Anton's Visit to West Cork - Part 4

So, with the pressure to find a fish gone, I wandered off down the estuary towards the deeper water to see if it was fishable. Alas , as I proved in  a couple of casts, the narrow estuary mouth was choked with lettuce weed, stirred up by the storm waves. On looking back to the now distant Anton, who was fishing in a spot I'd have told him not to bother with were he in earshot, I did a double take..... the body language looked different he seemed to be standing bolt upright in the howling wind and lashing rain but sort of jigging around a bit..... strange I thought...... maybe trying to keep warm?.......... I don't believe it, FISH ON !!

Its not easy trying to do the hundred meters sprint across quicksand, in chest waders, with a fishing rod but I managed it just in time to see a beautifully dark fish of a decent size landed by Anton much to the delight of us both. He was on a roll now and we finished off the session with a further fish each in quick succession from another spot before seeking warmth and shelter in the local bar. A sandwich with a pint never tasted better!

To be continued.........

31/08/09 - Rood Ashton

Weight – 132lb 15oz
Catch – 45 Carp.
Weather – Warm & cloudy, later sunny. Breezy
Water Temp– 17.5c > 19.0c
Match – Rainbow Trust Charity – 1st Overall

20 had booked in for this match, but a couple of late drop outs, meant 18 would be fishing in 2 sections of 9. At least it meant Mark could leave a couple of the worse pegs out.

I asked Mark what pegs he fancied. 5, 6, 15, 16 & 17 was the reply, so when I drew peg 5 I knew I was in the right area. Unfortunately for Mark, he drew peg 10, which was in the corner. It looked a cracking peg, expect the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.

Whilst setting up a couple local spotted I had a couple of pellet wagglers set up, which apparently doesn’t work here. At the start of the match, I immediately started under the tree to my right on paste, because I had noticed a few fish moving around and I hoped for a couple of mug fish. 15 mins later I had 1x 4lber in the net, but bumped 2 others. In the meantime I started feeding my 13m line with 6mms and the waggler line with 8mms.

After an hour, I managed 4 carp from under the tree and 1 on the waggler. The 13m didn’t produce (although I only tried it for 5mins), so I decided to ditch it in favour of concentrating on just the 2 lines. As the match progressed the waggler line got stronger & stronger.

From what I could see peg 2 (where I practiced on Friday) was catching, as was Nick on the bottom bank. It was noticeable the fish preferred to have a ripple over their heads and for 3 hours I caught consistently on the waggler and knew barring a disaster I was likely to be in the frame.

The 5th hour of the match proved really difficult with only 3 fish. The wind had dropped and the sun came out. There was obviously still fish in the swim, but they wouldn’t take the bait. I tried a longer hooklength, but that only resulted in foul hookers and my paste line was only producing iffy bites. I really wanted the paste line to produce, because you tended to get the bigger fish. Fortunately the average size on the waggler was better than on Fridays practice, so I didn’t persevere too long on the paste.

Going into the last hour the fishing picked up, it was still bright and there was a little more ripple on the water, however I had to wait a little longer for the bites. Previously I was hooking fish almost immediately of the waggler landing, but I now had to wait up to a minute before I got a proper bite.

In the end I had 37 fish on the waggler, which isn’t bad for a method that doesn’t work. Apparently no one can remember the pellet waggler winning at Rood Ashton.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable match, not because I won (although that helps), but I kept things simple struck to the game plan. To be honest, I felt confident the waggler would work on most pegs, simple because any anglers who were casting out beyond the pole line were using method feeders.

Nick finished 2nd with 102lb and 81lb was 3rd.

Fall Fish Stocking Pricing and Info

Now is definitely the time to get fish orders in for the fall fish stocking season in Central Illinois!
Peoria, Fulton, and Tazewell county Soil, Water, and Conservation Districts are all having fish sales this fall and they have their delivery dates set. They are the best place to pick up regular bass, bluegill, and catfish.

Herman Brothers have been delivering fish to clients all summer long, but it looks like this fall is going to be busier than ever stocking fish! We specialize in stocking all of the not so regular fishes of Illinois! This year we have the best selection available to date. Walleye, Pike, Muskie, Albino Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Feed Trained Largemouth, Hybrid Bluegill, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Fathead Minnows, Golden Shiners, and Rainbow Trout just to name a few of the other species we have available this fall!!

