People: Me and Martin

Duration: 6.20pm until 10.20pm

Tide: 17:39 1.60m 23:56 3.90m

Weather: Westerly breeze with small wave that went when the wind turned south. Cloudy

Bait: Mack, Eel and squid

Rigs: Pulleys I used size 4/0s mainly penel and single

Results:

Me two ray 9lb 6 oz and 3lb 4 oz plus 3 dogs.
Martin had a 6lb ray and a dab.

Report: Martin had his ray after 7pm to squid/eel followed by another bite that stuck solid and was lost. I was getting worried before 8pm until I finally had a bite which stuck on reeling in. After walking well down stream I managed to getting things moving but had the extra weight of my other rig as I had crossed lines by getting an angle on the fish. Both rigs were recovered along with the 9lb ray to sand eel squid.





I then had a missed bite that was positive that I left bang away but no fish so I presumed the dogs were around. The three dogs were caught at medium range through out the session to mack/squid and one to sand eel/squid. Martin also had bites but no fish.

At 10pm with bites scarce Martins who had been here before me packed up. I could still see his car parked up when I had another bite tapping away at distance to eel squid. Striking into this I thought I'd missed but as I reeled in a felt a doggy type weight which started to thump as it came close to shore revealing a bueatifully marked 3lb ray with a black nose.

g's-mark, Shannon Estuary, 17th May-2011

People: Me and Martin




Duration: 6pm till 10pm



Tide: 18:33 5.20m 00:36 0.20m



Weather: West to SW moderate calming to breeze, cloudy with hsowers



Bait: Sand eel, squid, mack, wrap razor



Rigs:

Me: 2 and 3 hook golds 1/0 and 1 bottom hook and 2s on top on the distance rod

Scratching rigs and booms with size 2s with the odd large pulley on the close in rod



Martin : Pulleys



Results:

Me: 5 ray in order 9.5 lb, 6.25 lb, 3.75 lb, 12.5lb and 1.5 lb, a dog and couple of Dabs.

Austrian: Had his first ray a 2.25lb ray and a 5.5 lb





Report: I had my first fish after 7pm the 9.5lb to straight sand eel on the bottom hook of the golds all the rest of the ray and the dog were to the the bottom hook sand eel squid. We caught fish all through the savage tide run after HW with fishing calming at the end when the tide slakened off giving me the smaller ray and the dog at this stage.



I didn't fish the close in rod hard as I was getting the better fish farther out but I did manage a double of Dabs with the rod flicked out a bit further than usual to wrap and mack. I had a large pulley baited so tried that and may missed out on more smallies. I also tried the razor but no fish but the flatties weren't biting.



Magic session made all the better by the Austrian getting his first ray.

 

Martin's secound ever ray 5.5lb





The largest ray of the night 12 lb 10oz though Martin Snapped the Camera when the scale bounced down to 12lb 7 oz I'll take the bigger number



 



My first ray of the evening 9.5lbs

Favorite mark, 10-May-2011 Co. Limerick

People: Me

Duration: 6pm until 10 pm

Tide: 17:27 1.50m 23:48 4.10m

Weather: Cloudy with clear patches with showers early on.
Moderate west to SW moderating to a breeze

Bait: Eel, Mack, Squid, Bluey

Rigs: Pulley penels 3/0/2/2/0 and 4/0

Results: 2 ray 2.5lbs and 3lbs


Report:

I had hoped this wind would be more of a SW wind but the moderate wind was a bit more westerly than I liked causing a wave but also a good tide run. Ray can still be caught with a wave here but it’s less likely. I fished one rod far out to avoid the wave that was pulled hard by the tide even with a 6 oz lead and one close in to medium distance. I had a cracking bite 20 minutes in to a lobbed bluey and squid bait that looked like a Doggy. I left this to develop as I find it helps for hook ups. On reeling in there was no weight so I left the bait out a bit longer but the fish did not come back. The bait came back in good order with hook points exposed so there was no reason for the fish not to hook up.

After 7pm I had a weight straight on after reeling in from distance without a bite observed but I snagged up 10 yards out and lost the rig. It’s hard to know what this was as most times this happens its weed attached to rock or an old rig but it could have been a dog that had attached its self while I looked away and bedded down for a kip while it waited to be reeled in.

After 8pm I finally had a ray tap that developed into a bend on my rod. This was to straight a bluey bait fired out as far as possible with 20 lb line and big old 100% shock knot. This produced a 2.5lb ray (right) which is the first ray I have ever caught to blueys.

I sent out sand eel squid bait to the same spot and while later another tap that developed into a 3lb ray

I cast both rods out at distance for a while after that but with no results and I switched back to one rod in close later on and had not tap after that.

G's mark, Co. Limerick, 3-May-2011

People: Me, Martin

Duration: 6pm until 10 pm

Tide: 18:50 4.80m 00:53 0.80m

Weather: Cloudy, Gale force SE slowing to Moderate later on

Bait: Eel, Mack, Squid, lug, rag, wraps

Rigs: Paternoster size 4 scratching rigs and boom rigs

2 snood Golds 1/0 and 2 hook golds penel 2/0

Results:  Many undersized Dabs

Report:

This is a great mark for big ray at distance and you can scratch in close in for flats while you wait. Unfortunately there was bigger wind here than predicted when I arrived causing a wave and making it hard to cast. I wasn’t hopeful as a wave isn’t good for ray and you need the distance here for the big fish. I did try with I fishing at distance with the golds rigs and when things calmed I switched to up and overs but no bites. It could have been just too early in the season as well.

