December Update

A belated seasons greetings! I haven't posted for a while due to being in work, holidays and a lack of fishing action.

In the run up to Christmas I had a few sessions, starting 15th December. With it being such a nice day I decided to take the plugs out for a rare soaking in the Strait. Probably not the best time of year to be trying this but at least it got rid of a few cobwebs. I tried a few different floating/sinking and diving lures but as expected it was a complete blank, no takers and no sign of fish.

The Saturday straight after was a planned conger hunt, and I was joined by Arwyn. We set up underneath Menai Bridge an hour before low with big mackerel baits. However it seemed we were there a little bit late as the current had already started running to the left. Two biteless hours we lasted until we moved before being cut off by the now rising tide, to a mark nearby. Expected at least a few fish but Arwyn managed 1 whiting, and I had an edible crab so we packed up after just an hour and saved ourselves for the Monday.

The plan was to hit a mark that has been mentioned to me in the past for producing big bass in winter. Myself, Paul and Arwyn arrived just on low to fish a good chunk of the tide in. Wasn't sure of the exact spot to fish but after a bit of gulley hopping we found some suitable ledges that wouldn't be covered for a couple of hours. The rod tips were getting sharp rattles which meant the whiting were around so instead of reeling in I decided to leave them out there for an extra 10 minutes to see if that could tempt a big predator.

Just as I was thinking of moving my gear back my plan seemed to work, with one of the lines dropping slack. I struck in to feel a decent weight and it began to shift, taking some line against the drag. Then it just felt like a dead weight, but seriously heavy. First thoughts were conger but as it edged closed it stayed deep and I was more convinced I had a decent ray on. It came into my torch light and sure enough it was a ray, a reasonable thornback but hooked towards the tail which explained why it took such a long time to bring in. Didn't bother weighing, but it was a reasonable specimen between 7 and 8lb, a quick photo and it was back in the water.

 We moved round the rocks to a spot we wouldn't be cut off for a couple of hours but a side from a few whiting and dogs the action was slow so we packed in ready for the quite hefty walk back to the cars.

In the meantime I have treated myself to some new gear, mainly lures gear, to focus on this style of fishing a bit more and catch a better variety of species (and hopefully make the car smell less!).

Last last tope chance

Not been out for a few weeks, the couple of sessions previously were too wet and windy with nothing worth getting the camera for. However a day off today and decent, if a little cold, weather meant I was definitely getting out. Fishing a reasonably big tide down to low, and a northerly wind I didn't really fancy anywhere on Anglesey to produce what I wanted so I made a dash down the Llyn to try out some new territory. I left Bangor around 12 and after the mammoth drive I was down the rocks and started fishing just after 2pm with the plan to leave about 5pm.

I set up as usual, 8/0 hooks, short wire trace and half mackerel baits. Initially the current and swell kept the ratchets buzzing a bit too much and holding bottom was a struggle. First cast was out there for over an hour while I tried feathering for some fresh bait. I had already lost a rig to a snag on my second big rod and I thought the same had happened to the first rod but eventually it pulled free and there was a bit of weight on the end. I wasn't sure what I had on, as it slid onto the rocks I initially thought I had a decent gurnard but as I got down to it, it was obviously a meaty 3 beard rockling that had wriggled onto the big hook.

The picture doesn't really do it justice but its the best I could do with the self timer. I thought I might see more action now the current had eased but not so. A few lost feathers to the rocks as I unsuccessfully thrashed the water for mackerel and pollack. I was kept on my toes by the swell making it look like I had bites on the bigger rods. Other than that the most excitement I got was the appearance of a seal and a large bird, possibly a buzzard or just a crow on steroids flew into one of the lines as it tried to take one of my discarded mackerel baits off the rocks.

After admiring the sunset over Bardsey Island I began packing up to get back to the car in the light. With one rod away the other started going beserk. I lifted into a decent weight and it was fish on! I tried to keep the line tight as I moved closer to the edge ready for landing, unfortunately as I was moving down everything went solid. I hoped the fish would pull itself free but it wasn't too be, the pull downs stopped and the fish was gone. I got the rig back but the session ended on a bit of an anti-climax, as the lost fish would have been a decent bonus at a new mark. Back out on Anglesey next week when the tides a move favourable, hopefully the weather holds!

Last Chance on the Tope?

So Saturday just gone I felt like it might be the last chance to get a tope this year. After scanning over a map and reports I decided Point Lynas would probably be the best bet, certainly in the conditions of the day, with deep(ish) and a decent flow of water.

