After a long miserable winter, the worst I can remember, and 10 weeks without touching a rod I finally made a comeback in mid-February. Well I had to; I put on over a stone and a half from the lack of digging bait and picking crab traps every week.
Two short session at the wall in Monkstown for the usual small cod and whiting.
I didn’t waste the winter I spent some of time on the net trying to source out new spot out west.
With the help from maps/osi, navionics, google earth and the satnav, I tracked down some nice looking spots for fishing into water with a bit of depth.
So Paddy’s day I set off into the west, GPS numbers set into the satnav a print off of the location a bucket of bait and a head full of dreams.
After a small bit of a climb down and two trips with all the gear the stone and a half of extra weight was starting to show
The charts and maps were saying I would be fishing into about 50ft of water. I was looking at catching dogs, huss or thornbacks. A few casts with a plain lead to sus out how far out the rock went and I was away. First few baits were spread between 30 and 60 yards with the baits coming back in better condition than what they were in the bucket.
Dropped out the second rod, a 12ft quiver tip boat rod, about 20ft loaded with a king rag a few small picks but nothing to get excited about. When I went to retrieve it was stuck a few tugs and it came loose then the rod bent over and it was fish on all was not lost the blank saved. A nice coloured ballan wrasse just over 44cm.
In the excitement I put the wrasse back in the water in front of me something I would not normally do. I would usually put it back a good distance away in fear that it may spook the other fish in that area.
As the day dragged on there was little happening? No sense in heading away as I would be hitting parades in all the towns on the way home so it was time for excuses, 1. It was March, 2. A dropping tide 3. an easterly wind, sounded good to me.
As the tide dropped near to low water a rip showed the water about 100 + yds. out. I sent out a lump of mackerel on a clip down pulley after about 5 minutes the line went slack. A good few turns before I came in contact with the fish. Now that’s what I was after a bit of lifting a few time just having to hold the fish it made its way in still staying deep. Happy that it might be a ray but as it got close to the shore it made a made run to the left. When the fish showed the first thought was smooth hound but then not down this way
. As I lifted the fish out the tell tail signs showed, Spur dog, my first from the shore.Dropped the fish into a pool and flaked out the same bait, while I was doing the photo shoot the rod was going again spur number 2 landed. Broke off on the 3rd. fish a good fighting fish that made a few runs. Another hour without a fish it was time to head off.
Summary, A lovely lazy day out and will be back that way when the weather and water warms up
Mission accomplished and after the fat lady finished singing
I light up that Cuban cigar that I had been holding for that special occasion 
