Let's talk about Squid

Squid from Chinese supermarkets are cheaper and superior quality to tackle shops. I would not be without it and wrap my mackerel and sand eel with half a calamari as a more crab resistance bait. Whole squid can be a killer bait for Huss and conger on the Shannon Estuary. Smaller sand eel with a strip of squid is an excellent distance bait. I never defrost my baits until I am going to use them. I leave squid out on the trip to the mark so I can pull them apart. Bait defrosts quickly in the summer and slowly in the winter. That maybe obvious but dealing with a frozen block of squid in January is no fun😏

The clean ground mark that wasn't, 16th June 2014 Gs mark

I was fishing a clean ground mark on a spring high tide on the ebb. This is a place that has given me double figure ray at distance with a long flowing trace with squid and sand eel.

Doing my best to cast at distance with zero coordination my first two casts were pulled by the ripping ebb tide into a snag that they were not retrieved from. I switched to casting well up river  and I caught this wee fella on a two hook golds

On a second rod I was scratching for dabs with some old peeler, squid and sand eel. I'd normally prefer old blacks tipped with mack but my bait supply is down. On past sessions I've been so busy with flats I've missed ray bites with the distance rod. Tonight I may as well been scratching my arse as I hadn't a tap and spent the night feeding the crabs.

My last two casts were crack offs due to my poor casting. I had forgotten shock leader and had ran out of reels so went home. Still 3 hours fishing in pleasant weather with a ray caught, even if he was small, isn't to bad.

A session in the sunshine, fav mark 9th June 2015

So I went for my first session of the year after work. I was fishing for 3 hours of the early flood on my fav mark and I had a dog on my first cast followed by this wee fella.

All I have bait wise left in the freezer is sand eel and squid so I fished these squid wraps.

This bait combo gave another dog and a ray at distance. Sometimes the smallest rays give the hardest fights and this fella was stuck to the bottom all the way in.

It then went quiet, to the extent that the usually voracious craps weren't even touching the bait. With work in the morning and an hour drive home I could only hold out until sunset missing twilight which is the hottest time for Ray .

At sunset I lobbed as big a bait as possible 20 yards out as I know they come close in here especially at this time of the day and this fella nearly pulled my rod over.

Fav Mark, Co. Limerick 2-sep-2014

People: Me

Duration: 6:20pm until 9:20pm

Tide:early neap flood
17:27 1.6m 23:59 4.0m

Weather: Mild calm night

Bait: Sand eel, Mackerel and Squid

Rigs: Pulleys 2/0 to 4/0 penels

Results: 2 thornback ray and 3 dogs

Report: I had no fish for the first hour but had small bites ripping at my bait. This can be small round fish or pup tope on this mark but after a while mackerel broke the water.

After an hour I finally got a dog with a longer cast to mack/sand eel followed through the next hour by 2 missed bites and another dog. Finally my rod tip gave a tap followed by a big pull and I had this fish.


All quiet after that as it went into darkness. I don't have a decent light at the moment so  I didn't see any bites in the darkness after 9pm but on my last cast I reeled in another dog and a better ray to mack/squid which bent my AA big beach diving into the rough on the way in.

Fav mark, Limerick, 01-sep-2013

People: Me

Duration: 10:20 until 14:20

Tide: LW flodding

Weather:Westerly breeze. Cloudy

Bait: Sand eel and Squid wraps

Rigs: Pulleys

Results: 1 thornback ray and 10 dogs

Report: On arrival I opened my cool bag to pick out the first bait to defrost and noticed my frozen mackerel was missing. After searching my car and ringing home there was still no sign. Never mind a smell will arise from somewhere over the next few weeks and I'm down to refrozen mackerel that I don't trust in my freezer anyway.

By the time I was ready to cast out the wind started up and was causing a small bit of a wave that made me worry about the chances of catching ray if it were to picked. Never fear this mark always produces and my first cast went slack line. I could barely move what was on and after a back breaking tug of war I landed this ray from 30 yards out.

