Donegal Bay, 6th April and 2nd May 2019.

[johnwest]

I’ve been concentrating on the trout recently but have managed to squeeze a couple of saltwater trips in.
Saturday, 6th April. I arrived at the shore and was set up by midday with the usual 2 rod arrangement fishing an up and over rig with sandeel and a 2 hook flapper with mackerel strip and frozen lug. After an hour without any activity, I retired to the car for a coffee and sandwich. Four slurps and three bites later, I noticed one of the rods give a few kicks so I jumped out and headed for the rod. The rod continued to bounce in the tripod so I struck and tightened into some weight, a dogfish accompanied by a 29cm flounder. The flounder had taken the bigger of the two baits; I wonder did it find the baits first? That was it for the day, the next five and a half hours failed to produce a single bite so having adhered to my rule of spending more time fishing than travelling, I could head home.
Thursday, 2nd May. The last leg of the journey was slowed when I ran into a traffic jam, a sheep with a bad hind leg accompanied by two offspring, 2 lambs and a lame. They eventually moved off the lane through a gap but I needn’t have worried about missing anything, it was a good six hours before I had a bite, a nice buzz off the ratchet as something made off with the sandeel bait. I tightened into a dead weight which just came in without a single kick, in fact I thought the fish had dropped the hook in a mass of weed. As the weight came into view in the very clear water I realised it was a spotty ray coming in backwards; a breech delivery as the midwife might say. The hook was in the mouth but the trace was half-hitched around the tail, rigged fore and aft as a sailor might say. After waiting 6 hours, about time as an angler might say. It registered 4lb 4oz on the scales, not bad for a spotty, worth waiting for as Mr Carlsberg might say. The day continued to improve as the light rain and clouds cleared to sunshine but that didn’t improve the fishing, bites were conspicuous by their absence. As the tide dropped, I could see a couple of wrasse swimming around the weed and rock but frozen lug held no attraction at all. At one point, the IFI sped past in their rib, obviously out checking for illegal nets. A friendly wave suggested they didn’t consider me a threat to fish stocks, they got that right. Throughout the day I tried chucking feathers but there was no sign of any mackerel yet. I had put in an eight hour shift and had decided not to bother with any overtime but on reeling in the last rod, I was surprised to find a dogfish chewing the sandeel but it wasn’t enough to change my mind.

[johnwest]

Great report as always, pleasure to read, cracking Ray!

[MC]

That's a great Ray , pity there wasn't more

[Marco]

Lovely Ray. Fair play for the time and effort that went into it.

Doesn't seem to be a lot knocking about in Donegal Bay yet.

[fagan]

Great session John. Great read. Well done on the ray

[chuckaroo]

Lovely ray Paddy.