Weather: Freezing!! (with snow, a heavy frost and lots of ice!)
Tide: Mixed
Methods used: Bait fishing
Bait: Razorfish & lugworm
Results: Bass, dogfish, flounder, pollock & 3 bearded-rockling (& frostbite!
)Report:
On Sunday 27th December 2009, myself, K2 along with Al & Jordan set off early full of excitement on the long drive down to Co.Kerry for a week of fishing.
Initially when K2 and I asked Al & Jordan if they would like to join us for the week we had no idea that the weather was going to be as bad and as cold as it ended up but that’s part of fishing in this country. You can never depend on the weather and with the accommodation booked and paid for we all just had to go and make the most of it, which is what we did.
Bass was the main target species for us all and it was mission accomplished with us all catching them during our time there.
We planned our fishing sessions around the tides (as you do) to maximise our chances of catching, organising our trips so that we where fishing into dark as this is when k2 and I have had most success in the past and this proved to be the case again with all of our bass we caught being when it was dark.
The extremely cold weather did make the fishing harder than usual with our feet and hands becoming so cold that after a while you could hardly feel them!
Despite the cold however, we where rewarded for our efforts with all of us catching several different species from a number of different venues.
K2 and I haven’t been very lucky with the weather of late as our previous trip down to Co.Kerry before this one, which was in November, was during the time when the whole country had the really bad floods and rain but that’s the way it goes!
No such weather was seen like the last time Al was down with us in October when we all got sunburned!
The first night when we all went out fishing together for me was the most memorable and the reason for this was that I caught my biggest ever bass to date. A nice fish weighing at least 5lb and a new personal best for me – I was so happy!
A quick picture was taken and it was released.
Another highlight of the trip for me was K2 and I beating our previous year’s record of 96 bass for the season reaching the milestone of 100 bass for the year.
It was great to see everyone catching over the whole week, especially wee Jordan. His face when he caught his first bass of the year was priceless!
We all went out fishing on New Year’s Eve and fished right through into the New Year and K2 was the one who caught the first bass of 2010 landing it at 01.16am on 01/01/10, which was great. The rest of us blanked that night but it didn’t matter, it was still great to be out fishing, what a great way to bring in the New Year. We all went back to the house after that for a glass of champagne and then bed as we where all knackered!
It was my 30th birthday as well when we where down but for me I don’t know whether it was a case of celebrating
or commiserating 
being another year older!! The best day’s fishing for K2 and I was on New Year’s Day when we along with a friend of ours who lives down there went out to one of our favourite marks and ended up with seven bass between us.
Al & Jordan where down in Cork at this stage hoping to catch a cod or two but the weather ruined their trip which was very disappointing but at least they tried.
I’m not sure what day would count as Al & Jordan’s best but I would guess it as being the first night when they both caught their bass.
I can speak for us all when I say that we all had a great time but as usual the time flew in far too quickly.
K2 and I just want to say that it was a pleasure having you both (Al & Jordan) down with us and it was a pleasure showing you's about the places we fish. We are just so glad that the marks we took you’s too produced the goods and that you both caught bass, as we knew that’s what you’s wanted to catch most of all.
Below are some of my favourite pictures of our trip to Co.Kerry over Christmas and the New Year for you to have a look at as well as previously unseen pictures of my and K2’s trip in November which at the time I never got around to writing a report on.
