Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

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Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

Postby johnwest » Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:39 pm

Wednesday, 7th. South Side.The forecast was offering some unseasonably mild weather so all aboard the funbus for a bit of fishing. The first mark was completely flat calm so I headed for a second choice spot where there was a bit of surf coming in. I fished the last three hours of the ebb and an hour and a half of the flood. The first bite came just on low water, a good rattle which translated into a nice lively 1lb 12oz seatrout. Fortunately it was on the light beachcaster (2-4oz rating) and it gave a good account of itself jumping clear of the water 2-3 times. Just as I beached it, the size 4 hook fell out. A quick weigh and a quicker snap as it headed off in the surf and I was back to inactivity. The fish seemed to be away doing their Christmas shopping, all I had to show for the next hour and a half was a single flounder about 22cm and six or seven small coalfish so I headed for a deeper mark nearby. There was instant action here as first cast produced a double of dogfish, the vanguard of 8 doggies in total. These were accompanied by a few more small coalfish, a skinny whiting complete with gill parasite (amazing how a relatively small organism can almost halve the expected weight of a fish), and a 5b rockling, first of the winter, on the last cast.
Thursday 8th. North Side. Today was even milder, the car was showing 15c as I got out and geared up. It can still get cool after dark so the normal winter layers were put on and by the time I walked down to the beach the sweat was lashing off me. Not to worry; there was a couple of hours of minimal activity in store as the fish failed to come out to play. In fact the only fish I saw for two and a half hours was a tiny sandeel caught in the grip wires as they ploughed through the sand on the retrieve. Assuming this wasn’t the only sandeel on the whole beach,(in which case, how unlucky was he?) it suggested there was food available; just no takers. However it was such a beautiful day to be out, perhaps that famous predictor of winter, Eddard Stark, is like his illegitimate son John Snow, “You know nothing”. A short while later, I noticed somebody wielding a camera coming across the beach towards me. He asked if I would mind if he took a few pics, well why not, it wasn’t as if I had much else to do. Well he had me casting, casting again, standing in the waves, facing one way, then the other, holding the rod over my shoulder, moving my hand down by my side......you get the idea. He took portrait, landscape, down on his knees, standing up etc and probably shot the equivalent of three old style rolls of film. Then he came over to thank me for my efforts and on replying that I wasn’t on facebook, he pulled out a card from his wallet and gave it to me so I could email him for a few of his pics. Turns out he is a professional photographer, camera badge snobs would have been fooled by his Fuji instead of the expected Canon or Nikon! Like yesterday, the first bite came at low tide and dusk, a 32cm flounder on the distance rod. On casting this rod out again, I checked the near rod to find a smaller 27cm flounder in residence. Two at once and nothing else bar a few small coalfish for the next couple of hours, the sun was down, the half moon was up and the Evening Star was out, perhaps poor fishing was written in the stars, if so it was time for the long drive home.
I found this modelling lark quite tiring but very rewarding and may consider taking it up full time; my wife always tells me I have a great body for a pair of chest waders, but I might need a bit of work on that rugged, weather-beaten face. Tight lines everybody, I’m away to look up Botox treatments.
Attachments
PC070860.JPG
Seatrout heading Home
PC076358.JPG
Skinny Whiting with Gill Parasite
PC086359.JPG
Definitely a 5 beard
2013 species; 31

2014 species; 27

2015 species; 28

2016 species; 32

2017 species;28

2018 species; 33

2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.

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basilrabbit (Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:26 pm), birdseye (Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:07 pm), FisherKing (Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:53 pm)
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Re: Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

Postby johnwest » Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:44 pm

More pics.
Attachments
PC086368.JPG
Unlucky Sandeel
PC086366.JPG
Surely Time for a Bite?
PC080883.JPG
Best of small Coalfish
PC080880.JPG
Better of 2 flounder
PC086372.JPG
Evening Star brings no Luck
2013 species; 31

2014 species; 27

2015 species; 28

2016 species; 32

2017 species;28

2018 species; 33

2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
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Re: Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

Postby MC » Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:07 pm

Your getting famous then sir, must get a signed photo

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Re: Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

Postby chuckaroo » Tue Dec 13, 2016 11:24 am

Some nice pics there Paddy. Looked nice to be out and at it

Maybe those 'professional' photos will make good Xmas cards to your friends and family :idea: lol
Charlie

2024 targets:
porbeagle, stingers, seatrout, shore skate, shore tope

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Re: Donegal Bay Nth and Sth, 7th/8th December 2016

Postby seank » Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:46 pm

Nice one. Great report as per usual Johnwest! :)
Target for 2017: Tope, Bass, Specimen shore pollack, Specimen Sea trout, Turbot over 30cm, common skate

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