July Report

Given the reduced time available, I wanted to get a July mullet under my belt quickly so on the 2nd I headed to Rosscarbery. In hindsight it probably wasn't the wisest venue choice, the estuary pool being short of water on the neapish tide, with calm and bright weather.

I set up along the west side where there seemed to be a fair amount of mullety activity, though most was from small fish with just the odd bigger whelm further out. 

I launched two leger baits out as far as I could but it was very slow, just the occasional knock on the tips that could have been line bites or attention from tiddler mullet. Eventually a little breeze kicked up which seemed to help. I had a better bite and struck into a fish - it was a mullet so job done in that respect - but it was barely a pound in weight. A few minutes later I was into another that may have been a shade heavier, but it threw the hook as I was reaching for the landing net. The breeze dropped, I was becalmed again and the mini feeding spell was over. I still had a few odds and ends of exam work to finish off so I decided to call it a day.

I was out early on the 4th to catch the high water on a new spot from where I'd had reliable reports of thornbacks.

The first ninety minutes passed uneventfully, just some tiny nibbles on the baits that may have been from something like pin whiting and worrisome amounts of weed coming back on the leads and baits.

Then as the tide topped I had a big slack line bite on bluey on my right-hand rod. I wound down and struck but missed whatever it was. While I was baiting up that rig again, the mackerel bait on my other rod was taken and the rod pulled right over.

The ray gave a good account of itself, especially close in where it dived repeatedly for the bottom. But soon it was flapping on the surface under my rod tip and I scrambled down the rocks to land it. It was a really thick thornback that went 9lbs 8oz. I've had some heavier in UK but it was a new PB in Ireland, well happy with that.

The triggers didn't show, and the wrasse fishing certainly didn't shine either. To start with it was just occasional tiny bobs of the float as small ballans or corkwings nibbled the soft parts off the limpets. As the tide built, I started to get some better bites, but not many and only fish to about 2lbs.

I don't do a lot of wrasse fishing but the impression I get is that it's become significantly harder in the seven years we've been in Ireland. I think you could still build a decent bag if you invest in premium baits like ragworm or crab, but the days seem to have passed 

when you could rock up with a bucket of limpets and expect to catch a dozen nice ballans. There's just not the numbers of them competing for food. It's difficult not to point the finger at the guys trapping juvenile wrasse to act as cleaner fish in the salmon farms. It must cause a gradual attrition of the stock, and as a fishery it is barely documented let alone properly regulated in Ireland.

Today's session was rescued to an extent by some respectable pollack in the 2 - 3lbs class that took a fancy to a garish "Tequila Sunrise" Redgill on the dropping tide after the bites on float had dried up again.

Next day I was out in Bantry Bay again, this time on my low-water mullet mark. It has been in decent form this year for mid-weight mullet, and it didn't disappoint today with another four between 2 and 3lbs. I'd probably have had more but same as last year, the pollack numbers seem to be swelling as the season progresses and they definitely get in the way of the mullet fishing.

It was choppier than I expected on the north side of the peninsula there, and the first thirty minutes passed with only a couple of tiny pollack on the sabikis.

Then a single mackerel, then another, then a busy hour when I was picking them up every two or three casts in twos, threes or fours.

I stopped at 35. They were a couple of distinct sizes, some really chunky ones about a pound and others I'd describe as big joeys.

In among the mackerel, a single sardine, my first ever...