The plan was to fish over low slack to avoid our gear getting taken away in the current. Due to other arrangements I was getting there a little later than Paul and eventually I was fishing about 1/2 an hour before low. First casts were pretty uninspiring, as I found a rogue lobster pot buoy had appeared in front of us and sure enough I had found the pot as well. After pulling for breaks both times I set up again I adjusted my casting angle to avoid the pot, and now the tide had also taken the buoy out of the way.

I was set up as I usually have the last few sessions, big half mackerel baits on 8/0 hooks, minimum 60lb snoods, preferably with a short piece of wire to stop anything toothy biting through. I had a reasonable weighted fish bump off on an underwater ledge before I landed my first fish and it was a small but nicely spotted little huss. Not long after I had a slightly bigger one on the rocks. Where we were fishing we had a couple of deep rockpools behind us which meant we could drop the fish in there to recover before a quick photo and releasing. Paul had a couple of doggies before swapping to a bigger bait resulted a nice conger eel. The last fish landed was a doggie to me before a series of good bites resulted in bumping a couple more fish off, including a bigger huss right at the edge.


With the tide filling gulleys between the rocks behind us we decided to make a move and found a ledge a little further round to use up the last of our bait. I had both rods out and had indications of bites on both, before one rod set off on a continuous run. For a brief moment I thought I had what we came for but after 5-10 metres it stopped taking line with just the occasion solid nod of the rod tip following. There was a bit of a game as the weight got snagged, so after leaving it out there 10 minutes to fish was free and being pumped to the surface. Another good huss was coming in but as soon as it got to the edge of the rocks it did a quick spin, out came the hook and it slowly made its way back to deeper water. Back to the bite on the other rod which had developed into a really good knock. This one went to ground as well but unfortunately the fish appeared to have come off and I was left to pull for a break. A slight anti-climax but a useful fact finding mission and I'm sure we will land more next time out.

Weekender

So the weekend just gone I was in two minds what to go out for, either bass or rays. Happy with the success of the rays on Tuesday I decided it was time to try and beat my long standing bass personal best. With our east coast mark not producing anything like it has done the last couple of years, I opted to go to Dinas, with a favourable tide and forecast.

I dug my lug and took a couple of launce as well and was setting up on the beach about 2 and a half hours before high just as it was getting fully dark, perfect! Unfortunately I find fishing at Dinas is never simple, the weather is never quite how it is forecast, large quantities of weed turn up out of nowhere, the sandbanks move and the list goes on. A combination of all these factors came on Friday night along with occasional bursts of rain, making everything a bit uncomfortable. I started around the first bend but moved back towards the car slightly after getting nothing but weed. From first cast I had one each of a schoolie, doggie, whiting and codling in a quick 30 mins of action, before everything went quiet... and it stayed quiet. 3 fellas were set up nearer the car park and they left at high water, and I followed shortly after as I could see I was actually casting into a shallower area of the beach, getting to bed earlier than expected.

Saturday I headed straight out from work up to Lillypond to try for my 4th ray species of the year and complete the set. Fishing the tide up there was a strong right to left pull and for a while the grip leads were struggling to hold. I wasn't expecting much until night started to fall, and first bite was predictably a doggie. I got the feeling no rays were going to come out and play so switched focus on one rod to tempt a huss or conger. Started out by catching a bait sized whiting and lashing that to a 6/0, and eventually changed the other rod over to a massive squid bait. Lobbed them out and left them, tidied everything up ready to go and waited...and waited... and waited... After about 45 mins it was clear that nothing was around to have a go at the baits and the whiting rig got tangled so wasn't fishing properly. These two sessions brought everything back down to earth after the previous two sessions exceeded expectations. On we go, and weather depending it will be last chance saloon on the tope this weekend.

Back on the Rays

I felt like time was running out slightly for me to get into the small eyed rays this year, as there had already been reports of good catches since mid August. The plan was a short session almost straight after work to fish an hour or so up then two down. However several events beyond my control meant I arrived at the beach about half an hour after high.

As I stomped over the sand dunes I saw a head torch to the right fishing in the channel, but I headed away to the left, expecting an empty beach. On turning the corner though there was another torch an a familiar face, Richard, who was on the beach last year and had a beast of a ray just over 10lb, and was also there a few weeks back when the fishing was very poor.

After a quick chat I was set up and cast out, going slightly easy as the line was not bedded on the reel properly from last session. Wind was strong and straight in our faces but thankfully it was just about fishable, with not too much weed in the water. 30 mins past and not much happening so it was out with fresh baits, this time a bit more welly in the casts. I was moving my gear down the beach a bit when there was a noticeable pull down easily distinguished from the waves followed by plenty of slack line. The fish gave a good tussle and initially I thought I had a nice bass on, until I caught a flash of the eyes in my head torch and I knew it was a ray. I got it closer and could see it was a small eyed, mission accomplished. I nipped over to Richard, who did the honours with his camera, as mine had a flat battery.

