Where: Portrane Cliffs
Duration: 19:00-22:00
High Water: 20:20
Equipment: 15ft Shakespeare Agility Surf Rod - 1/0 two hook flapper rig with beads/attractors & 4oz bucket lead. & 11ft bass rod - 1/0 two hook flapper rig with beads/attractors & 4oz bucket lead. Bite detection bells.
Bait: Leftover Ragworm/Peeler Crab from yesterdays session.
Conditions: Sun splitting down! Barely a breeze and very little surf.
Result: Blank
At first I was going to fish high rock in Malahide this evening in hopes of a nice smoothie but when I got there it was crowded with swimmers and anglers with nowhere even to park, so I decided to give Portrane cliffs a go since I've only ever fished here spinning or on the float, let's see what some baits can catch I thought. I got to the mark at just before 7, and there was a good few anglers about, I walked down to the big flat rock past the second cove but there was 2 lads fishing here, so I setup on the other side of them to fish into the bay/cove off a bit of a drop. I setup with rag close in on my 11ft bass rod and peeler on the 15ft surf rod as far as I could cast. First cast I got a nibble on the rag but no hook up. I think it was 3rd cast and the lads I was fishing beside came over for a chat, and just as they asked if I'd had any luck so far, bang, big bite on my 11ft bass rod, I lifted the rod, and after 2 turns of the handle I was into a snag, disaster, I think the fish swam into a reef that wasn't too far out. Eventually I got unsnagged with the gear in tact but fishy was long gone. Unfortunate. This happened again not too long after, nice bite, lifted the rod and bang I'm in a snag, probably the same reef, but this time I lost my tackle. Few nibbles over the next hour or so and I got another bite, and would you believe it, another snag, lost this tackle as well, so packed it up and called it a day.
So to conclude my report, I now know there is fish to be had here, one lad told me he had caught a 7lb smoothie the night before there. So I think a good looking over at low tide is in order before returning here
Tight Lines
Gonzo
