predator ireland co antrim

People: speciman club

Duration:08.30-15.30

Tide: perfect

Weather:lovely

Bait: mackerel,coalfish,herring,squid and scad

Rigs:spurdog and skate rigs later baited feathers

Results: mackerel,codling,haddock,blackmouths,herring,whiting,lsd,pollock,congers,spurdogs,pouting,launce and a skate


we had a trip booked on saturday on board hamish curries boat predator ireland. me and my mate frank are sort of new to the speiciman hunting so when a message came through on friday from hamish saying "skate and spurs straight offshore" hopes were high. we arrived around 08.10 saturday to see hamish keen to get show on the road so gear was set up in double quick time. we jumped on boat to find hamish making fresh rubby dubby and in a sperate bucket was the bait for the day. a good steam staright out was was of upmost impotrance as we needed to have have best state of the tide to fish for the skate. after a long steam out towards the isle of mull we finally arrived. in no time at all hamish had us anchored and we began fishing. right from the off the congers and spurdogs were coming in thick and fast. really enjoying my self laughing at a text message from my mate i missed a good bite, hamish didnt and by the time i had put phone away hamish with my rod in hand told me that theres a real big fish at my bait. so he put rod in my hand i waited with optimisim on the next sign of bite and i didnt have to wait long and struck into something that was very big and strong. it steamed off taking about 20 meters of line then nothing. hamish instructed me to get the buttpad and hold on as i was into a big skate. after a lot of wrestling and 4 others trying to lift the fish of bottom my knot gave way to say i was aboustly heartbroke would be an understatement. new rig on and back to it was the only way to get over it. next few hours produced a lot of big spurdogs some coming in at over the 15lb mark and some nice congers into double figures also were coming on board. i then managed to get into a tangle with another angler and when traces surfaced there was a huge blackmouth dogfish on his bottom hook weighing in at 2.7lb abouslote lovely fish with such lovely colours and markings on its back. things cotinued like this for a few hours till one of lads a back of boat called frank up and said theres a skate a my bait you hit it mate. frank didnt need to told twice and was soon attached to lovely skate. frank played the big fish like a seasoned pro and after 20 mins on 30lb class gear i may add you could see the big nose of a skate around 100 yards behind the boat. the big flatfish took one more dive for freedom but it had been well beaten and soon we were pulling it on board. it weighed in at 111lb and frank was well chuffed with himself. after a couple of pics for the photo album the fish was released none the worse. on a moment of reflection later in the day i said to frank that fish was exactly half the size of skate that had been landed on board this same boat a month ago real scary thought lol. by now we had all had landed big spurdogs and eels and with tide starting to turn hamish hulled up the anchor and we stated the long steam back to red bay. on way back in wee stopped a reef of chusendall and landed some mackerel ,codling,pollock and a few bonus haddock.

verdict: this day will be forever in my memory after such a quality day of sport and a couple of new personable bests for me and frank we are all ready counting the days to the next trip.

some pics

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id say you slept well that night dan thats a lot of heavy lifting brilliant report well done.

great stuff dan. hemish is the man
that sounds like some heavy fishing there man
pity about... next time tho
good report

Thanks for replys lads. Franks still talking about lol . Hamish times and marks to prefection. Gonna have to back to gym pulling 4lb leads up 150 meters is tough work.

great fishing lads

Thanks

Well done dan some good fish Not easy going
when fishing deep water and big tides.

great spur there dan
and for once it was'nt my knot that gave out making you lose a big fish
that big eel is still down at that rock mark. we'll get him this year mate

it wasnt my knot too mate some so called expert had tied it earlier in the day for me as for that big eel still having nightmares about him must be at least 30lb pus. we will get him