We stock fish of all sizes and can pretty much find any size of any species of fish! I work with the very best private fish hatcheries and fish haulers in the nation! Here is our 2009 retail fish stocking price list We deliver your fish right to your pond and make sure they are acclimated correctly. I also will not sell the wrong type or size of fish to anyone- if my name is on something, it will be the best!

Florida Council of FFF Conclave

If you're a fly angler, here's an event you won't want to miss.
I'll be tying flies and conducting a PowerPoing seminar of freshwater kayak fly fishing. I think I'll talk about Fly Fishing for Florida Exotics.

The Florida Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers will hold its annual Conclave at the Ramada Inn in Celebration, Fla., Oct. 23-24. The event features 25 of the best fly tyers in the world, great speakers, casting help from Master Certified Casting Instructors, booths from some of the top fly fishing manufacturers and a barbeque and auction.
For information, email Capt. Pete Greenan at captpete@floridaflyfishing.com or see the council's website at www.fffflorida.org/conclave.htm.

Striking out

I struck out on Monday -- first time I haven't caught a snook on the beach this season.
There were plenty of fish, but they weren't the least bit aggressive. I had a few snook follow my D.T. Special, but they really weren't interested.
Tide was virtually the same as it was two weeks ago when I had such a fine day. The moon was about half. Barometer was falling.
Ken Taylor caught some ladyfish and at least one snook on Tuesday while spin fishing the same beach.
On Monday, I saw some really large snook. In fact, just north of "The Wall," I saw a group of 15 really big snook, some pushing 30 pounds.
I'm hoping unstable weather will put the fish in a feeding move!

Saturday Fishing and Sunday Fun City

Rainbow Trout fishing is starting to heat up!


Dale Weiss of Goodfield with a big catfish:

Bluegill caught on a 4 inch berkley shad!


We celebrated Noah and Maes birthday party on Saturday out at Norris, then headed to Fun City in Iowa on Sunday and Monday. Now its tuesday morning and I am ready for a vacation! Them kids can wear me down fast!!

Fishing in Fiji with Josh, Ryan and Jimmy on August 24th

Lucky for us this trip was planned and executed with no surprises. Josh, Ryan, and Jimmy had come into the shop and wanted to go fishing. They said for me to pick the day with the best weather. Which is always iffy at best.

I decided Monday the 24th was the day and spent Sunday getting ready.

We met at the boat at 7:30 am and were on the water in no time. I had a game plan all worked out and was feeling pretty confident. All of that was about to change.

As we headed out to the first spot the weather started to decline rapidly. The sky turned dark and the wind picked up. On top of that not even a bite. By the second spot I was sure it was going to rain and still no bites.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

I worked the grounds hard for these guys but to no avail.

Luckily it never rained on us but the bite was not happening. We decided to try spot number three. We even trolled on our way over to it and didn't get a bite.

Before we got to the third spot the weather cleared and the wind died. It was going to be a nice day after all.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

We arrive to the third location and it looked fishy enough as it always does. By now the guys are using a lot lighter tackle. After what seemed like an eternity, Josh catches a small Coral Trout. He follows that up with a fish I have yet to ID. If you know what it is let me know.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Then he adds a nice Job fish and a small Trevally.

Things slow down again and it is time to move on to what I am hoping will be a fishy spot at the bottom of the tide.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

About three casts into this spot Josh is on again, only this is a little better fish. It turns out to be a Bluefin Trevally.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Picture time and then a quick release.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Now by this time Ryan has not boated a fish.

His determination is only matched by his level of fitness in his ability to cast the whole day.

Jimmy is not on the board either. Although he is nursing a really bad motor cross injury. So casting is only done occasionally.

Josh then catches a nice GT, while Jimmy jumps in for the leader and tail grab.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Now it is Ryan's turn. He gets into a nice Emperor. This is followed by a Black Trevally that gives a good accounting of it's self. And I might add he deserved it. He never gave up and it paid.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

What started out as a dark and gloomy morning with no fish turned out to be a nice day with a few nice fish and a great bunch of guys.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Tight Lines