Following on from the last couple of weeks I will continue to look back over some of our angling breaks in Ireland over the last few years. by 2015 we had gained a bit more knowledge around cork harbour so we could plan things out a little better around weather and species. We had taken the overnight ferry to Rosslare and made our way to check in at bella vista just in time to enjoy a welcome breakfast while overlooking the harbour. With a decent breakfast setting us up for the day we headed out to explore some of the local beaches for the afternoon. I had some left over lugworm from the previous weekends trips to use up. We travelled around a bit making our way around the eastern side of the harbour from Middletown, past Aghada via Roches point to Gyleen and inch beach. We stopped for a short while and i had a few casts from the beach. This resulted in a lovely chunky bass followed by a solid flounder too. I would have loved to have stayed longer but we left early to stock up on food for the week ahead.
As it happened the first day with the boat turned out to be good weather. We had missed a few days potential shark fishing the previous year due to being over cautious. so this year we were keen to make the most of the weather from day one. Normally I like to stock up on mackerel and make the chum ready a day or two before hand but we didn’t have that opportunity on this occasion. Luckily we found mackerel fairly quickly and soon had enough for chum and bait. We had a couple of drifts over the reefs on the way out and caught some pollock, coalfish and ling before setting up our shark drift. We managed to get one to the boat and lost three before the end of the day. it seemed they were here but we would be making some adjustments to our traces before heading out again in the hope we could land a few more fish.
The next day bought a little more wind with it unfortunately. This meant we would be confined to the harbour for the day. luckily this was no problem as I mentioned in previous posts how good the fishing can be in there. We had 11 species for the day including blonde ray to 20lbs, a couple of conger, tub gurnard and plenty of mackerel which we turned into chum for the next day.
Happily, by the next morning the wind had eased enough for us to head back off sharking. We started by feathering up a few fresh mackerel for hook baits before steaming offshore and setting up out drift. While drifting I was able to bottom fish too most of the time. This produced a few bits and bobs including codling, whiting, haddock and the ever present dogfish. we did however manage 9 blue sharks before the day was out. It would seem the adjustments to our rigs were successful.
The next days weather meant we didn’t get very far outside of the harbour. We did catch some nice fish though and added more species to the trips species count. generally we try to avoid cuckoo wrasse as they don’t seem to survive very well. We had several this day and they certainly make a colourful addition to the photo album. we headed in a bit early in order to catch and prepare chum for the next day.
The next morning arrived and we had an early start to make the most of the decent weather. We caught some fresh mackerel on the way out and headed off for sharks. As we steamed out the sun was reflecting from the oily calm sea that just had a long slow underlying swell running through it. As we blasted along at 20 knots or so we were joined by some of the many common dolphins that had been present all week. We also came across several whales as we travelled to our chosen area. Stacey was keen to get closer to the whales which we had seen a few times during the week. However I was very aware that we were on a 17ft long boat and the minky whales we had seen were larger than the boat. I was willing to leave them be and enjoy them from a distance while we got to the important business of fishing. to be honest the weather was almost too good for shark fishing this day. we did have some blues as well as ling and whiting on the bottom rigs. As the day wore on the dolphins and whales continued to pop up around us. they weren’t alone as they fed on the large shoals of bait fish. there were countless gannets, sheerwaters and various diving birds gauging them selves on this abundance of food. It was now late afternoon-evening and as the sun began to dip in the sky what little wind there was dropped away. This looked to be the last calm day for a while so we decided to make the most of it and see if we could get closer to the action.
