1st ATTEMPT at sharks, Donegal Bay

Chuckaroo and myself had been trying to organise a couple of days since the end of July, it has been impossible to get 2 days with suitable sea and weather conditions which coincided with the ability to get days off work. Since we both have long runs to get to Killybegs, one day is hardly worth the effort. The trouble is when you arrange time off work and book accommodation in advance, conditions have changed by the time the dates come round. It must be great to live on the coast! We had a half chance for Thursday and Friday so, conceding to a combination of desperation and frustration we decided to go for it. So with new traces constructed, reels filled with fresh line and raw materials for rubby-dubby assembled, we set out. First step was to try for some fresh mackerel to top up the rubby-dubby and for bait; this was when things started to go against us. The macks did not come out to play and after some time we had only about 5. Well it was enough to bait the rods so we steamed out a bit and out with the feedbag, in with the baited traces. The ebbing tide with the stiff north breeze was giving a good s.westerly drift with the slick spreading out nicely behind us. A bit more feathering gave us another 5 mackerel and an unexpected pollack of about 4lbs. The wind unfortunately was strengthening and we were losing the shelter of the land and after about 1.5 hrs drifting, conditions were getting very lumpy and dirty so the wise thing was to come in. We tucked in close to the shore and fished smaller baits and were rewarded with a number of dabs. A number of dolphins put on a short display of acrobatics around the boat before we called it a day with the hopes of another attempt on Friday.
Friday seemed to be slightly less windy at first and as we set out the sounder showed up a few small shoals of fish. Bearing in mind the bother we had getting mackerel on Thursday, I decided to try these shoals so turning the boat through 180 degrees I steamed back up the wake and found a shoal again. We dropped down the feathers and I could feel fish bumping against the line but no hook-ups until I started jigging more vigorously. Up came a few small scad, the smallest I had ever seen... but another species for this year. Chuckaroo was having more success using smaller Sabiki rigs but I eventually hooked a couple in the mouth which I could count with my head held high, no more salmon snatching methods for me! Moving out of the harbour shelter, the wind had become north westerly and was very strong and gusty. The coast guard radio then reported a small craft warning in operation for our area so that ended any thoughts of heading way out into the bay to try for shark. We headed in tight to the shore which was deceptively sheltered and fished comfortably for the rest of the day. A lot more dabs showed including plenty in the 30cm size and the best going 34cm. None of them matched Chuckaroo’s plump one from yesterday however. Chuckaroo fished a spinning rod to great effect taking two nice little spotty rays along with dogfish and dabs. I managed a dogfish, several tub gurnards, a little grey gurnard and just as something approaching envy for the spotty rays was setting in I landed the first cuckoo ray of my career. In fact it was the first cuckoo ray that either of us had ever seen. A single mackerel took my bait a short while later, the only one of the day. The unreliability of mackerel supplies is getting beyond a joke. At one point we motored in to within casting range of the shore where Chuckaroo let loose with a soft plastic. One pollack slashed at it at the surface as he was lifting it out for the next cast, (scared the life out of him!),another good sized fish followed it in and a few others nipped at it but no hook-ups. A long line of pots prevented casting close in but it would be a tactic worth trying again. A move along the coast to a sandy bay and we drifted out from about 6 feet depth, a few more nice dabs and a male cuckoo wrasse from a small patch of rough was the reward. Unfortunately Chuckaroo snagged and lost his beloved Delta Spoon which he has had for about 10 years. Can you hang on until Christmas Charlie? At one point as we reached the end of a drift out from the shore a local charter boat arrived onto the scene and cut engines exactly on our starting point, he did a few other drifts covering ground that we had covered. I was sort of pleased to see a local skipper fishing the spots that we had fished as I only started exploring this stretch of coast last year, suggests I’m not wasting my time.
So no sharks but we did all we could do, after which the weather and fish have to do their bit. I have every confidence that given a decent chance we will get a couple, just mightn’t be this year the way the weather has been going. The cuckoo ray helped salvage something as did the gurnards and scad by adding to the species tally for the year. I also enjoyed fishing with Chuckaroo as his different methods and approach encourage me to try something new, I’m too prone to doing the same old thing.

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Some more photos;

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You certainly made the best of tough conditions. The underwater shot of the tub is brilliant!! Hopefully you might get a window for another shot at the sharks.

[chuckaroo]

That pretty much sums it up JW

That north wind just didn't relent. I was hoping that it would have eventually (or that at least hoped we would have been sheltered from it just enough to to have a proper go at the sharks) but alas, as you say, we had to make do with what we had otherwise. A little disappointing tbh but the scratching from the boat exploring 'new water' was thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless, for sure.

I was particularly happy with the spotted rays as I don't see them much, if at all, closer to home; seeing that cuckoo ray was very cool too. Also a big fan of flattie fishing, those dabs were all of a great average size tasted great too!

A few pics from the 2 days below taken by myself.. :
I seemed to go into a mode of being intrigued by the eyes of a lot of the fish we were catching at one stage. lol Some pretty cool ones all the same.

Will get another go I hope!

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Last edited by chuckaroo on Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Some great pics there lads, brilliant!

great report JW, fantastic pics from you both, a nice selection of species, dabs are great eaters i think, some lovely ones there, well done on the cuckoo ray, shame about the wind but im still envious of your exploits lol

Great pics lads some lovely fish there. Funny enough I was on that charter boat that day you guys went right up on the shore and drifted out. We had a few nice fish out on the hard ground cod and ling and just went in there for a drift but didn't get much only dabs. Those small scad are what attract the bluefin tuna into the bay they are feeding on them. That cuckoo ray is a nice catch there