Irish Sport Fishing

Check out Irish Sport Fishing, it’s a fantastic new website full of excellent photos and well written articles dedicated to showcasing the variety of fishing Ireland has to offer. The site is the work of the accomplished and talented angler, Stephen Brennan, who I'm sure will be no stranger to many of the Irish readers of this blog. You might also recognise some other familiar faces in Stephen's latest article as he joined Sam and I over the weekend as we introduced Pat and Derek to LRF (light rock Fishing).  Check it out

http://www.irishsportfishing.com/2012/01/30/lrf-no-stress-fishing/

Image by Stephen Brennan of Irishsportfishing.com

Between a Rockling and a windy harbour

I could hear the wind howling outside when I got the text from Sam to see if I was heading out fishing. Needless to say the answer was yes but I must admit that I wasn't too optimistic of our chances given the high winds. Anyway the plan was for each of us to head to two different marks, see if  either were fish-able and report back. So I headed to a harbour mark near me and Sam to a small rocky cove a little further South. Well the conditions couldn't have been more different at the two marks. I was nearly blown off the pier with the wind which made the fishing very tricky but I still managed to winkle out a couple of Scorpion fish before conceding defeat.

I gave Sam a call, expecting to hear that conditions weren't much better out where he was but to my surprise not only were the conditions a lot better but he was also getting a few fish. When he told me that one of the fish he'd caught was a Rockling, that was it I was gone. I couldn't believe it when I got down there, the cove was completely sheltered from the wind and looked perfect. Within a few casts I got what I came for, a Five Bearded Rockling on a Gulp Sandworm and a short while later I caught another and another. In the meantime Sam had switched over to an Ecogear Strawtail and the Whiting were coming thick and fast. It turned out to be a great session in the end, much better than I expected, with plenty of fish, another species to add to the list and plenty of banter too.

Sam finished up the evening with a proper Rockfish

My Set-up:

Rod:  Major Craft Solpara 7' 3" (0.5-5g) Solid Tip 
Reel: Shimano Rarenium 2500 
Line: 3lb Yamatoyo FC 
Lures: Ecogear Strawtails, Marukyu Power Isome and Berkley Gulp Sandworms

 

Sam's Set-up: 
Rod: Reins Raz Ajiringer-Z 7' 6"-0.4-7g
Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4 2500

Line: 2lb Yamatoyo FC 
Lures: Ecogear Strawtails, Marukyu Power Isome and Berkley Gulp Sandworms

Gripping Stuff...

At only 93 mm long and weighing about 40g, these lip grips are truly tiny and just the job for lrf. I bought mine from an ebay seller in Singapore and they only arrived this morning, so I haven't had a chance to try and get a few fish to pose with them just yet but maybe over the weekend I will. I must admit that I know nothing at all about the manufacturer, Boiling. All I know is that they look remarkably similar to the Active - D.D.B. Light Game Grip but worked out costing about half as much. I'm not too sure how the quality of finish and materials compares, all I know is that they look perfect for what I need.

In Search of Perch...

I've been reading Chris Yates book 'How to Fish' recently and it has inspired me to put the LRFing (light rock fishing) around the harbours on hold for a bit and to venture inland to freshwater in search of Perch. So armed with pretty much the same gear as I would use for LRF, I hit the road yesterday and headed to a river mark known to produce the odd large perch from time to time. So I rigged up and began to make my way along the river bank, slowly bouncing small paddle-tailed soft plastic lures along the bottom. It wasn't long before my little lure attracted the attention of a Perch and after a spirited fight, the first of the days perch slipped into the net, a beautifully coloured fish a little under a pound or so. It was only a short session yesterday but In the end I caught five or six perch with the best fish of the day, just a little short of the 2lb mark. What a pretty fish the Perch is though, with it's bold stripes, red fins and impressive spiked dorsal.

My Set-up:

Rod:  Major Craft Solpara7' 3" (0.5-5g) Solid Tip

Reel: Shimano Rarenium 2500
Line: 3lb FC

Lures: Spro and Manns 1.5" paddle-tailed sp's on 2.5g jigheads 

First LRF Session of 2012

With a slight respite from the high winds we've had over here for the last week or so, Sam and I braved the weather and headed out last night for our first session of the new year. Even though it was still blowing a bit of a hoolie when we got out to the harbour, it was just nice to be able to wet a line again. The wind made keeping in contact with the lures a little tricky at times but we tucked away as best we could and still caught a few fish, four species between us, Pollock, Pouting, Whiting and Long Spined Sea Scorpion. Still no sign of the codling arriving in any numbers yet but hopefully we'll start catching a few over the coming weeks and hopefully the size of the fish will improve a little too. Anyway there is lots to look forward to this year and I can’t wait to get stuck in.

My Set-up:

Rod:  Major Craft Solpara7' 3" (0.5-5g) Solid Tip

Reel: Shimano Rarenium 2500
Line: 3lb FC

Lures: Ecogear Strawtails and Berkley Gulp Sandworms

Sam's Set-up: 
Rod: Reins Raz Ajiringer-Z 7' 6"-0.4-7g
Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4 2500

Line: 2lb FC 
Lures: Ecogear Strawtails and Berkley Gulp Sandworms

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all, I can't believe how quickly 2011 went by but it was a great year for me and a year of many firsts also. It was my first year dipping my toe into the world of blogging with this blog and also my first year to properly concentrate on lure/fly fishing all year round. I have to say that it's been a very enjoyable years fishing and in many ways a real eye opener for me. I never realised just how many species could actually be targeted on lures or just how many fantastic and really interesting fishing blogs there are out there. Speaking of which here are a few to check out.

I came across this helpful article from Ben Field of The Art of Fishing the other day and thought that it was worth mentioning. It's called LRF: What tackle do I need to start? and it's a great starting point for anyone thinking of getting into this type of fishing and well worth checking out. I think that its the first of a series of articles so keep an eye on Ben's site and check out his shop too, top quality gear and service.  

Finally, check out Lure Games.com, the site was set up after a meeting with the No Stress Fishing lads in France and bringing that ethos and approach to fishing back across the Channel. In their own words; our focus is on the simple fun of lure fishing. No long winded discussions of technique and theories, but instead a simple blog, with an emphasis on the fun and  social side of our fishing. I couldn't agree more and I'm looking forward to seeing how the group grows and develops.