Light Lines - Winter 2015/16

The ever popular series of Light Lines competitions are back!!!!

Well it's that time of year again; the start of winter, which heralds the influx of codling, whiting and dabs into Cork Harbour. So if you were thinking of mothballing your fishing gear for the winter, then DON'T!!!

Instead, head out fishing with Cobh SAC. The winter series of the ever popular Light Line competitions are starting again and will run right through the winter months until next April.

These competitions are for everyone; whether you're a seasoned angler or a raw beginner. In fact, if you are a novice it’s no better a place to cut your teeth in boat angling. These are fun competitions where everyone is quite willing to help out each other and you can get great advice. Not that there isn't a competitive side to these matches as well as some of top rods will be slogging it out to be the Light Line champion over the season….and there have been some notable champions over the years including Irish internationals Padraic Clear and Paddy Swan.

The first of this winter's competitions is on Sunday the 15th November 2015 (HT 07:11 4.0m). If you'd like to fish this one then book your place with Pat O’Shea Cobh SAC, on 087 – 2532610 (email – patosheacarriglen@gmail.com) or Mary Geary Cobh SAC on 021 – 4812167 (seaangling@esatclear.ie). Book early to avoid disappointment. These comps are very popular and can book up fairly early. Make sure to get your entry in before the close off the Weds evening before the comp at 6pm.

The full list of competitions are as follows:

Sunday 15th November (HT 07:11pm 4.0m)

Sunday 13th December (HT 06:18pm 4.1m)

Sunday 17th January (HT 10:51pm 3.7m)

Sunday 14th February (HT 09:30pm 4.0m)

Sunday 13th March (HT 08:22pm 4.3m)

Sunday 10th April (HT 08:17am 4.5m)

The scorecard used is the same one used for the Boat Fish-Offs and the fishing will be broadly similar. However, the format is much simpler and the rules are kept simple. There will be only one change of positions in the boat; basic IFSA rules apply e.g. you are limited to three hooks. The only stipulation is that your main line is of 15lb b.s. or under. Shockleaders, main rig bodies, and snoods can be made of any breaking strain. There is no restrictions on bait. The rules are kept as simple as possible as it's meant to be a fun competition; a fun day out. In fairness the craic can be mighty and the slagging something to behold!!!

You can fish one competition or you fish them all. If you fish every comp then you'll be entered into the overall series. Your best scores from 5 comps will count (you can drop your worst score). Last year it was, yet again, a very close run thing; Terry Boyle, Padraic Clear, member of the current 2016 Irish World Boat Championships Team, and Pat O'Shea, Cobh SAC, were all in the reckoning upto the last day....it was that close! Padraic Clear won out in the end and will be back this year to defend his title.

This year we are delighted to announce that Shamrock Tackle have come on board as the main sponsors and are joined by the Commodore Hotel. Shamrock Tackle will be supplying many of the main prizes including Artico Rods, Fixed Spool reels and others. Watch this space!

For those anglers travelling and wishing to stay over, the Commodore Hotel are providing preferential rates. Just contact Mary O’Mahony on 021 – 4811277 or email commodorehotel@eircom.net and quote the Light Lines.

C'mon give it a go; you know it’s good for you!!!    (It'll keep you sane over the winter!)

Light Lines 2014...the conclusion.

The Light Line series for 2014 concluded last Sunday, 13th April and what a tight finish it turned out to be. Paddy Swan from Wicklow Bay SAC had been leading from the first competition way back in November. However, he was shadowed all the way and on the last day the champion could have come from anyone of three. Aswell as Paddy, Davy McCormick, Millisle SAC, and Pat Condon, Carrigaline SAC, were also in contention.

The It all started last November. On what was a great day's fishing Paddy Swan triumphed. A total of 2,965 fish were caught between 30 anglers. The vast majority of fish were whiting and they were of good stamp too! Many were around the 1.5lb mark, with quite a few over 2lbs, and one or two touching 3lbs. Paddy had a total of 186 fish and was followed in second place by Pat Condon with 160 fish and Michael Barry in third with 141 fish. Michael Barry had a stonker of a plaice that was the highlight of the day!

