Joys of float fishing

[Cormdogg]

Not so much a report here but kinda,
Took a couple of friends out to a mark in Dalkey last thursday, Eric had shown me , low tide only! I was after a big wrasse, which I never got. It is a very kelpy, snaggy mark and I was getting dogs but lost most. The lads had got through but nearly all my traces and weights so I set them up on floats to keep them occupied. Then they started hammering pollock, its was turning dark by then and its a deep enough mark, got some beauties, up to 50cm a couple were brought home for late dinner, they had light enough rods so they had an absolute ball. My mate Dec got a little wrasse and couldn't believe the fight out of it. I ended up getting one shore rockling and one dog! The lads mustve had 15 or so pollock, not to say they didnt lose a few of my floats too!

Saturday I was out in Silver strand, absolutely beautiful like crete in the sun! As the sun worshippers hit the beach, I hoped anound the caves and rocks and manged to winkle out a few fish on a tiny telescopic, using winkles as bait of course and a few small limpits, got whiting, pollock, wrasse, gobies all super mini I was using a 12 hook! or is that 12/0 I dunno?

Anyone fish these beaches at night? Anyways great day, burned the top of feet to a crisp!

So back to the float fishing, Glorious again on Sunday so mad to get out, my car keys had been lost for over a week (found yesterday thank god) so had to try and convince someone to bring me to the coast. Managed to get my sister and her boyfriend to come out to Dun laoighre with me. Got some to be honest sh1tty rag and went to the west pier, the sister brought her book, Everyone with a rod we met on the walk hadn't had a single fish, the pier was packed with mack hunters and lads with beach caster, all sorts, the usual on days like this! we set up on the last elbow on the inside, set up our floats, my first time using a stop knot properly, I previously used a fixed depth which Ill never do again, adjust adjust adjust! We were into wrasse straight away, Goldshinny, corkwing, ballan all great fun on light gear. As the tide came in we got pollock and whiting. I was on a mission to get a big wrasse but it never came but still all great fun. Even the sister managed a pollock, one cast one fish, she was delighted, back to the book. What was even funnier was all the lads walking back from the end of the pier in astonishment at us catching almost every cast. Got one pollock on sand eel out in the middle on another rod I had set up. A couple of lads started fishing beside us on the bottom but had no joy, gave them a float and some small hooks as we left, I hope they had some luck.

My first time using the float properly and it was great craic, simplicity at its best!

[shamoo0804]

Cormac,

I love the float fishing myself, and did lots around Hawk Cliff near white rock last year.

Great fun with a spinning rod, plenty of wrasse and pollock to be caught, most 4/5 hour sessions meant 30+ fish caught, and as many again missed.

Best wrasse last year was 42cm, around 3 1/2 -4lb I would have said, and had a pollock of 54cm aswell.

Had a good few wrasse around the 2lb mark.

Now most of the fish caught there are small, the wrasse tend to be 10-30cm, and the pollock 20-40cm, but its a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. A pieceful spot aswell, only every seen other anglers there once.

PS I think I know the low water mark eric took you to, he showed me the spot last year, you really need a good cast to get out onto the sand, it is a very snaggy mark........and what a climb down

[Cormdogg]

I might swim to it next time!

[KERRY1]

I really enjoy float fishing but of course it all depends on what you are fishing for whether the float is suitable or not.
Whether it's float fishing for wrasse, mullet or mackerel it's really good crack.
Some people like using feathers for mackerel, that's o.k at the start of the season when you are trying to get a load of fish to use for bait or whatever but once you have a few switch onto the float, it's much better (I think).