Fishing around Youghal - 15-17th November 2013

[RockHunter]

People: Me

Duration: Various

Tide: Various

Weather: Mild, clam, dry

Bait: Crab

Rigs: 4/0 pennel pulleys

Results:
15th November: 1 bass (5 lbs), 4 cod (up to 3.25 lbs)
16th November: 9 coalfish, 2 cod (up to 2.25 lbs)
17th November: 5 cod (up to 4 lbs), 1 eel


Report:
With a Full Moon on Sunday the tides were going to be big, so not the ideal time to be fishing in the Youghal harbour area. I was going to have to modify my fishing to take into account the strong tidal movement.

Friday 15th November

I headed to a good cod mark to fish for a few hours over low tide and the first couple of hours of the rising tide. It was a calm mild night, well illuminated by the moonlight breaking through the broken cloud. I got to my favourite spot, set up two rods both baited with fresh crab on 4/0 pennel pulleys. I even had to remove my coat as I was too warm. Unusual for a mid-November night!!!

The tide was static so didn't expect much to happen until the tide started to push in. However, the bait was not long in the water when there was a knock on one of the rods but the fish was not hooked. I retrieved to check the bait. Something had a go at it alright. I recast after securing the crab on the hook and as I was walking back I saw the other rod tip bounding. But by the time I got to the rod the fish was gone. I reel in to find most the crab was missing. But that was encouraging; at least there were fish out there. I rebaited and was about to cast out when I realized that my rod stand was about to tip over. A fish was pulling strongly on the other rod. I grabbed it, and could feel a strong fish on the end. At first I presumed it was a cod but as I began to haul it in the fight felt different. Then about 20 m out the fish broke the surface and continued to thrash about on the surface the rest of the way in. It was a 5 lb bass.

A little later I had another strong tug on one of the rods. This felt more like a cod with the double downward tugs. I kept the rod high to prevent it digging into the channel and after a few minutes had it on the shore. It was a chubby 3.25 lb cod. It had felt a bigger fish but had been foul hooked on the underside just below the head accounting for why it had felt heavier on the retrieve.

The fishing slowed down for a while after that. Then as the tide began to strengthen I had another two cod in rapid succession, 2.25 and 2 lbs. A little later I had a small codling of probably less than a pound. After that I began to snag a lot of seaweed and the fishing was becoming difficult due to the current so it was time to pack up.

Saturday 16th November

I decided to try a bass mark in the outer harbour area on the ebbing tide. I got to the mark about 2.5 hours into the dropping tide. It was another mild night, still with no breeze. I could even hear anglers walking on the shingle several hundred meters across the bay. I set up the first rod with a 4/0 pennel pulley and cast out. It was no sooner in the water than there were small nibbles. They looked like coalfish bites. I retrieved and sure enough it was an average size coalfish. I recast and was working on setting up the second rod when the same thing happened and I reeled in another coalfish.

I eventually got the second rod set up an cast out. No long afterwards I had a bite on it, retrieved and found a tiny codling. After that I was getting lots of coalfish nibbles although none were hooked. Then I had a more substantial bite. This fish put up a better fight and was a 2.25 cod.

Unfortunately after that the coalfish really came on the feed. I had about another seven. It didn't look like any bass were going to show up so I decided to save my remaining crabs for the next day and packed up before low tide.

Sunday 17th November

I planned fishing a mark that is best on the bigger tides when the current carries the fish up the estuary. On the way I passed over Youghal bridge and have seldom seen so many anglers fishing on the bridge. That would not be my choice, apart from the dangers from the traffic if you did get a decent size fish it would be a struggle to haul it up and you would have to have it well hooked to avoid it coming off.

My chosen mark was busy too. There were already five anglers there. This mark generally fishes best about three hours after low tide and I thought I was getting there early at about two hours after low tide. No fish had been caught at this stage but it was early. There was a lot of seaweed as well as branches and logs being carried up stream by the current. So I just set up one rod initially. It was another mild and calm day and I had my coat off for most of session until dusk when it began too cool off.