As I was returning the ray Richard had a bite on, and as I went back to my gear I could see my other line had gone slack and I was in again, and both fish landed at the same time. Another quick photo and I was running back to my rods to get cast out again. What felt like a bit too long passed without another bite and sure enough baits came back untouched. A move down the beach and one last round of casts had the same result, it seemed as quickly as the rays appeared they had gone again.

I wasn't complaining though with target caught. They are fun to catch from the beach, giving a different fish than when catching them in the deep water so if the weather allows I might be back while they are still around in numbers.

Getting out of the Elements

So last night (Saturday) me and Paul had planned a big session, again tope would be the main target but there would always be a chance of huss and conger if they didn't turn up. Due to the weather we ended up at an area near Point Lynas that I had fished a last week and caught those nice pollack from.

After finding the way down to the first ledge a bit too sketchy we found a more suitable outcrop a made tracks towards it. Unfortunately this is where things started to go a bit wrong as I had forgotten to charge my main head torch, and Paul's decided it wasn't going to work at all so we were both down to our dimmer back up lights. As this is an area that is probably not fished at all we had to blaze a trail through waist high ferns and gorse bushes at times so by the time we made it onto the rocks I was already wet through. Still we had got a long way down just to turn around so we got fishing.

The tide was high, but we were sheltered from the worst of the weather and the swell was none existent. Big half mackerel baits went out in an effort to lure some monsters from the deep. The water wasn't as deep as I was expecting but it wasn't long before a little ring from the ratchet signalled the first bite. I left it in the hope there would be more movement while I carried on getting comfortable on the rocks. Mean while a solid take developed on me other rod so I struck into this one and could feel a bit of a fight, unfortunately the fish dropped the bait just before it was in sight, a promising start though. Upon reeling the first rod in I found a small strap conger had managed to devour the half mackerel.

This pattern continued through the night, with some good bites being missed and some fish dropping off halfway in. The next fish landed was a tiny huss of a couple of pound, followed quickly by another slightly bigger. At this point the rain made a return and I went from having almost dried out completely, to being wet through again in a matter of minutes. It didn't put the fish off though as in between a couple of missed bites I managed a slightly bigger conger, and not long after dropped a bigger huss as it hit the now exposed ledge below us. Unfortunately Paul had a nightmare, having problems with his rod after getting stuck and being unable to see anything with such a dim light. Eventually he managed to get into some fish, albeit just a few doggies and one tiny huss. The best was saved for last however as I used the last mackerel for the last casts resulting in a bouncing take and I had another better huss at the surface. With a better hook hold this one was on the rocks and despite being a bit feisty it obliged for a photo.

Once packed up it was time to tackle the long walk back to the car, and it was all uphill back through the jungle. We got back to the car exhausted after such an adventure but this is definitely a mark worth revisiting. Unfortunately the pictures aren't great but with the sporadic rain it was a case of making sure it stayed as dry as possible.

Tope update

So the last week I managed to get two short sessions out with the number 1 target of course being tope.

Wednesday morning I headed to a new mark near Amlwch. Heavy mist made it tricky to find a suitable ledge, and I ended up a bit further away from where I planned to be, but I made the most of my limited time and I got fishing. The big rods were straight out with half mackerel baits and wasn't long before the tips were nodding with doggies. I set up my third rod with feathers to try for some mackerel for fresh bait. Unfortunately I had no such luck with them, but did manage 3 decent pollack to 2lb by bringing the feathers in close to the rocks. All the big rods bought in was doggies, and I lost a couple of sets of gear so there was a few snags out there, but this was definitely a mark that I'll revisit.

Friday evening I zoomed straight from work to a nearby rock mark for a few hours. Fishing the last few hours up to high on a big tide normally isn't the best for this mark but it was worth a go. The swell was never dangerous but it kept me on my toes as it got dark. I managed just one mackerel which took one of the big baits on the retrieve, this was quickly dispatched and cut in half for the last round of casts. unfortunately I fudged one of the casts so arguably I only had one bait fishing. I left the one good cast rod out while I packed everything away. As I went to reel the last one in there was a definite bite, I struck and there was a fish on and there was a bit of weight to it as well. After a brief tussle I eventually got it to the surface and onto the rocks below me where I could grab it. A decent huss and a good way to end the session, hopefully get a longer session or two on the tope next week.

