Cappa Pier-Tuesday 23 nov

[bigkev]

Fished from 12pm till 7pm, high water 3 pm.
Fished with sandeel and mackerel
The brother and myself, minus the hard working Dave_B who refused to pull another sickie, woos.
Caught sporadically during the day with a total of thirteen or so fish. Species caught, whiting(small),pollack(vey small),pouting(always small, a couple of huss, doggies and a red gurnard.
Ive never seen a gurnard caught from the shore, never mind the shannon estaury. A beautiful red gurnard of about 2 pounds with vivid blue tinges to the fins. A picture was taken just as the batteries went dead on the digital camera, but Im sure we got it.
I also stuck into something big on a half mackerel fillet which simply chewed through my 20lb snood after a couple of seconds. Didnt feel at all like a conger, love to know what it was. Im not of the opinion that huss bite through nylon quite that quickly.
Nice day out in unseasonally warm november weather, lovely
Bigkev

[bigkev]

Forgot to mention
The brother outcaught me by 11 fish to 2
Difference in rigs- he was using one of these flashy flattie finder rigs with a little purple flashing blade above the bait.
He also lost my previous two flattie rigs, so I was fishing a standard 2 hook paternoster

[nthclare]

I would say that was a tope that bit through your line as they have been caught there over the years and one was caught a few weeks ago I might fish cappa on sunday havent fished there for a while .
There was a few gurnard caught there lately too I never seen one alive yet. Did you release him.

[bigkev]

Hey Neilus
I would have thought tope had moved out of the estuary by now on their winter migration paths, but you say one was caught recently. From the shore? We will be fishing a little further up the estuary from cappa on sunday, specifically with larger baits for huss/ray etc.
The gurnard swam off happily when we released it, but they actually make good eating, having tasted a few in donegal last year. A bit like chicken in texture
Last tuesday there was a huge number of small fish off that pier, we were getting a bite every cast, but they were obviously very small as very few ew successfully hooked.
We also fished new quay/now signposted inishmurray quay. Very snaggy with a huge current belting through it
Might see you sunday, good luck
KEV

[pete]

Kev,
If your gurnard had a defined edge of blue/torquoise fringe on its pectoral fins then you may have yourself a tub gurnard. Apart from that it can be very difficult to tell the buggers apart.

Pete