Not long after I arrived one of the anglers had enough, packed up and left. I was there for about an hour before I had the first bite. I picked up the rod and began to retrieve. It felt like a cod and pulled strongly all the way in. It was a 3.25 lb fish. So that was a promising start.

At the current began to weaken I set up the second rod and cast out. Not long after there was a strong knock on the rod. At first I thought I had just snagged a large clump of weed as it felt like a dead weight but then I felt the distinctive cod double tugs. I few minutes later as the shock leader came out of the water I could see a nice cod. This was a 4 lb fish.

I had two more good cod after that, 3 lbs and 3.75 lbs plus a small codling of less than a pound and an eel.

As the tide slackened the bites died off. I fished until 6 pm an hour after high tide but there was no more activity. I was getting small tugs but that was probably crabs pulling on the bait.

I had been uncertain how this mark would fish as it had been very poor last year but was very happy with the result of four keepers.

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Last edited by RockHunter on Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

More photos

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I was in Youghal myself yesterday fishing in the town, not much luck. all the fish were very small and weed at one point was a killer

great fishing rockhunter and great reports too- well done

Please dont use that boga grip unless you intend in killing the fish which judging by the pictures you do anyway!

Great fishing and a good report ull be eating well for the week;-)

nice one frank hope to have some of the same results tomorrow when i am down

Some great Fishing , Well Done

Again well done mate and great report. Some good eating there and a few for the freezer too.

Regards Wez

Lovely fishing mate!

Some fine fish there Frank, the fish were biting that hard last weekend we even had em on frozen crab.

Fair play Frank another great session well done..

Thanks guys.

nice one frank hope to have some of the same results tomorrow when i am down

How did it go?

I was in Youghal myself yesterday fishing in the town, not much luck. all the fish were very small and weed at one point was a killer

The weed is usually bad on the big tides, which is why I prefer fishing Youghal on the weaker tides.

Again well done mate and great report. Some good eating there and a few for the freezer too.

I had fried Cod fillets in breadcrumbs with asparagus and baked potato last light - delicious!
Gave a couple of cod to the elderly neighbours too.

savage stuff as usual frank,well done lad...

great fishing as usual frank well done

great report and pics frank
thats some deadly fishing you've been having man

Hi lads,
Heading to Waterford/youghal later to try for a decent cod. fished carpets last week and just had a load of tiddlers... would a mark further up the channel be worth a shot?

Hi lads,
Heading to Waterford/youghal later to try for a decent cod. fished carpets last week and just had a load of tiddlers... would a mark further up the channel be worth a shot?

Anything is worth a shot when it comes to fishing.Only thing is due to some numpties from up the country lighting fires to keep warm up the river recently the land owner is closing off access to a well known mark in the very near future,so make the most of it id say.On another note the green park area is also been threatened to be closed down by the youghal town council due to it becoming a tip with the crap that some so called anglers are leaving behind nevermind the disgraceful carry ons with fighting etc.
Worse than macky bashing season

Great report, I was closely studying the sand and the stones in that picture to figure out the marks they were caught at
I was going to take a weekend off but I'm heading to youghal again on sunday.

thanks again great report

Hi lads,
Heading to Waterford/youghal later to try for a decent cod. fished carpets last week and just had a load of tiddlers... would a mark further up the channel be worth a shot?

Anything is worth a shot when it comes to fishing.Only thing is due to some numpties from up the country lighting fires to keep warm up the river recently the land owner is closing off access to a well known mark in the very near future,so make the most of it id say.On another note the green park area is also been threatened to be closed down by the youghal town council due to it becoming a tip with the crap that some so called anglers are leaving behind nevermind the disgraceful carry ons with fighting etc.
Worse than macky bashing season

Some people are going to have to cop on, there are public bins available close by and as for fighting stupid carry on, I heard of many incidents during the summer with guys agruing over crossing lines and a bit of pushing ans shoving over guys squeezing in to tiny gaps to cast, I spend a lot of time in Youghal, I avoid the green park because of this carry on.