Bray Harbour, 28th January

[beebub2]

People: Me, Stephen8wood

Duration:8.30 – 11.30

Tide: Rising

Weather: Started calm, got windy, ended calm

Bait: lug, squid, mussel, Mackerel

Rigs:3 hook flapps and 1 Up 1 Down

Results: about 15 fish between us whiting & Rockling of various types


Report: We hadn’t been out in about two weeks after a disastrous attempt at fishing in a gale last time. The break was good for us! Decided to try somewhere new and so headed to Bray harbour. It’s not a bad little place to fish; the swan population is probably the largest collection of swans I’ve seen. There must have been over 100 of them lining the beach. It was pretty busy when we arrived but most headed off by 9pm or so. Two whiting had swallowed the hook so deeply they hadn’t a chance; the rest happily swam away (without the need for a splash in our whiting revival bucket). The rockling seem to be slightly more robust than the whiting.

It was good to get back out.

Captain Ahab, I had an experience of to what you were probably referring in previous posts. A couple of lads left us some bait as they were leaving and as there were two lads left when we were leaving I did the same. I dropped up the left over bait and noticed his bucket was nearly full with the tiniest whiting I’ve seen. I’ve caught (and released!!) some small whiting in my time but none as small as these. Some of these fish couldn’t have been more than 10 cms long. I mean what is the point of taking home a 10 cm whiting??

[shamoo0804]

That must of been you guys arriving as I was packing up. (I was the english lad) I was up towards the end of the pier fishing with 3 others (eyesreilly, fishface, BIG mick)who stayed on for a while I think after I'd left. I'm sure eyesreilly will have the report up later.

Nice to see the bait getting recycled, I had indeed passed on my unused bait last night, maybe some of it made its way down to you But dissapointing to hear of somebody taking such small fish, presuming that is, that they werent in the bucket(alive) to get their strength back before being released.

I had 18 fish myself (13 whiting, 5 rockling) in 2 hours, even had 2 casts in the harbour itself to see could I sneek out a flounder before I left.........got me a whiting and rockling

Nice fishing lads anyway, always good to try a new venue, and Bray Harbour is ideal in certain conditions for that bit of comfort you get from fishing out of the car.

[JOHN1]

People: Me, Stephen8wood

Duration:8.30 – 11.30

Tide: Rising

Weather: Started calm, got windy, ended calm

Bait: lug, squid, mussel, Mackerel

Rigs:3 hook flapps and 1 Up 1 Down

Results: Rockling of various types

. I dropped up the left over bait and noticed his bucket was nearly full with the tiniest whiting I’ve seen. I’ve caught (and released!!) some small whiting in my time but none as small as these. Some of these fish couldn’t have been more than 10 cms long. I mean what is the point of taking home a 10 cm whiting??

did you still give him the leftover bait
what varities of rockling did you get
all of them whiting were probably deep hooked and he is saving them for a big pike slaughter

[Stephen8wood]

It was an enjoyable session with a few bigger whiting than usual. The lads with the bucket were collecting small fish for a nice big stew with a few glasses of vodka. I got my line caught up in one of their lines and during the untangling i noticed that he was using three hook flappers with very small hooks so he was targetting the pinners. Other than the bucket of really small fish they seemed like grand lads. Anyway I suppose it's just a matter of personal choice.

[diego]

all of them whiting were probably deep hooked and he is saving them for a big pike slaughter

Can you use the whiting as bait for pike?

Diego

[JOHN1]

all of them whiting were probably deep hooked and he is saving them for a big pike slaughter

Can you use the whiting as bait for pike?

Diego

you sure can

[diego]

you sure can

I'm going pike fishing very soon then

[JOHN1]

you sure can

I'm going pike fishing very soon then

dont tell me you were the lad with the bucket of whiting .

[shamoo0804]

Well, I suppose if they're using the small whiting for bait, then thats fair enough.

Buy the bait at over priced tackleshop rates, or catch the bait yourself.....

I know which option I'd choose

[beebub2]

But dissapointing to hear of somebody taking such small fish, presuming that is, that they werent in the bucket(alive) to get their strength back before being released.