Tope Hunting

So in between all the sessions I have been reporting I have also been going for a few sessions after my first shore tope.

It began towards the end of July, I had a few hours at Ty Croes chucking out big mackerel and sandeel baits. Unfortunately the main ledge was already taken at 9am so I settled further to the left. I fished over low and about half the tide up but the action was very slow. A couple of doggies were the only takers on sandeel cast as far as I could, but big mackerel baits came back untouched.

Next effort was 9th August, I packed the bike into the car and missoned up to Fort Belan and fish the mouth of the Straits. Despite moving a couple of times and finding some deep water, the current proved too strong and the weight of the seaweed snapped my line both times, and I called it a day. The very day after was my trip to Pwllheli that is detailed in another post, safe to say there was no tope caught that day either!

About a week later I had a crack at a new mark on Anglesey called the Ranges. It took a while but eventually I found a ledge that was fishable, unfortunately the current was incredibly strong, carrying my gear out to sea. I made a slight move to an area that looked like there was less of a tide run and managed to hold bottom. As it got dark the current still couldn't make its mind up and I watched a lobster pot buoy float initially to the left, then right, then back to the left again. As the current went slack briefly I had my only bite which resulted in a huss about the 9lb mark. It would have gone bigger had it not spewed a giant softie edible crab on the rocks. The current picked up again and after losing a couple of sets of gear I cut my losses and packed up.

Then it was back to Dinas Dinlle on a big tide. We positioned ourselves at the first bend, where in front of us there was a bit of deep water and the gully was filling nicely. Unfortunately, despite throwing out big mackerel and sandeel baits again there was no action at all, not even a doggie came out to play.

Back Bassing

The weather and tides coincided Saturday just gone, to give me a bit of optimism to try the corner for bass again. I met up with Paul and Arwyn at Penmaenmawr to dig worm for the session. With plenty for the session we made a quick stop for food before setting up at our mark. As the water was still quite a way out I used to time to knock together a few more rigs, though this was forced as I left most of the ones I planned to use at home!

I went all guns blazing with 3 rods and big lug baits, a settled down waiting for the ratchet to go. First cast there seemed to be a little bit of interest, however upon reeling in the weight and bait was smothered in green mat weed, not a good sign. Next round of casts there was no action, but on reeling in, one of the baits had obviously been mauled by an eel as it was horribly tangled with snotty slime all up the line. Inconvenient to say the least as I had to chop up the rig and tie on another, wasting a bit of time. While that was happening Arywn had landed 2 eels, and Paul had moved 50 yards to the other side of the beach to try and find a bass.

I was standing by my bass rod when I noticed a pull down, a quick strike and fish on. It came in a bit easy but there was enough fight to suggest it was more than an eel. Sure enough a bass was soon sliding up the beach, small but a bass is a bass!

With the little one returned, we fished hard for another but it just didn't happen. I think that the presence of so many small mackerel all around North Wales that the bass are still out there chasing the shoals of baitfish instead of grubbing around inshore for worms and crabs. Back after the tope this week, the big bass will have to wait a little longer!

August Round Up

The last month or so has been occupied mainly with tope hunting, however that has been fairly uneventful. To break the blank cycle I've had a few goes targeting other species.

While at Pwllheli I originally pitched up by Gimblet Rock in the hope of tope. After Nothing at all showing I moved down to the other end of the beach and before they went of the feed I manged a couple of bream. Only small but still another species knocked off the list.

Also had a session after the bass to see if they had turned up at the corner in numbers. Unfortunately the forecast wind never arrived, so the water was flat calm. Both me and Paul managed a schoolie each but given previous years we expected to be pulling them out like doggies.

Last session was Wednesday just gone, with Paul pulling out a few rays on the Monday we hit the beach again with high hopes for the small eyes. I got there just after high tide with Paul, Arwyn and 2 other fellas already set up. Those two had fished all the way from low up without luck but we expected the action to begin on the ebb. We chased the tide out further and further with no sign of action the two fellas left. Was getting towards packing up myself when I had a codling, and decided next casts would be the last. One rod was away and I thought I saw a bite on the other but I put it down to weed. It wasn't until the last part of the retrieve when I was the line moving off to the left I realised I had a fish on and sure enough it was a ray. Turned out to be a thornback, not the species we were after but a very welcome bonus, making the late night worth while.

July Continued

I decided to have a quick session out yesterday to try for a Blonde Ray. Not that I've caught one before, but I felt conditions were quite good - overcast, slight onshore breeze, water quite clear but a little bit of chop on the water. I was a little later to the mark than I planned so I ended up starting fishing pretty much dead on low water.

