Irish Angler - August Edition (2013)

Keep your eyes out on shelves for August edition of Irish Angler.

Or check out online at - http://www.irishangler.ie/

Wrassing with dinosaurs

Atlantic swells finally gave way and allowed me out on the first Wrassing session of the year. Clear skies, roasting temperatures and blue seas - it looked stunning but the fish were a tad shy to say the least.

I have come across this little lure made by Illex - it is called the Ammonite Shad ..... a small paddle tail with quite a thick profile, it looked deadly in the watermelon/bluegill colour ..... it was simply rude not to try it out. 

Size doesn't matter - or so they say.

After what was a very slow start and not much activity I had about three follows from the same little Wrasse. I was quite convinced it wouldn't take, so the next time it followed my lure up I paused, twitched it, then whack - it hit. 

I admired its efforts to get back into the kelp but a quick photo and it was slipped back in. 

I have been in love with the Illex S 210 M Stalking Special ever since I got my hands on it ..... light weight yet powerful and great tip sensitivity ..... still early days for a proper review but loving it more and more by the day.

Lurking in the shallows

Every time I go after Wrasse the places we pull them out from never cease to amaze me. Forget the old beliefs of deep water - we hit this fish in about 4 feet!

Again the Ammonite Shad proved irresistible to this Wrasse - fished on a Texas rig with a 3.5g head, glass bead and a size 2 wide-gape hook. 

The lure was cast out onto an overhanging shelf - no sooner had it hit the water when the Wrasse came up from under the ledge and started to smash into it. Three or four smacks later and it was hooked.

So many places and not enough time

We have often looked down at this place but never taken the plunge to go and give a good try. I am 100% positive that no one has ever wet a line here and it looks unbelievably fishy - maybe we will get there before the summer is out.

Tight lines.

July - Sea Trout Adventures

After arriving back from what was a fantastic trip to the Irish Bass festival, we set off for a week of sun, sea and Sea Trout. Little did we know we would be facing 30 degree heat, blue skies and crystal clear waters stuffed with sand eels - a Sea Trout fisherman's paradise.

Of course the usual toys all came out to play - IMA, Megabass, Tackle House jigs etc along with the old faithful Abu krills and Nordic herrings but we had some new toys to play with as well.

Black Minnow Magic 

We all know that Fiiish make the deadly Black Minnow and it has been working a treat among Bass and Pollack anglers all over the U.K. and Ireland but after seeing the 70 mm versions I knew it was worth exploring for Sea Trout. 

Even looking at it you know it is going to be something special. 

We started off on the usual lures to see if the fish were biting - after a few I switched over to the 70 mm Black Minnow, casting up current and with a straight retrieve it wasn't long before the knocks, bites and bumps started. 

It was crazy -I was getting more takes and follows than my dad who was only a few feet away on metals - Why? It must have been down to the superior or at least more realistic look of the lure. Perhaps that little tail going loopy in the current brought them in to investigate?

Hooking up was a different story!

Sea Trout are notorious for tail biting and nipping without committing ..... after many painful casts and follows I finally hooked one.

I have to say I saw more action with this lure than I ever have. Even when I switched back to metals I had nowhere near as much interest and yet back to the Black Minnow and they went nuts again. 

Is this the start of a new direction for my lure fishing for Sea Trout - I don't know but it sure makes me take a step back and think!

Stay tuned for more experimentation and adventures as the summer progresses. 

The Punch Line

My other new toy to play with was the Apia Punch Line Slim 90, a sinking lure which I found worked best on a straight, steady retrieve. 

Apia is a company which I wasn't hugely familiar with but after talking to a few friends I am starting to see a brand which will take the market by storm once people start to use them. 

We returned another day and started out with this new lure - first off it casts like a bullet and you can cover a lot of water which is good for seeking out feeding Trout. After a few follows we cast out again, up current and started the retrieve - Whack! The fish was straight on, no messing. The line was screaming off the reel and finally we brought the fish into the shallows. A plump 3lb Sea Trout!

Want to get you hands on one, check out Bass Lures and their great range of Apia products.

http://www.basslures.co.uk/manufacturer/apia

http://www.basslures.co.uk/manufacturer/apia

We fished on and had a few more fish - a deadly lure and one which I know will be in my box from now on. Can not wait to get back out and try it in a few other spots.

A nice way to end a few days of great sport ....a plump little Sea Trout caught on the open coast.

Stay tuned.

Irish Bass Festival 2013 - Gallery

Just a few of the snaps from over the Irish Bass Festival - Another great event and in some respects it is more about meeting new people, catching up with old acquaintances and sharing fishing stories with like minded anglers than it is about catching fish.

Another Welsh adventure - June 2012

If you have been reading my blog you will know that last season I spent two weeks over in Wales with my good friend Matt Powell This year I decided to spend a little longer with him exploring the coastline, having a catch up and of course catching some fish along the way.

The weather this year (although still behind) is much better than last - at least we managed to get out most days for a cast.

Put in the hours and the rewards will come!

 

There simply is no substitute for putting in the time on the rocks. Yes, some of us are lucky enough to go down for an hour or two and catch a fish but let's be honest most of us have to put in the long hours to reap the reward.

Early starts, late nights and long sessions certainly start to wear you down but when you look back at it all you wouldn't change a thing.

We have had some cracking fish over the past few weeks. At the start we hit schoolies but the average stamp of fish steadily improved resulting in some rather plump bass in the last two weeks.

The power of the Illex Ishad? 

All my bass except one fell to the Illex Ishad, 5.8 inch in White. I will admit now that this was pretty much the only soft plastic I used therefore I guess it clouds the judgement somewhat. I guess if you only use one lure then statistically that is what you will catch on but my confidence with this lure has steadily increased as time has gone by.

 

Fished weightless or with a little added weight to keep it down in the surf it just looks deadly.

Matt has been using the Sluggo to great effect, in fact over 90% of the bass we caught all came on soft plastics - there is no getting away from how deadly these lures can be especially when there is a lot of weed present which prevents the use of hard plugs.

New friends

Whilst I was staying Matt had a visit from the lads at Tulala, a Japanese rod manufacturer. I must admit at first I knew little about their business but after a little research I was really impressed with their work and excited to meet them.

http://tulalajp.com/ 

We spent a full weekend together - trading fishing stories, having a few casts together and just generally having a good time. I was stunned at the quality of their 7ft 2 Glissando rod which we have both been using to land some tidy fish over the past two weeks. A very sensitive yet powerful rod which I think would be ideal for soft plastic use in the UK and Ireland.

All good things come to an end

 

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Wales, I have met some great people, shared some great fishing with my friend and had some experiences which I will never forget.

I fly back in the next few days but it certainly will not be the last time I am back over ..... We will see what the future holds on that front.

I will take the opportunity now to thank Matt for the hospitality and just general kindness over the past few weeks.

If you haven't already have a look at his website and see his work for yourself.

http://www.fishingandforagingwales.co.uk/ 

The Irish Bass Festiaval

Now onto another huge event in my calendar for this year - The Irish Bass Festival started last year and was a cracking event run by the lads at Absolute Fishing in Tramore, Co.Waterford.

The event saw anglers from all over come, fish, have a laugh and share their fishy experiences.

I am sure this year it will be even better! I know there are some top anglers and sponsors around over the weekend and all the info is on the webiste.

http://absolutefishingireland.blogspot.co.uk/p/irish-bass-festival.html

If you are free, pop down to the shop and see what it is all about - should be another great event. Look forward to seeing you there.

Tight lines,

Steve.