On my second rod I had a double shot of dogs. After that, I had dogs through the session but as it went on I had to cast further out to get them and were ripping the bait off the hooks without getting hooked up with two fish coming in tail hooked. Half way through the session I had another though fight with a ray that went to ground on the way in. Though I did get it to move again it locked up and was eventually lost.

Fav Mark, Co. Limerick, 25-Aug-2013

People: Me as I've no one to fish with anymore

Duration: 10:20 until 15:00

Tide: Spring Ebb

Weather: Mild and cloudy

Bait: refrozen mackerel, Sand eel and Squid

Rigs: Pulley 4/0 & 2/0

Results: 11 dogfish, 2 ray and a Huss

Report:

You know you haven't been fishing in a while when you open the cool box to see dead flies that have gone through the full life cycle from maggot to caster to fly. 

I got here just before the post high water tide run the lasts around an hour before the water runs upstream again. On the second cast I had a dogfish. Which was followed as the tide started to run by a wacking great bite with the fish running off down the ebb flow. I had a stop start fight of a Huss diving into rocks and I was delighted to see a large tail waving out of the shallow water as I brought him gently in as he had his teeth around the penel sand eel squid.

 This was followed by more doggies and this small ray. Earlier in the tide I lost two doggies and rigs on the way in to the rough round. These were recovered later on in the tide as it ebbed and released but not counted in my results.

 I continued to get doggies slowly through the session with no missed bites until lunch time when things went quiet. As every angler knows the best way to get bites is to get out a sandwich. On doing this I couldn't get keep a bait on the hook for doggies but couldn't hook them. I brought the bait closer in, in the hope of avoiding the bit robbing dogs and getting a decent ray but just started hooking up  the dogs again but I did get this double shot.

After work fishing, Fav mark, Co. Limerick, 8th-october-2012

So after missing out on fishing over the weekend I went through my well worn procedure for after work fishing. My rods packed in with my tripod in it's rod carrier and my reels, leads and rigs in the shakey box so they could be quickly lifted into the car in the morning as I headed to work. That morning the bait of frozen Mackerel, Squid and sand eel placed in a cool bag with ice packs along with frozen juice bottles filled with frozen water that so the bait would be defrosted as needed at the mark.

Preparations the night before went well but I was awoken to rain and gale force wind that morning but on checking the forecast the weather was to improve so I continued. On arriving at the mark there was a light NE wind but this gave a wave and tidal rip well past the winds strength. The tidal rip was which may to wave or it may have been due to the Shannon outputing fresh water into the estuary and effecting the tides.

First three casts each gave a dog which I left to long for the bites to develop as they had took the hooks well down, as often times here quick strikes result in missed fish,  but I managed to take the hooks out. After that it went quiet as after low water the tide went dead as the whatever was pushing the water down nulified the neap flood tide rip.

As it went dark my LED head torch showed it's inadequacey as I couldn't see the reflective tape on my rod tips. My expensive Tiga head lamp is still out of action but I have just ordered bulbs off of Ebay. I had debated going for a decent LED head lamp that doesn't have a battery the size and weight of a small child attached to your hip but I hate letting something that should be still functional go to waste.

I managed to see a snatched bite in the darkness on a running ledger that was probably a strap. I felt no weight on the retreive so left the bait out for 5 minutes but the fish did not come back for it. When the trace was reeled back in the bait had been pulled up the snood. I'm guessing the fish may have grabed the bait and the hook was caught on a snag. I had what looked like a shoal of whiting rip apart another bait and tie the 4/0 hook in a knot and a final doggy before 9pm that chin hook itself.


People: Me

Duration: 6.30pm until 9.30pm

Tide: 17:47 1.90m 00:19 3.60m

Weather: NE breeze with a slight surf. Mild.