First casts made, and I had quite a long wait before a bite resulted in the regular doggie. I played around with a spinner for a bit to see if there was any mackerel but there was no takers there. I did notice upon retrieving the big rods a bit of brown sludge on the line which meant dreaded algae. A poor session here last month I feel was the result of a lot of this algae in the water so I thought this session could head the same way. Fortunately it seemed to disperse as the tide started to push, and another doggie give me a bit more optimism.

It was nearly time to pack up and I was retrieving one rod when I turned around and noticed the other line had gone slack. I took up the line and waited to feel any indication of a fish, not wanting to strike too soon and miss. Sure enough it was fish on and it felt a bit more than a doggie. I took my time as the fish stayed deep until it was about 20 feet out, then I could see the distinct shape of a ray making its way to the surface.

I had hopes it would be a small blonde ray, however as it broke the surface it was obvious it was actually a spotted ray, and quite a nice one at that. It continued to scrap at the edge of the rocks but eventually I got it on its back and was able to bring it up the rocks.

With this sudden action I dropped the ray into a rockpool while I quickly baited up another rig and cast out. I had just returned the ray and started packing my gear away when the rod I had cast started to develop a good bend. Again I waited before setting the hook, this time though this fish came in easier than the first. Another slightly smaller spotted ray was soon at my feet, a quick photo and then released.


That was the end of the action as I had to pack away and get home. Didn't quite get what I was after but a good little session with my run of good luck continuing nicely!

Hound Hunting Pt2

Went after hounds again with Paul after finally pinpointing the right area. While it meant a 5am start to collect enough crab bait for myself, the rest of the day was pretty routine.

Expectations were high with us thinking it would be a busy night, with reports from this area being pretty consistent with people landing several fish in a session. Sport wasn't as hectic as we had predicted, we had to wait till the sun dropped before getting the bites. 

Just before the head-torches came out I had the first run and beached a lovely smoothound of maybe 7lb. It took a while but eventually we had the next bite and it fell to Paul, and he landed a fish of a similar size. He was also next in with a good take, however the fish had other plans and decided to head off to Ireland like a steam train and snapped his mainline! I had two more fish late on, plus we both had at least two runs each where the fish dropped the bait. 

I even managed a bit more hand to fin combat as my last hound shook the hook at the edge so I managed to skip down the rocks and lift it out while it was still cruising the shallows! Just a short entry this time, will leave the pictures to do most of the talking.

There be Monsters

 Saturday night just gone, me and Paul were planning on trying for rays but now the weather seemed to turn for the worst we were undecided whether to go. In the end we settled on Benllech as its normally a banker venue for at least doggies and whiting with a chance of something a bit better. Come the evening, although it was a biting cross wind the rain eased and we were quietly optimistic. After the usual suspects I had a good pull down and a belting huss was at the surface. Unfortunately it did what huss do best and spat the hook. I had a feeling it would be a one good fish session and I saw that as an opportunity gone. I strapped on a whiting and cast it short hoping for another.

It sat out for a while with a few sharp pulls but nothing definite developed so I left it to see if the fish would come back, while I was keeping occupied with another doggie. Nothing happen for about 10 mins so I decided to bring it in. Initially I thought I was snagged but then the snag started to fight and move. Soon the head of a conger appeared..... then the rest of its body and christ almighty I've never seen anything like it. It took me on a merry dance around the rocks, lunging into the gulleys and around the rock ledges in front, but my 30lb snood was clearly holding so we set about trying to land the beast.

I led the fish around to a ledge that just had a few inches of water on it where I could slide it on and get hold. It was another 5-10 mins before the fish surrendered and I dragged as much as I could onto the ledge. Paul didn't fancy getting to near it (understandably) so I passed him the rod and went down. As i pulled the line it inevitably snapped, instinct took hold and I dived on the fish, wrestling on my hands and knees in a puddle on the ledge! Eventually I managed to turn around and push it up the seaweed to higher ground where we finally could appreciate its size. We didn't weigh it, the flexi-tub wasn't big enough but I did have a body sized measuring stick, I'm 5'10" and the fish almost matched me! After the photoshoot she went back quietly snaking back to the depths.

Once things calmed down we had a visit from a very bold fox looking for a free meal. Paul upped his terminal gear and managed a conger of his own, a nice fish in its own right of around 6-7lb. This added the gloss on a truly memorable night

July Starts with a Scream

After the success at Holyhead the previous week, I decided to end June with an attempt at a shore tope. Unfortunately when me and Paul got to the mark, near Rhoscolyn, we planned to fish, the wind put us off trying to climb down. A quick rethink and we pitched up at an alright looking spot just around the corner. Despite being somewhat prepared for snaggy ground, we weren't prepared for it to be so snaggy. A big rod was put out with half a mackerel, getting stuck both times and losing everything, leader and all on the second. I did have slightly more success fishing close in with bits of rag, catching a few small wrasse before the last fish being species 15 for the year, a poor cod.


