Duration:12 days
Tide: Various
Weather: Mostly good
Bait:Lug
Rigs:Various
Results:all sorts
Arrived in Rosslare at 7 am , 5 hours later unpacking in Dingle. Tired but eager. Fancied fishing a low tide mark at dusk so headed off to dig some worms while the wife sorted the house out. Always a good time to make yourself absent !
Fished from 7 til 9.30. Bites from the off. Dogfish to start but it got better, ended up with 5 dogs and 2 bass of 2lb and 2.5lb
Day 2
More worm digging and an hour or so plugging but no action. Had decided to fish a different low water mark in the evening. Beautiful night with full moon dipping in and out of the clouds and a strong cross beach breeze, this caused its own problems. Started with 2 rods but soon realised there was quite a lot of weed in the surf, abandoned one rod and waded out a bit which more or less solved the problem. Started fishing at 7 and stayed til 10. A slow start but livened up on the turn, ended up with 3 bass between 2lb and 3.5lb. Left the beach happy and still time for a pint.
Day 3
Day off, weather wasn't great. Went to Dingle for a meal and a bit of music in the evening.
Day4
Dug more worms and went to a few different spots looking for mullet, saw a few at Milltown above the bridge but didn't fancy it. Thought I'd devote a couple of hours to the wife before another evening at the first days mark.
Started about 8, nice evening with slight breeze. A dogfish to start followed by a nice bass of about 4.5 to 5lb, another dog and shortly after a strong bite which I thought was a bass. It came easily to start but then decided to fight back making several strong runs and holding its ground for what seemed like a long time. Thought this was a really good bass but was worried about the 15lb line which had been on the reel far longer than it should have. Finally sight the fish, flash of silver in the moonlight, big bass. No ! Get to it and realise its the wrong shape, great big bream. Take it up the beach and examine it under the light its a Gilt Head, 6 or 7lb I estimate. What a cracker ! Decided to keep it, lovely eating. Baited up and out again another dog followed by a small flounder. Next cast another strong bite and another bream this time a bit smaller, about 5lb. One for the neighbour. Called it a night and went home happy but wishing I had a bag for the fish. Didn't take a bag as I wasn't intending to be taking anything home which made the walk back to the car finger breaking.
Got home, wife in bed. Took them up to show her and fair play she was very enthusiastic.. I think.
Thought I'd check it out on line, Irish record is 3.2kg, don't do kgs so converted to pounds, 7lb ish.
Interesting ! didn't sleep much that night.
Day5
Headed down to the post office first thing. 3.505 and 2.69kg. Wow, bit of a shock but new record and the other about 4th largest.
Came home and contacted Bob Moss who had the relevant forms then took the fish over to him. He was very helpful, we took scale samples and various photos in all sorts of strange positions but that was what was wanted for by the powers that be.
No fishing today.
Did pop out for an hour, plugging in Smerwick, didn't see a bass but found a large shoal of mullet surface feeding but didn't have the right gear.
Day6
Heineken Cup ruled the day but returned late afternoon to where the mullet were spotted the day before. Mullet there again in large numbers but this time am armed and prepared with a fly rod and all the necessary. They are surface feeding close in against block stones which have been laid to stop erosion. Caught one of 4 to 4.5 lb, lovely fish but with no net awkward to land as had to climb down stones and bring it to hand which it wasn't very keen on. Briefly hooked and lost two others.
Day7
Sunday is a traditional day of heading over to Murphy's pub on Brandon pier for a couple of pints, walking the dogs along the storm beaches and then heading for Spillanes in the Magharees for a bit of grub and this is not negotiable. The only option was an early morning start.
Fished a high tide mark from 5.30am but abandoned it at 7 after only one bite which resulted in a little dab not much bigger than the hook. Moved to a nearby rock mark to plug at dawn and found a young seal in residence, watching me and diving every time the plug hit the water, almost like it was a game. Pulled out and moved to another bay by which time the sun was almost creeping over the horizon. Turned out to be a good move caught a bass of about 3lb and lost one at my feet of about 4lb.
