Ballycotton inshore reef 1st of December

[sailnfish]

People: Myself and my father

Duration: About an hour and a half

Tide: flowing

Weather: Calm

Bait:Savage gear sandeels, Fish black minnow

Rigs: 8ft Surecatch Salty powerbraid with Shimano Aernos ,
Results: Wrasse, Pollock, Cod
Report:

Having never been out with my father on his new boat, we decided to take her for a trip west and have a cast on the way back. As soon as we arrived at the mark the Wrasse were hitting the black minnows hard which provided great sport on the spinning gear. The pollock started showing as the light faded. They were small (2-3lb) but again gave a great show on the lure rods.
I clipped on a green savage gear sandeel and within a few minutes had an unmerciful wollop with my little aernos screaming as the fish ran. After 10 minutes or so of some big dives and runs, a beautiful Cod well into double figures was at the surface. The subsequent death rolls would have made any crocodile proud ! My Father went to lift the fish aboard.....At the risk of opening wounds, I'll just say I should have brought a net... Despite the fish breaking free at the gunwale, I can safely say that it was some of the best sport I have had on a lure rod. The Salty proved more than capable of vertical lure fishing for big Cod and all for €55. Cheers to Razor2 And JimC for the recommendation on that one Great to get some good fish on the lure gear in December. Anyone looking to buy 30lb class boat gear ???

steaming East 01Dec13.JPG (79.26 KiB) Viewed 6806 times

wrasse 01dec13.JPG (84.13 KiB) Viewed 6806 times

Worth noting here that the fiiish black minnow do not stand up well to wrasse teeth ! I'll be saving them for the sandier Bass marks in future

[JimC]

Superb!
There's no doubt about it but its a great way to fish. If we get a decent run of cod then the sport will be epic for the winter.

[sailnfish]

Superb!
There's no doubt about it but its a great way to fish. If we get a decent run of cod then the sport will be epic for the winter.

I'm kind of dissappointed that the penny didn't drop years ago in terms of the size and type of gear I was using Hopefully the Cod Gods will be good to us alright.

[JimC]

I'm kind of dissappointed that the penny didn't drop years ago in terms of the size and type of gear I was using Hopefully the Cod Gods will be good to us alright.

There's a combination of factors there I think....
When starting out most guys fall victim to the "I have this 10' spinning rod in the shed, it will surely do..."
We did not have the "proper rods" to get the most out of the lures until a few years ago.
Certainly the range of soft lures has increased hugely.
Braid or reels have become much more well behaved!

I think you'll see a lot more vertical jigging with metals in the next while as guys get to grips and realise the sport to be had.

I have tried unsuccessfully to break my 7' Salty I've been ranting about them for ages and its great to see guys getting the most out of them. At the price something has to give and in this case the eyes are budget and will go before the blank.

You'll need to take a few pictures to compliment your report next time round I'd say the one after losing the cod would be priceless

[sailnfish]

I'm kind of dissappointed that the penny didn't drop years ago in terms of the size and type of gear I was using Hopefully the Cod Gods will be good to us alright.

There's a combination of factors there I think....
When starting out most guys fall victim to the "I have this 10' spinning rod in the shed, it will surely do..."
We did not have the "proper rods" to get the most out of the lures until a few years ago.
Certainly the range of soft lures has increased hugely.
Braid or reels have become much more well behaved!

I think you'll see a lot more vertical jigging with metals in the next while as guys get to grips and realise the sport to be had.

I have tried unsuccessfully to break my 7' Salty I've been ranting about them for ages and its great to see guys getting the most out of them. At the price something has to give and in this case the eyes are budget and will go before the blank.

You'll need to take a few pictures to compliment your report next time round I'd say the one after losing the cod would be priceless

What you said regarding rods is very true. its great to have 'proper' rods available. The salty is definitely one of the best value rods i've had. I don't like spending big money on gear so it fits the bill nicely. While the eyes aren't exeptional, I find them brilliant for the price point. The Blank is a tough piece of work alright

Now that you mention it, I must get up to date with the latest lightish metals suitable for use with light lure rods. Is there some new stuff available in recent years ?
I have a pic of the first wrasse alright which I'll stick up later, I neglected the camera when it got busy. A pic of myself and my father leaning over the side, frantically attempting to grab the cod after it broke free would be a great laugh for ye

[hugo]

A cheering report, Sailnfish, thanks.
Jim, I cant see the original post on the Surecatch rods, where did you buy them? Christmas is comin and my rod shed isnt quite full to the roof yet....

[JimC]

There was a bit here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=33488&hilit=surecatch

[razor2]

I would have to agree with all said above that rod is a beast .I found the shorter rod better for the boat the 7ft there seems to be a few more people using them now a great value rod

[sailnfish]

A cheering report, Sailnfish, thanks.
Jim, I cant see the original post on the Surecatch rods, where did you buy them? Christmas is comin and my rod shed isnt quite full to the roof yet....

I bought mine in TH sports in midleton. Any tackle shop that deals with dennets distributors should be able to order them in.

[sailnfish]

I would have to agree with all said above that rod is a beast .I found the shorter rod better for the boat the 7ft there seems to be a few more people using them now a great value rod

I'm planning to add a 7ft soon myself

[gazaaa]

Good report salinfish.
I was out myself yesterday for a spin around Cork harbour. All I had was my savage gear bushwhacker and a small selection of lures. What a great day I had with the spinning rod. I got a coalie which was about 6-7lbs and had a great play off of him. There were 2-3 boats around me who were using bait and they were scratching their heads why I was getting fish after fish over the gunnel while they were only getting the odd few .

[sailnfish]

Good report salinfish.
I was out myself yesterday for a spin around Cork harbour. All I had was my savage gear bushwhacker and a small selection of lures. What a great day I had with the spinning rod. I got a coalie which was about 6-7lbs and had a great play off of him. There were 2-3 boats around me who were using bait and they were scratching their heads why I was getting fish after fish over the gunnel while they were only getting the odd few .

Ya man. Was the same yesterday. We cast a bait rod and nothing hit it but one dog on a Penn 4/0 senator. Not much craic in comparison to the day's action on the lure rod

[lucky13]

savage stuff lad,i tell ya you've opened my eyes in terms of boat tackle.good stuff

[Bassy Tom]

good day out salinfish and good fishin, fair play.

[jgraham768]

Late to the party but small light spinning rods are absolute Kings when it comes to luring! By far and away the most fun fishing you get consistently in Ireland! Nothing like a clonker ripping line off a fixed spool or a baitcaster!