Bailey LH Report

[Wes]

Fished: Sat 10th (10am-3pm) + Mon 12th (11am-6pm)

Saturday fished the city side for 2hrs, bait was Sandeel/Rag. Rig was 2 hook pater with rag and eel, floated other rod with rag at a plumb depth of 6-7ft.....no luck with either. moved to the far side of Bailey with same setup for the rest of the day, still nothing for me.

Monday fished the city side all day. Bait Sandeel/Rag/Mussel/Peeler. 2 of us fishing, other being my nephew, he took a palm sized whiting in first 40mins on feathers! I think he was hoping for an early Mackerel .
I was using a 2 hook boom pater, a rig i'm getting very fond of, rag tipped with peeler. Other rod was on a float with just rag. 2hrs into it and I took a Dog, as soon as he landed he showed me what he had eaten for the day . About an hour later I took a Whiting of about 18cm, the cast after that gave me a palm sized Dab. Same rig and bait about 45mins later I took another Doggie. Seal popped up and hung around for a little while then headed off. Not long after I had another small Whiting, and 2 casts after that another Whiting was on, same size as the other 2, maybe the same one? Was a good day all in all, the Whiting,Dab and Doggie were taken on an incoming tide.

You may remember I was without a reel for a bit, well I purchased an Okuma Axeon AXS 90, 12 bearings.....super smooth, fantastic reel.

[George]

Nice to hear the doggies are arriving at Howth. Havn't decided whether to fish Killiney or Split rock but I'll let you know how I got on. Did any one say anything to you when fishing the city side? What other info do you have on Gleneveena beach? Is it the beach to the left of Lion's head?
12 ball bearings sounds smooth! How much did it set you back?

[Wes]

Yeah was good to have some weight pulling back.....lets hope its the start of a good run! I'd be more inclined to go for Split Rock, Killiney is too populated with bathers and walkers etc...
You still having probs fishing there? I was talking with the people living in the base of the LH on my way in and on my way out. the main thing that bothers them is people leaving a mess on the rocks. I was there on Sat as i said, then on Monday. Well there were 3 lads that came about an hour before we moved to the far side on the Sat, had their rag and other bait in newspaper. We came back on Mon and the spot they were at was filthy, newspaper stuck between the rocks, cigarette boxes and what looked like half a spool of line...place was filthy. So you canb understand them stopping people, but I think they've come to know me, as I've been fishing the spot years. I picked up what I could and threw it into a plastic bag, then into the bin at top of the road when i was going.
Glenaveena is the beach to the left (Bailey direction) of Lions Head. You can access it from Lions Head, but only with really light gear. the other way is from the path from the road, where the road has a shoulder for cars to park/pull-in. In saying that, its a sliding-on-your-backside job to get down , and getting back up the legs need to be good.
As for the Reel, she set me back €200 with a fair bit of gear thrown in, but she's good......damn good.

[m.b3]

i fished this beach (the one under the house on the cliff?) last year with carp gear. only had rag as i was fishing the Lion's head for wrasse/ pollack before i moved on. i short cast sees u clear the rocks. didn't catch anything but would like to go back with beachcasters and more variety in the bait department. friend tried spinning with no success. access from the lion's head best at low tide but its a bit of a struggle all the same. how did you access it from the cliff? very nice spot to fish when there's a notherly. i will return. cheers lads.

[Wes]

You can get access from the road, theres an old pillared entrance in the 2ft wall.....walk down til you come to the broken fence....walk to your right along it and you'll see a pathway down...a steep pathway!

[George]

m.b3, it looked to me ,when I was looking down at it from lion's head, that you'd need a 100 + yard cast to clear the rough stuff at that beach and I'm sure the smoothies would be at this range as well. Fair play to you Wes for getting to Glennveena down that " CLIFF" you'd want mountain gear for it, it looks easier yet still quite hard, to access it from Lion's Head. Only problem is the infamous "Lion's Head Rope".
Concerning litter, it seems to be the Mackerel Bashers fault. I hope to god that the Bailey doesn't become another ballscadden

[m.b3]

is it the rocky beach to the right of the Lion's Head? it has steps/ pathway down to it? i tried this spot years ago but my casting skills were rubbish! trying to get used to the multiplier and a stiff rod, i am glad those days are over! if this is the spot well i agree George, u would need a good cast to get out past the rocks. Wes, what kind of conditions did u catch the smoothie in, time of year, etc? George i don't think the Bailey will turn into another Baliscaden, the odd mackeral basher used to fish here years ago. i think it is too off the beaten track. cheers lads, Mark.

[Wes]

It was sometime in June last year when I had the Smoothy. Was a sweltering hot day . And if i remember rightly, I was using a Lug and Peeler cocktail, casting out beyond the reef....90yds roughly. I was doing a bait check when I thought i had become snagged in the reef, but as I looked, i realised i was too far past it to be snagged. Next thing the tip just went, and the rod was sure to follow if it hadn't been in my hands. Some fight though.
Hopefully the Bailey wont become another Balscadden....I dont think the family living in the LH or us "regulars" would allow it.