Not unless they came accross some miracle bucket, which revives whiting without the use of water.

did you still give him the leftover bait
what varities of rockling did you get
all of them whiting were probably deep hooked and he is saving them for a big pike slaughter

I only noticed the bucket as I was walknig away. I wasn't going to turn back and take the gifted bait from him.

I'm not really sure about the rockling. One certainly had a few 'beards' hanging off him. One was a good deal darker than the other two.

I doubt the last theory very much. I think stephen8wood's stew & vodka theory is far more likely. Well, vodka or Piwo.

Shamoo, were you the chap who asked us to move the car so you could get out?

[dfella25]

I only fished Bray Harbour the once and did all right by all accounts. Well done lads nice session and great to get out mid week. Gods knows what the lads wanted the pin whiting for. I heard if you get a couple and wrap them in bait elastic you might just get enough for a goujon!

[shamoo0804]

Shamoo, were you the chap who asked us to move the car so you could get out?

No, I think them lads were leaving just after you had arrived, I had to move my car aswell to let them out.

I left 15/20 mins after that.

[Dave]

Sounds like we all had the same idea last night, I fished the harbour for a little while last night as well. Although I headed pretty early at about 6:30 so I don't know if I was talking to any of you guys, it would have been good to put faces to some of the names. Much the same as yourselves, I was plagued by tiny pin whiting and couldn't seem to get through them. I was hoping I might be able to tick a few more species off the list but the whiting seemed to be on my baits as soon as the hit the water. My hooks were constantly being cleaned by tiny whiting and I was hooking very few of them on the flapper rigs, I actually caught most of them on my little "mini species" rod. The soft tip and the braid made it much easier to spot even the slightest bite and the little circle hooks did the job and seemed firstly to hook more fish but secondly and more importantly, they were all lip hooked and went back unharmed. Whiting are quite delicate and do have a habit of getting the hook down them and as a result and as a result unfortunately a lot of them don't survive. By the sounds of things I probably should have stayed for another while and I might have at least got a few more rockling and maybe even a flounder.

[beebub2]

I left 15/20 mins after that.

Ah yes, having read your Whiterock report, I remember now you told us on your way past that you had been there.

Maybe when passing anglers at various marks we should say something like 'sea angling ireland.org??' to see if it garners a reaction.

[shamoo0804]

My hooks were constantly being cleaned by tiny whiting and I was hooking very few of them on the flapper rigs,

Them mini whiting may be the famous Bray Harbour crab population

I'd say you must have just left before I got there myself, but eyesreilly and BIG Mick had got there just before me, so maybe you had seen them, who knows

Maybe when passing anglers at various marks we should say something like 'sea angling ireland.org??' to see if it garners a reaction

Yeh, we could do with a secret code word

[uvox]

How about a funny handshake - like you had a hook stuck in it? Of course, ye could all join up the club and get yer SAI patch to wear too...

[eyesreilly]

Hi Beebub, you saved me writing a report it was myself who gave you the bait when i was leaving,lug courtesy of fishface, i also got tangled up at one stage . I left at about 9-30pm just as the whiting were getting a little bigger,,, but thats what happens when you take a lift with someone and they want to go home early . We caught the same,,,whiting and 5 bearded rockling,9 or 10 fish each,except for Mark(Shamoo) who was on fire and pulling in doubles and trebles each cast, was hoping for a doggie but wasnt to be,,,,got dabs and flounder there on jan 1st. Always plenty of crabs about,specially at low tide,, annoying little beggars but you have to admire their persistance. There were two guys there when Big Mick and i arrived, maybe Dave was one of them?
Heres a pic of my biggest whiting, last cast ,,in case you forget what they look like

[dfella25]

Still not 30cm Dave! Think they must leave home at 29cm

[eyesreilly]

Still not 30cm Dave! Think they must leave home at 29cm

They seem to get thicker,, not longer ,,where i'm concerned

[dfella25]

Like humans then. Get thicker with age.

Now where did i leave my glasses?