BALLYBRANINGAN/BALLYCRONEEN

People:Me & Three others

Duration:About 5 hr each session over 4 days

Tide:low water prime time

Weather:grand

Bait:lure

Result:Result what a joke

If anyone knows this area they will know how it could fish, for me it has been pure shite.You can maybe get lucky and fair enough with that. i have hammered the mark the last four days just before dawn with NOTHING to show for it bad angling maybe.

There is something seriously wrong either the fish have been taken out, Christ I wonder how that could have happened.For a area i have fished for a very long time and stopped fishing it last year due to the lack of fish.But now its worse than ever after hammering it all week.I could give prime times to fish this area just to find out how everyone gets on and I could be shot if i do ,but it dont matter because they not much about to catch there any more?

The last few days i have fished it with three very good anglers with no bass to show for it and the inner cork harbour only turning up four between us.Am i the only one who is seeing this. Bass mecca Ireland !!!! tough times to get one

Kind regard

Razor

I feel your pain Ray,both venues are very pale shadows of themselves and a waste of time to fish on a regular basis for bass.We all know the reasons why or should I say reason.No doubt people will say its been the weak tides, all the sandeels around at the moment etc etc etc.Bottom line is if the area was afforded proper protection over the years and not continuously hit with miles and miles of net every autumn then things would be different.Jazus its sad to think of all the reports on here over the years of the so called quality bassing that had been experienced from those beaches,nevermind what the likes of you and I and many others had experienced down there before the computer age,all distant memories now im afraid.
Maybe the "kerryman" has finally got his wish.

It looks like the Kerryman has done a fine job.I stopped fishing it last year due to how bad it had got gave it a good old lash all this week and not much has changed.A mark that would have been in the top 4 or 5 marks in the country for bass In My Honest Opinion don't want to say cleaned out .Its a real pity it has taken such a nose dive for whatever reason .

I understand only too well how you are feeling, I was witness to the rape of the Smerwick harbour beaches in county Kerry in the late 1960's It was Spanish trawlers then, which only makes it worse now if it is Irish boats that are poaching the fish. I am afraid that the only thing apart from identifying the culprits and reporting them is to find yourself some remote coves and estuaries, fish them hard to find the best tides, AND KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF. Unfortunately there is a mine of information out there as you say and anyone can access it, it seems a selfish thing to do, but even one picture can give the enemy clues, and they will be on to it like a flash.

Fished down that direction last weekend, 12 hours, 6 rods, resulted in 1 bass of 44 cm, had a nice few Flounders to 41 cm and a couple of straps, couple of coalies and 1 dogfish.

Fished down that direction last weekend, 12 hours, 6 rods, resulted in 1 Bass of 44 cm, had a nice few Flounders to 41 cm and a couple of straps, couple of coalies and 1 dogfish.

Not great on the bass but you got something so not to bad nice flounder

I havn't fished the beaches much there this year but the rocks to the east and west have been exceptional poor. I have had just one bass from there all summer!!! A few years ago if the conditions were reasonable you would expect to get at least 4-5 over a few hours in the evening. And this year the conditons have been good for the most part but the fish are not there.

You cant blame the weak tides either - when bait fishing I had some of my best results there on neap tides.

I havn't fished the beaches much there this year but the rocks to the east and west have been exceptional poor. I have had just one Bass from there all summer!!! A few years ago if the conditions were reasonable you would expect to get at least 4-5 over a few hours in the evening. And this year the conditons have been good for the most part but the fish are not there.

You cant blame the weak tides either - when bait fishing I had some of my best results there on neap tides.

Your right Frank weak tides, weather, xfactor and whatever have nothing to do with it.If you are lucky enough to take a bass off the above beaches do your bit and put it back no matter what the size is.The time i have spent fishing here over the years and this is not the first time for it to be fishing as bad as it is now.It took about 3 years for the bass to show some bit. so it can come back so just put them back for awhile

Well Ray you know yourself it's not bad angling on your part, that's just the way the fishing is at the moment and has been pretty much all season. I'm sure there has to be a serious underlying problem if it's not down to poaching!! I d'ont think it's just those 2 beaches you've mentioned either, this problem is probably a lot more widespread throughout the region. As you know Ray i'm putting in serious hours like yourself, but for very little reward. Depressing stuff bud

I don't know what the lack of fish is down to but I would reckon it cannot be just local netting...it would be impossible to net everywhere! The problem seems to be all over the south east (Certainly all areas that I fish). There is something else going on. It could be part of a cycle. It is not encouraging though.

I don't know what the lack of fish is down to but I would reckon it cannot be just local netting...it would be impossible to net everywhere! The problem seems to be all over the south east (Certainly all areas that I fish). There is something else going on. It could be part of a cycle. It is not encouraging though.

Well Ray you know yourself it's not bad angling on your part, that's just the way the fishing is at the moment and has been pretty much all season. I'm sure there has to be a serious underlying problem if it's not down to poaching!! I d'ont think it's just those 2 beaches you've mentioned either, this problem is probably a lot more widespread throughout the region. As you know Ray i'm putting in serious hours like yourself, but for very little reward. Depressing stuff bud

At this stage i dont know what it is I am finding some places are fishing better (not much) but a little better.

The one big factor that shouts out to me regarding Bass fishing this year; was the prolonged Winter.
Did the Bass even spawn this year as a result of the weather.
If not; would them not spawning affect their feeding patterns?

There is a underlying fundamental problem.

Science suggests that bass migrate to winter spawning grounds. Have these winter concentrations been found and are they been targeted like the Uk winter bass concentrations off Land's End?

Well whatever it is someone better tell me something or im going to take up golf

There is a underlying fundamental problem.

Science suggests that Bass migrate to winter spawning grounds. Have these winter concentrations been found and are they been targeted like the Uk winter Bass concentrations off Land's End?

This is always a possibility. Hopefully not though. My reading suggested that Irish bass did not mix with the UK cousins! This of course would be of little help if any aggregation was found.

Here's what happens:

http://youtu.be/KuaJUSP_sp8

the west cork beaches are the same very poor this year.waterville is fishing poorly too contrary to what some guides would have you believe.what worries me is the length of time that this poor spell has lasted.the small schoolies that are normally present in west cork estuaries are not showing either.

I've been fishing the Kerry coast for the last number of years at various marks from Banna beach all the way down to Kells bay. I guess there are maybe 10 to 15 of my favourite marks which I fish regularly and would normally expect to catch bass on at least 50% of fishing sessions over the course of any given year...........This year my total catch is 1 schoolie! and I've been hearing similar poor reports from other local anglers. So it looks like the current lack of fish may be a more widespread issue. Personally I've been blaming warm sea temperatures all summer (regularly reaching 20 degrees C) adversely affecting bass feeding patterns but I'm only guessing......

?. its been a good year in and around dungarvan, plenty of schoolies down the cunnigar, everywere else fished very well, when the weather was settled i seen 1000s sum days, also lots of dubbles landed locally.

?. its been a good year in and around dungarvan, plenty of schoolies down the cunnigar, everywere else fished very well, when the weather was settled i seen 1000s sum days, also lots of dubbles landed locally.

So thats where they all are!!!

If it's any help I was fishing in the Bantry area today and had 4 Bass to 6lb on an Illex Bonnie and
Missed about a dozen and I also had a 8lb Pollock on a SG sandeel, so they are out there.