[m.b3]

thanks for that Wes. do you think this spot has Huss and Codling potential. i have had codling closer to the telegraph pole and again at the bailey. maybe they would take up residency in the reef you have to cast over?

[Wes]

Huss, I would say yes, but moreso at night. And that spot is a bit too dodgy for night fishing. As for Codling, I took one on a float at the Bailey a few months back, maybe 3yards out from those old worn steps to the left of the usual spot. I always thought the ground to the immediate right of the Bailey looked a good spot for Codling, with it being a good stretch of foul.......who knows, maybe a possible mark for Huss, but Ive never fished it......too snaggy.
Telegraph Pole is a nice spot alright, but to the left of the Martello at Redrock is the more favourable of the two. Also a noted Bass mark . Maybe I'm wishing a bit too much, but, has anybody ever had a Smoothy in the summer at this spot? With the transition of the foul ground to sand and then to the deeper channel up by the Dinghy club, it looks perfect!

[m.b3]

i rember that cod u had on the float u swine! why do u think that spot is too dodgy to fish at night? could u tell me what species you have taken from the left of the martello tower (plus possible species)- everytime i ask someone they just moan about dogfish. how far too the left do you go before you fish it? the more info. on this place the better Wes! i haven't fished it seriously yet. i have to say i thought the ground immediately right of the bailey would produce codling. not being confident enough that i would catch made it hard to fish into the rough stuff. thanks again Wes, cheers.

[Wes]

Ahhh Mark, good fish come to those who wait.. . The beach is awkward to get to at the best of times, never mind at night.....and if you're not into or upto climbing up the hill at night then you're stuck if you get a high tide.
As for the Martello, its true that Dogs are more than a nuisance......with the majority of bites coming from them. Other species would be obviously Bass, low water with some plugs or peeler seems to be the gear for here. Bottom fishing in close for Wrasse and Pollack and at long range, I'm nearly sure a Smoothy could be had. Its very foul ground so junk leads would be in order. When I fish here during the summer, I tend to try to the left of the tower first....if unproductive after a couple of hours, I move to the right, just before where foul runs into sand.
By the by, if the good weather keeps up on the weekends, Lion's Head will be off limits to us.....swimmers have been there the past couple of weeks.

[George]

I reckon the little rocky outcrop to the left of the Telegraph Pole would fish much the same as Gleneveena Beach although you'd want an even longer cast. SOD reckons the nuckle bend on the east pier has good cod fishing for distance casters during the winter.

[m.b3]

thanks lads. the rocky outcrop you mention George may fish similar. the time i caught a codling there i was casting slim rag/crab baits on 35lb. Triline. it was some effort getting the bait out 120+ but it was very calm. one suggestion is to walk past the rocky outcrop and fish off the cliffs on your left. a half decent lob will be as good as a 100 yard cast from the outcrop.

[m.b3]

sorry bout that...internet connection keeps failing. anyway, fishing from these cliffs it is easy to reach clean sand. the troube is getting the rig back up (use a rotten bottom). i have not caught anything the time i tried it (around christmas) but none of the other marks here produced either that day. i reckon its definately worth a shot. u can really launch a bait out off here! please if u do catch fish here, there should be good wrasse down the edge, let them back into the sea near the telegraph pole/ or use a bucket of seawater......i am such a bloody wimp. i am itching to try this spot next month. * i have tried to add mor posts to this page but keep failing, what could this be? had to use 'edit' option to say this!

[m.b3]

George i take it you are talking about the east pier in howth? if so there are codling at the elbow alwright. use short hooklenghts (8 INCHES OR LESS) to aviod snagging. strike and reel fish in as soon as you think its hooked. there are nice coalies here too. i know a fellow that got one 2 1/2 pound here (40yard lob). lug, or even frozen lug, and mussel produce bites. try and fish it when its calm and coloured because if its rough you will need grips and it can get expensive. cheers.

[m.b3]

George i take it you are talking about the east pier in Howth? there are codling here alright (and coalies too). quite snaggy ground but fishes when other spots slow down. lug and mussel, frozen lug works too, are as good a bait as any. use rotten bottoms and short hooklenghts to avoid snagging (as much!). try and fish coloured water when it's calm. this means u can use plain leads which are cheaper to loose. u don't necessarily need distance here. i know a fella who had a 2 1/2 pound coalie from here with a short lob.

[m.b3]

the elbow on Howth pier? is that the one your talking about George? if so, fishing is onto rough ground. lug and mussel good bait, frozen lug works also. u can catch coalies to 2 1/2 pound here aswell. short hooklenghts recommended to avoid hook snaging, rotten bottoms aswell. try to fish when calm/ coloured or at night. reason being u will need grips to hold in a swell, losing them soon becomes expensive. not a bad spot with definate potential..........

[m.b3]

con.

[m.b3]

con.