Joys of hard rock fishing

Co. Donegal

Another few fantastic days out fishing. Nothing can beat when just everything click together, the fresh air, perfect conditions, breath taking view, and all what you have to do is fish hard to catch a dream fish. Its better than any therapy on the world and by the time you hunt for the " life time fish" do you still so happy with any size witch decide to take bend on the rod and let you to take your trophy shot. And see them happily swim away after release .

Fishing for wrasse is slowly make me wonder more and more about sea fishing. As a fresh water angler is quiet a big word. No matter what size they are , always top sport on soft plastic lures.

Its seem they cant resist for some sorted colours such as pumpkin seed, water melon red,chartreuse sparkle, motor oil, gudgeon, pumpkin seed blue sparkle specially from Z-man rabel, we use them successfully on the trips. In variations of shapes like, curling tail grub shads, senkos, paddle tail shads, slender tail worms, beaver style baits, soft plastic crabs, scented shrimps, yabby craws. The sky is the limit. But once you got the right colour in the right shape its not always enaugh, because this fish designed to live in the gullies and rocks and feed mostly on crabs etc they still not predators and really facy abaut the lure presentation. Quiet a challenge to work all this points out well, plus read the weather conditions and tide times, such a short time to think, once they switch on feed you have to be ready to rock and roll.

My personal best wrasse 4.5lb on this trip

Cant wait to go back to this stunning country side and stunning coast line of the Atlantic Ocean. So much more to discover. But maybe back a little bit for the fresh water fishing, the northernn pike season gonna kick  soon and really dont wanna miss that meeting with the green beautys, plus have one more extra adrenalin bomb about, i have a chance to try and test some Megabass lures from the Japanese guys. New big adventures coming up so stay tuned guys and tight lines .

All for one and one for all

Abu Garcia Veritas

( 7ft, 3 -15g )

This rod is became as my one and only, well as a maniac its not the only rod what i had but still the most special from all of them. People complaining that fishing is too expensive sport, well i think i easely can deny that. The market is insanly hudge, i cant even choose myself but with a little clever thinking can discover a lot of tipe of pieces with a great set up. For example this rod is perfect for spinning around salt or fresh water . Light enaugh to have good fun on perch or seatrout, but tough enaugh to handle a decent seabass or pike. Very popular rod for  american anglers, use it very succesfully for fresh water large mouth bass. Im personally in love with this series, mostly because its a "tough guy" when it comes to handle a fish, but such a sensitive body to feel every single little moves on the lure.  Of course to choose a rod its different and personal for everybody, but once you find "the great love"  you hooked on.

Daiwa Legalis 2506 SH

Ohh yess the Daiwa legalis, well the Japanese company really knows whats the fishermens dream. Should say this reels one of must have sexy piece of kit.  Im personally not a fan for the heavy set up when its comes to spinning. if you knows how to fight with the fish not really need it anyway. A few details of this beauty :

Gear Ratio: 6.2:1 (93cm) , Weight: 260g , Ball Bearings: 4+1 , Max Drag: 4.0kg , Spool Cap.:5lb/140m. Its a pretty fast reel witch is ideal for sea fishing, provide amazing speed for top water lures. Also very succesfull on fresh water as well specially at summer time when the weed comes up and makes the spinning a bit more difficult. I also think another special feature for this reels the super smooth drag system, set it up for the right line i never has broken line on me when it comes to fight with bigger fish.


So however im still not spend the future on my kit but for a bit of invest i have what i need . Next mission is gonna be about " match the hatch" between fresh or salt water lures .

Wrasse paradise

Finally get a few days out on the rocks, hunting for some "gold fish". I personally love fishing for wrasse, they are pretty powerfull species. Manage to fish for them a good few time since last year and have to say i have surprise every time end of my line. From the bite witch could take the rod out of your hands if you lame , actually never can tell the size what you hook. Even the small ones provide exellent fight on light gear, and the variation of colours is magnificent, every single one of them has different pattern and beautiful shades of colours.

