Duration:many hours
Tide:Ballymoney,,,,Dropping,,,,,Wicklow,,,rising,,,,,Greystones Harbour,,,low water
Weather:nice
Bait:Crab, mack and rag
Rigs:pulleys ,flappers and mini rigs
Results:
Report:Went to Ballymoney last Sunday night chasing smoothounds with Fishface. We had fished there once before this Summer and lost a lot of traces , presumably due to the rough ground being exposed after winter storms, but happily the sands seem to have shifted back and losses were minimal with me losing only one trace
. My luck seems to have deserted me lately but Fishface was getting a few bites,,,,,landing some flounder,Dabs and even a small and rare Plaice. My crab wasnt touched all night, apart from other crabs cannibalising their brothers 
,,,,and my rag was only bringing in small whiting in close,,,,,,,and I mean SMALL whiting 
. Not only was was I being beaten in the species/numbers/sizes competition by Fishface but I also had to listen to more stories of his fishing exploits,,,,,this time involving him catching vast numbers of mackeral in Wicklow Harbour 
. Instead of playing loud music, the CIA should recruit him and play tapes of his fishing stories to Detainees,,,,,,,but that would be just too cruel ,,,,,even for them 
. Back to Ballymoney,,,,,we decided to call it a night and started to pack up when his nibs got a rattle and reeled in a Smoothie on his last cast . I probably should have stayed on but by this time I had decided to go to Wicklow Harbour early in the morning and fill up my freezer with all the mackeral which were throwing themselves onto the Pier . It would be well worth getting up at 4-30am 
Got up at the crack of dawn next morning,,,,well before it actually
,,,,and I was on Wicklow Harbour to see the sun come up 
Another angler there confirmed Fishface's story,,,,,this one actually seemed to have a ring of truth about it
. I got the feather's out and in just 3 hour's ,,6am to 9am,,I had already got one Mackeral . I got the feeling that space wouldnt be a problem in my freezer after today's efforts at Mackeral bashing. I got one more on the float ,,,,,,doubling my catch to a respectable 2,,,,then I went down the pier for a spot of mini bashing. Even this proved hard work but at least I added a Tompot Blenny to my species tally . I had a string of wrasse , blennies, pollock, pouting, coalies and even some launce on the feathers,,,another new species,,,,,,but it probably sounds better than it actually was,,,the fish were all small and thank God I was using a small rod help them put a bend in the rod. A disappointing trip results-wise but I still enjoyed it 
After those 2 trips I decided to save my efforts,,,,and my money,,,for my annual trip to Tramore and the Copper Coast,,,,,,but I couldnt last and went out to Greystones Harbour last night for some more dinkyfishing with Fishface. I got there at 7pm,,,,with LW at 8pm approx. There were a good few people fishing and the place was a mess despite there being a bin there
. I set up and cast out into the Harbour with a mini rig , small size 4 hooks with rag, and had bites from the off. A young girl beside me had 4 fish on the same bit of rag while I was waiting to catch one . Fishface arrived and set up his 2 rods. He had lug while I fished with rag. He had some small whiting and pollock and was soon beating me again in the numbers/species competition ,,,,,and letting everyone else know about it ,,so I cast across to the base of the other pier . This tactic had worked for me before,,you have to cast as near as you can to the other pier,, and straight away I had a take from a nice wrasse,,,,27cms,,,,a stonker by my standards lately . Fishface followed this with a nice shore rockling of 28cms . I had a few small pouting at distance when the pier emptied out and we had some room to cast out and later on we both had doggies before we headed home. Roll on next week and the Copper Coast 
