Duration:Mixed
Tide:Mental! Between Moons, swells and winds it was a very big tide for down this way.
Weather:Lovely
Bait:Crab, rag & mac
Rigs:Pulley and 2 hook clipped
Results:Mixed
Report:
I took the family down to Wexford for what’s become our annual week away in June. The weather was a threat all week but really only 2 days were bad and my sister took the kids off for one of them so we lucked out. The fishing was restricted as it was a “family” holiday after all.
The plan was for some smooth hounds as I had some this time last year right on the beach we were staying. After the early success this year hound fishing (to 6lb+) and not much luck since I as dying to feel the rod being pulled over. So with 30 crabs, rag and mackerel off I set.
Session 1. Saturday 11th June Morriscastle.
The whole family headed out for this one with the kids really looking forward to it. I had bought my 4 year old a rod ad she was gunning to use it! The tide was dropping though and although it looked very flounderish we only managed 2 small ones and a weever fish! As it got late my wife took the kids up and I stayed for an hour throwing out crabs baits but only managed 2 small pups.
Session 2. Ballinoulart 14th June.
I wanted to give this beach a try as I fancied trying to beat my PB turbot of about 20cm! HT was about 8pm and with the days staying bright for longer I thought it might be a way to spend a few hours before darkness. I never managed any turbots or flats for that matter! In fact nothing at all until dusk when one after the other the pups were coming in on every cast. Half mouth hooked and half foul hooked. I even managed to lasso one in wrapped in the rig body of my trace! This continued on until 11pm when every cast was resulting in a dogfish. Seeing as I was lashing out crab baits I decided to keep my precious crabs and head home.
Sesion 3. Morriscastle 16th June.
With the bass ban over and a sweet swell pushing the normally placid tide right up the beach I thought I’d try for bass tonight, along with the continued hunt for more hounds. A quick spin into Courtown to stock up on bait and an old yap had me second-guessing my decision! With reports of hounds being taken on a beach further up the coast. But my time was restricted and I decided to stay close to home. When I got to the beach the tide had already pushed right up so I set up and drop in rag baits close and chucked out some crab about 80-100 yards.
Things were very slow and although I worked the baits around in close a blank was on the cards. I had come to the conclusion that the hounds were waiting for my holiday to be finished before coming in. I decided to move down the beach where a sand bank had waves smashing a right out at about 100 yards or so. Knowing that I was stretching my casting ability with a 4Oz weight on a light rod I cast behind the sand bank and with the other rod into the gully between the beach. I was going to work one rod back in and the other rod out. No sooner as the rag baits hit the water in the gully I was getting pup hounds again. The place seemed to be crawling with them!! Half forgetting I was casting out crab on the other rod I continued to bait & rebait, cast & recast for an hour or so. With the occasional doggie coming in it looked like my plan was scuppered. So I phoned the wife to tell her get the wine open as I was packing it in when the rod out at distance got a wallop! I grabbed the rod and a few turns of the reel I could feel the weight of a fish on. I reeled in a nice schoolie of about 40cm. Chucked him back and called it a night. I never got back out but had a few nice sessions and it was nice walking off the beach and not have to face a 2 hour drive home for a change. Never got a big hound but had a nice couple of sessions in.
Just to add a note I was using two types of rigs all week. 2 hooked clip down with size 2 hooks and Pully’s with a 1/0 and 2 pennel hook. The size 2 were Owner hooks on the clipped down rigs. At €4.20 for 6 hooks they are very very pricey but they had lipped hooked the fish great breaking through the pup hounds tough mouths with ease. And a quick rinse under the tap and I was able to reuse the rigs no bother. I’d normally change the hooks or bin the rigs with other types of hook brads.
For the pennel hook on my pulley’s I had a size 2 Sakuma Mantra hook. Although the shank is short the gap on the hook is wider then most so it was great to expose the hook point through big crab baits. It also hooked up many fish including most of the doggies and the bass. I was quite impressed with both types of hooks as I had not used them before.
,must try those hooks 
