE BIT I NEED HELP WITH...

Kevin in the pub referred to "the cove" as being a superb low water mark. I know its somewhere in the area between Purteen Harbour and Dooagh and I know you need to hump your gear over fields to get there but damned if anyone can supply an accurate location for it! I have been told there is a bit of a road, well a donkey track really, part of the way and I know you can reach it from purteen with a very long walk, but if someone knows where it is, I'd be grateful.

My fishing is limited and I cant wait for the tides to be right (such as today coinciding with sunset). When I do get the time, I go before I get called back! When I go I need to have a mix of low, mid and high water marks and beyond some pollack holes and sea trout / estuaries, I don't have many low water marks... so "the cove" is a priority. Tight lines.

Footnote: never ever agree a competition for the biggest pollack on a new mark - clearly this will ruin your fishing! That is my excuse and I am sticking to it!

Footnote 2: as you drive to Keem, you cant but see the promontory and small islands which as far as I know is know locally as Frost. It looks superb from a distance and can be accessed from the track we used, via an extra klick of walking on sheep trails once you get down to the foreshore. A word of warning - it was literally surrounded with buoys for lobster and crab pots today, and given the ropes have to cope with a 4 metre + range in tides... probably not worth the walk. It looks superb and you would imagine the large channel between it and the island would be excellent however I have found the similar channels (eg one at Purteen) are often so scoured by the storms in the winter, there is no weed cover and little in the way of rock features, in fact they are often fish-less deserts. Far away hills and all that... just a very frustrating day.

Fairly detailed report there,unfortunate there with the result,I'm limited myself when I can get out up there but have had very poor results in general up that neck of the woods,out of curiosity what was the water clarity like?

Hi

The water clarity was crystal which is why I am loathe to attribute poor results to supposed Red Tide in the area, although it would explain it.


In the last major bloom I had a complete blank on a mark inside Clew Bay this is usually guaranteed to produce good results (west of Mullranny). I will be gutted (no pun intended) if this means the fishing is buggered for the next month...

I fished that mark a good few years ago, and from what i recall had nothing on the float despite lots of gourmet baits, i did have lots of mack on the german sprat and the largest pollock ive caught to this date, it was a monster, i could fit five mack i was bringing home into his cavernous gob! Shame to hear it fished so bad for you, i was planning to return this year, its a cracking looking spot and a very happy day spent

well sorry to hear you had a poor days fishing. So where to start. ive fished this coast line a lot. and the mark you were on is the number one mark for shops and pubs to give out to catch the " fish of dreams" . that mark has been in over kill for years and is only really good for mac later on in the year. it is a lovely spot and looks massivly fishy but pollack have been fish to death , and the rass dont get a chance its a main mark for tangle nets for rass for lobster pots. . sorry to hear about the rod top. . i know how that feels. the COVE as its called is the same ground as you have fished and i still haven found the exact mark even tho ive walked the hole area . . the islands you take about { the frost} is a doggy mark with roller waves comming out of no where a spot i would not go to because of its full of nets and snagged gear and its not worth the risk.next time your going fishing send me a pm and ill see where is fishing the best. tight lines.

Great report and a very good read dont know that part of the country for fishing but it sounded lovely bit only 2 mack between you 2.

Ever try this ...............

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...next time your going fishing send me a pm and ill see where is fishing the best. tight lines.

Cheers m8, will do that... as for golf Alby, I used to play off 14 at age 14, and as my age has gone up, so has the handicap!!!

Try further up the road thers a lay-by and Eire is written in white rocks on the side of the hill. Had many a great pollack bashing day down there! The view is just amazing there too

Ever try this ...............

LOL!!!!!!