The December competition, unfortunately, was cancelled. By the second week in December the start of a severe run of storms had begun, a run that we won't forget Winter 2013 for in a hurry! Luckily, there was a break in the weather for the Irish Boat Teams fundraiser over the Xmas holidays. Over 60 anglers fished the event. One of the boats fished offshore on the Smiths but the majority fished in Deep Hole within the harbour. They were rewarded. The harbour mark yielded plenty of fish with many dabs upto 36cm (almost specimen size), whiting to 46cm, coalfish to 46cm, along with codling, flounder, plaice and an assortment of others.

On the Cuan Bawn angler John Angles from Castletownbere thought he was into a big ray when he played out a fish for 15 minutes. Indeed, the area of 'Deep Hole' that they were fishing was a ray mark of old. Unfortunately, for John the line parted. John was using 15lb breaking strain. Shortly, after Pat O'Shea, Cobh SAC, was into another large fish. This time the fish was brought to the surface and the culprit was revealed. It was a large conger. While it thrashed on the surface the skipper tried to net it, but, unfortunately, it broke the hook - a size 6!!! However, after that several anglers hooked into congers and in all 6 were landed upto 25lbs in weight; all on small hooks and slivers of mackeral intended for dabs and whiting.

It is indeed known for conger eels to venture off the Harbour Rock and venture into the Turbot Bank after storms but for them to come so far in over clean ground is unusual.

The light lines got back on track in January and luckily there was another break in the horrendous weather. In fact it hadn't rained for a number of days before the comp and that did help. The numbers of fish were down, though, with 705 fish caught in total. The size of fish was also down and the whiting and dabs were much smaller than previous comps. Paddy Swan kept up his winning ways coming out on top, followed closely by Pat Condon, Davy McCormick and Pat Wright.

The less said about the February comp the better. The fishing was the toughest in the history of the series. No doubt the mid-week storm before hand and the days of rain leading upto the day had a significant bearing. The fishing was appalling. Nevertheless, Paddy Swan won out again with 19 fish. Closely, followed by Davy McCormick and Danny Cannon. A total of 158 fish were caught between the 3 boats. In some of the previous comps that number wouldn't even be enough to win it. One boat had only a total of 19 fish. Pat O'Shea, the 2013 champion, had no fish at all!!!

Things came back to normal, somewhat, for the March comp. A total of 1,946 fish were caught between the 31 anglers giving an average of 63 fish per angler. This time Davy McCormick won out, with the other boat winners being Pat Condon, Roy Kearney, and Pat O'Shea. This set things up nicely for the last competition in the series. With Paddy Swan leading the field he could only be caught by two others; Davy McCormick and Pat Condon. It was down to the wire on the last day!

....and so the pressure was on. A hearty group of anglers from Wicklow and Dublin travelled to lend their support to Paddy's cause. The three leading anglers were placed in Lagosta II to slug it out. With them were some able local anglers who'd give them some stiff competition. As it turned out the fishing was good on a glorious day that was more reminiscent of summer rather than winter. A total of 1,986 fish were caught between the 27 anglers giving an average of 64 fish per angler. These were mainly whiting and dabs but there were a few plaice and flounder scattered in amongst them. Winner on the day was Terry Boyle of Dublin, followed by Martin Kennedy, Danny Kane, and Dave Jolly. Indeed, both Danny Kane and Pat O'Shea had up-scuttled things slightly on the Lagosta by scoring so highly. However, Paddy Swan had come in at 5th place which was enough to secure him the overall winner's spot. Well done Paddy Swan - Cork Harbour Light Lines Champion 2014!!!


Many thanks to Ger Keohane, skipper of the Naomh Cartha, who sponsors the overall Light Lines Trophy. Thanks must also go to the other skippers who also sponsored prizes; Donie Geary of the John Boy, Alan Kennedy of the Lagosta II, and Joe Lynch of the Wreck Hunter II. In fairness these skippers have always put us on the fish and we would recommend them to any angler or group who would like to fish the grounds in Cork Harbour and off shore.

1st of the Winter season.....

Mick Barry with a superb Plaice

The Cork Harbour Light Lines series of competitions got off to a great start this Sunday. In the first competition of the season over 30 anglers, from as far away as Dublin, Wicklow, and Ulster, competed and what a great day they had!!! The weather was superb and the fishing was great!

On a crisp, bright and sunny morning the 30 anglers congregated on Cobh's Kennedy Pier for the oft. Four of the Angling Hub's charter boats were used for the day:- the John Boy, Lagosta II, Lee Star, and Naomh Cartha.

