Red Bay, Antrim. A cephalopod tale

Was invited out on a wee boat last week to scratch around Red Bay and gladly accepted the offer.
After dropping off one of the guys who started adding his own 'burly to the system' (Rex Hunt words) early on, we worked the shore for pollack for a bit then headed off into deaper water to see what was about.
Nothing particularly big all in. Best fish were a cod coming close to 4lb and some pollack around the 3lb mark, but good numbers of fish.
A few species too: cod, haddock, whiting, ling, mackerel, herring, coley, pollack, pouting, red gurnard and a few curled octopus. Big shoals of mackerel of all sizes, and a lot of decent coley, it was nice to see.
So anyway, I decided that I'd try eating one of the octopus and so threw it into a plastic bag, as you do.. Never tied a knot in the bag of course and when I got home he was nowhere to be found Searched the car thoroughly then got a message from the skipper saying that he found his daughter squealing out the back yard. She'd opened his fishing bag and discovered olly wriggling about inside. He was then forced to drive down to the shore and let it go again

A link to a wee video taken from the shore recently too fwiw - Feeding pollack bits of squid:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LofW6LzFKvU

Tight Lines an all that
Chuckaroo


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Great to see a boat report,(I just put mine up on the axle stands for the winter), good selection of species there. Hope you stocked up on mackerel for the freezer? That octopus has a very smug and superior look about him, as if he knows he's safe. What's it like to be outsmarted by a mere invertebrate?

What's it like to be outsmarted by a mere invertebrate?

That octopus was put into a plastic bag, which was put into a bigger plastic bag, which was put into a big bucket; and do you know, I didnt bother to tie a knot in the bag as I honestly was thinking that I would give him half a chance! Lol. I thought: if he manages to get back to the water from there then he deserves it.. So in the end you are right, I should have known better, he did outsmart me - I ultimately didn't get my fresh dinner that night!

Hope you stocked up on mackerel for the freezer?

Not once did I put on a set of feathers, I didn't catch a single Mack because I was too lazy to do so.. and, I wanted to focus on bigger things Any Mack I took home were kindly donated by the skipper. I wish I had caught more now!

Cheers Paddy. So do you think you'll make Donegal at the start of the month..?

What's it like to be outsmarted by a mere invertebrate?

That octopus was put into a plastic bag, which was put into a bigger plastic bag, which was put into a big bucket; and do you know, I didnt bother to tie a knot in the bag as I honestly was thinking that I would give him half a chance! Lol. I thought: if he manages to get back to the water from there then he deserves it.. So in the end you are right, I should have known better, he did outsmart me - I ultimately didn't get my fresh dinner that night!

Hope you stocked up on mackerel for the freezer?

Not once did I put on a set of feathers, I didn't catch a single Mack because I was too lazy to do so.. and, I wanted to focus on bigger things Any Mack I took home were kindly donated by the skipper. I wish I had caught more now!

Cheers Paddy. So do you think you'll make Donegal at the start of the month..?

If I feel as good as I do at the moment, there's every chance! I may be sporting an extra thick hat...