blackhead antrim wednesday 29th september

[yngkmd]

People: me

Duration: 6-930pm

Tide: lw 830

Weather: perfick

Bait: mackerel, pollock, colefish

Rigs: freeline and conger trace

Results: pollock, colefish, wrasse, mackerel, dogfisj

will put up more detailed report later but heres the pics

So low tide and dusk were due to coincide, weather was to be really calm so I figured it was the perfect time to go catch another conger. Took 2 conger rods and 3 frozen mackerel, plan was to use mackerel on one rod and Pollock or colefish on the other and see which bait was working best. So landed down, set up the wee rod and chuck out a bit of mackerel with 4 beads and a splitshot. Got a tug straight away and pulled in a nice wee Pollock the perfect size for conger bait. Set up both conger rods and chucked them out. Within 20 minutes I had runs on both rods. Both were giving short sharp runs taking about a foot of line at a time. Obviously dog fish, tried hookthem but they were just holding on missed both. This set the tone for the rest of the night with doggies mangling the baits not long after hitting the water. My only regret is I didn’t have a rock rod with me so I could have target them specifically, as it was all my rods were either too heavy or too light. So on the wee rod I was having a good old time catching away at Pollock and colefish, there weren’t there in the same numbers as before but they average size was a decent half pound rather than the 5 inch wonders that I was catching on previous sessions. I got a huge tug and struck into what felt like a monster, immediately stripping line of the reel. Fought it into the side after about a minute and it went straight into the weed and got snagged. Let the line slack and soon enough it swam free and got it on the rocks. A decent wee Pollock just shy of a pound and a half. Unfortunately it was hooked in the gills and was bleeding all over the place, so put it out of its misery, I had a chunk of Pollock gill still hanging on the hook so chucked it out and went to put the Pollock away in a bag. Came bag to find the rod tip bouncing and pulled in the one wrasse of the trip. fishing continued like this for a while, none of the other Pollock and coalies came close to a pound but i was getting a good few of them. I had cast out and set the rod down then walked over to my bag to get a drink. Half way there I heard the distinct clatter of rod on rock and turned round to see my rod heading for the water. Running after it I was already planning who the hell I was gonna get it out again when the fortunately the reel snagged just before it went over the edge. Fish on and straight away I could tell it was something different. There was a bit of back and forth with it taking line me gaining line, but got it into the side and was a really nice, fat mackerel. AND this time I even managed to get it up on the rock before the hook pulled out of it. I was most delighted with this, especially since the way the doggies were decimating my conger bait I was nearly running out so a bit extra would be a great help. Come about quarter past 8 the Pollock and coalies had stopped biting, and I finally managed to hook a dogfish. On the conger gear it wasn’t much of a fight but good to add another species to the list. By this point all the frozen mackerel and the 2 pollock and 1 coalie I had for bait had been used up. So decided to go for broke and cut the big mackerel I caught in half, stuck half on each rod and chucked them out. Having no bait left, I sat back and played poker on my phone until I got a run. Nice fresh mackerel oozing blood and oil it should be long before something came along and munched it. But no, come half 9 neither bait had been touched, reeled them in and not even the crabs had had a go at them.
Didn’t get the conger I was after but still got 5 species and had a good ole time. Went home at ate the Pollock shallow fired in butter Om nom nom nom.

[alannelson]

thats good fishing well done thats a cuckoo wrasse dont see them to often
will maybe try for congers there thur night

your doing well for the tide being full out i would usually fish it 2 hours in then out

[yngkmd]

your doing well for the tide being full out i would usually fish it 2 hours in then out

i have been doing alright up there at any state of tide recently though i have found slack water at low tide up to slack water at high tide to be the best. Most of the conger i ve caught recently have been at slack water at low tide or just after low tide.
Mostly ive been freelining for pollock and coalies and i find its best done when the tide isnt too strong and you know yourself on the way in the tide gently fills belfast lough and on the way out it like someone pulled the plug.

[Der Baron]

Well done there mate, you've been getting some good results lately. I take it that's fairly deep water you are fishing into no matter the state of the tide?

[evan699]

Lovely cuckoo wrasse. They're a beautiful fish and a real treat to catch from the shore. But no congers

[yngkmd]

Lovely cuckoo wrasse. They're a beautiful fish and a real treat to catch from the shore. But no congers

not this time but like yer man said thats why they call it fishing and not catching. i was really impressed with the colours of the wrasse. i have caught them up there before but they've always been an orange pastel colour, still nice but nowhere near as impressive

Well done there mate, you've been getting some good results lately. I take it that's fairly deep water you are fishing into no matter the state of the tide?

at the edge its about 12feet at low tide and about 18 or so at high tide give or take. not sure how deep it gets further out but its a gradual increase in depth no drop offs or anything at least that i know off. but there is a lot of thick weed its a real graveyard for tackle but thats what keeps the fish hanging about at all states of the tide. i also think this is why freelining has been working so well for me cos i can get the bait right in ontop of the weed and since theres just 1 hook on the end i can pulling it in on slow retrieve through and over the weed without getting snagged (at least most of the time). fishing the bottom is near impossible and esp when the tide starts to flow as its quite strong and will snag you everytime. float fishing can be quite productive too up there as well though.

[KERRY1]

Great report and pictures. You got a good variety/mixture of species during your session, not bad at all for the length of time you where out for, nice one. Well done on getting the Cuckoo wrasse, it's a class looking fish. You took a great picture of it, the colour is amazing.

[Al and Jordan]

great result on the cuckoo man that wee mark has been really good to you lately. keep it up the reports and pics are 1st class