With the second scratching rod I fished to the right and Martin who arrived before me to the left. I used a 3 hook scratching rig flapper close in casting to the well to the right for a known flounder spot using mainly black wrap tipped with mack and picked up a dab on most casts. As the ebb tide strengthened my rig was pulled around to the middle. Martin eventually down sized his rigs to size 4 booms with live lug and got doubles and trebles. I followed throwing a boom rig into the mix but still only got singles. May have just been the peg as I normally fish my scratching rig where Martin was fishing with good returns of small fish.

Deep water mark, Co. Limerick, 17-April-2011

People: Me

Duration: 10:45 am until 3.20 pm

Tide: 11:49 (0.10m) 18:10 (5.30m)

Weather: Eastery breeze with sun and cloud

Bait: Eel, Mack, Squid

Rigs: Pulleys 2/0-3/0. 2 hooks golds 1/0

Results: 2 small ray 3lb and 2lb

Report: Another spring low water and I couldn't resist hitting this mark again after such good returns but it was a quiter session this time with the crabs stripping my large baits in minutes and only two small ray caught. This was a much bigger tide of over 5 meter differential which had the tide running shortly before and after low water.
 
As the tide flooded hard it brought the bladder weed in. I had a nice boucing tip of a ray bite and after a bit of pressure I had a 3lb ray up on the bank just before 1pm. I decided not to take a picture in the hope of something biggers so I only have a picture of the 2lb ray that came in to sand eel squid directly a few minutes later to the same rod
 

The weed kept coming in in larger quantities resulting in two lost rigs. The last 20 minutes I had a running ledger with mackerel head and guts for a conger as the conger patrol the channels at this stage of the tide but it was ripped apart by crabs and if the crabs are out the conger aren't

Rock mark, North Kerry, 10-Apr-2011

People: Me

Duration: 5.30 pm until 9.20 pm

Tide: 16:33 (1.70m) 23:01 (4.10m)

Weather: Cloud with clear patches, warm westerly causing a slight wave

Bait: Eel, Mack, Squid

Rigs: Pulleys 2/0 to 4/0. Cascade sizes 2s and there hook golds size 2s bottom hook 1/0.

Results: blank

Report: I’ve been a good streak for march/april but I had my first blank of the year. I don’t fish this mark a lot but I have always saw this place as a banker even early season. I decided to have one rod close in with pulleys with mack/squid and one rod with clip down paternoster to see what was further out past the rocks here with sand eel that had been in the freezer to long. I fished the a peg that I call the tooth due to the shape of the rock jutting up and there was also another angler fishing the first drop to the platform casting directly out to clean patch. This spot has produced ray in from here but I normally go for the rough stuff looking for huss.



My first cast was lobbed very close in and I was baiting for the spare traces when I got a jagged bite of a huss or dog that locked solid. Once I got up high and applied sustained pressure at an angle the rig was returned sans bait and fish. This had me keeping my close rod very close in. As good sized straps and huss can be pulled very close in I was using large baits for this on 4/0 penels. Mid way through after casting a bait just under the platform to my right I had a slow rachet pull that on striking went heavy then free. This time I had the large 4/0 penel bait minus the fish. It was clear from the bait that it had been in the fish’s mouth when I pulled but it had avoided hooks



The second far out rod was changed from 18lb line 525mag to a 30lb slosh as nothing was happening further out and I wasn’t searching my usual productive 30-70 yards zone here. The very close in rod gave another twitch the end of the night and again a fish had the bait in mouth but avoided the hooks.



With better baiting I may of got the fish but saying that the points were not masked. The bait slipped to easily to slip down with the top hook when the fish pulled and avoided the hooks. I have to remember to twist the line around the top hook of the penel even if though I use penel tubing. I was also my enormous baits (even for me). These have produced some really big fish here but may have lost me fish tonight. I think my good streak left me over confident forgetting it is only April.

Co. Limerick, Deep water mark, 3-April-2011

People: Me


Duration: 11.40 am until 3 pm


Tide: 12:35 (0.70m) 18:51 (4.80m)


Weather: Sunny, Moderate NW causing wave

Bait: Eel, Mack, Squid

Rigs: Mainly pulleys 2/0 to 3/0. Less used 2 snood golds penel bottom snodd and penel clip down
Results: 5 ray in order 5lb, 6lb, 4lb, 2lb, 7.5lb

Report: Had the first 5lb ray (directly below) on my first cast on a pulley followed by the next two ray before low water leaving in a teasy try to get a baited rid out which might of lost me the chance of an extra fish. The second ray was on the golds the top hook by passing the larger penel below the lead. It’s something on deep a lot of deep water marks here and else where in the estuary where the ray often go for a hook above the lead over the the bait below the lead against conventional thinking.

Had the wee 2lb ray at distance as the tide flooded again and was the only ray taken at distance with the rest coming from the near channel. This was followed by the larger ray later on that gave a good account of it’s self here below. 

All fish were taken on sand eel and squid wrap.