August

Welsh Danglers catches

August

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3rd - Fishguard rock mark

Spent a weekend at Fishguard and

after a bit of advice from 1 or 2 locals, Blackcat and Barrelreef fished a mark along the Pembrokeshire coast path. With high water around 10pm on a big spring tide it seemed conditions were good,. We would be fishing from around 5pm til high into darkness. After walking for around 10 minutes along the cliff path and only seeing cliffs, there it was a gap in the hedge and a path down to the mark.

An unspoilt wilderness of clear blue water!!
A nice set of ledges with a big gulley of deep water running back into the cliff

As we got on the ledges we saw a man feathering on a small boat around 40 yards. As we approached he started his engine and moved off. Strange we must have put him off we thought!
Then as we set up our rods Blackcat shouted up “aaaaggghh lets go somewhere else!”
Turned out the reason the man feathering had moved was because Sammy the seal was in the area!! To make things worse the cheeky sod swam up in front of us with what looked like a mackerel and proceeded to chomp it in front of us!!
Just as the seal turned to swim away a few fish jumped clean out of the water within 10 feet of the seal.
We decided to stay and carried on setting up and within a few minutes Mr Seal had disappeared.

After some difficulty getting bait (goodwick marine was closed), we had some peelers that we had taken with us and a few fresh mackerel from the local supermarket. We had meant to get some rag and take it with us but forgot.
We had a plan though and with a crab/prawn trap we would try and catch us some bait.

1st thing mackerel head in the trap and down the side, then set up the beachcasters with pulley pennels baited with crab and cast out. Then we set up lighter float tackle to have some fun.

Nothing for an hour or two although Barrelreef had a knock to a crab bait which was missed. Also tried a bit for feathering for mackies but no joy so gave up
Blackcat then had the 1st fish a small but very welcome Pollack to float fished mackerel.
His 1st float caught fish for a few years!!

Went quiet again for a bit but Blackcat landed another Pollack to the same tactics a little while later.
Barrelreef checked the crab trap and inside were 2 stonking great velvet swimmer crabs(not peeling) and a 2 inch pouting (which went on blackcat’s float as live bait but didn’t work though).

Barrelreef struggled to get a bite on the float so altered the depth to fish at around 10ft and moved to where blackcat had been fishing as he had moved to fish in the gulley and Wham!!!
A take straight away which resulted in a small Pollack….1st proper float caught fish (only had gobies down the side of porthcawl pier before).
Next chuck with the float and same again bit this time the fish went mad and tried to dive back to the depths several times, before Barrel managed to land it. A better Pollack just under 2lb!

Flipping heck for a small fish it went like crazy….would love to hook one over 5lb just to feel it diving!

Checked the trap and in it were a few small crabs and another 2inch pouting which this time Barrel used as bait on a float.
Chucked out to the same spot and didn’t have a take so put the rod down to re bait the beachcaster….turned around to see the float pulling under and rushed to grab it but missed it! Sods law as soon as Barrel turned away best pull off the night!
Also while grabbing the smaller crabs out of the trap a little one pinched Barrelref real hard in between the fingers so it was kept for bait in case there were any wrasse about. No joy though so went back to mackerel strips and both Barrel and Blackcat landed another small Pollack each. With blackcat's pollack coming out of the big gully.

Checked the trap again and this time it had another 3 velvet swimmers in there but with a big male sitting on top of female peeler….bait!

The crab was peeled and half each for Barrel and Blackcat was put out on the beachcasters, not long after Barrel had a good bite and struck into a good weight…fish on!! Really heavy but no fight and on landing turned out to be the darkest marked doggie We've ever seen and about 6lb of weed.

After packing the beachcasters away as it got dark we concentrated on the float rods for the last half an hour and Barrelreef managed to land another 2 small Pollack and blackcat had another one before we packed up.
On the last time the trap was brough up to pack it away it had 2 tiny pouting and a colourful type of goby thingy.

Fishing with a float is great fun!!!!

Nice calm evening and some fishies........

5 pollack and a doggie for Barrel on rod and line and 4 pouting and a goby thing in the trap lol........

4 pollack for Blackcat
Can't help thinking we may have done better with some ragworm though.

The mark

Blackcat with the 1st pollack

Blackcat's pollack out of the gulley

Barrel's 2nd pollack

Pollack on light gear - great fun!!

Who's the ugliest???

4th - Fishguard lower harbour wall

With a little bit of mackerel left from the day before Barrelreef went down to the harbour with his wife and daughters for a little bit of floatfishing. got there just about on high water.

dropped the bait trap down the side with a mackerel head in just to keep the girls happy and set up all the rods.

1st into a fish was Erin...Barrel's oldest who had a shanny down the side when her sister (Cailin) saw her float go under. Fairplay she was well chuffed.

Mrs Barrel had a few missed bites, but then had a real good take and after a nice battle, Barrel was lifting a big mackerel up the wall when it dropped off. She didn't like it and reckoned Barrel had lost her fish!!

Erin then had another little bite that turned out to be another shanny.

No more fish as the tide dropped away but the girls thought it was fun to empty the trap and count the crabs. 43 crabs!!!

A nice couple of hours fishing....Barrel again beaten by the girls!!!

Erin's fish

8th - Mark near Hutchins, Porthcawl

Barrelreef and Deejay took advantage of a bit of a break in the weather to fish the pier at Porthcawl.

When we got there though there were already quite a few on the end and it was clear it was gonna be rammed, so we moved over to Hutchins.

Conditions were ok with a slight westerly blowing at us. High water was at 12 midnight so we were fishing four hours before and whatever after.

Baits were sandeel, squid and crab.

As we were early we had to wait a little while for the water to come up high enough to fish.

1st bite was to Barrel around 2 and half hours before high and turned out to be the target species a little small eyed ray between 1lb - 2lb!

It had taken a crab/sandeel cocktail.

Next cast Barrel had another little pull ona plain sandeel bait which resulted in another small eyed but a bit smaller.

just before high water Deejay was starting to think he would blank when he had a good bite and landed a small eyed on crab/sandeel a little bigger than Barrel's 1st fish! He was happy to have caught something for change!

Around high Barrel wound in to change baits and on the end was the smallest ray the boys had ever seen....Fitted in Barrel's hand!!!

Packed up just after high when the sandeel ran out.

Barrelreef - 3 small eyd ray

Deejay - 1 small eyed ray

Deejay's ray

One of Barrel's rays

awww the cutie ickle one!!!

11th - Aberthaw west

Barrelreef headed back down to Aberthaw for one last crack at the hounds down there.

Perfect tide but unfortunatly there was a big surf running, making it a little difficult.

1st and only hound came on 3rd cast to a big crab bait and until it broke surface I thought it was a huge one!! It went to nearly 9lb but it fought well above it's weight......probably the hardest fighting hound I've had!

Also had another 2 runs but 1 dropped the bait straight away and the other spat the hook half way in.

As the tide started to flood i packed up and called time on my last Aberthaw hound sesh of 2008.

Easily the best summer I've had on the hounds down Aberthaw!!!