Ackill Island

[fagan]

Well guys Goin down to ackill for a few days in may. 4 days in total, any info on marks and bait much appreciated

thanks Fagan

[corbyeire]

wait until august/sept - fishing much better then

[Deleted User 3488]

We fished Cloughmore pier last May and had some nice pollock on the spinner and Rockling to specimen size on Worm baits. an hour and a half either side of high water was the best time.

[fagan]

wait until august/sept - fishing much better then

thanks Corbyeire, we planned to go bass fishing before the bass ban on the 15thmay but couldn't get the days off so unfortunitly had to book the week after which ment couldn't fish for bass. so wanted to go somewhere on the west coast. I thought of achill because ive been there before but never fished it. tho would be willing to go down as far as galway maybe better fishing down there??

[fagan]

We fished Cloughmore pier last May and had some nice pollock on the spinner and Rockling to specimen size on Worm baits. an hour and a half either side of high water was the best time.

thanks monkeywrasse if we go ill keep that in mind any info on were to dig or buy bait???

[corbyeire]

fagan, if you have to take those dates i wouldnt go burning more fuel for galway

youll get flatties and sea trout off the beaches - just for the rocks you wont get near the stamp of pollack, wrasse conger and huss that might be knocking round later in the year!

there will prob be some sport knocking round - with 4 days youve time to test it a bit

[wicklapaul]

I was up there last year, went fishing down right of the harbor, I lost every lead weight I brought with me, and every shop in Achill was out of lead weights,

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[Des C]

Try Keem Bay at the far end of the island. Just head for Keel and keep going. if you don't like heights, the road can be a bit "interesting". There are plenty of big flounder and an odd sole. Peeler crab, mackeral strip are good as are rag/lug. The ground is clean here. Purteen Harbour opposite Achill house hotel / sharks head pub is good for conger and rocks to the right of same are great for wrasse on hardback or rag. I got a few v.small turbot on Keel strand on mackeral/squid. Low tide and up is best.
There must be hundreds of marks around Achill but access is a problem as is safety due to shoreline and tides.
Bring bait as it is really hard to get - even mackeral! I ended up driving to Castlebar.
There are other spots on the Dugort side of the island but I didn't get a chance at them.

[fagan]

thanks for the info guys Is there anywere I could dig lug close to achill

[corbyeire]

have never seen a sole from keem - would love to know the tactics!

[Deleted User 3488]

thanks for the info guys Is there anywere I could dig lug close to achill

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/shor ... yo%201.htm

I'm not 100% sure, but I'd say most of the estuaries in that neck of the woods should provide ya with lugworm at low tide.


kieran
Post subject: Re: Achill tackle?
Unread postPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:31 am
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The hardware store at Achill Sound has a small section dedicated to tackle but mostly boat gear. There are a couple or charter captains at Purteen who live locally and they might be persuaded to sell you some gear if you are desperate. I think their names are on a plaque in the harbour with phone details. After that you are looking at heading into Belmullet, Ballina or Newport/Castlebar. There are some shops and gillies in Bangor Erris but they cater for the salmon anglers only. And there's Doug in A Shore Thing on the pier in Westport, who is well stocked. The big shop is gone in Castlebar but a new guy has opened on Linenhall Street near Rocky's and Cox's Bar.

Digging bait on Achill is hard work. The sound is full of small inlets that are studded with lugworm casts but they tend to be very small and above a skim of mud, the ground is often terribly hard to dig, being made dominantly of stone. You would swear builders dumped 4 inch hardcore there. There are pockets of deeper mud but its incredibly oozy, stinks like hell when you disturb it and its not recommended. Hard to move in and get out of....

The storm beaches like Keel have very little in the way of casts, bar a few lugworm down near the cliffs. Dugort is similar. Sandeels are a better option and anywhere on the tideline around low water at the Bull's Mouth can yield them. On the one occasion I tried it I found weaver in there as well so use gloves. They are also to be found in the wet sand under the fish factory building at the other end of the sound but not in great numbers, it was hard work. A drop net with some mack tied to the end typically gets you lots of crabs within fifteen minutes in most harbours. Strap congers too!

There are some good lugworm beds on the way to Achill and on low springs you can dig black lugworm (very deep backbreaking work) on the storm beaches around Stonefield and Kilcommon. There are sandeels available in the section between Mulranny and Newport in the clean sand - if there is any mud you are wasting your time. You can also collect cockles, limpets mussels and crabs in the intertidal margin but you can get them on Achill away from the most exposed shorelines.

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/shore-mayo.htm

HTH


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