Long Overdue Return

Living in the Midlands these days I find it harder and harder to get to the coast, but snapped this week and had to go for it. I thought given the weather and tides I'd get out of work early yesterday and head down to Kilmichael Point, try for hounds and bass and chuck out a rod for a passing tope of opportunity.

Got set up around 1630 at the bottom of the tide on the southern side of the point, fishing rag and crab on one rod and some well past its best frozen mackerel on the other. Tried fishing close in and at distance (well, the best distance I could manage with my very out of practice casting!) but leads were being hammered out by weed in the water and fishing proved impossible. Swells were definitely not what you'd expect for the wind conditions either. Made the call after a few hours to move position and considered my options. I could head south to Ballinoulart or Morriscastle for a better chance of the bass at least, but I'd be packing up after midnight and it's a long trek back, or I could head north to one of the Wicklow beaches and at least I was knocking off some of the journey then. I was a bit annoyed at the unexpectedly difficult conditions so I settled on the latter and made my way back up the road, stopped at Coyne's Cross to get food and diesel and feel sorry for myself.

Eventually made it to Killoughter about 2000 and it was a huge relief. Gentle rolling sea, tide on the rise, looked perfect. But there was nobody else there. Usually there would be a few fishing at least. What did they know that I didn't?! I got set up anyway and figured I'd fish a loop rig at distance, with a small mackerel fillet on the bottom and a crab and rag bait on top, hedge my bets for a hound or a very chance thornback. Within a minute or so of casting it out, while setting up the rope rod, it started rattling with what turned out to be the most important catch of the night. When I brought it in there was a good size fat mackerel having tried to eat the fillet of his buddy. Perfect for a couple of fresh tope baits so I knocked him on the head and promptly swapped the rig on the hound rod for a flapper with mackerel strips, hoping to pick up a couple more as I had little faith in the frozen ones I'd been using. A couple of whiting was the result, also the perfect size, so they were kept too, fresh whiting being preferable to frozen mackerel.

Now, we were in business. The tope rod was out with a half a gleaming fresh mackerel on it, the hounds effort was back at distance with a crab and rag bait and the light was starting to dim, with ample fresh bait to try beat the crabs. The railway house was having some serious party so I settled back with a decent impression of Electric Picnic behind me to watch the softer tip of the hound rod nod in the tide. This was the routine for the rest of the night. Crab action was sporadic but mostly the hound baits were getting demolished in twenty minutes or so so keeping those changed kept me busy. The mackerel was doing a lot better and the crabs were only very slowly making a dent in it. The moon was phenomenal, huge and red as it rose, so was a lovely evening to have the beach to myself.



Towards midnight and the top of the tide, the weed started building up here and even the tope rod started to get dragged a bit, so I was sitting listening to the tick tick of the ratchet as the lead came around to the south. This was starting to feel like the end of it as the weed was really starting to move now. Then, as I was settling the lighter rod back in the rest having recast up the tide run, there was a good pull on the ratchet, not a long run, more like a hard tug, on the tope rod. I thought an extra large lump of weed must have hit the line and bounced the lead a long way in one go, and it had swung round so I didn't have the distance I would have liked. Then another hard tug, that kept tugging...

I lifted the rod and felt for the nod at the end. As it did I tightened the drag, then wound down and lifted in firmly, setting the hook into the resistance. At first it just felt heavy and leaden and I wondered what it was. Definitely a fish, but there wasn't a screaming run or anything, felt like a ray hanging in the tide like a sack full of water. It was nodding away though. I was thinking, maybe a big huss or a close in big ray possibly. Then the runs started. They were short, but the fish was well able to take line and put a bend in the rod when it wanted to, and was using the tide and probably built up weed to hang down the beach towards Wicklow. So I got my walking gear in action and started gradually moving towards it, gaining line. As I came more level with it, it started running back up the shore and my head torch picked up the eye twenty yards out or so, glowing yellow-green as it swam parallel to me. I used the small swell to drag it in towards the gravel, cursing the weed hanging on the leader knot and praying it wouldn't cause any pops. As it hit the gravel and the wave withdrew, it was just a question of timing to dash in and control it between swells and that was it! A quick dash to the seatbox for long nosed pliers and a few photos before returning her where she swam off in the incredibly clear water.


After that I held out hope for another run but it wasn't to be, and with the weed continuing to build up and conditions deteriorating, I decided to call it quits after 0100 and head for home. What a return to sea fishing though! Only my second tope from the shore but completely validates all the efforts.

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Now that was a good read! congrats on the tope Dave and thanks for sharing

Enjoyed that report. Thanks for posting. That's a good night's fishing

Excellent report Dave very well written.Bit of work put into that.Thanks for the report.

Great report Dave and a great result on your return, well done.

Nice report Dave

Happy Days Dave F, sounded like a perfect wee trip
Great effort. Great result. Nice report

Great report and well done on the Tope


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Great read. Perseverance paid off for sure. Well done Sir.

Well done and nice to get back into fish . Thanks for sharing your night .