Gunwell Killybegs 4th June

Meant to get this report up last weekend but here goes.

Thanks to all who sent PMs-great advice was given and I'm just sorry I didn't get a chance to try out more of what you told me.

Spent a glorious weekend up in Killybegs with friends for the bank holiday. Had great plans for two or three long sessions but of course wife, friends etc ensured I only got one short session in.

Got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed into Mooneys to get bait. Evan was very helpful and supplied me with lug mackerel and a pack of good sandeel that he didn't know he had!

Set off for the gunwell which was grand and near where I was staying. The day was sensational and the scenery equalled the glorious weather.





The mark itself is quite unusual-a grassy slope that ends in an almost straight drop into Killybegs harbour. The clear water in front of me was deep.







I set up and fired out a mackerel bait on a 3/0 pulley rig into the main channel and lobbed out a size 1 flapper with sandeel and mackerel close in. The tide was well into the ebb at this stage.

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The large mackerel bait immediately saw interest with a few tentative knocks but each time I reeled in the bait was eaten but no hook up. Seemed like small fish.

This was the pattern for the next hour. I amused myself by spinning various lures through the reefy ground below my feet. I had one follow before I saw a flash of bronze turn away from the lure.the tide was nearly dead at this point.

Just then I had a real good rattle on the near in nothing like the tentative bites on the bigger rod. I lifted in and felt a lively fish on the other end. I reeled in a nice dab-my first ever.It measured 24cm



It was coming near time to finish when I got another knock on the bigger rod.This time the culprit was the predictable dogfish. He took a mackerel/sandeel cocktail.The disgorger did its job and away he went.

So a day more notable for great scenery and weather than the fishing, yet one of the more enjoyable sessions in a long while.

Looks like it could be a good ray mark

Seemingly it is-just not the day I was there. I didn't pick a great part of the tide to fish I reckon

Lovely spot well done on the first dab nice to get out. Been a bit of bother with that mark huge crowds landing to it and leaving gates open and damaging fences and leaving loads of rubbish behind in the field with animals

As I was finishing up the "bag of cans" brigade arrived and took up position on the rocks to the right of me-obviously a regular thing because I spotted a good few bits of rubbish there. They also left a gate wide open behind them on their way.a real shame

no mackeral? to be honest as a bottom fishing venue i think its seen better days, ive fished it many times and never caught a ray, i think theres alot of juvenile brown crab and have caught them before, that might be your answer for missed bites on the bottom, ive had mullet there and plenty of mackeral, but generally i think there are better places to go, given the depth there i think it should fish a bit better tbh

No mackerel-I was spinning to pass the time and those fellas who came on at the end were feathering for mackerel and there was none caught

It's only a matter of time before access may be blocked thru the land with the damage being done and the cans and bottles and barbecue s*** being left laying all over the field which is a pity as it's only a small few who only fish in summer that do this. The mark is not as good as it was ad alot of catch and keep everything started when the mark became famous online. The mackerel are very scarce all over the bay yet but it was the same last year, within the next few weeks they will arrive in huge numbers like last few years

It's only a matter of time before access may be blocked thru the land with the damage being done and the cans and bottles and barbecue s*** being left laying all over the field which is a pity as it's only a small few who only fish in summer that do this. The mark is not as good as it was ad alot of catch and keep everything started when the mark became famous online. The mackerel are very scarce all over the bay yet but it was the same last year, within the next few weeks they will arrive in huge numbers like last few years

Sadly, this could refer to so many popular, well known spots.

South side of the bay is full of mackerel. Went out on the boat Saturday evening for a few hours and hard to get through them to fish the bottom. Saw my first pair of basking sharks too...beautiful fish.

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