The feeding habit of wrasse could be very tricky and operated on tide levels and weather conditions. Well the "fight with the elements" never been new for fisherman any way. But once they switch on the feed we manage double hook ups on the session, right place right time. The interesting thing was that we fished around the spot for 4-6 hrs before they decided to feed and before that manage a few fish but they where very picky abaut lures and presentation etc, by that time the tide turns low to high and the sky gets cloudy a bit, booom with those conditions we have non stop blend on the rods.

Awsome ground to try soft plastic lure technics.Because they could be pickey most the time, could be usefull if you target a few colour and shape variations under your slave. Can try different rigs, the presentation also important for them, they are not predators but somehow the Fiiish Black Minnow is savage for them, witch completly fish shape imitation they still take a bite. Also used with very much succes soft plastic worms, senkos, and crab imitations rigged on texas,carolina or jika rigs.

Jika rig

 Texas rig

Well at the end i spend a really awsome few days on the rocks of Atlantic, learn a bit more how the sea and the conditions could effect the fish feeding habit, and experience a hudge variety of technics and lure choices, styles. One step closer to read the sea :)

  

Wild Atlantic Pollack chasing

Take a few days off from work and decided to head to Co. Donegal for a long weekend with my other half. I have to say its a stunning and perfect playground for a sea angler. Beautiful hills and mountains and between them lots small lakes witch target brown trout. We went to the rocks spinning for some pollack. 120mm Fiish Black Minnows does the business as usual, this lure is originally designed for sea fishing, smaller lighter versions specially for shore fishing, so impressed they work very well.

You could buy them allready rigged or buy by parts. Comes with various colours, sizes, and different heads for different fishing technics. For pollack i used the "drop and sink" technic, the shore head designed for this. Reel with medium speed, lift the rod up a bit slowly and drop back a bit faster, the fish often hit the lure when its falling down, the pedal tail makes super vibrations on the way back. The off shore head work same but used from the boats it deeper water to sink a lure faster to the deep, very succesfull for big pollack and seabass. Also from the same company comes out the new Fiish Crazy Sandeel, witch is the big gun for the big boys. 

Stevens fish cought on Fiish Crazy Sandeel

This lure is imitation of the real sand eels perfectly, the action in the water the way they swimms and also the special flash comes tough brilliantly, big pollack cant resist. I could see in real how sand eels looks compare to the Crazy Sandeel, because i hooked quiet a big one. In summer time when the sand eels comes in to the bays the fish follows them , this is mostly the natural bait fish what they feeding on.

This is the sand eel what i cought

And take a look on the CrazySandeels, the guys does quiet a brilliant job to create the same plastic lure.

I had an absolutly brilliant weekend on the rocks in Donegal, discover a little bit of the Atlantic Ocean. Fresh air, breath taking sunsets, stunning view of mountains rivers and lakes. Beautiful fish super sport, what else could i wish more.

Pike attack on the surface

Summer time when the water temperature is getting warmer, could see that pike often comes up to the surface after a bait fish to feed or just simply enjoy the sunshine. If they are in feeding stage could catch them on top water. This buddy takes the Illex Bonnie 95 (SG Ayu). Trully awsome bite,i could see the fish follows the lure behind so slowed down the lure a little bit and boooom fish on, jumps out from the water and hit the lure on the way back. I landed my first surface cought pike.

Illex Bonnie 95 (SG Ayu)

Read a lot abaut this lure but pretty hard to find in Uk, without the postage cost you the fortune from France, but manage to put my hands on from www.fishonlures.co.uk next day arrived yeah just in time. Really cool lure moves in perfect zig zag top of the water and because of that action the little rattles give a really special noise when twitch it with the line every each time. If you in ability to see the fish when follows it and feels the rithim of the fish imm almost 100% you can catch it. Also cast like a rocket even with wire trace and braid, could cover a hudge distance.

