Who : solo
Location : just to left of the lighthouse
Time: 11.30 to 2.30
Bait : mackerel form lidl and frozen crab from the shop in Fanore
Rigs : float fishing
Tide : rising, hw at 2 ish
Wind: straight into my face as per usual
Species : pollack most likely and a Hail Mary shot at catching a wrasse.
Haven't been out much this year due to baby sitting duties. Got a chance to go fishing kinda last minute so just went for it. I hate going unprepared but said f-it and just went for it. Lot of other people out on the rocks, all mackerel bashing but I didn't see anyone catching one down by me. I've never caught a wrasse, or I haven't yet I should say, so I picked up some frozen crab just to give it ago. The lad in the shop was pointing me in a direction down towards the ballyreen side for wrasse but I hadn't the time to go exploring so I stuck with a place I know and said its worth a chance anyway. Not a bite for the first 1.5 hrs and then the smaller pollack showed up. Got six little fellas, maybe half a pound at best but I was happy to see the float go down anyway. A wrasse was not to be but the pollack seemed to like the crab mush-ball that I was using along with strips of mackerel too. Around 2 o'clock I hooked into a nice size pollack, guessing around 5lb because I couldn't wind him up the 30 or so foot drop. I had him up a few feet out of the water and I thought the rod tip was going to break, no use to get a hand on the line because of the way the rock face was it would have snagged. I knew he was never making it up to me and I was glad when the line snapped eventually. I only had a 6lb hook trace on thank god. Packed up after that and was quite happy with the day anyway.
Now this leads me on to a question for you guys. Can you recommend me a rod and reel combo that would be ideal for this type of fishing? I was using a Shakespeare salt xt surf mx rod and an Abu ambassador 6500cs reel. I use that for the estuary mostly but when I go to Clare I usually fish close in and high up out of the way of the waves so I'm looking for something that will be in no danger of snapping when winching a nice size fish up. I usually try and float fish too because it's easy and I haven't much of a clue about anything else and anytime I try and fish there on the bottom I get snagged so I stick with what I know.