Inner Clew Bay 27th July
Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:18 pm
People: Jason O'B, Myself
Tide: 3 hours after High, down to low tide (12pm-3.30pm), big spring tide
Bait: 2 day old frozen fresh mack fillets, 1 year old frozen mack
Weather: Heavy South Westerlys, sporadic heavy showers
Rigs: 1 hook Paternosters (Size 1/0 - Cox and Rawles Uptide extras, 60lb Clear Amnesia), 2 up 1 Down Flappers ( Size 2 Kamasan Aberdeens and 2/0 cox rawle chinus ,30cm 25lb amnesia snoods, Tronix lumi pop up beads), 3 up Flappers ( Size 2 Sakuma Mantas, 20lb 25cm Amnesia snoods)
Results: 1 Pin Whiting, 1 Mackerel, 1 36" Bull Huss, 2 Rays and 1 Dogfish (5 species in total)
We arrived at the mark just before 12 oclock. The weather had been quite stormy all morning with very heavy winds and showers.
Given the big spring tides, when we walked out to the point we were to fish the tide was still well up the shoreline. On a normal day this would not be an issue as a 80-100 yard cast would still put you amongst the fish, but I expected with the winds that our casting would be severely limited. But this would only be temporary because as the tide dropped it would give easier access to the channel.
I chose to fish size 2 hooks and thin fish strips to start with as I wanted to see what other species could be picked up with reports of flats being taken from the mark recently.. It was roughly an hour before the first positive bites appeared on my rod tip which was anxiously bouncing away in the wind making bite detection hard. Moments later a lively large mackerel of at least a pound was on the shore.. About 20 minute later my rod went again, this time it was an unmistakable ray bite. I struck into the fish, and could feel it kiting and fighting hard in the quickly ebbing spring tide. It was a good sized thornback of 6lb or so. The fish was unhooked and released within 2 minutes and swam off safely into the depths.
Jason was next into a fish, and brought a shore a nice ray about the same size as the one I had. He was a very happy man, as the 2 previous sessions he had with me were complete blanks. I returned the fish for him as he rebaited the One hook paternoster I had made while having breakfast that morning. I was really hoping that I would pick up a Huss on this session, so I took out a flapper rig with 2/0 Cox and Rawle Chinus. These thick wire large gauge hooks are great to use and present large chunky fish strips amazingly.. I love em. As I was baiting up I looked up at my rod, and observed a very heavy bite which didnt look like a ray.. I struck into the fish, I could feel the strong head shakes of a bull huss but the fish was also running a little and gave a great account of itself. Looking out towards the weed fringe ahead I got a positive sighting of its tail and was delighted to see it was a Bull Huss. The Ironic thing is the fish had taken a size 2 Aberdeen with a tiny fish strip not the bigger baits I was intending to launch out..
The fish was measured at 36" which I estimate to be 9-10lb. I quickly released it and took pleasure in watching it swim away.
Next cast produced a pin whiting for me, and Jason reeled in a Dogfish about the same time. The last hour was slow with no bites. Owing to how wild the day was and how exposed to the winds the location is, I am delighted at the 5 species we managed to catch.
That is it for now hopefully have few more sessions to report in the coming weeks.
Tide: 3 hours after High, down to low tide (12pm-3.30pm), big spring tide
Bait: 2 day old frozen fresh mack fillets, 1 year old frozen mack
Weather: Heavy South Westerlys, sporadic heavy showers
Rigs: 1 hook Paternosters (Size 1/0 - Cox and Rawles Uptide extras, 60lb Clear Amnesia), 2 up 1 Down Flappers ( Size 2 Kamasan Aberdeens and 2/0 cox rawle chinus ,30cm 25lb amnesia snoods, Tronix lumi pop up beads), 3 up Flappers ( Size 2 Sakuma Mantas, 20lb 25cm Amnesia snoods)
Results: 1 Pin Whiting, 1 Mackerel, 1 36" Bull Huss, 2 Rays and 1 Dogfish (5 species in total)
We arrived at the mark just before 12 oclock. The weather had been quite stormy all morning with very heavy winds and showers.
Given the big spring tides, when we walked out to the point we were to fish the tide was still well up the shoreline. On a normal day this would not be an issue as a 80-100 yard cast would still put you amongst the fish, but I expected with the winds that our casting would be severely limited. But this would only be temporary because as the tide dropped it would give easier access to the channel.
I chose to fish size 2 hooks and thin fish strips to start with as I wanted to see what other species could be picked up with reports of flats being taken from the mark recently.. It was roughly an hour before the first positive bites appeared on my rod tip which was anxiously bouncing away in the wind making bite detection hard. Moments later a lively large mackerel of at least a pound was on the shore.. About 20 minute later my rod went again, this time it was an unmistakable ray bite. I struck into the fish, and could feel it kiting and fighting hard in the quickly ebbing spring tide. It was a good sized thornback of 6lb or so. The fish was unhooked and released within 2 minutes and swam off safely into the depths.
Jason was next into a fish, and brought a shore a nice ray about the same size as the one I had. He was a very happy man, as the 2 previous sessions he had with me were complete blanks. I returned the fish for him as he rebaited the One hook paternoster I had made while having breakfast that morning. I was really hoping that I would pick up a Huss on this session, so I took out a flapper rig with 2/0 Cox and Rawle Chinus. These thick wire large gauge hooks are great to use and present large chunky fish strips amazingly.. I love em. As I was baiting up I looked up at my rod, and observed a very heavy bite which didnt look like a ray.. I struck into the fish, I could feel the strong head shakes of a bull huss but the fish was also running a little and gave a great account of itself. Looking out towards the weed fringe ahead I got a positive sighting of its tail and was delighted to see it was a Bull Huss. The Ironic thing is the fish had taken a size 2 Aberdeen with a tiny fish strip not the bigger baits I was intending to launch out..
The fish was measured at 36" which I estimate to be 9-10lb. I quickly released it and took pleasure in watching it swim away.Next cast produced a pin whiting for me, and Jason reeled in a Dogfish about the same time. The last hour was slow with no bites. Owing to how wild the day was and how exposed to the winds the location is, I am delighted at the 5 species we managed to catch.
That is it for now hopefully have few more sessions to report in the coming weeks.