Fast forward nearly two weeks to Tuesday just gone, with the big tides I decided to have a crack at some bigger smoothounds. After spending the day getting all my gear sorted I made the drive up to penrhos to try and collect some crab for the session. This is when my optimism started to drop as even after two hours searching I barely had 10 crinkly crabs, but with a couple of squid for back up I thought I would just manage for the session.

Had a little explore around a couple of beaches just outside Valley before picking my spot, however I got "the feeling" that it could be a difficult night. The couple of hours in daylight went by with no action so I set up just away from the rocks where at least I wouldn't lose any gear. Out went one of the softer crabs I had managed to collect, along with squid on the other rod, and I sat down considering an early finish get get to bed before midnight. I decided to leave everything out and tuck into my last buttie to lighten the rucksack for the walk back. At the point when I was mid bite the ratchet on the crab rod screams and just keeps going. I lift into the fish, and after a few minutes when it makes 2 more runs I see the leader, then a nice smoothound in the shallows. A quick dash down and my prize was I my hands. It wasn't big, maybe 6lbs at most, but I was over the moon and glad to get one bigger than a pup this year.

This obviously lifted my spirit no end and I decided on one more cast to try and prove it wasn't a fluke. It took a while, maybe 30 mins, when the line dropped slack and I was in again. Unfortunately this fish decided it didn't want a photo and dropped the bait about 15 metres out. With no bait left I had to call it a day there but I was happy to land one and know that it wasn't a fluke so will be back again on the next big tides.

Hound Quest

So the last two and a half weeks I have occupied myself targeting smoothounds on Anglesey. Apologies for the lack of photos on this post, there was a lot of hard fishing and a sprinkling of bad weather made it difficult to know when to get the camera out.

First session was Saturday 4th, myself, Paul and Arwyn headed over to Llanddwyn Island. This is the only place I've ever caught a smoothound and with good numbers now being caught on the boats I thought this would be as good a place as any to start. A hot day made the walk to the end difficult, and I got there a bit early, to try for some mullet. With very few signs of fish I cracked on to the end to be joined by the other two a bit later on, they just made it onto the rock before it got surrounded by the tide. With the big tide I thought weed might be the biggest problem, but that turned out the number of boats parked up in the bay, casting range was quite restricted for the three of us.

The fishing was a none event until it got dark, up to high we managed a few doggies and a single pollack between us. As the tide picked up I had a good take on half a bluey, resulting in a huss, however it spat the hook right at the surface. Next cast same thing happened, then Paul had the same thing happen with two huss himself and it wasn't looking to be our night. By now the current was picking up and I was starting to get a bit of trouble with weed on the line. I was looking at packing up when Arwyn, who hadn't managed anything at this point, shouts he's into a fish and a nice one too. Lo and behold another huss is at the surface and with a bit of careful manoeuvring we were able to land it, one fish certainly making the session before the long walk back.

The following Monday we made plans to try a mark nearer Holyhead, and having seen pictures of some good hounds from that area the previous couple of days we felt like we were onto a winner. However the session was interrupted, just as the tide reached the supposed ideal time, by a giant black cloud heading our way, reminiscent of Independence Day when the space ships first appear. It brought with it thunder and lightning, and being stood next to a 13ft conductor stick was not where we wanted to be. We scrambled to the nearest building until the worst of the rain and lightning had passed before making our way back to the rods in the cars. It seemed that the storm went either side of us but it was a good while before we felt safe to return to our gear, and look for a clean pair of boxers. Once fishing I had a session to forget, needlessly losing three sets of end gear and after the last time couldn't be bothered setting up again.

The Wednesday after that, with a little bit of bait leftover I went out to Lillypond. I decided to take a walk and see if I could fish a different ledge but I wasn't too happy getting down there on my own, so ended up at the regular ledge, getting distracted by taking a few nature photos on the way. On the drive down a hare bounced along the road before a buzzard flew out of a field onto a rock ledge. On the coast there was a seal lazing around in the bay and a couple of rock climbing goats halfway down a cliff, some sights that made up for the poor fishing. After finding snags on the first couple of casts I moved further to the right. The fishing was pants, I only had one doggie, two other fellas did a bit better catching dabs and a couple of plaice.

