SWWASAC

Presentation on Sea Angling in Ireland

By Ashley Hayden and Mike Hennesy.

There will be presentation at the Burry Port Yacht Club on Tuesday September 8th at about 7.30pm, by Ashley Hayden from Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford. He is the Marketing Coordinator on the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board which is in Blackrock Co. Dublin. Ashley believes that there is a basis for twinning SWWASAC with the South East of Ireland. A joint presentation with Mike Hennessy from the South Western Fisheries Board will highlight the fishing from Wexford to Kerry. Species, Marks, Venues, Methods, Bait Riggs, Tides, Accommodation, Charters, Angling Packages, are all on the menu. They hope to cover all eventualities.

Bass conservation is important here as the measures taken result in an increase in stock. So a closed season for Bass fishing exists.

The bass season in South East Ireland starts from midnight 15th.June. Early on June 16th, Bass anglers were out and about from Louth to Wexford trying their luck. Boat fishing with the Irish Sea calm as a mill pond in June this year the dawn session was best served by using flies and lures. An evening session on Crab and Worm baits can produce Bass and Smooth Hounds. On a strong southerly wind the east coach beaches of County Wexford is the place to be. Crab and Mackerel are the top baits. Main venues are between Morriscastle and Rosslare and fish into the night.

June Bank holiday, anti-cyclonic weather, with Neap tides and slack winds made the fishing off the Saltee Islands very comfortable. A range of species were caught which included Codling to 7lb., multicoloured Wrasse, Ballan Wrasse, Pollack, Pounting, Ling, Launce, and Mackerel.

A must stop for any serious angler on the east coast is the Courtown Angling Centre run by Mick Redmond and Joe Byrne…. run by anglers for anglers. Mick Redmond is also the skipper of “Puffin”, a recent addition to the south east Ireland charter fleet.

What the local fishing grounds have to offer can be seen on a recent trip. Leaving Courtown harbour, the first mark off Pollstone Head south of Courtown produced a succession of Smooth Hounds, Ray, and a solitary Bull Huss on Crab and Squid baits. A change of mark and Tope was the target. Anchoring in 60ft of water with a strong ebb tide flowing produced an odd Ray along with a ubiquitous Dogfish, but unfortunately no Tope showed up. A final move to find Tope brought more Ray to the net, also Smooth Hound and Gurnard on freshly jigged Mackerel as bait.

At the end of the day, the species tally was Smooth Hound, Thornback Ray, Bull Huss, Red and Tub Gurnard, Dab, Dogfish and Mackerel. That evening a 45lb. Tope was landed on a separate charter.