This year the boats had the option of fishing outside the harbour, albeit within a limit of one nautical mile of Roches Point. However, none of the skippers opted for this. Instead, all opted to fish Deep Hole once more. This spot has always been the favourite over the years holding hoards of whiting, dabs, and codling at times. 

Martin O'Leary with a Tub Gurnard

All manner of rigs and traces were dropped to the depths in search of fish; three hook pats, 2 ups 1 down, 3 hook legers, herme bay spreaders, and boomed traces. The variety of baits were also mind boggling...crab, razor, mussel, rag, lug, wraps and mack. However, it was lug and mack that were most successful, with frozen mack having the edge; plenty of fresh mack were caught but when used as bait were not producing to the same extent of the frozen stuff!

From the start fish were landed but not all boats were having the same success. The John Boy, Naomh Cartha, and Lee Star were in about 70 feet of water and catching good whiting and in numbers. The Lagosta was in shallower territory and not having the same luck. Onboard, was Cobh SAC angler, Pat O'Shea, '....we were getting whiting from the minute the anchor went down but not many were making the new minimum size of 20cm; what was frustrating was looking over at the anglers on the John Boy, which was just outside us, and we could see that they were getting good size whiting and they were all keepers.'

An unexpected catch - a Brill!!!

For the last hour before the 1/2 time changeover, skipper Alan Kennedy decided to try a new mark. He brought the Lagosta to a channel mark just off the Turbot Bank. It was an inspired move! As soon as the boat settled the anglers starting landing whiting in good numbers and of good size. Most fish were in excess of 30cm, with some clonkers over 2lbs....and they were coming in two's and three's!!!

Competition within the boat itself soon heated up but over the course of the day two international anglers, Mick Barry and Davy McCormick, slugged it out against each other for the top spot. Mick landed a superb plaice late in the afternoon of 46cm and this was to be the deciding fish between the two. 

On all the other boats it was the international anglers who were leading the pack. On John Boy, ex-Irish captain, Pat Condon won out with 160 fish; on Lee Star seasoned international, Dave Jolly led with 128 fish; and on Naomh Cartha, latest recruit to the Irish team, Pat Swan, triumphed with 186 fish. However, they didn't have it all their own way and many of the local anglers kept the pressure on right up to the end.

The full results are as follows:-

  1. Pat Swan,                 186 fish,    2557 pts, 100.0%

  2. Pat Condon,             160 fish,    2193 pts, 100.0%

  3. Mick Barry,              141 fish,    1895 pts, 100.0%

  4. Dave Jolly,                128 fish,   1711 pts, 100.0%

  5. Dave McCormick,     140 fish,  1878 pts,    99.1%

  6. Pat O'Shea,                119 fish,  1636 pts,    86.3%

  7. Dave Rylands,            123 fish, 1743 pts,    79.5%

  8. John Dennehy,           124 fish,  1696 pts,   77.3%

  9. Martin Perryman,       135 fish,  1884 pts,   73.7%

10. Joe Gough,                   89 fish,  1223 pts,   71.5%

11. Sean Og McShane,    110 fish,  1536 pts,   70.0%

12. Joe Byrne,                    84 fish,  1150 pts,   67.2%

13. Owen O'Brien,           122 fish,  1712pts,    67.0%

14. Sylwester Skowronski, 89 fish,  1242 pts,  65.5%

15. John Cronin,                 82 fish,  1111 pts,  64.9%

16. Tomasz Kujawa,        111 fish,  1559 pts,   61.0%

17. Sandra O'Shea,           109 fish,  1512 pts,  59.1%

18. Roy Kearney,             107 fish,  1493 pts,  58.4%

19. Brendan O'Dwyer,       79 fish,  1084 pts,  57.2%

20. Gavin O'Connor,          77 fish,  1063 pts,  56.1%

21. Conor Purcell,              75 fish,   1021 pts,  53.9%

22. Danny Kane,                65 fish,    875 pts,  51.1%

23. John Fitz,                      94 fish,  1290 pts,  50.4%

24. Bob Crebor,                  69 fish,   940 pts,  49.6%

25. Robert Fraczek,            78 fish,  1077 pts,  49.1%

26. Brian O'Neill,               59 fish,   816 pts,   47.7%

27. Dave Quirke,                74 fish,  1066 pts,  41.7%

28. Pat Tobin,                     48 fish,    684 pts,  31.2%

29. Frank Burke,                46 fish,    645 pts,  29.4%

30. Martin O'Leary,            42 fish,   420 pts,  24.5%

The total number of fish caught were 2965, giving an average of 99 fish per angler. These were made up of 2375 whiting, 504 dabs, 4 grey gurnard, 2 tub gurnard, 1 cod, 1 pouting, 18 poor cod, 6 plaice, 8 flounder,  and 46 scad.

