Shore rig advice to novice !

[Conor H]

Hi folks, I'm a relative novice to shore fishing , having only done some spinning and float fishing rag for wrasse. I'm heading to Courttown in Wexford next week for a weeks R & R, and I hope to get a bit of shore fishing in. I'll be using a pier rod and a reel loaded with 30lb braid. However, when it comes to rigs, I have no idea - they all look the same to me. What sort of rigs should I use in this area, and for what species ? I dont really mind if I catch nothing, I'll be happy to get out and catch a dog or two, but a flattie or two, or a decent pollock would be nice !!

Any/all advice appreciated.

[Conor H]

....... great !!! I'll just bring a few floats then !

[kieran]

Hi Conor

There is a monster conger down the side of the old pier in Courttown - around the 50 lb mark and was still there last year. that should put a nice wee bend in your rod! :D

Courttown is not a great spot for fishing - beaches etc are very shallow in the area, pier is full of kids... be worth your while getting in a car and heading further south - and trying to plug for bass. St Helens Bay early or late...

FWIW

[m.b3]

Conor floatfishing is probably your best bet for pollack. a rig worth a try is a 2 hook flapper. if ground is clean or fishing tough or u just want to bag up use a 3 hook. 1 hook if the ground is rough with a rotten bottom of some sort essential.

[RobertMcClean]

Conor,

I started fishing in courtown when I was six and I can tell ya its a great auld spot.

Fish the south pier at night for smoothies and dogs using ragworm or sandeel, you will get smoothies there on rag oppose to the normal crab bait which they tend to feed on around our coast. Plenty of flats too. I would use two hooks flapping one of which flows below the lead. Also a plain lead off the pier works wonders as there is little or no tidal flow and the tides for next week are small enough too. The harbour is full of mullet and flounder. If you are going to fish it during the day use toast and sweetcorn for the mullet and basic float ledgers, and rag again on small size 2 hooks with 15inch snoods for the flounders. Again use a plain lead for results, maybe a little lighter than what you would use off the pier say 2-3oz. The best place to fish is the island back into the harbour, wont be to many pedestrians there either. Another day time venue is the left hand corner of the beach, I am assuming courtown is new to you so simply drive all the way up until you come to a car park, and then walk another 1/4 mile up the beach. There won't be too many holiday makers there so you should be able to fish away peacefully. I would use booms up there. Say a three hook trace, 4.5 feet in length, 12 inch snoods with two foot gaps between each boom, two snoods above the lead and again one below, once again good fresh rag is an excellent bait, having fished this venue for years crab and fish baits don't fish as well as other beaches, well that's daylight I would be referring too, however I would not fish it at night without crab or fish baits. Also echo Kierans comments would not recommend you fish the pier during the day, far too busy!! Tight Lines, Rob.

[Conor H]

Thanks lads. Will bear that in mind, not sure if I'll go for that conger though !!! WIll pack away a few flapper rigs, floats etc, and give it a go.

[mick]

Hi Connor,
if you look right from the pier in courtown you will see a worn track leading to some rocky outcrops and small coves. A trek across here will lead you to some quieter fishing spots, I have landed bass, smoothhound, plaice and dogfish from these spots over the years. You dont't have to cast far and a lob of 50 yards with a two hook flapper will get you something. Rag seems to work well here, but if you can get some peeler crab -all the better. I think the area fishes best on a rising tide although you will notice that there is not a great variation in tide levels between high and low tide -- best of luck

[Conor H]

cheers Mick, advice is much appreciated.