Aylavaroo, Co. Clare, 26-March-2011

People: Me

Duration: 13:45 to 17.30 pm

Tide: 16:34 (1.80m) 22:56 (4.00m)

Weather: Sunny with Easterly breeze

Bait: Mack, eel and squid, Wraps
Rigs:
Me: Pulley 3/0 and 2/0, 3 hook size 2 Golds, 3 hook size 2 Cascade, 3 hook size 2 clipped up,
Neilus, Bombers and pulleys

Results: Me 2 dogs, Neilus 3 dogs

Report: I arrived a bit late due to me and a 100 other cars being stuck behind some ignorant farmer who refused to pull in his tractor and completed overloaded trailer of round bails. I wasn't at all hopeful as the tide was neap, bright sunshine and a easterly. Neilus alreay had his baits in the water and as I got set up his rachet went signaling a bite but this didn't produce a fish. I had a pulley on one rod and paternosters on the other rod. On most casts after that I had hard bites fishing close in but there was either no weight on reeling in or if there was a weight I'd get stuck and on freeing my rig there would be no fish. It didn't matter if I left the bait in the water or whether its was pulley or paternoster or long/short snood length the doggies weren't playing ball today.

I was under the weather so my brain wasn't working and when I finally thought of offseting my hood around half 3 and taking out my 3 hook clipped up rig which I find can give good hook ups here when the doggies are picky the fishing went off. I thought we'd missed the best of the fishing if the tide run was to die at low water. Around 4pm the tide started to rip before low water.

We were casting further out now in search of fish and neilus reeled in a dog. Shortly after that I saw a lighter pluck which I left and it plucked again. Whether with more line out due to casting further out and into deeper water or whether it was the way the dogs were biting I'm not sure but the old match man saying the lighter the dogs bite the better the hook ups held true. I reeled in to a solid weight that was heavy from being the fish over the ledge here. A doggy resulted and it had taken the bait down and required a bit of work to get my hooks out. The paternoster on the other rod produced another fish to sand eel on the bottom hook. I had no more bites after that. Neilus had a dog after low water and another fish after I left.

Not spectacular fish but considering the conditions I consider it a good session for March  as we had pleasant evening on a comfortable mark with plenty of bites and the mark is perfect for retrieving stuck rigs as a walk up the steps gives the height need to get your rig unstuck.