Black head Clare

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Black head Clare

Postby Kran1230 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 1:18 pm

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.
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Re: Black head Clare

Postby MC » Sun Aug 14, 2016 8:48 pm

Instead of getting a new reel and rod, just get a drop net
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Re: Black head Clare

Postby kieran » Mon Aug 15, 2016 9:55 am

Hi

Look at a10 foot uptider - which has the backbone to cope with bringing a heavy fish up and would twin up well with a bigger spinning reel or a multiplier. I used to use one a lot for rock fishing before someone borrowed it and its stayed away :evil:

I find big square drop nets a pain on irregular rock marks - all very well down the side of a harbour or similar but on irregular terrain I have given up on bringing one. Maybe there are better designs out there - circular ones? Have not looked in a while...
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Re: Black head Clare

Postby Kran1230 » Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:25 am

Yeah, I've heard of drop nets but never seen one in use but I can't imagine it working with the contours of the rocks. You'd almost want an over hanging ledge, then again I am as far from an expert as could be. I've seen uptide rods but had no idea what they were for really, so they are just basically stronger-stiffer rods?
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Re: Black head Clare

Postby kieran » Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:48 am

Hi Kran

Uptiders are longer-than-usual boat rods which were designed when fishing uptide from the boat, that is to say, that you actually had to cast a bait some distance rather than just drop it over the end and fish downtide by letting the current take the baits away from the boat.

You can spend as much as you want on boat roads - from 50 to 500 - but I like them for their length and backbone, ideally for bullying wrasse and keeping yourself safe...

Hope this helps

Kieran
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Re: Black head Clare

Postby Kran1230 » Mon Aug 15, 2016 1:11 pm

That sounds just like what I'm after. Thanks very much for your help
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