Does anyone have any information on common skate in Donegal or the North West? I am just back from Scotland and am well and truely hooked on these big mamas. Would love to fish for them from my own boat but the only places I am aware of are Clew Bay in Galway or Red Bay in Antrim which are a bit far afield for regular fishing.
I know they like to lie in very deep water 300-500 ft, on a fairly clean bottom, but I'm not aware of anywhere with this kind of depth that I have fished before.
A few tope in the vicinity would be a bonus as well as they should hopefully fall to similar tactics.
Anyone any ideas?
2011 Species: 191lb Common Skate, Mackerel, Pollock, Spotted Ray, Spurdog, Thornback Ray, Tub Gurnard
Top job lads, swilly would be very handy for me to put the boat in at Buncrana.
Also been pointed in the direction of the Rosguill out of Downings, I see on his site they catch regular skate and tope/blues/porgies so that would be a good one too as I moor the boat in Port na blagh during the summer.
Keep them coming
Also check out the boat reports section for my scotland trip!
2011 Species: 191lb Common Skate, Mackerel, Pollock, Spotted Ray, Spurdog, Thornback Ray, Tub Gurnard
Trevor on Bonito out of Downings has caught them, somewhere nearby the Limeburner. Never could pin him down long enough the get the mark numbers out of him.
Bet there's halibut in the Inistrahull sound, too.
trevor and micheal mcveigh catch them occasionaly out of downings. your best bet is co antrim with hamish currie on board predator ireland or sean mckay on board lady lynda ballycastle hamish has a great website predatorireland.com would also be a lot cheaper than donegal charter boats
scrob wrote:Where's that Paddy? Forgive my ignorance
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Inistrahull sound is the deep trench between Glengad/Malin and Inistrahull Island, its like a miniture version of the trench between Antrim and Scotland.
Hi scrob, Hamish is probably the man to put you on skate up round here, he is doing very well this year. Im sure Sean McKay would put you on them too in the Ballycastle /Rathlin area. I bump into Hamish every week and he is skate on the brain just right now, dunno how booked up he is but there might be a chance. Even if not going to make a regular bookings with him a trip with him could be a valuable learning experience, never went for skate with him before but have learned good stuff from him the couple or 3 times Ive been out with him.
He's approaching 50 skate for 2011 already!
Did Daryll Grimasson not get a skate in Rathlin sound on 'the Big 6' TV programme a few years back? Maybe he was out with Sean McKay?
2013 Sea Species:- Bass, Flounder, 5 Beard Rockling, Shore Rockling, Whiting, red gurnard, grey gurnard, Pollack, coley, mackerel, sea trout, cant remember cos I didn't update at the time.....
2012 Sea species:- Pollack, Coley, Mackerel, Cod, Bass, Sea Trout, Haddock, Plaice, Dab, Flounder, Red Gurnard, Grey Gurnard, Pouting, Whiting, Corkwing Wrasse, Ballan Wrasse, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Brown Trout caught on beach.
2011 Sea species:- codling, L.S. dogfish, coley, whiting, pollack(4lb 3oz), sea trout, shore conger eel (15lb), ballan wrasse, grey gurnard, plaice, dab (and lobster).
