Duration: 10pm to 4am
Tide: On the Rise
Weather: Perfect!
Bait: Crab, Mackerel
Rigs: Pennel Pulley Rigs
Results: Dogs, Flounder, Tope, and of course Hounds
Report:
Well i had a comp on during the week and to be honest i wasnt satisfied with scratching in close for flounders etc, so decided i wanted something that packs a little more punch and gave Paul a ring to see if he was up for a Tope and Hound session. Arrived at the venue and fished it from low water to high. It was clear to see from the very first cast we were in for a good nights fishing as the fish were attacking baits withing minutes of landing in the water. First we said we would try for hounds, but when trying for hounds we hit bass, which i must say is inevitable when hound fishing this time of year cause both speices have the same taste for big juicy peeler crabs. But all bass went back due to the ban being on, only fair at this time of year. But when darkness fell and the tide started pushing heavy, we know we would have a good chance of a hound or a decent tope due to the flat calm seas and mild weather, it was perfect in fairness.. About an hour into the dark i set up my second rod for tope (Which always makes me slightly nervous as u just never know what is swimming out in front of you and what monster could be attached to your rod in the coming hours), while my other rod continued fishing for the hounds. Wasnt long before the hounds came on the feed and had numerous small ones along with the bass (Feeding frenzy between the hounds and bass, it was whoever got 2 the bait first out there). Which always makes for good fishing as you are never idle
Decided to try my luck out far and for what happened next i think will keep me smiling for a long long time, rod took a thump and i quickly picked it up and waited for it to bite again, eventually it did so and i struck into the fish, only to realise that what was on the other end wasnt small as it did an instant run which took a decent amount line. I was nervous as hell as i thought it was a tope after picking up my hound rig which was mono, and not the steel trace which was being fished on my other rod in close. As it got closer it kept making numerous runs from left to right and the longer it took to land, the more i was shaking, lol. About 10mins or so, the fish was in sight, and i really thought it as a tope from the size of it, but when my good friend paul tailed the fish and brought it to shore, the marks were noticeable along its back, it was a monster hound and i was lost for words. I previously got tags from The Fisheries Board, along with a measure etc, so we worked quickly to get all the measurements, sex, weight of the fish before releasing it back. But when we went to weight it, i nearly fell down, it came in at a staggering 21lb 3oz 
My PB smashed, hammered etc etc Quick photo was taken and the fish swam off healthy and stong into the darkness to fight again another day, and i hope its caught sometime in the near future to give another angler the same smile that has been on my face all day, FACT!! I had a quick look on the list for the heaviest hound that has been landed from the shore in irish waters, and its 16.58lbs, which also made me smile, Always nice 2 beat an Irish Record Aslo paul hit a nice tope a few hours later, was also tagged and released, weighing in @ 15lb 5oz. All in all, a serious session and one i will remember for a long long time!!PS, i dont fish for records or rewards, just for the pleasure, but how is a record claimed etc, as im a noob on this subject!!
Sorry if i went on a bit, but hopefully u enjoyed the report, all the best SQ
