N. Donegal, 2nd and 4th January 2020, pb for Chuckaroo

Thursday 2nd. Time to get 2020 started, I had been contemplating a trip north for a few days but the weather took a turn for the worse as Thursday approached. However I was mentally geared up so I bit the bullet and headed off for a wet, windy day. I arrived just before high water to find two guys already fishing. As I was setting up I saw one of them reel in a decent flounder so despite the state of the tide there were a few fish about. But not for me. After a good two and a half hours I hadn’t had a bite, near or far; lug, sandeel, razor, mackerel strip all coming back untouched. After a quick chat with the nearest angler I knew I wasn’t doing anything different, there just seemed to be no fish in front of me. I moved along the beach to a spot where the surf pattern was different and after an hour and a half I spotted a definite bite. Fish on, but right at the water’s edge it threw the hook. I could see it was a small seatrout and it would have gone back anyway but it would have been nice if I had actually caught it. I managed to avoid the blank last year and it was looking like I would have one on my very first trip of this year. The spot I had moved to was quite exposed and with the wind and rain gathering momentum, I decided to return to where I started as I would have a bit of shelter. Might as well blank in comfort! I could only hope the flood tide would bring a change. It’s hard to watch somebody else catching fish steadily just a few yards away while you’re not getting a bite. Eventually a rod tip rattled; a small blank saving coalie. It was the first of 8-9, all small but eventually one came in accompanied by a flounder, the target species, but small at 22cm. By now I could feel water seeping in at various locations so I called it a day. Last rod in presented me with a 5 beard rockling to add to this year’s species list.

Saturday 4th. While the tides weren’t ideal the weather was too good to pass up so Chuckaroo and I arranged to meet up at the same beach in north Donegal despite the disappointing results on Thursday. She who does not make sandwiches had offered to babysit one of the grandchildren overnight with the result that I was up and at it at 6.30am. I had forgotten such a time existed, I could have woken every rooster in the county in time for his work but the only one I disturbed was the one on the corn flakes box. I arrived at the beach and was soon set up with both rods carrying mackerel strip into the surf which was a bit livelier than I would have preferred. There was a good 2 hours before high water and I wasn’t really expecting too much too soon but bearing in mind it was January, it was a beautiful morning to enjoy. A beachwalker informed me that the surf had been crazy yesterday; hopefully it was to die away as the day progressed. It took two hours before the first fish showed, a decent 30cm flounder, and another two hours for the next one at 34cm but only an hour and a half for the third at 28cm. A few minutes later Chuckaroo got going with a very decent 37cm flounder and it took him exactly 2 hours to get a cracker at 38cm and a new pb for him. He also winkled out a small turbot for a change of species. I had settled into a lean spell and now that the light had gone, the coalies were starting to rattle the rod tips making it less likely that the flounder would get a look-in. Chuckaroo, as usual, decided to stick a couple of whole large sandeels on to try for something bigger. For once his tactic paid off as he tightened into a bigger fish which put up a bit more of a scrap than your average flounder. Into the suds came something round and silver, not flat and brown. As he got it under control it became apparent that it lacked one important feature; spikes. Nonetheless at two and a half pounds and compared to my best effort at about half a pound, it was a fine coalfish from the shore, it certainly brought a smile to Chuckaroo’s face. With time moving on, we decided on one last cast. I had only brought mackerel for bait but a stray black lug had escaped from the wrap on Thursday so I shared it between 2 hooks on the near flapper rig just to use it up. This tactic paid dividends for me; on reeling in I had a lovely double of flounder at 34 and 39cm to finish the day. I must tie up some new 3 hook flappers for next time or is that just being greedy?

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The usual extra pics....

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Great fishing JW, nice start to the species list!
I was out on the 2nd and 4th as well. I can't imagine starting the year with a blank, it almost happened on the 2nd but I hooked a small codling at the end. Phew!

That's a nice coalie!!

Nice fishing lads

Lovely stuff lads!! . A good shot of stuff reeled in.. well done..

them's lunkers - nice fishing lads. Itching to get out now.

Meant to add these pics to this report ages ago. Better late than never I guess..
Great day out Paddy.

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Some lovely fish there lads well done looks class

Cracking Coalie for charlie.