A good start to what turned out to be a great day nicely finished off with several pints in the Court House Pub listening to a bit of music. Wife driving of course !
Day8
Weather was kind all week but today it rained all day. It stopped about 5 so decided to go back for another bit of mullet bashing. Was a bit unsure if they would be there as the tides were now falling and high tide was quite late, almost on dark so took the plugging rod as another option.
Arrived and found no mullet, probably a bit early and the tide was still making with quite large waves hitting the block stones. Started to plug my way along the stones and then around the headland but not a touch or follow. Stopped and started to walk back, only to find that the mullet had moved in to feed on the surface but not many of them. By this time the light was starting to fade so didn't have long. Crept to the edge of the rocks and very first cast a mullet turned to the fly as it hit the water and took it just like a trout. I realised then that this was a good mullet, it stripped plenty of line off the reel in several good runs. I saw the fish, oh s***, no net and there was no way I could bully it to the edge of the stones with only 4lb line and large waves washing in. The only chance was to walk it the hundred yards to the end of the stones and beach it on the strand. This took at least ten minutes or maybe more, the fish not cooperating at all. Several times the waves took it in between the rocks and I had to back track and coax it out. God knows how it didn't come off or scag the line but it didn't. Eventually beached it was almost dead and wouldn't go back unfortunately. Weighed it at the post office on the way back 5.45 lb. Had mixed emotions that a great fish had died but was also elated at catching such a specimen on a fly
Day9
Up at 6.30am to plug a rock mark. beautiful morning and incredibly mild for the time of year. Started well a nice bass of 3.5lb ish on a Maria Chase BW about 4th cast but that was the best of it. Fished half a mile or so of coast, tried a Sammy and a Kilty then back to the Maria. Finished about 10.30 and not another sniff.
Went into Dingle for lunch, very enjoyable. Back on the rocks at dusk for a bit of plugging but drew a blank and retired to the pub. The local Lotto guys turned up to do the weekly draw, had to buy a ticket with the way my lucks gone this trip. Won the house prize, thirty quid ! It just had to be.
Day10
Not a good day. Up at 7 to do a bit of plugging. Jump in the car , Jesus what a smell. One of the dogs sleeps in a dog box in the back and has s*** itself. I open the back and see that she has sprayed it around better than any farmer could have done with a muck spreader, must have been the dead fish I caught her eating on the strand, it was rancid. Twenty minutes later all hosed down and ready to go, only arrive at the mark and find the winds changed direction and the water is full of weed. Weed coming in on the lure nearly every cast I lose heart and go home.
A bit of breakfast and I'm off to do a bit of soft plastics Wrasse bashing.After a long climb down to the rocks which I thought were reasonably sheltered I realised they were not and the swell was too dangerous especially as I had taken the dog which always sits on the lowest rock so as not to miss anything. Should have let the little b*****d get washed away after her performance this morning. Back home within the hour.
Did a bit of plugging at dusk, lovely evening and sunset but drew a blank, couldn't even tempt a Pollack up.
Blanked all day
Day11
Up at dawn for a bit of plugging at high tide, lost a small Bass straight off then took another about 3lb ten minutes later. Fished on for an hour with no joy and returned home.
A cunning plan, suggest taking the dogs over to Cloghane for a run on the sand and a pint in Murphy's. Just happened to be low tide at the time and just happened to have the rod in the back of the car.
Shame to waste the opportunity, wife takes the dogs for a walk and I head down to the point where river hits the sea armed with a dexter wedge. Great plan but no bass.
Enjoyed the pint in Murphys and returned home over the Connor Pass. By this time the rain was in big time.
Day12
Last morning. A bit of plugging at dawn at a favourite mark, got there well before sunrise but the bay was full of weed which must have drifted in with the wind in the night before. Tried for half an hour but was a waste of time but did get a small Pollack at the finish.
The end of an unforgettable week. Great to catch the big bream but the highlight of the week was catching a 5.5lb mullet on the fly.
Off to catch the ferry with a very tolerant wife and the two dogs
Report:
credit where credit is due 
, well done mate, lovely lovely fish, I will buy you a pint at the awards 
