Keem Bay, Achill Co Mayo Sun 18/12/05

People: Myself alone sadly... all feckin' fair weather anglers the lot a yez! :wink:

Duration: 3 hours 2-5 pm

Tide: on the flood, LW 1 pm, big 4 metres

Weather: calm, SW vering NW, occassional rain

Bait: Ammo mackerel and sand eels

Rigs: mainly 3 hooks clipped down 1s, changed to a 6/0 pulley at the end for the distance fishing.

Results: 2 mackerel, 1 small turbot and a coalfish right at the death.

Well, when you put the reel on upsidedown and cack handed and you don't realise, you know its been too long!! Got the mackerel fairly quickly right close in - not massive just average size which is surprising. Seals showed up and that put an end to the bites. Got a palm sized turbot close in again on mackerel, gut hooked but managed to extract and release it. A first on that mark, although they are common across the bay on Keel. No flounders or dabs - reckon you need the worms for them, in fact no fish out over the sand at all, everything was taken close in under the cliff.

Horrible rain on the way there, lovely session given what it could have been like. Didn't have the spinning rod with me, a bad mistake...

Roll on 2006...


Report:

i am jealous!! have never fished this beach. i want a car for christmas!!! next time if you want to pick me up i can bring the worms???!! :wink:

whats the best time of year for keem? fished it a few years back around august, all we got were mackerel and 2 flounder.it reminded me of somewhere that must be towed regularly?

best time is April May, possibly a little earlier.. tends to go off in the summer for the flats although the plaice show in May onwards...

Sadly yes it does get towed by a boat in Purteen, regularly but it does seem to repopulte itself relatively quickly. which suggests a very strong population of fish somewhere else and quite close!!!

I had the pleasure of fishing achill two years ago around september . Keem bay is always a venue i will remember, fishing amongst the breath taking scenery. Also fished bullsmouth,golden strand and keel . all offering interesting fishing

Hi Overdose

how did you do at the bullsmouth and how did you counter the tidal race?

Thanks

The tidal race is something else. its near impossible to fish at distance for any length. We caught dogs and flats casting no further than 60 yrds . we used red head impacts and fixed grippers with heavy wire to hold bottom.