What a great start! Roll on the next competition in the series. This will take place on Sunday 15th December. If you fancy giving this a shot then give Danny Kane a ring on 086 - 8161946.

For any anglers planning on staying overnight on either the Sat or Sun night we've worked out a great deal with the Commodore Hotel. Overnight B&B for €29pps. Now that's a great deal - contact Mary on 021 - 4811277 or by email on commodorehotel@eircom.net. 

Winter Light Lines Competitions

Well it's that time of year again; the start of winter, which heralds the influx of codling, whiting and dabs into Cork Harbour. So if you were thinking of mothballing your fishing gear for the winter, then DON'T!!!

Instead, head out fishing with Cobh SAC. The winter series of the ever popular Light Line competitions are starting again and will run right through the winter until next April. These competitions are for everyone; whether you're a seasoned angler or a raw beginner. In fact, if you are a novice its no better a place to cut your teeth in boat angling. These are fun competitions where everyone is quite willing to help out each other and you can get great advice. Not that there isn't a competitive side to these matches as well as some of top rods will be slogging it out to be the Light Line champion over the season.

The first of this winter's competitions is on next Sunday week, the 17th November 2013 (HT 17:10 4.1m). If you'd like to fish this one then book your place with Danny Kane, on 086 - 8161946. Book early to avoid disappointment. These comps are very popular and can book up fairly early. Make sure to get your entry in before the close off next Weds evening at 6pm.

The full list of competitions are as follows:

Sunday 17th November (HT 17:10pm 4.1m)
Sunday 15th December (HT 16:00pm 3.9m)
Sunday 19th January (HT 19:23pm 3.9m)
Sunday 16th February (HT 18:27pm 4.0m)
Sunday 23rd March (HT 22:10pm 3.6m)
Sunday 13th April (HT 17:19am 3.8m)

The scorecard used is the same one that was used for the Boat Fish-Offs and the fishing will be broadly similar. However, the format is much simpler and the rules are kept simple. There will be only one change of positions in the boat; basic IFSA rules apply e.g. you are limited to three hooks. The only stipulation is that your main line is of 15lb b.s. or under. Shockleaders, main rig bodies, and snoods can be made of any breaking strain. There is no restrictions on bait. The rules are kept as simple as possible as it's meant to be a fun competition; a fun day out. In fairness the craic can be mighty and the slagging something to behold!!!

You can fish one competition or you fish them all. If you fish every one then you'll be entered into the overall series. Your best scores from 5 comps will count (you can drop your worst score). Last year it was, yet again, a very close run thing; Martin Perryman, Crosshaven SAC, and John Dennehy, captain of the 2012 Irish Home Nations Team, Pat Wright, 2013 Irish Home Nations Team, and Pat O'Shea, Cobh SAC, were all in the reckoning upto the last day....it was that close!

A full report of that final day can be read here http://bit.ly/17NA9AD

Here's a few reports from a selection of previous comps to give you an idea what to expect:

http://bit.ly/STU8Gn

http://bit.ly/VVtwlC

C'mon give it a go; you know its good for you!!!    (It'll keep you sane over the winter!)

Light Line Series concludes.....

Donnacha O'Connell, Cobh SAC, with an early catch

The last of this winter's season's Light Line competitions was held recently. This was the one to decide the winner of the overall series and was eagerly awaited. Three anglers were in contention for the top spot and the competition between them was intense. John Dennehy, captain of the 2012 Irish Home Nation's Team, Pat Wright, a member of the 2013 Irish Home Nations Team, and Pat O'Shea, a well known local bass angler, were all vying for the coveted title of Light Lines Champion.....and so, on the second last Sunday in April, battle commenced. 

