Hi all,
Just though I'd pop up a report of my first outing in the sea with the Portabote. The boat folds up and looks like a surfboard on the roof rack. I originally bought is for Pike fishing, but I was always thinking that it would be great for inshore Bass fishing if the sea conditions were right.
These trips were the weekend of the meet on Cunnigar. Myself, coaster and Kstaff gave the cunnigar a go in the boat the day before the meet without any luck. There was a lot of weed. We then moved over to the lighthouse (opposite cunnigar) and tried all the rock marks back to the pier. Didn't get any photos but the craic was good.
On the 16th I decided to try a few rock marks around the area with the Bro in Law Allistair. The conditions were not good for Bass fishing with the sea being Gin clear. There was a very slight bit of sea movement which we hoped would put a few Bass on the feed.
Just to give you an idea of what the boat looks like here is a pic of it unfolded from a pike trip. I run the boat with a 5hp (max allowed) engine, which on a lake with 2 people in it I can do just over 10mph.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/misc/porta1.jpg[/img]
We pottered around the rocks trying a few spots here and there. There was a slight swell and with the a little wind we were drifting towards the shore fairly quickly, so we decided to anchor on the sand and fish over the rock / kelp. Funny thing being a couple of hundred yards off the shore like that.... we were seeing a lot fish action near the surface with Bass splashing after small fish every now and then and I even caught a Bass leaping straight out of the water like a trout. He was about a pound. This gave us hope for a bit of action.
After a couple of hours and quite a few follows Ally managed to tempt a fish. Here's a pic of him looking a little happy with his first Bass attached to a lure.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/Bass/16_170706/DSC_2950.jpg[/img]
The fish was caught on a jointed thunderstick. Here is the happy angler with the fish with the Thunderstick.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/Bass/16_170706/DSC_2952.jpg[/img]
Here is the fish getting the Rex Hunt treatment before it goes back
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/Bass/16_170706/DSC_2956.jpg[/img]
That was our lot for the day. I was knackered and sunburned after this one which is why I missed the meet in cunnigar. I had a few beers as well to help cool me down. All medicinal of course.
Next day the sea had calmed off totally and we were not hopeful of a fish at all. There was practically no wind or swell so we just drifted slowly over all the broken ground. This was really nice fishing though. You were able to put lures into coves and gullies that you know have more than likely never been fished before. We had quite a few follows with fish turning away from the lure just before the boat. After about an hour Ally managed to hook another fish, this one putting a nice bend in the rod.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/Bass/16_170706/DSC_2978.jpg[/img]
Here is the fish after being landed. This fish was also taken on the Storm Jointed Thunderstick. This one was damaged during the fight with a Treble finding the eye, so it was taken for the table.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/mcclean2k/Bass/16_170706/DSC_2983-1.jpg[/img]
The good news is that my next post should be one of me holding a fish for the camera because after out fishing me again, Ally is still walking home from Waterford. :D
I can't wait for the next Portabote outing. I think it will be myself and coaster as soon as the brownie points are up.
Kev
Last edited by MAC on Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.