Duration: 4 hours
Tide: up to HW
Weather: mixed bright sunshine and low cloud
Bait: mussels, mackerel, fresh lugworm, limpet and ragworm, lures
Rigs: flappers
Results: 3 coalfish all to spinners and 1 shore rockling close in to lugworm
Report: Lovely spot. Lovely day. Nice coming tide. Flat calm.
Water crystal clear ... tons of sandeels in big shoals wandering around, tightly bunched which led us to believe there would be lots of predators in with the tide. Cast out onto the sand and into the margin with various baits on three hook flappers and it being low water, did not expect anything to begin with... wasn't disappointed! A small edible crab almost made it ashore. Baits were coming back untouched. Saw three choughs (spelling?) which was a new one for me at Keem. Lovely birds, real characters, I can see why people like them.
Went spinning with a Mike Ladle 11foot surespin, lovely rod, light, stiff enough to cast, nive progressive action and soft tip, worked a charm with Rapala plugs but although its listed at up to 60 grams casting weight, I found it make heavy work of a 40 gram metal toby. A lure rod.
Mans got the odd rattle but nothing showing, not even mullet. Around 5 pm I dropped a set of baits onto the sand, just shy of the weedy margin (tackle graveyward) and was rewarded (ahem!) with a 100 gram shore rockling. New one for me in this mark, usually get three bearded rockling here so interesting enough. Still nothing on the sand. Not even fresh lugworm (my usual spot near Rostuirk house is buggered for bait collection now) could do the trick. Very disappointing although it is usually May before the dabs and flatfish come on here.
Was expecting a few flounder but nothing. Not a sniff. Could it have been netted recently?
Tried spinning again in under the cliff and was rewarded with Mayo blanks - all coalfish, around the 1 lb mark. Great little scrappers, really gave a good account of themselves on that rod.
Very disappointing return. No predators in to look for the sandeels. Not even local sea trout or pollack, much less mackerel. As for the bottom fishing clearly its either netted to death or a month too early owing to the really cold weather we have had...
Better than painting the house (which is what I have to do today!)
Tight lines