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulleys penels 2/0 on one rod and 4/0 on the other

Results:
4 dogs

Report:

Co Clare, #fishirl, 30th-September-2012

People: 8 anglers.

Duration: 12.00pm until 4.00pm

Tide: 12:37 0.5m 18.53 5.0m

Weather: south west wind

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: I used pulleys and running ledgers.

Results:
Me blanked. Two winner had 2 dogs most others had 1 dog

Report:

I meant to hit Dunlickey before hand for fresh Mackerel but I slept it out due a mixture of tiredness, a never ending cold, drink and a the wind and rain. I had never fished this mark before but had heard of big ray being caught and deep water. I set up a the first point which was more sheltered with only a slight wave compared to a further out point being hit by the wind and surf. There was kelp poking out of the water so I set up with 30lb SL30 but the water was neither deep nor deperately snaggy once past the first kelp. Where I fished the tide was not strong and the water wasn't that deep.

The lads to the right picked up fish throughout the comp but fishing was very slow. Saying that one of the winners had 9 bites from the middle of the bay with only two fish to show and a couple of big fish were lost. The nearest I got to some action was when my lead was tripped. Maybe a fish or maybe some weed. The top hook of the penel had slid away with most of the bait so if it was a fish it was lost due to this. I just can't get decent penel tubing anymore to hold the penel hook in place and keep forgetting to twist the line around the hook shank for extra security. All in all my first blank of the year and I won't be coming back here in a hurry after my worst session of the year.

Deep water mark, Co. Limerick, 16th-September-2012

People: Me
Duration: 11.30am until 3.20pm
Tide: 12:31 0.40m 18:48 5.20m
Weather: NW Moderate gale to calm with heavy showers to gale
Bait: Mack, Eel, squid
Rigs: Running ledgers with 4/0 hook and pulleys with penel  with 4/0 2/0 hook
Results:
 9 ray. A few smallers one but the biggest was around 9lb
Report:

I went out with the intention of fishing a sheltered mark, as the wind was blowing, 2 hours either side of low water with the intention of getting ray and a decent chance of a good huss or conger. I was going to mix up pulleys and ledgers to see which worked best. I find a one up one down the ray always take the top hook but the big congers take the hook below the lead here.

 I arrived down to good conditions with only a wave the other at distance. First three cast produced three ray to mackerel squid on ledger and pulleys.

First fish

Most of the fish were this size

 After that the wind and wave picked up and the bites went dead. I cast farther out with one rod searching for more fish while with the second rod I searched closer. At low water the fishing picked up again with most of the fish coming close in to ledgers. This may of been just due to casting my ledgers close in only as some fish did come to pulleys but I concentrated on the ledgers. This produced fish on the shortest of casts with false casts producing. At the end I had one last fish with a lob when normally the fishing would of been dead due to the tide run. No conger or huss but I can't complain about the fishing especially when I get a fish like the one below that bent my rod over with it's dives.

Currachs, Co. Clare, 9th september 2012

People:9 anglers
Duration: 12.00pm until 4.00pm
Tide: 12:21 3.7m 18:35 2.0m
Weather: Mainly pleasant with squals
Bait: Fresh Mack, Eel, squid
Rigs: Running ledgers with 4/0 hook and running paternosters, pulleys
Results:
I had one 6lb bull huss. Winner had 19 fish at the steps mainly dogs but a large gunard was also caught, at the currach 6 larger fish came second
Report:

First cast of a pulley penel locked up in the kelp so I switched to 30 lb line and single hook ledgers. The best of the bites I had were at the start with missed doggy bites including a fish that spat the bait at the shore line. I also had  a conger run that locked up but I managed to get my gear back with no fish. I put the lost fish down to in part putting to much bait on as I'm used to baiting penels.

Others around me faired better so copying tactics I tried a 2 hook flapper but my hooks were too small to hold enough bait against the crabs and switched from a ledger to a paternoster ledger. A doggy caught by one angler had a mackerel head stuck in it's gob that it had pulled from another competitor's hook. I lobbed out half a head and caught this fella but no more bites for the last hour.

