Duration:9.00 a.m. until 6.00p.m.
Tide:low water upwards
Weather:morning was o.k, afternoon breezy and heavy rain
Bait:lug, crab, mackerel, sand eel, squid.
Rigs: feathers and pennel rigs.
Results:Over 30 thornback ray, 1 conger eel, loads of dogs.
Report:
I had been trying to fit in a ray session for the last few weeks as I had not got a ray this year so far. I had been in touch with gfkelly1969 for the last few weeks and waiting for the right tides and weather. We were nearly going to cancel the trip on friday evening when we seen all the rain on the way.
The day started at 4.30a.m. with a sore head from the night before as me alarm went off. A quick cup of coffee, the gear into to car and of I was set for clifden about 5.00a.m. We met Gerry in the clifden area about 8.30 a.m. and off we went to the first mark. A nice deep water hole with plenty of shelter from the wind. Couldn't wait to get a bait into the water. Put on some feathers with mackerel chunks tied on and within 15 mins we all had our first few fish. Thornback ray for everyone and then some dogs and more rays to follow. We easily had over 15 ray and lots of dogs in the first 2 hours.
We were then interrupted by a screaming farmer as we were fishing off rocks on his land. We were told to get out of his field and not to come back.
Fishing in this spot was slow to start but when the fish arrived it was not stop action. Ray after ray all around 5 pound mark and then my best was 7 pound. Got a belter of a bite and the best scrap ever from a fish. I couldn't believe what I saw when i pulled up the next fish. A conger eel as long as me on a feather with mackeral on it.
Packed up at 6.00p.m.