North Dublin Pier 17.08.2021

When: 17/08/2021
Where: North Dublin Pier
Who: Myself
Duration: 17:30-21:00
High Water: 20:00
Equipment: 9ft Spinning rod + new spinning reel (Kinetic Brutalis 5000FD loaded with 50lb braid + 3ft flurocarbon leader)
My Bait: Shamrock Bass Attack Shallow Feed 128mm Blue Lazer and a selection of 32g Kilty Catcher spinners
Conditions: Strong westerlies and some swell but clear enough water
Result: 2 pollock and a seagull

Got a new spinning reel in the post this morning so was dying to get out and try it. All I can say is it really makes all the difference when you buy a decent reel So anyways along with reel I bought 3 kilty catcher spinners, a red one, a green one and a silver one, all 32g. I threw on the silver one to start. Casting out over mixed ground into 20-30ft of water and letting the spinner sink to the bottom then beginning a slow retrieve with the odd twitch of the rod produced 2 small pollock over the course of an hour. After spinning for a while I wanted to try see how the new reel performed with plugs so I moved to shallower ground and began plugging. What happened next was unbelievable, a grey seagull began following my lure so I tried reeling it in as fast as I could but the seagull still got it, the hook went through the bottom of it's beak and it started going nuts wrapping itself up in my line, I had to reel it in and try to get him free but he wasn't having any of it, any time I got near his beak he would nip at my fingers, eventually I managed to get the hook out and he took off no problem. Not a nice experience and in future I will be more careful to make sure it doesn't happen again. After all that chaos I went back to spinning in the deeper water for the last hour but had no more bites..

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A nice spinning reel is great alright, I have a Shimano Exage (not expensive by any means) and it is going great, years later. Just make sure to rinse well after every trip to get the salt water off it.

If you wanted, you could go to a far lighter braid than 50 lb. The difference that using lighter line makes to casting is unreal.
For spinning from the shore, you could use 20lb braid not a problem and the diameter is so thin that you can cast great distances (especially metals like Kiltys),
For example Daiwa J Braid X8 , which is by no means top of the line stuff, it has a diameter of 0.16 mm for 20 lb breaking strain. As far as I can see, you would never need more than 20 lb strength spinning from shore. I even use the same braid lure fishing for pollock from a boat, which is absolutely brilliant craic.

Quick spray of WD40 in a fine mist is also useful for preserving gear after salt water exposure.

Quick spray of WD40 in a fine mist is also useful for preserving gear after salt water exposure.

Think its better to rinse with fresh water - not good for the envt adding that oil to the sea water

A nice spinning reel is great alright, I have a Shimano Exage (not expensive by any means) and it is going great, years later. Just make sure to rinse well after every trip to get the salt water off it.

If you wanted, you could go to a far lighter braid than 50 lb. The difference that using lighter line makes to casting is unreal.
For spinning from the shore, you could use 20lb braid not a problem and the diameter is so thin that you can cast great distances (especially metals like Kiltys),
For example Daiwa J Braid X8 , which is by no means top of the line stuff, it has a diameter of 0.16 mm for 20 lb breaking strain. As far as I can see, you would never need more than 20 lb strength spinning from shore. I even use the same braid lure fishing for pollock from a boat, which is absolutely brilliant craic.

Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to give it a good rinse every time! And as for the braid, I've used many types of braid from 15lb to 30lb and often if I get snagged I end up losing the lure so I went heavy this time around to reduce my losses.. It still casts a mile so I'm happy enough with it

Ah fair enough, you must be in a snaggy spot in fairness.

By the way one way to reduce tackle losses is to use the FG knot, it is by far and away the best braid to leader knot going. It has almost 100% knot strength whereas any other knot like an improved Albright knot or Yucutan Knot will have a good bit less, because the leader gets bent or kinked in some way as a part of the knot. It is a dose to tie though, best done at the kitchen table. Almost impossible to tie outdoors.

Ah fair enough, you must be in a snaggy spot in fairness.

By the way one way to reduce tackle losses is to use the FG knot, it is by far and away the best braid to leader knot going. It has almost 100% knot strength whereas any other knot like an improved Albright knot or Yucutan Knot will have a good bit less, because the leader gets bent or kinked in some way as a part of the knot. It is a dose to tie though, best done at the kitchen table. Almost impossible to tie outdoors.

