No Bass..or any sign of fish..but great fun..

Tried some SP's and lures but the water was brown and wild...but nice to be there, out in nature....
You tube kills all the colours of the video...pity!!

Nothing much to report....

I got out for a couple of hours this morning, but with a biting easterly and heavy rains and swell, i figured i would be just getting some fresh air.
And i was right....i brought the fly rod so i could get some practice in and at first fished off a sheltered man made structure in the harbour with the T11 Rio sinking line and some minnow type flies. Nothing doing, so i switched to the Ghost tip floating/sink tip and went on a ramble along the shore chucking clousers into gullies and any feature i could find, with slow retrieves but nothing doing and no sign of fish life...
I thought i may winkle out a small Pollack, but no joy......eventually, the cold sent me packing with tears and runny nose and...i forgot my gloves!!!
My hands burned all the way back in the car!

Irish freeway.......

well i tried......

I had planned to take the Yak out, but the weather beat me again.
So not to be outdone i grabbed the shore gear and headed for a deep water spot to try for a pollack, and maybe some Bass too.The water was very "muddy" and it seemed like a total waste of time..also a little dangerous at the deep mark.
So back in the car and off to a mark a few miles closer to Cork, where the water was much better, but again a little dangerous and i was glad i had the pfd on at least.
The wind howled and i spent most of the time dodging a soaking from huge surf spray, and i used soft plastics and the tackle house feed shallow lure, but no sign of life in the water.Very enjoyable though and an adrenalin packed moment or two getting off the rock which was now flooded behind it...i have done this here many times before, but it was a little lively! Mind you, i have had to wait for the tide to drop in the past with no problems.
So.....I tried!

A year gone......

But not forgotten.
To my Dad in law.. John Lyall, the Sea Bass man, who started it all.
I hope we will fish together, eat together, and have a glass of wine together later on....we miss you.....

First look of 2012

I really wanted to get out for a look around, so got the fly gear and waders ready last night. Even though the weather was really awful.. high winds and rain. I got there to find as expected the water was very dirty,but practice is practice. Great to be out by the water again and got plenty of rain and wind to test my gear!
But if i couldn't see the fly in the water the fish cant either!
So first blank of 2012!
Tight lines!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

One small step......

I have been craving to get out on the kayak, but the weather is unreal at the moment.
High wind.. low wind..high wind...very hard to pin down the forecasts.
But i cancelled yesterday and picked this morning for another attempt at Pike on the fly.
Up at 6 am and off i go, set up and on the water for first light 8am. The water is very clear and i am positive to start.
The set up is the same as last time, 9 weight outfit and line (inter. sinking) to 30 lb mono looped to iron claw wire and a clip (all about 6 feet long).
The fly is a Replot stinger from Baltic flies in chartreuse.
And the weather begins to deteriorate all morning till i am forced off the lake at 1pm.
And a bonus is one hit from a Jack!
The learning curve continues, this time the fish came out of some underwater rocky feature, not the reeds.
So another lesson learned.. fish all features!
By the end of the session i was pretty cold!
Tight lines for now!