Sixteen anglers participated in this one and all met bright and early at Kennedy Pier in Cobh. By 10am all were onboard either the John Boy and Naomh Cartha and were soon on their way to the nearby fishing grounds. As has been the case with all the comps, fishing took place in Deep Hole; the deep trough near the mouth of the harbour, between the forts, where depths can vary between 80 - 110 feet. There was a relatively slack tide all day, which was to be expected with a 3.5 metre tide. With low tide at 9:47am the anglers were to be fishing a flood tide all day. This was unusual as in most of the light line comps it has been the other way around with the fishing being mostly on the ebb. Nevertheless, the skippers opted to fish the western side of the channel, as in most other previous comps, as this has been most productive. This was to prove the case once again. From the oft fish were coming onboard at a steady pace. 

All sorts of rigs were flung uptide, downtide, across tide, and straight down. Of course, almost all anglers have now nearly succumbed totally to the continental style and boast some sort of Tubertini or other similar match rod. Its probably a reflection of how far things have come in this competition or even how far advanced the skill levels of the participating anglers have risen.

By the time lines up had been called a total of 856 fish had been landed between the 16 anglers. That makes it an average of 54 fish per angler. The breakdown of the catch was as follows: 725 whiting, 108 dab, 18 LSD, 1 pouting, 3 poor cod, and 1 flounder.

John Dennehy had fared extremely well and had won his boat (Naomh Cartha) giving him a score of 100%. With a superior points score John also won this competition. However, it wasn't enough to clinch the title as Pat O'Shea had won the other boat (John Boy) giving him outright victory and crowning him the Light Lines Champion 2012/13. Hard luck John, and also hard luck to Pat Wright who wasn't far behind. This is John's second year being just pipped to the top spot - maybe next year John! Well done to Pat O'Shea who once he got his nose ahead back in January kept it there right upto the end!!!

Many thanks to Ger Keohane, skipper of the Naomh Cartha, who sponsored the perpetual trophy for the Light Line series (Cork Harbour Angling Charters).

Also, many thanks to all 51 anglers who participated over the six months of the series; you helped to make this the great competition that it is. We hope to see you all again next winter when the competition starts up again in Nov 2013.

Full results of the April Light Line comp are as follows:

  1. John Dennehy,         109 fish,   1501 pts,  100.0%

  2. Pat O'Shea,                 73 fish,  1 002 pts, 100.0%

  3. Shane Gilvarry,           62 fish,    879 pts,   87.7%

  4. Martin Perryman,        61 fish,    848 pts,   84.6%

  5. Pat Wright,                  52 fish,    723 pts,   72.2%

  6. Josie Barrett,               76 fish,  1044 pts,   69.6%

  7. Roy Kearney,             68 fish,    933 pts,   62.2%

  8. Robert Fraczek,          37 fish,    518 pts,   51.7%

  9. Tomasz Kujawa,        54 fish,    747 pts,   49.8%

10. Michael Bennett,        35 fish,    483 pts,   48.2%

11. Sandra O'Shea,           48 fish,   663 pts,   44.2%

12. John Fitz,                    31 fish,   429 pts,   42.8%

13. Donnacha O'Connell, 45 fish,   641 pts,   42.7%

14. Danny Kane,              46 fish,   628 pts,   41.8%

15. Ger Brady,                 38 fish,    531 pts,  35.4%

16. Krzysztof Makuca,     21 fish,   295 pts,  29.4%

The top ten positions in the final Light Line League Table are as follows:

  1. Pat O'Shea,                 16 pts

  2. John Dennehy,            19 pts 

  3. Pat Wright,                  23 pts

  4. Martin Perryman,        28 pts

  5. Sandra O'Shea,           46 pts

  6. Danny Kane,              47 pts

  7. John Fitz,                    56 pts

  8. Donnacha O'Connell, 57 pts

  9. Robert Fraczek,          62 pts

10. Martin Kennedy,        65 pts

Skipper Ger Keohane, of the Naomh Cartha, presenting the Cork Harbour Angling Charters perpetual Light Lines Championships Trophy to overall winner, Pat O'Shea

March Light Lines Competition - the results.....

Well the March competition wasn't actually held in March....it was held in April!!!