Just had a look at a tutorial for it there, I can see what you mean now! I solved my leader issues a while back by using a small swivel instead of a line to line knot, works pretty well for me

Here is an FG knot tutorial for any future readers who might be interested:

Steps-for-Tying-an-FG-Knot.jpg

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I've put single hooks on all my pollack and sea lures and have lost a lot less lures since. It helps a lot unhooking too I was rarely able to not kill 1 or 2 in a session on the pier because even the small ones would swallow the trebs and get gill hooked. An extra split ring between the hook and lure help with not losing fish and I think with losing tackle slightly too. My next plan is to try using a circle hook which should work on pollack lures since they swallow lures so deep.

Ah fair enough, you must be in a snaggy spot in fairness.

By the way one way to reduce tackle losses is to use the FG knot, it is by far and away the best braid to leader knot going. It has almost 100% knot strength whereas any other knot like an improved Albright knot or Yucutan Knot will have a good bit less, because the leader gets bent or kinked in some way as a part of the knot. It is a dose to tie though, best done at the kitchen table. Almost impossible to tie outdoors.

Just had a look at a tutorial for it there, I can see what you mean now! I solved my leader issues a while back by using a small swivel instead of a line to line knot, works pretty well for me

Here is an FG knot tutorial for any future readers who might be interested:

Steps-for-Tying-an-FG-Knot.jpg

The one I prefer is a variant on that one : in this version the leader doesn't get doubled over (like in that diagram) instead the braid crosswraps are just done on a single strand of leader. Means the knot is incredibly slim.

I admit it is a dose to tie, but if you have the time it's unbeatable.

https://youtu.be/pjzUb5QRKuk

I do like the idea of a small swivel too, a lot simpler in fairness

Hi Lads, You might like Suffix 131 G Core braid, super fine and 18lb or 20lb covers most situations, casts a mile and tough line. I use a palomar knot, easy to tie and solid, no slips or loss in strength at the knot. I also use Suffix fluro leader in 30lb at 2 feet length with small swivel to the braid. Owner hyper welded egg snap, very light and strong, don’t open and don’t interfere with the action of even the tiniest lures. Kiltys are great

I've put single hooks on all my pollack and sea lures and have lost a lot less lures since. It helps a lot unhooking too I was rarely able to not kill 1 or 2 in a session on the pier because even the small ones would swallow the trebs and get gill hooked. An extra split ring between the hook and lure help with not losing fish and I think with losing tackle slightly too. My next plan is to try using a circle hook which should work on pollack lures since they swallow lures so deep.

I've circle hooks on all my kiltys, wedges,etc has cut down on my lure losses by bout 80% and the way pollack hit , from below then turn to dive,they hook themselves perfectly in the scissors, no deep hooking

Cheers spindlefist you've convinced me to commit to it. Back to the tackle shop I go... had a 3lb pollack on a german sprat recently with a single and still managed to gill hook and bleed itself out for me. A few states in the US have banned all hooks for game fish apart from in-line circles so may aswell get used to them before the trend comes to Europe.

The more I fish the more I am put off treble hooks. I caught a mackerel recently while bass fishing using the lure straight out of the box. Now I was going to keep this mackerel but God help me if I wanted to put it back. Each point of the treble was buried in the fishes mouth. I was messing about so much trying to unhook the fish that I had to dispatch it to save it any more hardship. In the end after the fish was dead, I ended up taking half the lower jaw off just to get the hook back. Next time I'm lure fishing if the lure has a treble I am swapping out for a single hook, I actually have a pack of singles for lures where the eye is in line with the hook so I am going to use them.

Fly fishermen land 24 inch trout on single barbless flies so if we are doing C&R there is no need for us to be mauling fish with trebles, in my opinion.

Gonzo, what spinning rod do you use by the way? I'd say you'd get serious distance throwing a metal lure with a 9ft rod . . . .

Gonzo, what spinning rod do you use by the way? I'd say you'd get serious distance throwing a metal lure with a 9ft rod . . . .

I use a 9ft abu garcia devil, and yes it casts a mile, it's great

Gonzo, what spinning rod do you use by the way? I'd say you'd get serious distance throwing a metal lure with a 9ft rod . . . .

I use a 9ft abu garcia devil, and yes it casts a mile, it's great

I used to have a Devil myself, great rod for the money