Duration: Various
Tide: Various
Weather: Mostly mild, dry
Bait: Crab, lug, mackerel, razor
Rigs: 6/0, 4/0, 2/0 pennel pulleys, 2/0 two hook flappers and 1/0 three hook flappers
Results:
27th January: 13 codling, 2 five bearded rockling, 1 shore rockling
30th January: 1 flounder, 2 codling, 3 coalfish, 2 whiting
31st January: 6 codling
2nd February: Blank
3rd February: 5 codling
Report:
27th January: I collected some peelers off Bhoy32 and headed to Ferrypoint. But a strong NW wind had picked up and was blowing across the bay - it was not comfortable fishing so after a couple of casts I packed up and moved to a mark I had only fished once before over a year ago and in daylight. I had intended to return in darkness but never got around to it. Second cast I had a 32 cm codling, followed by another of about the same size shortly afterwards. After that I was getting bites but no hook ups until I got a small shore rockling. The bites slowed down. I decided to move on but when I reeled in the lines I discovered a five beared rockling on one of the pennels trying to eat a bait almost as big as himself
I travelled back to Youghal and set up - the strong NW wind that was blowing earlier had eased off. I was quickly into a bite - a small codling. After that the codling came in quick succession, including several doubles and one more five bearded rockling. I had another eleven codling, However, few of them were above 30 cm.
30th January: I met up with Trout Hunter and Trout Hunter Jnr who were in Youghal for the day. They had already been fishing for a couple hours and had a few codling. I met them at another mark that I thought might throw up a few fish early on the rising tide in daylight. But unfortunately a lot of weed was coming in with the tide and it was unfishable.
We then moved to Green Park, but it was very quite (first time I have fished there in daylight). The lads had a few codling and Jnr had a coalfish which he seemed quite pleased about. However, I wasn't getting anything. I scaled down the hook sizes on one of the rods to 1/0 three hook flapper hoping to pick up a few smaller fish.
Eventually they packed up to head home shortly after dark, and just as they were moving off I finally managed to land a fish - a small flounder of about 26 cm. After that I began to get a few bites, I had a couple of small codling, three coalfish and two tiny whiting.
It was good to meet the guys but a shame the fishing wasn't better for them.
31st January: I decided to have another attempt at fishing the mark that we had tried the previous day. I thought I would try it over high tide (I have never done that before - usually fish it over low or early in the flood or last stage of the ebb). Almost as soon as the bait was in the water I was getting bites. I had five codling there up to about 35 cm. I lost a few too - as I was retrieving the gripper was getting caught in weed and usually by the time I freed it the fish had managed to shake the hook. As the tidal current increased it became too difficult to hold bottom so I packed up and moved back to the town for a few final casts. I had one more codling, again about 30 cm.
2nd February: I headed out to an East Cork beach hoping for an early bass since there was a bit of a southwesterly blowing. I got to my first choice and found it was unfishable due to huge mounds of kelp on the shore and lots of kelp in the surf too. I moved on to my second choice - it was fairly weedy but still fishable with a nice surf. I was using large hooks 4/0 and 6/0 with big baits aiming for bass. However, nothing was biting. As the tide was pushing forward the weed was getting worse so I packed up. First blank of 2010
Although I wasn't that disappointed as it is probably too early to get bass in any numbers along that stretch of coastline. I would probably have picked up a few small fish if I had scaled down the hook size, but I stuck to the big hooks until the end 
3rd February: I thought I would fish the same mark that I fished on the 31st January over high tide again. I was getting bites almost straight away but kept missing them, or was snagging in the weed and the fish were shaking the hook. Eventually I managed to land one, another 30 cm codling. The next one was a bit bigger at 35 cm, and much fatter. The next was about 33 cm but thinner. I had another two smaller ones after that. Four of the codling were caught on crab, the fifth was taken on lug. However I must have lost at least twice that many fish due to getting snagged on the retrieve.
Your withdrawal symptoms must be getting to a serious stage now! 