 

Bleach Lough, Co. Limerick, 24 August 2012 #fishirl

A work night out gave me my opportunity to try fresh water fishing and introduce my two eldest girls to fishing. The preceding week had me researching about the basics of trout fishing as  I had never fished for  let alone caught one and showing my girls how to cast and retrieve with a spinning outfit. I also purchased worms and lures from Steve's shop on Denmark street.

http://www.igotworms.net/

We arrived out just in time to get one of the last available boats, as road flooding due to the torrential rain had delayed us getting out the Lough. Club member were guiding on the boats and showing us the basics. It was also apparent that there were plenty of fish rising and jumping. I started out with a mepps type lure golds with red spots as recommended by Steve. Early on while trolling, as the boat was driven between drifts, I felt a bang and was into a 3lb rainbow. The trout jumped out of the water and took line off my reel in an enjoyable fight until it was finally netted. Shortly after I had a trout jump out after the same lure as I retrieved at speed to avoid a boat that had moved into our path to net a fish on the fly.

My eldest daughter then saw her float move or more precisely it was pointed out to her. After turning the handle the wrong way round and causing a tangle we thought she had lost it but after it was untangled the fish was on. She carefully brought it to the boat with adults shouting instructs and landed her first fish. My next daughter missed a trout as she pulled the bait out of the water when the float moved and the fish didn't come back.

 As darkness fell, the fish stopped rising and we were called in. Everyone had a great time with the worst of the rain holding off and plenty of fish caught. Our fish were steamed up and we all enjoyed some fresh naturalised fish for lunch the next day. A big thanks you to the Lough Bleach anglers for there help.

http://www.bleachloughanglers.ie/

People: Two eldest and I pluse work collegues
Duration: 6:00pm until 9:00pm
Weather: Heavy Rain everywhere but here where only light showers
Bait: Earth worm, mepps, tais devils
Rigs: bubble floats with size 2 hooks
Results:
 Eimear had a 1lb rainbow and I had a 3lber

The steps, Co. Clare, 19th august 2012

People: Me

Duration: 11.30am until 3.30pm
Tide: 13:31 0.50m 19:47 5.10m

Weather: Southerly wind with squals to sun

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulleys with 2/0 penel on one rod, 3 hook golds and cascade size 2 on other
Results:
17 dogfish and two dabs

Report:

I started hitting fish a half hour. Dogs preferred the paternosters as is usual hear with sand eel with the dabs going for the bottom hook. I had a few doubles missing a trable of dogs due to carelessness in singing them in but managed one treble below. As the tide flowed harder at the end fishing slowed singles. When the fish are biting this well I was surprised not to meet a few ray, straps, huss or something else especially as the pulley rig wasn't being hammered by dogs.

Treble to a golds with the dab taking the bottom hook

Fav mark, co limerick, #fishirl, 27-June-2012

People: Me

Duration: 6.00pm until 9.40pm

Tide: 18:03 1.30m 00;23 4.20m

Weather: Moderate westerly

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulleys penels

Results:
Dog, Fresh water eel and Dab

Report:

Poor fishing but the wind blew hard a times causing a wave. Caught a fine sized fresh water eel that must of been 2 lb that snotted my pulley.

Corlis , Co Clare, #fishirl, 10-June-2012

People: 6 anglers

Duration: 12:00 pm until 4:00pm

Tide: 11:01 4.20m 16:57 1.20m

Weather: Pleasant

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Mainly running ledgers 4/0 by me

Results:

I think I had 4 fish with a couple of them huss the rest dogs. Got the biggest fish below and my of come second. Winner had 9 fish.

