Tigger II - Cork Blues again - 28/08/2009

People: me, petekd,g.wyse

Duration: 11am-8.30pm for me anyway, main event 3.30pm-8.30pm

Tide: LW about 19.30

Weather: westerly breeze

Bait: mackerel

Rigs: sabbikis, shark rigs

Results: mackerel, herring, blue shark

Report: Gavin was supposed to put this up, but he's obviously still suffering from the trip....

After our success the previous week, we thought we'd try for the blues again. I went out in the morning to get enough mackerel for dubby and bait, but over the course of 3 hours I had managed about 20 macks and 1 small herring, despite dotting around the place. Same story most of the summer around here for me anyway. Quick call to Pete ensured that our precious frozen mackerel from a previous trip made their way down.

When the boys arrived we had an impromptu dubby making session and then headed out to try for the sharks. Some trip out with the wind against the tide and blowing across us, left me completely soaked as the waves and splashes drenched me every 20 seconds or so . Had over an hour of this.....Must get faster boat with pilot house or spray canopy!! A bit later with a slight course change and a slightly shortened distance ( I was fed up) we neared our new destination accompanied by a couple of porpoises circling and bow riding the boat.

We set the trail and then set up the rods (at this point I couldn't care less being cold and wet, so it took a while for me to get mine done). Pete opted to fish light and straight off the boat (no mucking about with balloons) and was rewarded after 10-15 minutes with a nice run and a good fight to boat a blue of around 50lbs. As we released it, it took a notion to savage our dubby bag, clamping onto it and ripping it to shreds. We eventually managed to persuade it to let go and set up another one. Quiet then for an hour or so and then everything went a bit mental with numerous runs and sharks.

Gavin had a big run from a fish and Pete was being run and dropped after a minute or two of a fight by a fish almost continously. I took the rod for a moment as he helped Gavin (who was definitely into his first shark), only to have the same thing happen to me twice. He took it back and played it for a while again, before it slipped off. Gavin meanwhile was still fighting and a long way from landing the shark, which was starting to suggest it was a biggie.

Pete lost the shark again, so it was time for me to get back in the action, using Pete's light rod, I baited another mackerel and was rewarded immediately with a good run and this time I managed to hook it. Myself and Gavin were both close to boating the sharks, mine although feisty and giving a few runs, was obviously smaller and easier to manage, so we opted to let Gavin boat his first given that it was his first and the fact that it had been played for a while. Still took another 10 minutes to get the shark boated. Nice big blue of around 7' by the looks of him and the biggest shark to grace the boat so far. We had good fun getting him in the boat (imagine three lads all our gear, a barrel etc and a 7' shark in a little orkney) and controlling him to get the hook out. All the while I am still playing this other shark.

Gav's big shark wanted to outdo the first shark and its bag ripping antics, so it attempted to take a chunk out of my bench seat. Anyway, we got him sorted out, pictured and returned eventually. With scarce time to breathe, I finshed getting my one to the boat, got the leader out of the water, only to have it go on another run (let it rest too long ), which ended with it seemingly biting through my line.

Gavin then celebrated his first shark, by puking. His stomach finally got the better of him as we were rolling around in the waves. Might have taken the edge of it for him slightly

We all rebaited and got them out again when, like last week, I got hit by a shark under the boat while I was trying to tie on the balloon, although this time I remembered to have it spooling, but it was to no avail as the shark dragged my line across the propeller and snapped it.

Frenetic activity with seemingly good number of sharks attracted by our dubby trail, couple more runs for Pete and then it quietened down with only a couple of small runs and knocks to show for the last hour or so. Tried a bit of bottom fishing, but nothing showing.

Long trip back, with only the occassional splash to maintain my dampness, but pretty satisfied. If anything more successful than the previous weeks trip (other than the weather), so hopefully we have proved to ourselves it wasn't a fluke and that we are doing it right. Just need to get our boated shark/run ratio up a bit, and for me to stop dangling my bait in the water while attaching balloons.

Pete may post up a photo or two, depending on how they have turned out. Last weeks not great, hard to get enough room on a rolling orkney with a shark to get a decent photo.

deadly report, even without the pics!
i can see it all as i remember tope fishing from the boat as a kid in the '80s
how i miss it.
roll on the pics

A nice trip out apart from the drenching on the way, bloody crosswinds. Action packed considering we were only fishing for around 2 hours or so. Great sport with the shark on the uptider and good to see the theories proven again Cheers Lee for the trip out.

Funniest part of the trip was when both myself and lee hooked up, Gav who was feeling a little under the weather at the time huddled in a corner had a look of sheer horror on his face as the ratchet on his reel slowly started to click before taking off at a rate of knots Poor guy had to lift into a lump and then maintain some form of composure for the fight both in the water and on the boat which he did manfully. Well done Gav

well done lads,great fishing!and a brilliant report,hope the pics are good,and well done gav on your first.

here are a couple Pete texted to me from the the previous week you'll see what I mean....
Hopefully Gavin's one turned out alright?

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Great stuff and fantastic to see so many sharks about

Superb another cracking trip you had there

Well done Lee, great to be doing it from the little orkney. Have you Pete boat trained to not eat the dubby mix yet?

Big thanks to the lads for putting up with me for the day
Made the mistake of getting sea sickness tablets...should have gone for the anti-seasickness tabs instead

Sea sickness aside, i actually enjoyed the day..big difference from, as Pete put it "size 4 hooks on Ballybrannigan beach"

Thanks again lads,

sorry now..but know nothing about sharks... the fact that there are so many around...is the bad weather the reason or what ..i dont get it ..i thought the sharks would follow the mack and are there bag loads of mack out in the deeper water?
Never saw such a bad year for close inshore mack......