Cushendun Co Antrim, 10 June 11. a first Ballan takes a spin

[cathalger]

My friend David Lowes 11 year old son Cameron caught his first ever ballan wrasse on Friday evening on a big gaudy toby like spinner at Cdun rocks trying for a pollack. No pollack could be tempted so we went to a nearby Glens Angling Club river where we are all members for a throw. Cameron caught 2 escapee rainbow trout on a mepps and then got another on the fly rod, it took a size 10 'silver stoats tail' salmon fly at dusk. A very happy boy, Dave says he will never forget this evening.

He will get a pollack on fly and spinner before too long also. The way he fished on Friday evening I wouldnt be surprised if he got stuck into a big sea trout before long!!

Well done Cameron.

Excuse the element of fresh water fishing in this report but it was all one session, and the river bit was just another part of a succesful evening for young Cameron. We were fishing tidal water so its almost shore angling!

Edit: The most remarkable thing was the wrasse on the spinner. In 27 years of shore fishing Ive never witnessed a wrasse on a spinner myself. The nearest Ive come to it was getting a follow and a turn away.

[fishy1987]

well done cameron a couple of very fine fish for you there.keep it up!
tightlines

[Der Baron]

Nice we session!

[Der Baron]

Nice we session!


I didn't hit it twice mister I swear!

[saving private brian]

nice one cathal....nice to see young guns coming up through the ranks

[billy the fish]

Well done, a young lad hooked for life, id say.

[chuckaroo]

The most remarkable thing was the wrasse on the spinner. In 27 years of shore fishing Ive never witnessed a wrasse on a spinner myself.

me neither, cool.
so where are these escapees coming from cathal?
great wee report there btw. that wee man must be delighted. sounds like a great evenings work. nice 1

[cathalger]

Thanks all for responses, cant wait to get Cameron and his 8 year old bro Andrew a bit of sport with the pollack now in the coming weeks. Dave had the pair of them up again on the Sat eve and they landed 1.25lb rainbows each on wetfly, Cameron got a nice wee brownie and Dave got a sea trout smolt. The 2 lads love their fishing.

Charlie there must have been another outbreak of rainbow from the trout farm close to where I live, people have been catching them in the river for a while now. They are ready takers, give young people sumthin to fish for, I dont think catch and release is recommended where these are concerned. They are in a system with a wild pop'n of both salmon and sea trout and they very likely dine on juvenile wild fish. I know for a fact that even very small (eg 6-8oz) brownies take salmon parr so a hungry 1lb or 1.5lb rainbow would probably do the same, and they can eat more -they need to eat more.
Its added predation the wild stocks simply do not need, theyre getting it tight enough.

Hard to beat the excitment and joy of young ones getting a few fish. Roll on a good pollack evening with a mackerel or 2, or even a sea trout. They will love it.

[chuckaroo]

cathal theres definitely no 2 ways about it. i would be making an effort to catch and kill as many of those rainbows as possible and encouraging others to do the same. they will be triploid fish and so can not breed but they will absolutely be competing for food resources against the other native species. and i know for sure too that they will be eating fry! most of our rivers have a tough enough time as it is.