The continuing fine weather demanded a fishing trip and with a new rod to christen what else could I do only go fishing.
Donegal Mark. I fancied one last shot at the wrasse so I hit the beach at low tide to dig some lug. On to the chosen mark, first cast produced a small coalfish, any wrasse would have to be quick! They were either slow or just not there; three hours later and the tally was three corkwings and two small ballans struggling to reach the pound mark. The lack of bites allowed time to set up another rod to fish at distance over the sand; this was also slow until the light started to fade. Then as the lead was still sinking the line tightened quickly and a quick strike resulted in a “little and large” double of pollack and pouting. A breeze started to pick up and with the sun down, it was quite cool; cool enough that the next fish I swung in felt warm to the touch. Over the next 30-40 minutes, the distance rod produced about 9 pollack around 34-35cm and 3 doggies including a double on the new rod (quite a challenge for a 1-3oz rated flattie rod). A lot of people don’t like catching doggies but if not targeting anything in particular, I’m happy enough to get a few. I hadn’t planned on being out so late so without my headlight I was in darkness; despite the fish feeding hard I packed up.
Sligo beach. Two marks to try today with flatties in mind. The first is a beach that I find fishes best on the last of the ebb. On the way I called in to a fishmonger for some fresh mackerel to be told “They landed them in Norway”. Reminds me of years ago when I was still a teenager, my father and I went up to Donegal for a fishing trip and stopped in Killybegs for something to eat in Joe Melly’s. We ordered fish and chips but had to settle for chicken as “We have no fish”. Some things don’t change. Well I wasn’t driving to Norway for bait, I’d have to make do with yesterday’s leftovers, thawed mackerel and some prawns. First cast produced a small flounder, a promising start which failed to deliver. Two hours later and no more bites so I decided to try the other spot. Reeling in however, I found I had another small flounder but it wasn’t enough to change my mind.
Donegal Beach. On the way to my second mark, I called at another beach which I sometimes fish when in “Lazy mode”; park, walk 50 yards and fish. I hardly recognised it; the gently sloping sand had been scoured away leaving a steep slope with boulders and stones exposed at the bottom. Anyway, off to fish and after a 20 min trudge along the sand I set up well clear of the surfers (have these people no work to go to?). There was a lovely surf coming in with the early flood and the breeze from earlier was at my back, always more comfortable. First cast and a double of flounder and a small turbot came in, flounder on mackerel strip and turbot on prawn. The flounder wasn’t big but was a very plump fish, fattening up nicely for the winter. Two rods were set up and produced another 10 flounder in ones, twos and one treble shot with one more tiny turbot. The breeze had died completely and with the sun beating down I was able to fish in tee shirt sleeves for an hour or so until there was no more left-over bait left over so again I had to pack up with the fish still feeding. A most enjoyable couple of days and the new rod well and truly christened.
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