laytown,small flounder problem

[templer]

hi all ,started fishing 3 months ago and really enjoying it, living beside laytown beach and have been down 6 times
with my son to catch his first fish .
Second time we catch 3 small flounder size of my hand
fifth time 4 small flounder size of my hand
and nothing since .
all morning times from low to high tide, no weed ,used rag (catch flounder)and frozen razor (catch 0)
looking for advise on catching larger and different types of fish
maybe better spots in area for daytime fishing (because my son is only 11)
where really getting into it and can not wait to get to the next level,maybe first bass would be nice

any advise would be great ....thanks

[eoghanb]

Laytown has been poor this year,well done on getting a few flounder off it,a lot of lads have blanked there this year,so if ur getting a few fish keep at it ur doin ok ,dont worry ull get a bass soon ,daytime fishings ok if its dull and a bit of surf

[Al and Jordan]

don't give up just yet man. we have spent about 45 hours over 3 years fishing there and have only had 1 flounder and 2 coalies for our efforts . we fished in front of the golf course all the way up to the mouth of the boyne, but we'll be back next summer for another go as we stay in bettystown a good bit. just remember that persistance is the name of the game
keep the faith man.

[Chris T]

Wait for the water to Muddy up a bit, easterly wind and some decent waves! RAg & Razor are Ideal!!

[shamoo0804]

Not an ideal venue for a little fella if your looking for bass.

Best fished an hour or so into a rising tide, preferably at dawn or into darkness, fish out in the surf upto your knees/waist (its a long shallow beach, otherwise you'd need a monster cast to get out where the bass generally are) and move back every 15 mins or so with the tide, rag, lug and razor is generally all thats needed and a cast of 50 yards or so.

The beach has some quite deep gullys, so scope these out at low water to give yourself an idea of the depth of water that can be behind you when your retreating, you can be ankle deep one moment but 10 paces back upto your waist - be careful and best fished with another adult.

Travel light, some lads just fish with rod in hand and bait in there backpack/pocket, others will use a tripod and a bucket hung underneath with bait in.

There are bass to a decent size on laytown, and can be caught quite regularly with the right tactics and a bit of good luck

Some of the wicklow/wexford beaches may be a better choice of venue for bass if your bringing the little fella with you as these can be safely fished from the shoreline without the need for wading out.

Maybe I'm stating the obvious, but if your only fishing 3 months, familiarise yourself with some of the common types of fishing rigs, hooks sizes, line strengths, bait presentation etc (plenty of online vids) - this will undoubtably give you better results.

When I started sea angling a few years back, I was using 30lb mainline, size 3/0 hooks and tennis ball size lumps of mackerel - little wonder I wasnt catching fish

It was only meeting a few lads off this site and online research that developed my skills quickly, and immediately improved my catch rates.

[sparkey+1]

Yea Shamoo0804, would defo agree with you on the deep gully's on that beach fished ( there is a big sandbank about 150/200 yards out that you can cast from on the drop but get back in time as the beach floods behind you as well ) it a while ago up to high water with Creap and all we got was two flattes

but as I told him when the tide turns its like some one pulled the plug on a bath as we cast out and hit sand and it was power casting walked out and found the gripper and baits just lying there and couldn't see the water, but anyone fishing on the drop be very careful of the mouth of the estuary as the mud is very very soft and can be dangerous so deffo not a place for the small children.

[templer]

thanks for advice and support lads .i'm deffo not going to quit,looking into a trip weekend in wexford and get the tents back out .
got my hands on one or two nice rigs already made up so just have to copy and
its getting darker earlier ,so should be grand for the lad to come along ,but not to late(keep her happy)
with the lad i was waiting till tide was up to concrete slip (beside pub) so we wouldn't get caught out
would not be casting out far at this stage ,by the sound of it that could be why the small fish
saying that his were bigger and he's caught more little git
thanks again ..... all we need is positive thinking

[shamoo0804]

I've generally fished just south of the river mouth behind the pitch and putt course myself, not familiar with the northern beach which i presume is where your fishing.

The flounder can be caught in very close, sometimes in just a few inches of water, so if thats what your after dont feel you have to cast too far.

[Creep]

I take my son out to some of the south beaches and he even came with me on a late night session with Sparkey+1 and hooked into a few nice size doggies, But night time fishing is a different ball game as you need your wits aboutyou and as the seasons turn proper gear is very important, head lamps, rain gear, keeping warm etc ...best to wait till the spring or summer for taken the kids out night fishin (makes your life easier )

another tatic to try with the laytown area is reduce everything line, rolling weight, light gear