This was the first adventure of the year. After a winter full of cod and whiting I wanted to get something more interesting. Myself and a buddy decided that we would try target some huss and maybe the odd plaice and bass down west cork. With accommodation organised and the weather checked was all systems go.
We arrived at our chosen mark early to fish the incoming tide. We scoped it out before wetting a line and with an unexpected swell and the winds higher than expected we had to resort to a mark closer in the bay. I had never fished this mark before but Huss and Plaice where the main targets with the ever present Doggies. After an hour or two toughing out the wind we decided to head to a different mark and see if our luck could change.
The mark we chose was facing north west and with the wind being blocked by the hill behind it felt like it was going to be easy fishing. It was not. Every cast was a snag and no rigs were ever retrieved. We kept casting to see if we could find some cleaner ground but it wasn’t to be.
With the winds picking up and the fishing becoming hard we had to make the decision to fish from the back of the jeep to try keep out of the weather. We picked a local pier that we could drive down and fish from the rear. With the tide outgoing and at this stage very dark our hopes then changed to Coalies, Bass and Congers. Casting from the pier to the beach we were finally getting fish. We were finding success with schoolie bass that were hunting the shoreline. The weather was starting to get worse so the executive decision was made to head for the pub.
The next morning over breakfast we decided to take a risk and try from some Spurs. We had seen some reports so we would go and try. We hadn’t expected to go for Spurs so I was not prepared rig wise but I did have a spool of 100lb shock leader with me that might just get a fish if we are lucky. I would always prefer to use 200lb mono or wire when fishing for any toothy fish just for safety but the 100lb would do. When we arrived at the mark our pulley rigs came out, hook lengths changed and 4/0 Varivas extras put on. I was trying for spurs only while Kev was trying for flats and spurs.
As the tide was rising there was no action. All baits were returning untouched. Once the tide turned the fishing started to pick up. About 30 min to an hour after the drop my rod had a few nods. Assuming it was a dog I was very surprised when I struck in to find it tare off, it had to be a spur. After a quick fight and a swift landing we had a measurement and a quick photo and it was off.
With the tide pushing out now the fish had turned on and we had a fish every few casts. Kev managed to pull four fish out before the end of the session with myself only managing two. All except one were just under specimen. We really worked hard to get these fish as the weather did not play ball at all and the spur of the moment decision to try really payed off.
-Tight Lines
