Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
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Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
People: Myself
Duration:7 hrs each day
Tide:Last of ebb to full tide.
Weather:Mild, dull, calm.
Bait:Lug and frozen mackerel.
Rigs: 2 and 3 hook flappers.
Results:flounder, pouting, pin whiting, rockling, small codling.
Report:
11th March; Hadn't been sea fishing for a week or two, (giving the trout and pike a go for a change), so I decided to take advantage of a couple of settled days. Pack some mack and dug some lug and tried a beach mark to start. First cast produced a 35cm flounder (to lug for once) and then nothing for the next three hours. This has happened several times at this particular mark so I decided to try somewhere deeper, on reeling in I found I had another flounder but this one was a mere 22cm. The next mark produced 3 more flounder to 27cm, several pin whiting, two pouting and a 3b rockling. Not that many bites in between fish, things were a bit quiet.
12th March; Tried a different beach but this was even slower than yesterday, about 3.5 hours without a bait being touched. A move to a nearby rock mark produced hooks buried in fine weed every cast so a return to yesterday's second mark seemed like the only option. There was practically no swell here at all and the wind had also died away. The fishing wasn't great but I was entertained by a seabird diving close by and catching a succession of crabs and what I think was a blenny, I'd have been quite happy to catch that myself! A few pin whiting showed up eventually, one accompanied by a rather skinny dab, post spawning I presume. (That might explain why I'm not carrying much weight myself....) Last cast with my last lug turned up a small codling so a total of 6 species over the 2 days.
Duration:7 hrs each day
Tide:Last of ebb to full tide.
Weather:Mild, dull, calm.
Bait:Lug and frozen mackerel.
Rigs: 2 and 3 hook flappers.
Results:flounder, pouting, pin whiting, rockling, small codling.
Report:
11th March; Hadn't been sea fishing for a week or two, (giving the trout and pike a go for a change), so I decided to take advantage of a couple of settled days. Pack some mack and dug some lug and tried a beach mark to start. First cast produced a 35cm flounder (to lug for once) and then nothing for the next three hours. This has happened several times at this particular mark so I decided to try somewhere deeper, on reeling in I found I had another flounder but this one was a mere 22cm. The next mark produced 3 more flounder to 27cm, several pin whiting, two pouting and a 3b rockling. Not that many bites in between fish, things were a bit quiet.
12th March; Tried a different beach but this was even slower than yesterday, about 3.5 hours without a bait being touched. A move to a nearby rock mark produced hooks buried in fine weed every cast so a return to yesterday's second mark seemed like the only option. There was practically no swell here at all and the wind had also died away. The fishing wasn't great but I was entertained by a seabird diving close by and catching a succession of crabs and what I think was a blenny, I'd have been quite happy to catch that myself! A few pin whiting showed up eventually, one accompanied by a rather skinny dab, post spawning I presume. (That might explain why I'm not carrying much weight myself....) Last cast with my last lug turned up a small codling so a total of 6 species over the 2 days.
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2013 species; 31
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
nice fishing mate a few species to keep you busy over the couple of days but i think thats a dab in the first photo
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
Thanks Tightlines, assuming you mean the fish on the ruler, it looks a bit "dabby" but definitely a flounder as the scales were smooth tail to head and the underside was a solid white rather than semi transparent as in a dab.tight lines wrote:nice fishing mate a few species to keep you busy over the couple of days but i think thats a dab in the first photo
2013 species; 31
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
Nice mix of fish there
,reward for all the effort put in happy days
tightlines
fergal