I set up a drift some distance upwind and tide of the commotion. Luckily I have plenty of practice at this from sneaking up on bass in shallow water at home. Soon enough we were right in the thick of it as the bait fish tried to hide underneath the boat. There were several whales here and we got a pretty close look as a fin whale around 50ft long swam straight under the drifting boat. Stacey was trying to get some photographs of the various participants in this natural special although she didn’t know where to look next. when suddenly a school of giant bluefin tuna burst out of the water from about 20 yards away. They were aiming straight at us and moving very quickly as they chased the bait fish but Stacey managed to get a couple of shots to prove what we had seen. Believe it or not I wasn’t as surprised to see the tuna as I could have been. I had a suspicion they might be present with the whales as one had jumped out in front of the boat earlier in the week but I didn’t believe my eyes and passed it off as a dolphin. They are easily confused as the tuna were much the same size as a dolphin and make a similar shape in the water although their tale fins run vertically rather than horizontally like a dolphin. The tuna were soon gone, we weren’t allowed to fish for them as the uk and Ireland didn’t have quota to allow for accidental fatalities (this is slowly changing however). The bait ball started to disperse and the mass of birds was now either sitting on the surface or on their way to roost for the night. There was one last treat as we started to make way for home when the massive pod of dolphins which had gathered decided to join us on the way in. I took it slowely as they tried to ride the wake around the boat. Soon there were too many of them though and I could feel the boat starting to ride their wake in stead. The sun was now nearing the horizon as we steamed in. we passed two more bait balls just like the one we had witnessed further off but didn’t have time to stop at these.
When we got back ashore we showed told Kevin who owns bella vista and he was nearly as excited as we were. The tuna have become a regular visitor now and there are even several boats throughout Ireland with special permit’s to target these fish on a catch and release basis with paying anglers. One such boat now operates from ballycotton which is just a short distance from cork harbour.
The rest of the week was quite windy, we tried to push offshore again but it was far too rough and the weather had dispersed the baitfish and the predators had followed them. We spent the next few days fishing within the harbour and often as far up as the marina where the boat was kept. We caught all sorts from codling to poor cod, dabs to plaice as well as red, grey and tub gurnards. The blonde rays didn’t disappoint either with fish up to 26lbs. it was nice to have a few slightly more relaxed days fishing without the travelling or bait gathering adding on to our day too much. Another bonus was we could target the mullet a bit more. They were very obliging, particularly first thing in the morning when it was nice and quiet. We left a couple of rods tackled up to freeline for them. They were feeding so well that one day I had hooked a fish before stacey had managed to put her rod together. There are also various mini species to be found within the harbour and around the marina. Sand smelt are pretty easy to catch on sabiki lures and the lads in the small boat competition are often found targeting dragonett or blenny under the shore. Its worth keeping your eyes peeled around the marina. Over the years we have seen all sorts in here. Mullet are to be expected as are the bass. Lesser spotted dogfish get everywhere as we know but I often see them in less than 2 feet of water around the marina. One of my favourite fish this trip was caught in the marina. I saw a tiny lump sucker hiding under a boat and couldn’t resist but sight fish for it. I grabbed my mullet rod and put a bait in front of it. it wolfed the small piece of rag worm down straight away and I had my first lump sucker on a rod and line. larger examples of these are a common sight in nets in the spring back at home in the blackwater but we havnt had one on hook and line yet.
All too soon our holiday had come to an end once again and we headed home for another year. It had been a great trip once again with more methods and marks learned as well as some unforgettable experiences. Before we left we booked for the following year which I will write about next week.
COVID-19 UPDATE
We have now had confirmation that the large deck area on Galloper we have some good news. we are able to accommodate up to 6 anglers plus the skipper as of 29/03/21. I will honour existing bookings as they are unless you wish to change them. If you are booked as an individual and would rather book on a trip with 6 @ £70pp then please get in touch.
I understand this could be due to change after 17th of May but I am not willing to take bookings for larger groups until the rules have actually been relaxed on this.
That means that until further notice I will taking bookings on the basis of groups of up to 6 people.
NEXT SPACES
I have plenty of midweek availability from 29/03 onwards. Please contact me to discuss midweek dates. Weekend spaces as follows
17/04/21-possible offshore trip 2 space @ £90pp max 6 anglers
24/04/21-3 spaces @ £70pp max 6 anglers
25/04/21-6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
03/05/21-6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
08/05-21-3 spaces @ £80pp max 5 anglers
22/05/21-poss offshore trip please call for info otherwise 6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
23-05/21-6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
30/05/21-6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
31/05/21-6 spaces @ £70pp or boat £400 max 6 anglers
Please call me for more information on 07956411528
Stacey is still operating the ‘lady grace’ on a bookings only basis both mid-week and weekends at the
Moment but and is likely to fall under the same restrictions as me. so please call her on 07791859624
Dad (Stuart) has availability on the ‘Razorbill 3’ please call him on 07850234077
