North Dublin coast

Message

#1 Post by **roryodonnell** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 12:49 am

People:
Just me

Duration:
7:30 - 9:30pm

Tide:
LW 7:30pm

Weather:
Overcast, westerly offshore wind circa 20/30

Bait:
Plugs

Rigs:
Devils own

Target Species
Bass

Results:
Blankity blank

Report:
Was watching the golf during the afternoon and pretty much decided not to fish and have a couple of beers around wine o'clock. But for whatever reason, perhaps I was too lazy, or perhaps it was due to the fact that my normal beer fetcher (3 yo daughter) was asleep on the couch, I never managed to get one open. So Clarkey wins and I'm getting itchy. Beer or fishing? Feck it, I haven't caught a fish in over 20 years, and having just taking up fishing again (bought 2 rods and 2 reels and a couple of lures) I decided to go out and "fish".

My wife loves the fact that I go out all determined and full of beans, trying to catch fish, only to come back with a smile, the kind of a smile one makes after holing a 30 footer for bogey.

I have been out previously over the last week or two, sunnier weather, only a slight offshore wind, good clarity and at high to rising tide. But today was opposite. Overcast, tide was fully out and was quite blustery. Reading website like these, the stock advice is to try what works best for a specific mark. So I did!.

I began walking the shore, clambering over rocks looking for a suitable mark to fish from. Again, the stock advice is to reci the area at low tide to get a feel for the place. It really is amazing, hoping from rock to rock, jumping over narrow gullies. You really do get a feel for the place and where the bass actually feed and hunt. I saw loads of eaten crabs in gullies with no way out, that must of gotten trapped and mercilessly devoured by biggies.

I managed to find a nice spot with no or very little seaweed on it to fish from. With the tide being fully out, I was casting mainly on to clean ground with the odd boulder or two in from of me. The bird things (terns?) where diving about 40/50 meters in front of me and there a fair few sprats in the water around the rocks where I was standing. After about 10 minutes I saw a fish jumping about 30 meters in front of me. Didn't look big, but if I was to guess, it would have been around 10 inches and most likely a sea trout?

Game on, there is definitely fish here. I was going to catch a whopper and slap my wife around the house with it. 15 minutes later, reeling in my lure and observing the action in the water as it came closer, a fecking bass came to the top, near where I was standing and nearly foul hooked itself on the lure. Christ, I though. There ARE fish here and I nearly caught one! I was wagging my tail like mad. You ever notice how a dog wags its tail when its sniffing another dogs bum? Well, that was me. Que another 10 minutes and another sea trout jumps. Slightly bigger. Nice slash and at around 12 inches.

But, that was it. No more sightings or fish jumping. There was still plenty of sprat around the rocks and I beavered on for a while. In the end I nearly got trapped from the incoming tide, even though I was watching it like a hawk.

Overall, I did enjoy roving the terrain as the tide was fully out. Seeing all those dead ends with no way of escape. You really do appreciate how these fish predate. Also, today, one got the distinct impression, the bass behaved like buzzards over the clean ground. Waiting for the tide to come in so they could begin their hunt again over those nooks and crannies that I observed before.

#2 Post by **tight lines** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:55 am

unlucky mate nice report

#3 Post by **Sparks43** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:29 am

Nice report and best of luck in future trips

Only way to catch Bass is with trial and error

I would love a pm of where you fished and if you would like company on your next trip?

A bit of bait fishing and some spinning could go well

#4 Post by **eyesreilly** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:26 am

Great report Rory, my beer fetchers are all grown up now

#5 Post by **roger de dodger** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:07 am

all those munched crabs could have been smoothie leftovers worth a shot up to and over hw with a nice juicy peeler if your unluck a bass might get it before the smoothie,s do

spend your cash on bait not beer and you might get more fish

an early morning hw could produce well on a mark like that

#6 Post by **stevo74** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:30 am

Unlucky on the blank but keep at it.
Great report by the way

#7 Post by **nicefish** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:42 am

I say your wife was glad you blanked considering she was going to slapped around the house with a nice plump Bass.

#8 Post by **roryodonnell** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:12 pm

nicefish wrote:I say your wife was glad you blanked considering she was going to slapped around the house with a nice plump Bass.

The observed Bass was only around 14 inches. I would have only managed to chase her around the house with a picture of it, going "Uuuuuhhhhhhhhhh"
If it had been bigger, I would have put it back also. Beautiful creatures.

#9 Post by **Creep** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:31 pm

Excellent report, pity about drawing a blank

couldnt stop laughing at the "Game on, there is definitely fish here. I was going to catch a whopper and slap my wife around the house with it." line!!! PSML!!! my mrs is happy when I dont catch as she doesnt like the smell of the fish! hmmm is there a thread for anglers with spouses???

Sea Angling Ireland