Poor season ?

OLd Boat Reports are moved here for Public Viewing

Poor season ?

Postby Peter Kinsella » Wed Jul 07, 2004 6:05 am

So far, I have found this to be a poor season. Especially compared to last year. Both quantity of catch and range of species are down. Hopefully things may pick up when mackeral arrive in greater quantities - I hope they will !
What is the experience of other boats so far this season ?

Peter.
Peter Kinsella
SAI Bait Ball
 
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 6:43 am
Location: North Clare
Has thanked: 6 times
Have thanks: 6 times

Postby kieran » Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:37 am

Hi Peter

I've been reading the charter reports from http://www.cfb.ie and whilst I accept they will always make the best of what they're catching, being commercially minded, the south / south west coast seems to be doing really well, especially the boats that have taken the time to locate wrecks and then have skippers that can position their boat over them for the anglers... I'm thinking of Mr Gannon in Courtmacsherry and others...

Off the shore I had my first blank this month all year, in constanting driving rain in Achill. I gave up after 20 minutes (soaked through) so it hardly counts as a session but I felt the fishing has been reasonable. There was an otter in the currents taking sea trout so the fish were there but the floating weed clogged my lures almost immediately...

Spetember and October have always been my preferred months for species hunting as you have the full benefit of the Gulf Stream. Even July can be a bit early depending on the weather. I bet it will improve :wink:

BTW Luke Scully is looking for help with spurdogs and if I recall you have taken then regularly in Galway Bay, yes?

PS: Do you know any of the hotspots on the Black Head area - I've been told you have to be very accurate to contact fish off the rocks and I am not going there again for another blank session - far too long a drive!
Kieran Hanrahan

Time spent fishing is never time wasted...

2015 targets - a triggerfish, a specimen bass, a three bearded rockling to complete the set and something big and toothy from certain north Mayo deep water marks
User avatar
kieran
Site Admin/Owner
 
Posts: 2511
Images: 19
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 11:27 pm
Location: Mayo, Ireland
Has thanked: 259 times
Have thanks: 445 times
Blog: View Blog (3)

Postby Peter Kinsella » Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:12 pm

Kieran, thanks for the informative and optimistic response. Yes, I agree that September and October are the best months. It is the case, however, that the species count is well down for May and June. Even mackeral numbers are few so far this month. This is the experience of other experienced anglers in my area too. Just let me say that I keep detailed records of my catches, detailing species , dates and catch locations. This I have done over a number of years.
I thought Mr. Scully was seeking spurs in the East ? Is he the master of the crippled vessel ‘dirty fecker ‘? :oops: Spur hot spot to the right of middle of chart 3339. Cryptic clue ‘ Orca zone ‘—That should not be too difficult to solve, given the respective chart.
Best Blackhead marks, in my experience, are between lighthouse and peg 64. Fish when getting dark on a rising tide. As per an earlier topic – this area is over rated.
Would advise that time is better spent in Autumn / Winter to fish further south at Fanore strand and other sandy bays close by. Again on rising tide as night falls = BBBBB bass. Especially after stormy weather.
Will post again when things improve. :lol:

Peter
Peter Kinsella
SAI Bait Ball
 
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 6:43 am
Location: North Clare
Has thanked: 6 times
Have thanks: 6 times

Year so Far.....

Postby JimC » Thu Jul 08, 2004 9:00 pm

Here in Cork there has been good enough fishing so far this year. As Kieran pointed out Mark Gannon is having a very good year but then he has great ground to fish. Small boat anglers are getting their share as well!!.
In the last couple of weeks small boats out of Guileen have had specimen whiting and cuckoo wrasse. Only the other day we had three specimen cod and one specimen coalie while fishing out of Kinsale.

Things usually improve in Aug,Sep,Oct.............

Jim.
User avatar
JimC
Moderator
 
Posts: 3074
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2003 5:18 pm
Location: Cork
Has thanked: 281 times
Have thanks: 922 times

Postby mrtdog » Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:36 pm

Just come back from a week in Kerry (stayed near Kenmare). Found the fishing very poor. Even hard to get any mackerel let alone anything decent. Met some other anglers up around Gleesk harbour and they had found the same. The weather needs to warm up before the fishing improves. I'll come back and try again another year
mrtdog
 

Getting better

Postby Peter Kinsella » Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:46 pm

Fished outer Galway Bay on Monday. Usual marks slow. New mark. Endless pollack ( unable, even with heavy lead, to make the bottom) and a dozen mackeral. So plenty of fish but not the variety of species.