tightlines
fergal
Species 2011 (25) :Cod 80 , Whiting 50 , Coalfish 42 , Sea Scorpion 6(3shortspined/3longspined) , (3b)Rockling 2 , Dogfish 72 , Flounder 32 , Bass 2 , Poor Cod 16 , Dab 16 , Ballen Wrasse 2 , Turbot 1 , Tompot Blenny 3 , Smoothhound 1 , Tub Gurnard 1 , Mackeral 78 , Pollock 10 , Corkwing wrasse 2 , Black Goby 5 , Pouting 4 , Cuckoo Wrasse 1 , Ling 1 , Conger eel 6 , Silver eel 1 , ( Year End 31st October )
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
both flats are dabs
species 2014(8)cod,coalie,flounder,dog, pollack,bass, turbot,twaite shad
specimen 2014 twaite shad
species 2013(36)flounder, shore rockling, dog, coalie,cod, whiting, dab, poor cod, pollack, grey gurnard, red gurnard, pouting, haddock, thornback ray, grey mullet,ballen wrasse, cuckoo wrasse, scorpion fish, bass,blonde ray, plaice, herring, conger, golden grey mullet, red band fish, turbot, ling, garfish, scad, gold shinny, tom pot blenny, smooth hound, bullhuss, cork wing, dragonet, lesser weaver, painted ray.
specimen 2013 16 golden grey mullet, 1 scad, 1 red gurnard.
species 2012(39) whiting, coalie, flounder,dogfish, poor cod, cod, bass, shore rockling, ling,cuckoo wrasse, ballen, grey gurnard, red gurnard, three bearded rockling, mackeral, plaice, dab, pollack, grey mullet,haddock.conger,gold shinny,cork wing, blonde ray, lesser weaver, megrim, dragonet, thornback , tub gurnard, blue shark, scad, bull huss, tompot blenny, sea scorpion, goby, painted , garfish, pouting,
specimen2012 plaice red gurnard
specimen 2014 twaite shad
species 2013(36)flounder, shore rockling, dog, coalie,cod, whiting, dab, poor cod, pollack, grey gurnard, red gurnard, pouting, haddock, thornback ray, grey mullet,ballen wrasse, cuckoo wrasse, scorpion fish, bass,blonde ray, plaice, herring, conger, golden grey mullet, red band fish, turbot, ling, garfish, scad, gold shinny, tom pot blenny, smooth hound, bullhuss, cork wing, dragonet, lesser weaver, painted ray.
specimen 2013 16 golden grey mullet, 1 scad, 1 red gurnard.
species 2012(39) whiting, coalie, flounder,dogfish, poor cod, cod, bass, shore rockling, ling,cuckoo wrasse, ballen, grey gurnard, red gurnard, three bearded rockling, mackeral, plaice, dab, pollack, grey mullet,haddock.conger,gold shinny,cork wing, blonde ray, lesser weaver, megrim, dragonet, thornback , tub gurnard, blue shark, scad, bull huss, tompot blenny, sea scorpion, goby, painted , garfish, pouting,
specimen2012 plaice red gurnard
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
no there not only the one beside the pin whiting ispeakle wrote:both flats are dabs
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
Fair play for sticking it out when its so slow but some nice fish there
Species 2012: Flounder, Whiting, Dublin Bay Codling, Coalie, 3 Beard Rockling, Shore Rockling, Bass, Dogfish, 5.2lb Starry Smoothhound (PB), Twaite Shad, Thornback Ray 5.8lbs (PB), LSD, Pollock, Ballan Wrasse, Cork Wing Wrasse, 43cm Flounder (PB)
Species 2013: Coalie, East Coast Codling, Smoothounds, And hopefully a back opp to get back fishing soon...
Species 2013: Coalie, East Coast Codling, Smoothounds, And hopefully a back opp to get back fishing soon...
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
two days fish'n away from it all
what more can a man ask for.........
good report & fish

good report & fish
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
Nice few fish John 

Cheers Brian
Species 2017: Flounder, Turbot, Coalfish,
Species 2017: Flounder, Turbot, Coalfish,
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
nice mix there john. good to see all that moving about paid off for you with a few fish man
i tried a pike session myself on monday with only 1 run on the deadbait on the bottom for 11 hours fishing
i tried everything with the float and plugging too, but no joy. they still seem to be a bit sluggish at the mo.

i tried a pike session myself on monday with only 1 run on the deadbait on the bottom for 11 hours fishing

i tried everything with the float and plugging too, but no joy. they still seem to be a bit sluggish at the mo.
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
nice couple of sessions John, flats aint that great in numbers and size until next winter, but more and more spesies will be up soon
well done John
well done John
Spesies 2012/ flounder, turbot, colie, whiting,thornback ray, dogfish, pollack, ballan wrasse, corcwing wrasse, dab, cod, sea trout, mackerel, smooth hound
Species 2013/ flounder
Species 2013/ flounder
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
nice flounder 35 cm is respectible for this time of the year
the first flat is a dab defo 


EAST COAST BAITBUCKET RAIDER,
thornback specialist
thornback specialist
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
nice going ! good few species ther thats deffo a dab first pic ,,,,,,,,,,nice fishing
2010 species----flounder,dab,whiting,doggies,coalfish,pollock,siver eel,sea trout,bass,ballen wrasse, thornback ray,mackerel,pouting,red gurnard,grey gurnard,conger eel,launce,mullet,ling,cod,tub gurnard,octopus,bull huss,3 bearded rockling,poor cod
2011 species----turbot,seatrout,flounder,whiting,coalfish,L s doggies,3 beard r
rockling,mackeral,thornback ray,pollock,ballan wrasse,
2012 species---flounder,coalfish,ballan wrasse,cuckoo wrasse,conger eel,,Ls dogfish,,Turbot,bull huss ,
2011 species----turbot,seatrout,flounder,whiting,coalfish,L s doggies,3 beard r
rockling,mackeral,thornback ray,pollock,ballan wrasse,
2012 species---flounder,coalfish,ballan wrasse,cuckoo wrasse,conger eel,,Ls dogfish,,Turbot,bull huss ,
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
There's a difference of opinion relating to dab or flounder in my report so can I just state that the only dab I caught is the one pictured with the pin whiting. The flattie on the ruler is definitely a flounder, it was smooth when rubbed from tail to head whereas a dab is quite rough, the lateral line does not have the pronounced bulge above the pectoral fin that a dab has,(see attached picture) and the underside, which I saw but nobody else did, was more opaque than a dab. Hope this settles the matter, regards, JW.
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2013 species; 31
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
2014 species; 27
2015 species; 28
2016 species; 32
2017 species;28
2018 species; 33
2019 species; ballan wrasse,blonde ray, coalfish, cod, cuckoo wrasse, dab, dogfish, flounder, goldsinny wrasse, ling, mackerel, plaice, pollack, poorcod, pouting, scad, sea scorpion, spotty ray, spurdog, thornback, tub gurnard, turbot, whiting.
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Re: Sligo and Donegal, 11th and 12th March
sorry john i did not read you report right in the first place as i did not see any mention of a dab being caught but your dead right with what your saying sorry again and good fishing