"Frost" , Achill Island, Mayo 11th August

[kieran]

People: Paul and friend, not me

Duration: 2 hours after low water, then they got bored!

Tide: LW up

Weather: sunshine

Bait: lures only

Rigs: german sprats, jellys, feathers

Results: 120 fish in two hours to 2 rods

Catch and Release:: Yes/No



Report: There is a headland on Achill island which is referred to locally as frost. No seriously.

A local angler, let’s call him Paul, who works with me took himself and a friend down there one find Saturday afternoon to do some fishing. It involves a very long walk across boggy fields from the road to Keem Bay, downhill, with care and leaves you facing into a wide semi circular bay from atop rocks, facing almost due east across to Keel strand.

They arrived to find the tide was out, all the way out. Unperturbed they put on a small spinner each and Paul admits miscast into the water five foot from his feet. To his surprise a superb mackerel took his bait and was whipped ashore. To cut a long story short in two hours, they reckon they caught over 100 fish, mostly mackerel and getting bored with these they switched to jelly worms. These accounts for coalfish, pollack and rebel. Now a rebel in Cork is one thing, but in Mayo it’s a coalfish that has been feeding in the kelp and has, akin to the codling, turned russet. Quite a spectacular fish to catch. I'm here 10 years, yet to see one properly.

So the next time you find yourself on a mark at exactly the wrong state of the tide, and with the sun streaming down and you’re thinking “feck this for a game of soldiers!” or similar, miscast five feet out and see what happens…

I’d turned down the trip in order to bring three young people fishing for pike. They all blanked and I was saved from the same ignominy by a miserable 500 gram jack…





:wink:

[beetlegeuce]

Any chance of spotting the location on a google map for us to see?

[kieran]

Hi

Not sure how to do that! Do into Dooagh and up past it heading for Keem - as the road rises you will see the arm of land stretching out below towards rocks well into the sea. It is very clear and you should walk down from well below the road into the holiday homes / resevoir.

Thanks

[kieran]

Hi

Take the road through Achill as if heading for Keem Bay.
Stop after the last village as the road rises up towards the holiday homes and the entrance to the reservoir.
You can see the headland below you stretching out into the sea.
You need to fish the eastern side.
Very rough ground.
Truly massive swells possible here so a lifejacket is essential.
Watch the boggy ground on the way down and up, mushy in places.

Hope this helps...