Peter
Peter Kinsella
SAI Bait Ball
 
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 6:43 am
Location: North Clare
Has thanked: 6 times
Have thanks: 6 times

Postby kieran » Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:25 pm

Hi Peter et al

Brian Smith and Jeff Franks (in the gallery) had 27 species in five days fishing with MGH in Clew Bay. They are there but you just have to look for them in different places and change the rigs and baits. For example we will be targetting black bream down in the SE in August or September but we will need to persuade people to use 1s as hooks and very light tackle over rough ground (I can see that going down well!). In pioneering new marks I expect to blank two out of three, although this year has been exceptionally good.

I'm hopeful of adding certain new features to the site that will greatly enhance the ability of all anglers - shore and boat - to locate new marks and I'm not talking about wrecks or GPS coordinates... you will still have to use your grey cells but hopefully this information will help anglers. It involves obtaining detailed photographic and other material for free from commercial organisations, in return for our neverending thanks and a bit of free advertising. More anon...

With most of Galway Bay, Peter, I imagine you could definitely find new species. I know there are tope available around Clarinbridge and know someone who would definitely be interested to help you find them? There is also gurnard, various rays including stings, whiting and codling there.

PM if you want the contact details...
User avatar
kieran
Site Admin/Owner
 
Posts: 2511
Images: 19
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 11:27 pm
Location: Mayo, Ireland
Has thanked: 259 times
Have thanks: 445 times
Blog: View Blog (3)

Postby kieran » Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:29 pm

Peter

What rigs / tactics are you using?
Maybe a change there will bring different species?

FWIW...
User avatar
kieran
Site Admin/Owner
 
Posts: 2511
Images: 19
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 11:27 pm
Location: Mayo, Ireland
Has thanked: 259 times
Have thanks: 445 times
Blog: View Blog (3)

Postby arthurg » Wed Jul 21, 2004 6:02 pm

Speaking without any real evidence I get the impression that this year is not fishing so well, however I also mentioned the other day that the weather this year is poor only to be told that last year was much the same before it came good during August and September ................ my memory is hopeless!


Anyway, as far as species are concerned - fishing my favourite local shore mark a couple of weeks ago (Fanad Lighthouse) I caught 7 varieties. The week previous I had a further two varieties to add. Nine varieties over two days fishing within the same week is not bad IMHO, but again I am not convinced the fishing in the Swilly is as good as previous years.

Scores in the league matches seem up on last year though!
arthurg
 

Going to get better

Postby Peter Kinsella » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:31 pm

This thread started with my observation that this appeared to be a poor season for both species variation and quantity of catch. I must firstly state that sea conditions have not been so good so far this season, so the amount of actual fishing effort is not directly comparable with last season.
This June and July I have just caught Coalfish, Pollack, Mackeral, C.Wrasse and a few Spurs. My records, however, show that for the same period last year I was catching Coalfish, B.Wrasse, C.Wrasse, LSD,Pollack,Pout,Mackeral,Ling, Cod, Spurdogs and Huss. Rigs and tactics were the same for each season.
As for the other species that Kieran mentions, I catch tope August to October, Whiting in the winter and have only caught Gurnard in the deeper Atlantic waters. I have hotspots on the shore for thornbacks. It is my experience that they like shallow sandy places - which I don't fish from the boat. This may be a reason why I have never caught a bass from the boat !
As for Kieran's thoughtful plans ''I'm hopeful of adding certain new features to the site that will greatly enhance the ability of all anglers - shore and boat - to locate new marks and I'm not talking about wrecks or GPS coordinates... you will still have to use your grey cells but hopefully this information will help anglers. It involves obtaining detailed photographic and other material for free from commercial organisations, in return for our neverending thanks and a bit of free advertising. More anon... '' -- Well I am looking forward to this !
Peter
Peter Kinsella
SAI Bait Ball
 
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2004 6:43 am
Location: North Clare
Has thanked: 6 times
Have thanks: 6 times


Return to Archived Boat Angling Reports

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests