Duration:me, 6pm-2am
Tide:high at 00-40am
Weathercalm, slight breeze,:
Bait:lug,mack,squid,crab,razor,kitchen sink
Rigs:flappers
Results:whiting, shore rockling?
Report: After last Saturdays blank I needed to get another session in before the New Year as I didnt want to end 08 on a blank
. Managed to get a few lug along with an assortment of frozen baits and settled on Wicklow Harbour as the venue. Fishface and Shamoo came along also and when I arrived at 6pm approx Shamoo was hauling in the whiting by the bucketfull (he had a bucket with him). Shamoo was the only one there when i arrived and i set up at the end of the pier in front of the lighthouse. It was a lovely evening ,with southeasterly breezes, not very cold at all, although i was getting shelter from the wall, around the corner it was a bit nippier 
.First cast for me had barely hit the water when i had a rattle which turned out to be a shore rockling (i think
,, theres always a bit of confusion going on in my head whenever i catch one of these or similar species), around 25cms. I'm reckoning a shore rockling ,,,as the 5 bearded ,to me, are much softer in the body,if that makes sense 
. As usual when I get off to a great start, the fishing slowed down for me, but Mark(Shamoo), was pulling them in every cast,,,whiting that is. Fishface arrived and the usual banter ensued 
. As the tide rose we were expecting better fishing,, maybe a codling or two, but it didnt happen 
. We were catching whiting consistently all night, singles and doubles, with lug tipped with squid working best for me. The two lads headed off around 10ish???,, but as there were some other anglers there and i wouldnt be on my lonesome in the dark 
,,,i stayed on . Two Polish guys were fishing rods with very light tips, every time they reeled in the bend in the rod was incredible and i thought they had monster fish on, but it was just the lead bending the rod
,,what would have happened if they'd got a double of doggies 
(though theyve disappeared off the scene).Thanks to Neil (Fishface) for leaving me his ( Northstar) lantern, you get spoilt with the light it gives out . I had been used to my battery operated one, but there really is no comparison. The other anglers left ,one by one, as it crept towards midnight, leaving me and another guy from Clonsilla, didnt get his name , but he was good company into the small hours and seemed to be on the same wavelength as me (whatever that says for him ). We said we'd stay on for an hour past high tide but it just wasnt happening. He got a small dab which was a change to the whiting. He left about 1-30am and i started to pack up,,with the usual last cast keeping me there till 2am. I left happy enough with my night, though i probably stayed too long ,,but who cares ,,,didnt end the year with a blank Well thats my last fishing session of the year,,,,,been out over 60 times with only 3 blanks (touch wood
),. New to fishing this time last year, i owe a lot to what i've learned from this site and the guys i've met along the way, who were good enough to share their knowledge, marks, etc, with me,,,THANKS. Didnt really have a target for this year but i've managed 21 species, so i suppose i've got a target to beat for next year. The only real target i had was to get a record of my trips for the year and i've done that in my shore reports, which i saved to a folder and i'll be able to look back through them next year. Looking forward to more fishing in 2009, Happy New Year to everyoneDave