Fast forward to Saturday just gone, after a 10 day break I decided to head to a mark that me and Paul tried a couple of times last year, and ended up getting an absolute soaking. Conditions were looking pretty good, slightly overcast, minimal swell and light breeze on my back, however the sky cleared up slightly and I thought that might put the fish off a bit. It started slowly with just a couple of doggies, then as the sun went down I had two tiny smoothound pups in two casts. Despite them being small I was chuffed with getting my target. With high tide still to come I was optimistic that the adults would be around but it started to look like it wasn't to be. As I started packing up I give the leftover crabs a drink I happened to glance up and the rods and notice the squid rod was bent double. After a bit of a tussle with the fish taking line I thought I had the specimen I came for. There was a brief hairy moment when the fish got stuck under a ledge right in front of me but a bit of patience and it came out. I was more than slightly shocked when a decent thornback broke the surface. A quick weigh and she was 8lb 2oz, and biggest of the year. At this point I packed up making sure the session ended on a high.

Monday night came so me and Paul decided to use up the last of our crab at Sandy Beach. We felt that the conditions were favourable and got set up pretty well in the middle of the beach. It was such a nice evening and a cracking sunset, however that meant that it didn't get fully dark until about 11pm. Despite throwing everything into it we only managed a couple of doggies between us. It was a slightly frustrating end to the hunt, especially knowing that good fish had been caught throughout the two weekends I fished, however the next set of big tides I'll be back out after the big one, hopeully with a few more pictures as well!

Grey skies but brighter fishing

So after last Mondays trip, I decided to get out again and hopefully find myself a spotted ray.

I headed to Trearddur Bay last Thursday to a mark that I've not had much success from other than the ever present doggies, and sometimes even they aren't here! I wasn't sure of the forecast but the mark is high above the water line so I knew I would be safe even with a reasonable swell. However the wind was fresh to say the least, and being westerly was pushing right into me face bring the weather with it. As predicted the doggies were the first to find the baits, followed by the whiting and a solitary pollack.

At this point the sporadic showers became a full on downpour and my gear was getting increasingly wet, as were my trousers. With the horizon getting closer as thick rain clouds rolled in off the sea I quit the session an hour earlier than I planned so I could dry off before heading to the gym.

Fast forward to yesterday and I had an all day double header planned out.

I started out doing a bit of float fishing for garfish but sadly the only rod bending action I saw was a seagull getting tangled in the line then taking off. Fortunately it managed to free itself when I tightened the line. The amount of seagulls and terns diving and catching small fish gave me optimism but at the same time made fishing frustrating as they kept investigating the bait and float. I had one gar jump out in front of the float which gives me hope in a couple of weeks they will feed more readily.

After stopping back in valley for some grub I went out towards Trearddur Bay for the main session. There was already two lads on the higher ledge and with the tide in the lower ledge was inaccessible, so I went for a bit of a walk further round the headland. I stumbled on a nice looking ledge that jutted further out than any others but in order to get any rigs back I would have to run the gauntlet of lobster pots spread in front of me. Deciding it wasn't worth it I went back to my original plan and the tide was just about low enough, save for a couple of big swells making my coats a bit soggy, to set up on the lower ledges.

With three rods out I was into wrasse down the side, a corkwing added another species for the year and a ballan, while business as usual further out with whiting and doggies. I was just setting up another rig when I noticed my furthest rod had gone slack, sure enough there was a fish on though it didn't feel heavy it stayed deep so I put the money of it being two dogs. Eventually I got a glimpse and it turned out to be the target, a tidy little spotted ray. After a brief panic of not knowing how to land it from so high up I thought the hook hold was good enough and the fish was small enough to hand ball up and I soon had my prize.


A quick photoshoot and she was returned and I hoped there would be more of them out there. However things went back to normal for a bit with a couple of dogs before they vanished and it was then that the dabs and whiting came on the feed. About low water and everything went quiet with bait being stripped, either by crabs or dabs and whiting too small to hook so I called it a day, happy with mission accomplished.

Another Last few weeks post

This is another post with multiple updates, as usual with the best bits at the end! Partly because not much has been caught, and partly because I haven't done that much fishing until the last week or so.

Back in early April me and Paul went up to Cymyran to have a bash for so small eyed rays. While greeted with near perfect conditions I was feeling under the weather and my motivation was pretty low. The tide ebbed away and so did our hopes, however Paul did manage a decent whiting and a bass around 2lb. I struggled with the tide moving everything to the left and suffered a rare blank but I was much more looking forward to bed than anything else.

