Newcastle, Co Wicklow - Sat

[b]Just me:

[b]7am - 12 noon:

[b]High tide 10 am:

[b]Heavy sea mist, stiff south easterly - not very nice:

[b]Sand eels and joeys:

[b]Pulley pennels and simple ledgers:

[b]2 LSDs and a 6lbs bass !:


[b]Left Dublin at 6am - looked like a lovely day in the making, as I passed
Bray on the M11 the sea mist covered everything - didn't look too promising. Arrived in Newcastle before 7am and setup with 2 beachcasters - an awful lot of weed made fishing difficult - pulled my 6 oz grippers down the beach in jig time. After the second cast I assembled the 11' spinning rod, put on a silver/gold toby and walked up the beach casting all the time. On the fourth/fifth cast as I was getting ready to lift the toby from the water - baNG! It was like the tug from a terrier on a leash - side to side and pulling back. I was hoping for a stray mackerel or a launce but I knew straight away this was a bass or a sea trout. I had set the drag too slack so picture the scene, fish on - maybe 15' out, rod high, reeling in like mad and losing line to the fish ! Anyway, long story short - tightened up the drag and 2 minutes later a lovely 6 lbs bass was landed.
I had caught 3/4 schoolies here last year so I knew there was a possibility of a bass but I was well surprised.
Since taking up fishing again last year I've caught, maybe a dozen bass and this is the first one I've kept - it's going to feed six of us tomorrow for Sunday dinner. I appreciate the need for conservation but this will probably be the one and only bass for my pot this year.

Regards
Aido

8) 8) 8)

Well done Aido. Nice fish you caught there. Taking one for the pot every now and there is part of angling. As long as people are putting pleanty back there should be any problems. Well done again.

Kev