Inishowen Sat 29th Nov

People: Brother-in-law and I

Duration: 1:30pm - 7:30pm

Tide: LT 5pm

Weather:Calm, mild, dry

Bait: Rag, lug, squid, mack, sandeel, peeler

Rigs: 2U / 1D flapper, 3U clipped, pulley pennell clipped

Results: PB flounder, turbot, white trout and 2.2 billion pin coalie






Report: Deliberately set off late to give the tide time to drop as we reckoned we'd worked out from experience that this beach was cr4p on a full tide. Much better when it drops a bit, becomes shallower and exposes some gullies.

Set up a small flattie rod in close with a 2U/1D and worm baited size 2 hooks. Chucked out just to the far end of the first water table. Whilst setting up the bigger rod, I saw a few nods and thought we were in for a good day. Got the 16 ft rod baited up with a 1/0 3U clipped rig baited with fish and launched it out.

By then it was time to reel in the flattie rod. I could see that the rig had pulled well to the right of where I'd cast and I knew there wasn't much run or weed on the beach so I was optimistic. Pulled in a PB flounder of 39cm, 1cm better than my PB from the Antrim coast taken at a very similar time last year.

After that it was a steady stream of small flounder and turbot for both of us for a couple of hours, all counters but small. Rag and sandeel were the best baits. Oddly, I've never caught a fish on lug on this beach.

At around 4:30pm, nearing LW, I got a shout from the BiL to say that he'd had a bite from what looked to be a decent round fish. He gave it plenty of time to ensure it was hooked and reeled it in low and slowly, consummate matchman that he is. Up the beach came a nice glint of silver, so silvery that I thought initially it was a bass from afar. However, when I got a better look at it, the speckles revealed it to be a nice white trout measuring 36cm to a straight sandeel bait at about 30 yards.

Pretty soon it was dark. We'd actually come for the highly touted big coalie fishing. We got coalies but not quite what we had in mind. Plagued by them. It would seem like pin coalies in darkness in winter up that end are akin to pin whiting on the Antrim coast. You just cannot fish small to medium baits in darkness close in and expect to catch anything but pinfish. Even the slack tide didn't put them off.

I tried pretty much every bait and rig in the box at that stage, maxed out on size but no further joy. It was either pinfish or bust.

Having fished quite a few beaches in this area over the past couple of years, I have come to the conclusion that fishing in daylight is better, certainly at this time of year for the kind of species that I find worth catching.

Anyway, we'd done well before the plague descended and we packed up before sickening ourselves. Hit our new spot Bistro9 on the way home through Derry and regaled each other with tales of missed bites over a chilli steak pocket supper.

I was happy as always to beat a PB but I had set myself a goal of a 40cm flounder this year. I'm now tantalisingly close but as yet, no cigar. I do feel that if it's going to come, it'll be before Xmas so I guess that's the excuse I need to keep plugging away.

Congrats on the pb flounder, I've been stuck on 39cm for a while and am hoping for a 40(+) myself. They are fattening up nicely at the moment but I just can't get near the length. I was out the day before you and didn't get a single small coalie, they must all have been further north than Donegal Bay. Perhaps you should use them whole for bait, maybe tempt one of those spikes lads?

Cheers JW. Aye, I actually thought of trying a livebait rig with them. The problem is, they don't stay 'LIVE' for very long.

Haven't fished lots around the bay but from what I've seen, it's a whole different kettle of fish (excuse the pun). Though that opinion is largely formulated by the fact that my first encounter with marine life there was a washed up trigger fish on the beach : )

Great to see a report from Inishowen Great session there lads. The daylight fishing can work to your advantage up there alright. Well done again.

Sounded like a pleasant session, lots of fish, sure thats what we want..
Was out on an Antrim coast beach myself on Sunday, it was pin whiting, pin coley, pin cod and small flounder all the way lol. Enjoyable for an hour or two tho
Had several attempts at live baiting with a few of the fish in the hope of a miracle bass but alas to no avail. I'm feeling really determined now to get a north coast bass now!
Nice report. Any pics?

Nice report and from our wee county too!..
Was it the swilly side or foyle side?...haven't had much joy with flounders this year yet, plenty of small turbot tho!..