Duration:Lines down at 11pm and finish at 4pm
Tide:
Weather:Indian summer stuff. Amazing, flat calm and hot
Bait:Ragworm & mackerel
Rigs:Three hook down, 1 up 2 hook down, two hook jelly trace, various small shrimper rigs
Results:43 fish on the comp day not sure on practise day- pouting, poor cod, codling, thornback ray, tub gurnard, dab, ling, pollock, mackerel, ballan wrasse, cuckoo wrasse.
Report:Drove down weds night to get a days practise in before the inter-agency comp on the Friday. We headed out on the Inishfree with Billy Bates and with only four of us onboard it was a real pleasure. Lots of variety and the rough ground out beyond the Saltees seemed to be alive with fish of all sorts. It was pretty much a bite a drop and while nothing too big came up it was still enjoyable. The pollock though proved really difficult to find and even though I was jellying for a good while I couldn't get a single fish. The seals i must say were a pain in the ass anywhere close to the rocks and at least three times I would in a fish head, the body having been severed just behind the gills
The day of the comp was even better again, even by 10am it was really warm....was beginning to regret the two bottles of wine the night before
At 1pm though the boats all headed to the rough and thats were the relaxation ended. Fish came thick and fast, mainly cuckoo, poor cod and pouting but a few good ling and ballans also showed up. It was really hard going and the last half an hour was frantic knowing that you were running out of time. I did get my pollock quota though in this last half hour as we drifted very close to a half submerged rock.
Was knackered by the time lines up were shouted but half to say it was a very enjoyable day out. Fishing was good, weather was brillant and even got to see porpoises, common dolphins and even two rissos dolphins. Was really impressed with the quality of the fishing down here too, surprised even. I'd even say with your own small boat you could have some superb sport.
Anyhow at prize giving that even our four man team took second out of a total of 12 agencies and I even managed 2nd overall myself, so happy enough
