Duration: 9.00 pm tp 12.20 am
Tide: HW at 11.50 pm
Weather: Moderate southwesterly wind, dry
Bait: Sandeel, mackerel, razor, frozen black lug
Rigs: 3/0 pennel pulley, two hook flapper (size 1 and 1/0 hooks)
Results: 3 dogfish, 1 shore rockling
Report: I had been on holidays for the last two weeks in landlocked Czech Republic and was itching to get out fishing again after getting home on Tuesday night. I fished an East Cork beach on Wednesday evening but it was full of weed. After about 5 minutes after every cast the rigs were choked with it. So I decided to try another mark on Thursday night that had potential for surf fishing from a small beach or rock fishing into deeper water from a rock promontory.
When I arrived I could see that there was plenty of seaweed in the surf so I opted for fishing off the promontory. That was weed free but there were some large waves crashing on to the base of the rocks so rather than fish off a lower ledge where I had fished from previously I set up on the top - a long way to haul up any catch but safer or so I thought.
I set up one rod with the two hook flapper, one hook baited with sandeel the other with frozen black lug, both tipped with mackerel and cast directly out to sea. The second rod was set up with a 3/0 pennel baited with razor and tipped with mackerel, and cast out to the left.
There was a steady stream of bites on the first rod but nothing hooked until about 10 pm - the first dogfish. I photographed it and was about to take a second photo - then bang
I was drenched by a massive freak wave. I didn't see it coming as I was looking through the camera view finder - it splashed over my head, I was soaked, jeans drenched, my coat was half open so water splashed inside, water even got down the back of my neck. I was at least 15ft above the crest of the average wave - maybe more and thought I was well above the highest wave - I am glad wasn't fishing from the lower ledge. Just goes to show how dangerous rock fishing can be - if I had been lower down I would most likely have been swept away. Although I was soaked I was determined to continue fishing. A bit later I got the second dogfish on sandeel, again on the two hook flapper. When I finished rebaiting the hooks I realized something was missing - the rod cast out to the left was gone
Fortunately I found it wedged between rocks lower down - something big must have yanked it off the top. When I retrived it there was not much left of the bait. So I rebaited it and cast into about the same spot. A bit later I got another stong pull on the line, but by the time I got to the rod it had gone to ground - no amount of pulling could dislogde it so I left it for a while first wedging the rod into a cleft in the rocks in case it decided to take off again with my rod. After about 5 minutes I tried again - this time I got some movement but then the line went slack - I lost it I guess it was probably a conger.About 11.30 pm there was a small tap on the rod - I retrieved the line, but thought there was nothing hooked until I got it ashore to find a small shore rockling.
There were still lots of bites on the rod with the two hook flapper but it was not until about midnight that I caught the third dogfish.
I packed up a little after that - in future I think I will only fish that mark in calm conditions. Hopefully the weed will clear off the beaches soon.
. I usually team up with someone when i'm fishing at night, just to be on the safe side. It would be easy to fall and injure yourself. Also, I usually stick to one rod in the dark. Take care 