Donegal Bay, 13/14 May 2015

[johnwest]

13th May. Initial plans for a bit of trout fishing were put on hold due to a forecast of bright sunshine and light winds so I decided to try again for rays. The forecast was 100% right with not a breath of air and barely a cloud in the sky. I had picked up some supermarket mackerel which was fresh enough to still be green and black so a large slice on a clipped rig was fired out and a 3 hook flapper with small baits accompanied it a short while later. It was about 1 hour to high tide and very little happened for a couple of hours until a rattle on the flapper rod developed into a small dab; still very skinny. The LRF rod wasn’t producing anything until I attached a small lure and started spinning. A few minutes later the first mackerel of 2015 attacked the lure and was joined by another a couple of casts later. Another small dab showed up a while later, this one had some sort of growth on its head. The tide was well out by now and at last, a bite on the big bait rod; a good hard pull down followed by slack line. I tightened into something more solid than a skinny dab, or a dogfish, and soon a thornback came kiting through the water. Close in to the rocks, the lead snagged and I could see the ray darting about. The lead was reluctant to come loose and I had to pull for a break. Fortunately, the lead did pull free and I landed my first ray of the year. About 20 minutes later a second ray decided to have mackerel for tea. It is often said that thornies go around in pairs, presumably male and female, but these were both males; perhaps they were heading inland to vote in the upcoming referendum? That was that for the day, not another bite, but with the first rays and mackerel of the year I was quite happy.
14th May. With some mackerel left from yesterday, I headed for a beach mark to try for a few flatties. Arriving about an hour before high tide, there was a nice surf coming in so with the sun in my face and the wind at my back, I headed along the beach for a 15 min hike and set up. Two rods baited with mackerel strip, one in close and the other further out and now wait, and wait and wait some more. Three hours of waiting and not even a crab-chewed bait. By now the tide should have been ebbing for two hours but the water hadn’t receded at all, at last it started and stripped out about 100 meters in 20 mins. As I moved camp nearer to the water, I found a trace which had snapped off 2 hrs earlier, all 3 baits still intact. After another biteless hour, I changed 1 rod to a clipped 2/0 with a large slice of mackerel and fired it out as far as I could; nothing to lose at this stage. Half an hour later I decided to pack up and dismantled one rod. On reeling in the second I could feel some extra resistance and in through the surf came a blank saver, a nice plump little turbot. With the bait still in one piece, I cast straight out again and continued packing up. Retrieving the rod 10 mins later, I could feel a few kicks and this time it was a 32cm flounder, again a meaty little fish, certainly compared to those anorexic dabs from yesterday. Having just thrown in the last of the bait there was no question of fishing on just as the fish had either started feeding or come within range so I started off on the 20 min walk back to the car. Still I learnt a couple of things; don’t be afraid to try a large bait at range and don’t bother fishing the top of the tide at this spot!

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Last edited by johnwest on Fri May 15, 2015 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Result nice bit of Fishin man

Great fishing j.w and great report

Great report JW. Might just give me the impetus to get off my backside and start another years shore fishing.

Nice one paddy I see ya met some old compadres of mine. Must wet a line with ya soon

Nice one paddy I see ya met some old compadres of mine. Must wet a line with ya soon

Yeah, I met the Three Wise Men! Would be very happy to wet a line with you, just say when.

Will do jw. Plenty of rays at the guns at the moment