December | 2014 | Fishing With Mack

This year has gone by so fast and this is the last day of 2014 that I fished.

I had arranged to meet up with two friends from the Irish Kayak Angling Forum, Pat and Dan, who were keen to fish in my local area. So with not much hesitance we decided to fish deep water to see what species were lurking around with the temperture drop. My father was also keen to get out. So loaded up we met the boys early the next morning and headed over to the launch spot.

The tide was due to drop throughout the day and low tide was set for the afternoon. The wind was forecast to be moderate so things were looking good. We had fresh lugworm for the day. The kayaks were soon rigged up and we were on the water.

Drift fishing was the choice method and my drogue anchor proved to be a priceless piece of equipment. It allowed me to drift slowly over the preferred rough ground allowing the bait more time to be settled on the bottom. The first fish I got for the day were some small poor cod which make excellent bait when there is not much else around. Next to show up on the lugworm bait was a decent Pouting.

There were a good number of fine sized whiting present which were a welcome site. I also managed a Grey Gurnard. I love these fish. I think it is their inquisitive faces that make me have a laugh.

I varied my bait and added a strip of poor cod fillet and got a small ling. The drift was nice and slow and allowed me to fish very light weights. The rig used consisted of two 1/0 hooks fished above a 2oz weight. The depth we were fishing in varied from 90ft to 120ft. There were plenty of small fish around to keep the rod active.

While drifting Pat and Dan managed to get Octopus so knowing that I knew it was only a matter of time before one grabbed the poor cod fillet. I got a small one eventually but I was more interested in getting a codling, or better yet, see if there were codling around.

I baited up some small feathers and sent them down to 110ft. I was slowly lifting the feathers up and down off the bottom when I got a sudden thump and good head shakes. After a good little battle on my spinning rod a nice plump codling hit the surface. It was a really nice sight to see on a sunny day in December.

A fantastic way to roll out the 2014 year. Plenty of fish to keep me going through the colder months. Everyone caught fish and went home happy (I hope)…

Until next time.

Tight Lines

This post has the potential to be almost a novel but I think I will keep it short just to give an insight on the season I have had.

The number one highlight would be catching 51 different species in 2014 Irish Kayak Angling Species Hunt. The list is pretty comprehensive but I added a slide show gallery with all of them. Some fish I had never caught before and I can safely say that I had never caught over 50% of the species ever before. So I was very happy with my tally. A Lot of effort went into it and I set myself a goal at the beginning of the season that I would Reach 50.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Other highlights of the year would have to be the times spent on the water with my father. Although we don’t agree on whats the best technique on somedays, I am still glad that I can share days out on the water with him. He is my inspiration for all my fishing. The best guide anyone could ever hope for. I just don’t know about that hat…..

I have met new faces this year which was due to meeting up at arranged fishing days. Spent numerous hours fishing and having a good time with people that are enjoying this sport as much as I do.

Finally I have been commended for my years fishing by being invited to fish for the Bantry Bay Canoes Pro Team. Check out their store in the links page or click the image below.

I have also been made a field tester for Cox and Rawle. I cannot fault the products these guys bring out. Their hooks are of high quality and my go to hooks for almost everything. Check out their website in the links page or click on the image below.

To everyone that contributed and helped me, became friends with, shared with and laughed with, Have a Happy Christmas and New Year.