Ideas Please

[Musdert]

Folks

I have been fishing lakes and rivers on and off 15+ years now but over the last few years my interest in sea fishing has been increasing. I'v always fished for mackeral and pollack by the docks and salthill in Galway but am beginning to take it more seriously now. More recently I have been chartering trips from Rosaveel on the Bay out as far as the Aran Islands with great success.

Anyways looking to see if any one has seen something like this or could share an idea as to what it might have been!?
I was out fishing from rocks on the shore between Barna and Spiddal on the west coast. I had a toby on looking for pollack mackeral and the long shot of bass. About 40-50 yards something big broke the water. I didnt see it, I just saw the water break. It wasnt a wave as it went in the opposite to the mild swells that were rolling in.

It looked similar to the way salmon would break but I'm not sure what a salmon would be doing heare as at was close to the shore and at least a few miles from the nearest estuary. It was way too big to be a mackeral and I'v not seen them or pollock break like this before. It could have been a seal but I dont think so as they usually stick their head up for a little bit longer and dont make such a big splash on the surface. Could have been his tail but my gut feeling was this was a fish!

So your thoughts would be very much appreciated! Anyone seen anything like this before or care to offer an opinion as to what it could have been?

[Tanglerat]

Otter?

[Musdert]

I had thought about that Tanglerat but If it was an otter, I didn't see any him surface again so I'm not so sure . Having said that It could have been that i jsut didnt spot him again or he surfaced much farther away from me.

Still thinking it was a fish tbh. Would breaking the surface like this be typical of bass or sea trout in the area?

[Musdert]

I had thought about that Tanglerat but If it was an otter, I didn't see any him surface again so I'm not so sure . Having said that It could have been that i jsut didnt spot him again or he surfaced much farther away from me.

Still thinking it was a fish tbh. Would breaking the surface like this be typical of bass or sea trout in the area?

[myworldfishing]

Could have been a bass or a trout. All predator fish will attack near enough the same way, maybe they got spooked just before they took the toby.

[Musdert]

Unfortunately it was nowhere near the lure, I was retreiving from straight in from of me and saw it break to the right in the corner of my eye.

Would i be correct to rule out salmon and sea trout as there wasnt a river of any description for miles around. I know salmon can get iritated when they have too many sea lice and have seen them break like this, but I wouldnt have thought this to be a salmon as it was close to the shore and no river around. Would sea trout be found this far from fresh water? Or could I have possibly discovered a potential bass mark?

Only one way to find out I guess......... might try and get out again this weekend.....

[Determined Dan]

Mullet.

[EndaM]

sounds like a mullet

[galwaydude]

There are several rivers within easy reach that historically got a run of salmon and sea trout including the Spiddle river and the one that drains at Furbo. I would imagine both, especially the Spiddle river, continue to get an odd fish so I wouldnt rule out this possibility. Whether there are many fish still in the sea at this stage of the year is a mute point however.

[Musdert]

Its still about 3k from nearest river /estuary so would have thought presence of salmon or trout unlikely?.... also quite late in the year as you mention above with chance of salmon running in furbo unlikely.

Not so sure it was a mullet either....... plenty of them in loughataile and around nemos pier just feeding at the waters surface..

[Fott Jnr]

My guess would be a seal.