Lacken Pier, north Mayo, 12th august 2011

[kieran]

People: Myself and Cathal

Duration: about 3 hours

Tide: going to HW

Weather: pleasant, calm, sunny in spots, light SW wind

Bait: Ragworm, lures

Rigs: one hook wrasse rigs

Results: Couple of standard wrasse, best at 1 kilo fell to Cathal (and I am not been allowed forget since!). A few pollack were coming to other people on float fished sandeel cast about 20 yards out, to fish at a step in the foundations of the pier on the northern side.


Report: Simple rig dropped down pier wall (one outside on foundation) got the wrasse. There is a hole under the foundations where they seem to congregate. Some congers too by all accounts, especially after dark and even in daylight on the sheltered side of the pier wall nearest to the rocks facing north. Was told you can get flats and congers on the sand there. Massive piles of rotting seaweed were being washed out by waves at HW and watched as kittiwakes and gulls collected to feed on presumably insert larvae from this. Watched this for some time to check for any fins from mullet or a Mayo bass, but nothing showed. Gannets pounding the sea farther out gave me hope of a few mackerel for tea so I left the birds to it...

Local gave me tip on where to get sandeels and also net shrimps at low water in the harbour... may be worth a visit the next time.

Stopped lure and feather casting as I was pulling through heavy weed and losing stuff. It seems to be in a line from the edge of the pier foundations, not far out, but thick and nasty.

Mullingar SCUBA club came ashore raving about all the mackerel, pollack, lobsters, wrasse, gurnards... all about 500 metres offshore, up past the corner of the rocks on the route to the "pollack holes". Met a lure angler coming back and he had nothing, was going to try down as far as the spit (where they still vingle the sandeels) for a sea trout or a bass *coughs* or whatever... there has always been rumours of bass on Lacken beach, possibly chasing in the sea trout and sandeels, maybe straying in from the Moy estuary to the east, but never seen one to confirm it. He confirmed that flat rocks on eastern side of Lacken only good for small pollack at one hotspot and smaller flatfish, with the possibility of a decent turbot / founder...

As I was setting up, local father and son departed with a big bag fo fish that fell to ragworm, with a specimen male ballen wrasse chief amongst them. Can't believe people still eat them.

[corbyeire]

have heard from 2 separate sources of bass being there, but then in many years of competitions i have never seen one on the score cards

your fishing target was over really once you saw your man heading off with the bag of wrasse at the start

the aul bala as they call them!

good to see a report from yourself

[saving private brian]

im just back from lacken pier .i know exactly who you are on about

[dan belfast]

we fished lacken pier and beach a couple of years ago there was a huge conger swimming about the pier but it wasnt in trested in are fresh mackerel we managed a few wrasse and pouting and a seagull rou8nd back of pier. on the beach we had wee flatties acouple of wrasse and dogs in the first wee cove. fished the rocks to the side of beach and caught loads of pollock nothing big but remember it was a fish every 4-5 casts might be worth a chuck

[cathalger]

have heard from 2 separate sources of Bass being there, but then in many years of competitions i have never seen one on the score cards

your fishing target was over really once you saw your man heading off with the bag of wrasse at the start

the aul bala as they call them!

good to see a report from yourself

Kieran well done on the wrasse, your mate Cathal did well with a 1kg wrasse, nice size of wrasse.


What is the aul bala Corbyeire? Is it another name for wrasse? (EDIT, BALA AS IN BALLAN? or I am away with the birds here???)

Cathal.

[corbyeire]

i was down at a pier in belmullet for a weigh in and many of the older locals were looking for bala as they called them - ballan wrasse - for the pot

[roger de dodger]

blaaa! eating wrasse now thats worse than me tucking into a smoothie

[corbyeire]

i suppose i should qualify it a bit - it was festival time and a good few had been in the pub for a couple of days

the bala was seen as much as a delicacy as say - the rubber kebab at 2am in other parts!!!

[eskimo]

People: Myself and Cathal

Duration: about 3 hours

Tide: going to HW

Weather: pleasant, calm, sunny in spots, light SW wind

Bait: Ragworm, lures

Rigs: one hook wrasse rigs

Results: Couple of standard wrasse, best at 1 kilo fell to Cathal (and I am not been allowed forget since!). A few pollack were coming to other people on float fished sandeel cast about 20 yards out, to fish at a step in the foundations of the pier on the northern side.


Report: Simple rig dropped down pier wall (one outside on foundation) got the wrasse. There is a hole under the foundations where they seem to congregate. Some congers too by all accounts, especially after dark and even in daylight on the sheltered side of the pier wall nearest to the rocks facing north. Was told you can get flats and congers on the sand there. Massive piles of rotting seaweed were being washed out by waves at HW and watched as kittiwakes and gulls collected to feed on presumably insert larvae from this. Watched this for some time to check for any fins from mullet or a Mayo Bass, but nothing showed. Gannets pounding the sea farther out gave me hope of a few mackerel for tea so I left the birds to it...

Local gave me tip on where to get sandeels and also net shrimps at low water in the harbour... may be worth a visit the next time.

Stopped lure and feather casting as I was pulling through heavy weed and losing stuff. It seems to be in a line from the edge of the pier foundations, not far out, but thick and nasty.

Mullingar SCUBA club came ashore raving about all the mackerel, pollack, lobsters, wrasse, gurnards... all about 500 metres offshore, up past the corner of the rocks on the route to the "pollack holes". Met a lure angler coming back and he had nothing, was going to try down as far as the spit (where they still vingle the sandeels) for a sea trout or a Bass *coughs* or whatever... there has always been rumours of Bass on Lacken beach, possibly chasing in the sea trout and sandeels, maybe straying in from the Moy estuary to the east, but never seen one to confirm it. He confirmed that flat rocks on eastern side of Lacken only good for small pollack at one hotspot and smaller flatfish, with the possibility of a decent turbot / founder...

As I was setting up, local father and son departed with a big bag fo fish that fell to ragworm, with a specimen male ballen wrasse chief amongst them. Can't believe people still eat them.

[eskimo]

a local over in easky told me he'd 'only eat them of a sunday'...(meaning he had all day to pick at the bones!)
fishin off kilcummin one day cought a fine ballan it was boiled in sea water and let cool , when it was barely warm we'd pick
fine forkfulls of it ....... delicious