Tralee and Brandon Bays - August

People:Myself and helper elf

Duration: Too long

Tide: Both over low water

Weather: Glorious at Stradbaly, breezy SW at the SPA

Bait: Worms, Crab and smelly mackerel

Report:

Fished Stradbally with my youngfella there last Saturday week after digging some of those cracking Kilshannig lug... beautiful wind-free surf (8-10 tables of it) in the late afternoon on a coming tide from low water up and not a fish to be had. Then the surfers arrived and as expansive as that strand is they simply had to go out right in front of us... inconsderate gits. Place was choc full of juvenile jelly fish and blue by the wind sailors. Hope the surfers got a few stings!

Fished the SPA on hte Fenit road yesterday for Rays over low water with crab and mackerel in the teeth of a strong SW wind and overcast conditions. Not a bite for 3 hrs there.

Roll on the winter sessions - add a few blank days mackerel fishing over the summer and it re-confirms to me that the rocks for pollack/wrasse/bass is the only place to be during the summer I think!
John

The Brandon beaches are a shadow of what they were. Expect many more blanks than successful sessions. The Bay is so big that you need a lot of luck to find bass in front of you. The days of huge shoals sweeping the beaches are long gone. All you can do is get a bait out there at the right stage of tide and in the right conditions and hope that one of the dwindling number of bass left manages to locate it. Or better still, avoid them altogether and head to smaller, less fished (and trawled and netted) marks....

I'm going on Friday - might be spending more time in Murphys than expected after reading that

Just back from two weeks hols there Alby. The quality of the sea trout fishing kept me sane. Ok, and the scenery, and the relaxation, and the creamy pints.

Try and stay out of Murphy's long enough to hit the beaches at night for painted ray, September and October are great months for them normally. Although who knows with the way things have been this year! Enjoy it, I was nearly crying leaving there on Saturday to come back to reality!

Sometimes it can be hard work finding the fish down that direction.
Rock fishing all the way.

Sad to hear but like someone said the conditions are not always perfect...

ive had that experience with surfers many times on the same beaches in west kerry. Nothing a 6 oz lead dropped next to their surf boards doesnt sort out!!!!!!!!!!!! we had good fishing in march/april for bass back there but havent had time to get back there as much as id like due to work and competitions taking up my time. made two trips back there for painted ray. had some nice ones up the 91/2 pounds. hope its fishing good during the pairs.

A friend and myself fished a beach in West Clare recently, when we arrived we had the place to our selves, but just towards high water 2 families of surfers, about 12 in total including kids arrived, despite the mile of open beach on each side of us they went right in beside us and proceeded across our lines, we pointed this out to one of the mothers on the beach and per usual response from surfers I would got more sense out of a lump of shite absolutely no consideration for other beach users,

Lads,
Will be in Tralee weds, anywhere to get crab down there and dig lug? Was gonna fish stradbally for a few hours!
Thanks!

You'll pick up frozen crab in Landers normally. They also have sandeel, mack, razors etc.

Plenty of places around to dig lug - http://www.fishinginireland.info/sea/so ... dingle.htm