Pollan Bay, Donegal. Aug 26, 2006

People: Me and Andy

Duration: 4 hours

Tide: Over top, down a couple of hours

Weather: Warm, dry, mostly clear, windy

Bait: Rag, squid

Rigs: Pulley, scratching rigs

Results: 1 Flounder, 1.5lb


Report: Nice looking mark, good surf running, rumoured to throw up the odd bass. Baited up with some nice rag and squid and let fly just as dark fell. It's been that long since I had picked up a beachcaster, I was surprised I could still cast.... A fishless hour or two later I managed a surprise flounder on a rig intended for bass, proving that if the bait is good, hook size will not deter a flounder. This one gulped down 3 good rag on a size 4/0 hook aimed at bass. After releasing it, it turned out to be the first, last and only fish of the session.

I'll have to get back to this mark later on on a low spring tide to scope it out a bit better. Definitely worth another visit.

Meanwhile, my quest for the elusive Donegal bass continues....

All fish returned alive.

Last edited by x on Tue Aug 29, 2006 7:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sandman do you mean Ballyliffin beach?

Aye ...and dont follow the signposts or you'll end up in a Famine Village



Andy

Yep, that's the one. It's easy enough to get to if you have Google Earth, a good in-car GPS, know enough to mistrust the roadsigns and are good guessing. Oh, and an off-road vehicle doesn't hurt either. At one point we considered taking a short-cut onto the beach via the golf course, but decided to be nice. :lol:

There is an easier way, isn't there? And tell me, we were fishing the wrong end of the beach, right? :lol:

Many an hour i've spent there with the rod tip motionless. There used to be bass on this beach.. :(

Fished here there last thursady for a couple of hours before moving to a favorite spot. had an nice 38 flounder. I heared that a small boat was seen launching off the beach in the dark the last couple of weeks but numorous trips have yet to spot them. The Beach is fickle, your really need to know the time tides, weather conditions and where to fish along it. It also changes form tide to tide so a low tide vist every couple of weeks is needed to get the best out of it. It's a beach that if you put the work into it will repay you in kind + does does through up the odd bass.

Trust me, i know the score with this beach. I have put the work in. There has been a clear drop in Bass stocks this last year or two.

Nice wee flounder. I know that there are/were very large flounder on this beach - i have seen them but never caught one (landed up to around 40cm). I almost trod on one a couple of years ago which would have made a 40cm fish look puny.

I retrieved a large one-down trace and 20 feet of luminous shockleader which was tangled up in the rocks at the northern end of the beach yesterday. If anyone is looking for it give me a shout!

I too have heard these reports about boats etc. However, i think that there is something more fundamental wrong (not necessarily commercial or illegal fishing).

As the tide fell...

Andy: Where did that feckin' reef come from?

Andy: B*******s, I'm snagged.

I too have heard these reports about boats etc. However, i think that there is something more fundamental wrong (not necessarily commercial or illegal fishing).

You could be right.. What's with the contaminated tape aound the stream on the ballyliffin side. I believe a farmer was conviceted of pollution on this beach a couple of years ago.