Duration: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Tide: Dropping by the looks of it.
Weather: Scorcher!
Bait: Rubber, Sandeel and Mackeral
Rigs: Flowing traces, Spinners
Results:
Bingham - 1 Pollack for 3.5lb
Drew - 1 Pollack for 3lb
Report:
While seemingly the rest of Ulster slept this morning Bingham and I were travelling to the North coast with Pollack on our minds. Well, Pollack, and breakfast... First stop Donaghadee, No hot food, Next stop Bangor, No hot food! Looking like I was going to to Starve, but luckily a detour to the Maxoll/Streat in Ballycastle soon sorted out the hunger as a pile of Potato bread, Sausages. Egg and Bacon was soon devoured!
Anyway, we reached the Mark after about an 45 minutes walking/hiking, marvelled for a while at its fishiness and then made our way onto the rocks we'd be fishing on, Slightly deeper water to our left, and a bit of a kelp forest to the right, looked perfect, so got tackled up with a 3oz lead towing a 3/0 Manta masked by a firey orange Jellyworm.
Bingham had trouble in the first half hour, snapping off a couple of snoods, and while he was working on a new set up I got the first hook up, I'm sure the comedy was flowing as the fish dived for the kelp as I just kept shouting "Get up you B#####d, get up"... Bingham sprung into action and got onto the lower rocks to land my fish, a couple of pictures and it was returned after a heck of a scrap.
Over the next couple of hours a various changes we didn't really pick up much, except the discovery that 2oz was too easily moved with the tide, and 4oz was too heavy and fell to the kelp far too quickly, but it was an awesome day so we didn't really see the time pass.
Now, Bingham, having thrown most of his tackle box, a small child, a kitten, and a golf club at the Pollack changed to his secret weapon, Xslayer was sent soaring to the crashing turnmoil of a now swell filled sea, *BANG* Fish on first cast, "It's a good one!", so I got my gear in (nearely lost Bingham his fish as I tangled his line with my leader, but bit it off to save the fish), he got it to his feet, and I went to the flat rock below to retrieve it. It felt better than mine, so a couple of pics and it was duely dispatched for the pan.
We gave it about another hour, but the arrival of Mr Seal sort of put us off after that...
45 Minute yomp back to the car and a swift run home. Great morning! Great craic!
You deserved them after that hike down!
