The Gunwell, Co Donegal - 27th of August

After the few days In Malin I was ordered down to Donegal Town so Mrs Delmonte could Visit a friend. I feverishly researched a few fishing marks en route and after quickly checking into the Central Hotel I plotted my escape. At around 5 bells I made my excuses about getting rid of the deteriorating (and now smelling) bait in the boot of the car and got the go ahead for a couple of hours. Tides and weather didn’t come into the equations here and like greased lightning I hopped back into the motor, heading west toward the chosen mark, the Gunwell.

Time was of the essence here and after being directed by a local over the hill and across the fields, I promptly set the two rods up, baited up from the 30 or so surviving rag and 10 crab, and launched them out 80-100 yards into the deep channel from the grassy hillside. I found I was struggling to hold bottom with the 5 oz leads washing back in towards the rocks below me so I switched to them Gemini 6oz leads with the fancy bait clips on top. I had a spare trace on the go, baiting up prior to reeling in, then switching and casting straight back out like a match man with only the clock for an opponent.



While retrieving one of the crab baits, it felt a bit weightier than normal and I have to confess to missing any bite. I saw what I initially thought was a half decent flat emerging from the deep, then a tail and I realised at long last id finally hooked a ray! A small thornback on a 3/0 pulley pennel.



Spurred on now by catching the target species, the half 8 dinner reservations seemed less and less likely with the hunt for mammy or daddy ray intensifying. Alas, it wasn’t to be with only 2 pin whiting and (bizarrely) 4 or 5 starfish taking the rag. In the end I had to bait up one last trace and turf the remaining bait into the drink before casting just to make sure I wouldn’t be tempted to stay on.





All them disappointing trips to Fenit and Brandon hoping for a ray we’re furthest from my mind during the spin back to Donegal Town. On arrival it was a quick shower and straight down for the dinner and celebratory pints perfectly content in my soggy white nikeys I’d marched across the grassy hill in. I doubt a man ever got so much pleasure out of such a small fish!

Another great read delmonte
Hats off and fair play. Well done

Gorgeous looking spot!

Great report. I fished that spot once before and it is a lovely spot to fish no matter whether you catch or not.
It's such a novelty to be in a field of cattle casting out the rods into salt water and leaning them against a barbed wire fence!

It's a spot I hear about a lot but have yet to fish it.. deadly job on the ray,, dosent matter about the size.. the wee ones are as cool looking as the big boys

Well done on the target species Delmonte!