G's mark, Co limerick, 21st of may 2012 #fishirl

People: Me
Duration: 6:20pm until 9:50pm

Tide: 19:07 4.7m 01:05 0.8m

Weather: Westerly wind and pleasant conditions#

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid, black wrap

Rigs: one rod with 3 hook scratching flappers size 4 hooks fluoro etc
one rod at distance with an up and over eel wrapped in squid

Results:
  1 ray and 3 dabs
Report:

As usual here I fished close in for dabs and small fish while I waited for ray at distance. I sometimes can have 20 or 30 dabs here which is great fun as they bite hard for small fish and fish to eating size can be caught here. They have a preference for wrap tipped with mack but tonight it was a quiet with a few missed bites and only a whiting and a flounder caught close in.

Around 9pm I had a slack line bite and it produced the ray below. This was followed shortly after to a fish with a bigger struggle that locked up and was lost on a snag. After that a another bite at distance that produced a dog. Disappointing in some ways as this is a double figure fish mark but a pleasant enough evening.

Deep water mark, Co. limerick, #fishirl 7-May-2012

People: Me

Duration: 9.40am until 2:00pm

Tide: 11:41 0.20m 18:03 5.20m

Weather: westerly wind. Mild.

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulley penels

Results:
 2 ray.

Report:

This time Fishing took a while to get going with the fish coming at low water. Dead after that with a lost fish on the snags close in. Here's one of the fish.

Deep water mark, Co. Limerick # fishirl, 22-april-2004

People: Me

Duration: 11.10am until 3.20pm

Tide: 12:09 0.80m 19:25 4.80m

Weather: NW wind.

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulley penel rigs.

Results:
8 ray and dog mainly to mackerel squid wraps but some to sand eel squid wrap.

Report:

The ray came in on the first cast and it was tough to keep a baited trace in the water with 6 rays and couple of lost fish on snags close in early on.The fish were caught at distance and mid range mainly to pulleys with mack/squid. After low water the flood was quiet. I still managed 2 more ray and my first dog from this mark after a few years fishing here. It was also only the second dog I've seen caught here. In past years I had very poor fishing here on the ebb but this time all the fish came on the ebb. I have no working scale but took a pictures of some of the ray.

Lovely markings on this ray

Largest and by far the smallest ray

 

Ferry pt, Co. Clare, #fishirl , 01-April-2012

People: Me and 5 others at a Shannon AC comp

Duration: 12:00pm until 4:00pm

Tide: 14:15 3.70m 20:09 1.90m

Weather: Sun with showers

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: I used 3 hook golds rigs with size 2s

Results:
I won with 4 dogs
Second had a 2.2Kg ray
No other fish were caught

Report:

I hot one dog on the flood and missed a couple of bites. At low water the fishing went dead but on the flood I had 3 more dogs. The dogfish were caught further out and the biggest fish was caught at medium range and is below.

The biggest fish on the day

The Strand, North Kerry, #fishirl, 8th-January-2012

People: Me

Duration: 9.10am until 1.20pm

Tide: 11:06 1.00m 17:18 4.50m

Weather: Sunny but a cool breeze.

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid

Rigs: Pulleys with 2/0 penel on one rod, 3 hook golds and cascade size 2 on other

Results:
1 ray and 3 dabs

Report:

I had a few Dabs but the fishing was quiet until half 12 I had a ray to a size pulley wishbone rig where it chose mackerel over sand eel.

January ray caught on a size 2 wishbone pulley to mackerel. 

Cappagh pier, Co. Clare #fishirl, 4th-December-2011

People: Me and around 5 others for xmas comp

Duration: 13.00pm until 4.00pm

Tide: 12:58 3.90m 19:03 1.50m

Weather: Strong Westerly with rain.

Bait: Mack, Eel, squid, black wrap

Rigs: I used 3 hook size 4 flappers

Results:
Plenty of dabs and whiting caught along with a couple of dogs.

Report:

Originally supposed to fish Kilkee but it was unfishable. Went to white strand and the weed made that unfishable. Ended up on the pier and got fish all through the session.

A wet and rough day had us running for the cover of Cappagh pier