Haven't put up a report in a long time as I haven't been out much this year,,,,just a few trips to Greystones to dust off the cobwebs. No holidays for me this year just a few days out here and there so on Tuesday I decided to head to Courtown with the Missus and kill two birds with the one stone. I had bought some crab and rag from Southside and also picked up a few odds and ends,,,swivels,links,leader line etc, which were surprisingly reasonably priced. Despite making a list of what I needed, in the excitement of actually being in a tackle shop for the first time in months I forgot to look at it and therefore forgot some of my main items.Made some rigs over the weekend but as I loaded up my van with rods, shelter,etc I also realised that I didn't have any impact leads so I had to improvise with some impact shields that I had in my tackle box. To be honest I had stuff in that box that I had forgotten what they were or how to use them so a quick look on Youtube showed me how to set up my Pulley rigs to clip down the bait during casting. After getting something to eat in Courtown the wife dropped me to Dodds Rocks.The little carpark was full so it was just as well I was just getting dropped off as I wouldn't have had anywhere to park .
Conditions were perfect on the beach and there was plenty of room,,,,in fact I wondered where all the car owners were There were just a few leathery skin types trying to get even more leathery and browner. I was a bit nervous casting out after such a long absence but thankfully all went well with no crack offs and the impact shields did their job and delivered the bait all in the one piece. My other rod sent out a two hook flapper with ragworm tipped with mack or squid on size 4 hooks.It wasn't long before I heard the drag on the reel singing and I lifted into a decent smoothie. I was delighted with myself, as were a couple of kids who came over to have a look. It was a great feeling bringing him in and seeing him swim parallel to the shore before beaching him. I had a succession of small ones after that and also caught some on rag on the flapper. As darkness fell, I hit into another decent one, and also Dabs and pin whiting on the 2 hook flapper. The Missus wasn't having the same success as me in the slots in Courtown and she arrived on the beach early courtesy of her mobile phone light. How she got down the small hill in one piece i'll never know as she's about as agile as a newly delivered Giraffe trying to find it's feet for the first time . It had gone quiet at this stage as the tide was dropping but on the last cast I landed a small ray which made an already good session even better. Can't wait to get back out again
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! --
Great report and good to see you back in action. Nice bag of fish too.
As for "I decided to head to Courtown with the Missus and kill two birds with the one stone" I was expecting to read about one dead wife and a mortally wounded seagull....
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. It had gone quiet at this stage as the tide was dropping but on the last cast I landed a small ray which made an already good session even better. Can't wait to get back out again 