A couple of weeks after and the start of some warm weather I went for a walk with another mate Bruno around the Rhoscolyn Point and we took a couple of rods for a few hours. It was a pretty comfy ledge although the tide was out, the ground rocky and shallow, I still expected to get something biting, even if it was just mini species. In the end I lost most of the rigs I cast out and had one bite all session on limpet which came to nothing. It did however give me a good view of the coastline which I've not seen before so will be returning this way later in the year.

Fast forward to last Saturday and I attempted to lure an early smoothound from an area near Dinas Dinlle. The bonus I thought would be possible huss and bass if my main target didn't show. With a bucket of juicy soft crab and fresh dug ragworm to supplement a variety of fish baits I felt pretty confident. I got set up just before dark with 3 rods, two were far out and one at 15-20 meters in between a patch of rocks in the water. In the end it turned out to be a complete dogfest from the word go, the only variety being a gigantic spider crab and a small coley which kept the species tally ticking. As probably expected it was a bit early for the smoothounds, or they just weren't there so that will be knocked on the head for a couple of weeks until there are more reports of them coming from the shore.






That brings me on to the weekend just gone when I turned my attention to targeting spotted rays. With Ty Croes now likely to be busy almost everyday, on Saturday I opted to give Cable Bay a go straight from work in the afternoon as an excuse to use up my scanky frozen bait and sit in the sun. There was already a fella fishing but he didn't have much to report. I set up to the left of him aiming for the clear ground further out. I started out with a 3-hook flapper and a pully rig to cover as many options as possible. The first round of casts resulted in 2 whiting and a dogfish. A spider crab was next but it came off as it hit the surface, after which it became another dogfest. I put out a third rod with a flapper closer to the rocks on which I had a pollack about 1lb an lost another on the way in before the dogfish even found these baits. However it was an enjoyable session, the freezer was empty ready for new bait and I even caught a bit of sun.

The lure of the rays proved too strong so on Monday night (first picture) I picked Paul up and we headed back to Cable to fish the tide down. Things started well in day light with whiting and doggies, add to that a pollack and a spider crab coming off I felt a pattern was emerging. As night fell a lad who was feathering gave me the 2 mackerel he had caught which were gladly received as I had forgotten any feathers! Night came and the dogfish were simply quicker than anything else to the baits, often I wasn't able to bait up quick enough as I already had a bite on the next rod. I set up a third rod with half a fresh mackerel cast out towards the edge of the rocks. The monotony of continuous dogfish was getting to much when out of nowhere the ratchet started going as a good fish took off with the mackerel. After a brief tussle and having to let the fish find its way out of a snag it was at the surface and Paul did a brilliant job landing it, despite taking a weight to the face. On dry land we could admire the big huss which we estimated at just over 10lb.

It was a female in the process of contributing to the next generation of bull huss so after a couple of quick photos she was slipped back into the sea to carry on where she left off. And after catching endless amounts of doggies it was almost a relief to catch something that put up a fight.

I can see potential for a few more sessions before the end of the month, hopefully get my rays and smoothound as well as the gars, so watch this space for more updates!

Update of the last week

So last week with the tides on the small side I decided to have another crack at catching some rays.

27/03/16

With strong south westerly winds throughout the day on Sunday I opted to go to Cemlyn, as I've read the very occasional report of thornbacks being caught there, and the wind would be on my back. In addition huss and the occasional conger are taken off the beach. Things started quite promising in daylight, even if it was just pin whiting but I expected the action to pick up as darkness set in. Unfortunately with the clocks going forward and the clear sky it didn't get properly dark until about 9pm and I felt like that would put some of the bigger fish off coming into the bay. Despite the wind dropping making the fishing vey comfortable nothing of interest showed and I ended the night having caught a few whiting and about half a dozen doggies. The major bonus was being able to get rid of all the skanky old bait in the freezer and I restocked ready for a midweek session.

30/03/16

With light winds, dropping tides and low about 9.30pm this appeared the be one of the best days to get back over to the west coast. I had a couple of marks in mind but when I found an empty car park I opted to go for the hotspot to give myself the best chance of catching. The sea was a little rougher than I'd have liked, but the forecast remained true and the swell dropped with the tide. It was bites from the off, and good bites as well, however the culprits were the ever present doggies when I actually managed to hook up, and I assumed the other bites were tiny whiting that could fit the baits in their mouth. I persevered, fishing hard trying different bait and rig combinations, casting long and short but it seemed only doggies and whiting were in the area. Last cast provided a little bit of variety in the shape of a codling probably just under 1lb.

 

I thought that things might pick up later in the tide, however I had had enough and everything was already packed away, and it gave me a chance to recover ready for next weeks mission.