A clash; should I stay or should I go? Stay at home to watch Armagh v Galway or Go Fishing? Good weather has been hard to come by recently and I can always watch Armagh at Croke Park next year! I soon had the car and boat loaded (with a radio included as extra equipment) and was on the road west early next morning. I had a few frozen mackerel but fresh bait is always preferable; the feathers entered the water at 11.15 and exited at 11.16 bearing fruit. A couple more drops provided enough bait for the day so it was off to the fishing grounds where the usual booms, flowing traces and silver spoons were bouncing across the sand.
Last time out on this mark was a bit slow but there was more going on down there than I knew; I had used my underwater camera for a while and when reviewing the recordings at home I was surprised to see a pair of thornbacks nosing around the camera and lead weight for 5-6 minutes while completely ignoring the bait. Of greater interest was a pair of painted rays which did the same thing. The smaller of the two painted rays did eventually drop back and take the bait; I hooked him but lost him after a few seconds. So today’s target species would be painted rays!
It took 30 mins of bouncing before any interest was expressed, the first of 7 doggies which would grace my decks. No. 2 arrived 35 mins later, things were a bit slow. Next fish was a bit livelier than your average doggie and grey rather than brown; a small tope (69cm). A couple of rays were next, thornies rather than the hoped for painted rays but at 6lb 7oz (with beautiful markings!) and 4lb 12oz, I wasn’t complaining. Then something took a bait and ran a few yards, great to hear the reel singing, and I tightened into a very lively fish which headed straight for the other line, snagged it and then headed for the other side of the boat. I ended up hand-lining it in as the two lines were entwined in an almighty plate of spaghetti and caught round the prop; the joys of fishing alone! The grey culprit was a smooth hound, first but hopefully not last of the year, 6lb 9oz and 98.5cm, well worth the hassle. A quick pic and measure and back it went. After another dog and thorny, another great run sent the reel singing but whatever it was dropped the bait before I could react. I left the rod to see if it would take a second bite and took the precaution of reeling in the other rod. To my surprise there was a small tub gurnard on it being towed along. The bait-dropper did indeed go again and this time I tightened into it, it was obviously a lot stronger than anything caught so far today as it darted left and right and made a few good runs before biting through the 40lb mono trace. I assume it was a half decent tope; this is what you get when you bring a ray rig to a tope fight! I think I wrote last year about seriously trying this mark for tope as I have landed several small tope in the last few years; a proper tope trace will be included in the rig wallet before the next visit. About an hour later I hooked another lively fish which shed the hook close to the boat, although I didn’t see it I would guess at something grey; either another small tope or smooth hound. I had one more doggie before lines-up as by now there would be enough water at the slip to recover the boat. I finished the day with 7 mackerel, 7 doggies, 3 thornies, 1 smooth hound, 1 small tope, 1 tub gurnard and a tope bite-off; no painted rays though it was an interesting day out. Both visits to this mark this year have been neap tides; perhaps a bigger tide would be more productive.
And in case you missed it, Armagh won.
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