People:Me
Duration:7pm to 10-30pm
Tide:low at 7-30pm approx
Weather:mild evening,
Bait:rag, crab, mack
Rigs:2 hook mini rigs
Results:codling, wrasse, pouting
Report: Forgive the title ,,,but thing's have been very poor lately

After another woeful East Coast beach session on Saturday night near Ennereilly during which I caught the grand total of 2 pin whiting and a solitary flounder, I decided to stick local on Sunday with the left over bait

. I decided to hit Bray Harbour with the small rods and mini rigs so I reorganised my tackle bag with small rigs and 2 and 3 oz weights replacing the pulleys and 5 and 6oz I had been using all Summer. I had a half dozen rag, some mack and some small peeler crabs which I thought would be ideal for wrasse

. I left after the whistle blew in the Big match in Croker and arrived in Bray to the sight of sand, not water in the Harbour

. I had made a bo((0c@s of the tides (again

), so I used the opportunity to take some photos of the ground I normally fish to see where the snags were

. Then it was off to Greystones Harbour where at least there would be some depth of water in which to fish.
The Harbour in Greystones was deserted for a change so I had my choice of spots to set up in. I baited up 2 light rods with rag and flicked them out . Looking behind me, I could see the sky darkening over and it looked as if it was going to rain later on. No bites on the first casts, which was worrying , especially as I had scaled down to size 6's, and then when I went to put on some small peeler crab I discovered I had forgotten my bait elastic

. With a light misty rain falling, I cast out another 2 rag across the Harbour to the bottom of the other pier. I legged it the short distance to my van for my wetgear and when I got back I noticed the rodtip was hopping

. Reeling in , there was a bit of weight on and I knew it was a bit decent

. I got up on the wall (not to be tried at home

) and kept reeling, trying to keep the fish from diving to the weed and rocks under me. As I directed the headlight downwards, I could see the light underside of the fish flashing . I realised it was a codling, half decent at that, and on a size 6 hook . I gingerly lifted him up the wall by handlining, expecting him to fall off at any time, but I managed to get him up eventually

. Unfortunately for him , all I could see at that moment was the brand new filleting knife I had been bought at the start of the Summer and which was yet to lose it's cherry

, so I gave him the Last Rites

.
This was my best fish in week's , I was delighted, and I hadn't driven for hours to get him

. The next fish brought me back with a bang, a 10 cm pouting
The other rod, an Aldi special with a quiver tip, also started bouncing about and when I reeled in there was a Ballan Wrasse on it, not one you'd be proud of, but there again i'm not ashamed of him either
With my rag used up I had to use the peeler crab but I had forgotton my bait elastic

. I upped the hook size to size 2's and put a small peeler as best I could on each hook. On the top hook I had used an elastic band to try keep the crab on so I was surprised when, after a massive tug on the rod and an ensuing battle, I handlined another decent fish up the wall. This time it was a porky Pouting, 26cms, and on the crab on the bottom hook which wasnt tied on

.
I had another couple of pouting when I cast into the channel between the Piers but I was struggling for bait now, even resorting to looking through the contents of the bin on the Pier, but all I could see was some chips and a bit of someones half eaten sandwich.
Then I had the catch of the night . I noticed a bit of a rattle on one of the rods and lifted into it . I reeled in and brought up an orange nylon rope. There was something heavy on the end so I pulled it up,,,,,10 yds,,,,20 yds, ,, 30 yds ,,and still no end to it

.I kept pulling it up over the rounded edge of the wall ,,,what if there was a body on the end of it

It turned out to be the life preserver from the Pier which some idiot must've thrown over the side so I put it back in it's proper place

. I headed off with my codling soon afterwards, happy enough after a decent evenings fishing. Good luck to the beaches till next year,,,,well, maybe,,,,,Unless

Species '20 (14) 5 Beard Rockling, Shore Rockling, Codling, Whiting, Pollock, Coalfish, Pouting, Corkwing Wrasse ,Ballan Wrasse, Poor Cod, Dab ,Smoothhound,Flounder, Thornback Ray
For the rich, there is therapy. For the rest of us, there is FISHING! --