Would love to put my hands on the other different colours, looks soo tasty. Im sure could be succesfully use them on salt water predators as well such as seabass or pollack when the conditions right for it. Irresistable lure.

Perching out and abaut

Perch,a lovely member of the bass family. Head out to the Lough Erne connection for a little explore, i personally love been there because nice variety of piesces there and the fish is in top condition. This stripy creatures moves all around in soles so i prefer to stay mobile, walk and cast to follow them. They taking the lure very agressive and lots of head shakes etc, brilliant sport on light gear.

The way i was follow the sole notice they quiet like the grund under the boats, the weed is mostly only at the bottom and the water is abaut medium deep like 1~1,5m deep, witch is ideal place for them to take cover from the bigger predators such as pike. Because of the clear conditions in the water they looks more interested from the flashes witch comes from the blade of the thiny Meps. Also was succes to fish with small plastic lures with pedal tail and small jigheads, often people say use bright colours, for soft plastic i still prefer natural colours and the vibration of the tail. Small weedless Black Minnow allows you to fish deeper on the ground to discover them between weeds, siply cant resist.

Usually dont need to use wire trace for perch, firstable is change the way your lure  action in the water, and perch has no teeths to bite tough on the mon line or braid, but and there is a big but, witch is happen to me when i was messing with them under the boats, i hooked a wee perch and when try to landed has another bite end of my line, about 15lber pike decided to take my hooked perch, i was lucky enaugh to manage the fight for pretty lon because i had  small wire trace on, but my small jigged single hook after the forth run just cant keep up, witch is understable hahaha but i was soo close to land my personal best pike indeed fight on light gear. However trace or not its your choice, but perch isnt really fancy and if you have a pike attack on give you a bit of chance to land it safely both. End of the day i still had a good fun but had to say Gina 0 pike 1, next time maybe will meet again.

Proper bend on my new rod

Finnaly out from the kitchen and manage to take a wee trip to pike land . Was absolutly worth it . I had a new rod  for my birthday, its a 7ft long Abu Garcia Veritas 10~25g black and white spinning rod . W where in Dublin on the Swords Angling Show and stay up in the town for a weekend. Take a wee walk in the center and find a pretty oldschool looking tackle shop, i saw this rod there and was love at first sight. My other half get it for me for birthday present with a matching coloured Penzon Mitchel reel, of course i was extremly exithed to try it  Finally arrived to the lake, i didnt even wait for a usuall coffe etc after trravel , i just head down to wet my line. the rod  and reel combination was awsome and with braid i cast like a rocket, but after a few hours still just a few bites and nothing. decided to take an adventure arround the lake , wasnt much space to cast it was trees everywhere. At the very corner was look deadly and full of lilypads witch means only weedless gear what we can talk abaut, so like a rambo get myself there, really hard ground to make a cast but when its happened in right place right time i can cast just front of the lillypads with a savage gear roach imitation 4play weeedless set up. i was knew i havent got many chance because im too noisy but reeld in very slowly and tried to covered from surface to the deepness the distance. Its worked, beautiful 9lber what i hooked first. Super fight and really aggressive, lots headshakes and jumps but this lady been landed. Quick trophy photo and relase safely for another fight.

Stay on the spot and expected to be quiet for a few minutes, nothing for a same lure so i decided to change on for an orange FishArrow soft plastic. This lure is made to drives salt water predators crazy but im such an open minded angler so give a go for a deadly moves, yess i had a bit smaller brother from above. Also had bites on the blue colour as well, have to say its a brilliant

ant lure for pike.

My third fish was very close to 10lb. Simply cant resist for a 90mm Fiish Black Minnows. The new shallow head dont let it to dive straight too deep, but still kept the deadly move and flash from the belly, ohh and the unresistable paddle tail effect.Swims awsomely tough the lillypads,i  love weedless hooks.End of the trip the "fish of the day" was mine so have to say  Gina won the bottle again!