Donegal Bay, 10th/11th February 2016

[johnwest]

“Carthago delenda est” (Carthage must be destroyed) stated Cato the Elder when considering the state of affairs back in the second century BC. After considering the state of affairs in the present, ie good weather, good tides and time on hands, it was decided by Johnus the Westerner that “Donegal Bay must be fished”.

Wed. 10th Feb. First mark looked good and as I observed the beach from above, I saw a kestrel fly past below me, resplendent with the sun on his back. Setting up at low tide with a nice surf coming in I was initially hopeful of a fish or two though recent stormy weather had removed a lot of sand; not a good omen for this location. The omen was correct; not a nibble in three hours. By now the surf had built up a bit and was pushing me onto the rocks, time to go. As I was loading the gear into the car, a small van pulled up and a man hopped out with a tripod and spotting scope. It turned out he was doing a survey and count of birds in the area and gave me a look at some long tail ducks,( first time I have seen those),scoters and great northern divers. No fish but a bit of wildlife helped compensate.
The second mark started off just as slowly with no interest until dusk when the inevitable coalfish appeared. The wind was now getting up, it was turning wet and cold so I decided to call it a day. Having thrown in the remaining bait I retrieved the second rod (the first having already been dismantled after losing all in a snag), and there were two half decent whiting. Note to self; dispose of bait only after dismantling rods!

Thurs. 11th Feb. It was cool enough as I started out but Lough Melvin was like a mirror as I drove past. I had a look at a couple of possible marks before making my mind up and having topped up with coffee and sandwiches, set off on a 20 min trudge across the sand. Although the air temperature was low (4-5oC), the sun felt warm on my back, there wasn’t a breath of wind and a lovely surf was rolling in. Even after yesterday, I was optimistic. Two and a half hours later fishing 2 rods at various distances I hadn’t had a nibble. The tide was now on the flood so I dropped one rig at the water’s edge and left it there as I retreated up the beach before the coming tide, if there were any fish about surely at some stage I must be fishing at the right distance. At last a really good bite set the rod tip hopping in the tripod and in came the first fish of the day, a very plump 34cm flounder. The tactic worked and a second fish followed shortly after. I finished with 5 flounder in total from 27cm up to 34cm, all on the one rod, not a bite on the second despite fishing the same bait (mackerel) at the same distance, was the 1-up 1-down beaded rig really that much better than the 2-up 1 down? One of the flounder had an unusual red tail. All the fish came within a 2hr period after which the surf had built up substantially and combined with a very strong lateral drag. The lower part of the beach is very flat which explains the wetness visible in some of the pics; this causes the swells to break about 300yds out producing ideal surf tables closer in. But when the tide advanced up to the more shelving part, the swells broke much closer in, hence the rougher conditions. On one occasion I got a ferocious bite immediately after casting as I was setting the rod in the tripod, most likely a sea trout, but it failed to hook itself. After a biteless 2 hours it was time to pack up, though I dismantled both rods before disposing of any remaining bait.....It was a most enjoyable day with the surf early on allowing every bite to be seen and a fantastic day for mid February.

[corbyeire]

Great report as ever. Was half thinking of getting out myself with the fine weather - but am after two blanks in a row so chickened out

venue looks great

[MC]

Fine report, waiting on the chance to get out and wet a line. Hope the weather and fish play ball when I do, thanks for the tip about disposing bait after dismantling the rods

[johnwest]

The curse of the east wind JW!!
Well done on getting out. I have not had a chance for weeks.
Work is the curse of the fishing class

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[chuckaroo]

Super report JW. A perfect winters day
hope to wet a line today too, any one of those flounder would do

[johnwest]

I must give that end of the world a good go
thanks for the report

[shortcircuit]

That is a sensational photo.Very envious here

[johnwest]

It actually looks like the clouds fell onto the sand.....

[johnwest]

That is a sensational photo.Very envious here

Thanks short circuit, I used a polarizing filter on the camera; it made a huge difference!

It actually looks like the clouds fell onto the sand.....

I've thought that myself at times when caught in a Donegal Deluge...

The curse of the east wind JW!!
Well done on getting out. I have not had a chance for weeks.
Work is the curse of the fishing class

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Are you weekends only?

[keymcg]

Yes though I try to get in some in the evenings when the days are a bit longer

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[Mick001]

Great Report - Thanks