For one of the first times ever, a light lines competition was cancelled because of the weather. 'I thought Cork Harbour was an all-weather venue?' I hear you say. Well it is....but the worst gales to affect the harbour are those from the east or southeast quadrant....and so it was on the week ending the 24th March we had a humdinger from the south east. In fact, the wind had been blowing hard from the east for weeks and on the Friday of that weekend a storm passed through that dumped one month's worth of rain within a 24 hour period in the region. This was the same storm that, as it tracked northwards, dumped a couple of feet of snow in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, north Wales, and the north west of England. Strong enough as the winds were the boats may have still got out but with that volume of fresh water in the system the fishing was bound to be crap....and so the decision was, regrettably, taken to cancel.

The rescheduled competition was earmarked for Sunday 7th April. Conditions leading upto the day had improved dramatically....but then it all went downhill. That morning a gale kicked up and again from the southeast. At least there had been no rain leading up to the day and it was decided to carry on with the event.

Boy the wind was strong....and as the 16 anglers headed out on the John Boy and the Naomh Cartha they were dramatically buffeted. However, once at anchor at 'Deep Hole' the boats settled down quickly and there was no discomfort, as such. At this spot, just between the forts, there is no noticeable swell compared to the storm tossed seas outside. Nevertheless, the conditions did make for tough angling as, with the strength of the wind, many anglers complained that they could barely feel the 'bites,' if at all....and this was reflected in the fishing with numbers of fish caught well down on previous competitions. But you know what they say '....when the going gets tough, the tough get going.'

A total of 282 fish were caught with the breakdown being as follows: 236 whiting, 41 dab, 4 cod, and 1 plaice. Most successful baits were again mackeral and lug.

The final results were:

  1. John Dennehy,           40 fish,   558 pts, 100.0%
  2. Pat O'Shea,               32 fish,   457 pts, 100.0%
  3. Pat Wright,                27 fish,   406 pts,   88.8%
  4. Martin Perryman,       26 fish,   376 pts,   67.4%
  5. John Fitz,                   21 fish,   301 pts,   65.9%
  6. Donnacha O'Connell, 26 fish,   362 pts,   64.9%
  7. Pat Condon,              18 fish,   273 pts,   59.7%
  8. Shane Gilvarry,          17 fish,   249 pts,   54.5%
  9. Roy Kearney,            21 fish,   299 pts,   53.6%
10. Josie Barrett,             20 fish,   288 pts,   51.6%
11. Robert Fraczek,        12 fish,   180 pts,   39.4%
12. Danny Kane,             12 fish,   188 pts,   33.7%
13. Tomasz Kyowe,          5 fish,     76 pts,   13.6%
14. Dermot O'Brien,          3 fish,     50 pts,   10.9%
15. Danny Kilcannon,        2 fish,     37 pts,     8.1%
16. Sandra O'Shea,           0 fish,       0 pts,     0.0%


This sets the league table up nicely for the last event which takes place on Sunday 21st April. The top 10 places now are:

  1. Pat O'Shea,                  14pts
  2. Pat Wright,                   18 pts
  3. John Dennehy,              18 pts
  4. Martin Perryman,          24 pts
  5. Danny Kane,                33 pts
  6. Sandra O'Shea,            35 pts
  7. Martin Kennedy,           38 pts
  8. Donnacha O'Connell,    44 pts
  9. John Fitz,                      44 pts
10. Sylwester Skowronski, 46 pts

If you'd like to fish the last Light Lines competition of the season on Sunday 21st April contact Danny Kane on 086 - 8161946 or Mary Geary on 021 - 4812167.

January Light Line Comp

The next light lines comp is on next Sunday, the 13th January. Again this is great value at €40 and a good entry is once more expected. If you'd like to fish this then contact Danny Kane on 086-8161946 and book your place. Boats will be leaving Kennedy Pier at 10am with fishing from 10:30am till 3:30pm. Rules are very simple with the only stipulation of difference from normal comps being that the mainline be of 15lb bs or less. See yo there; you know its good for ya!!!

Fundraiser for the National Boat Team

Following hot on the heels of the latest Light Line competition is this fundraising competition for the Irish National Boat Angling Team. If you tend to go stir crazy or get a bit of cabin fever during the Xmas holidays then this is the chance to clear the head and gain back a bit of sanity.

This is normally a great day out. Its a fun competition and there are many different prizes for differing categories, so everyone's got a chance. Hopefully, the weather will play ball and the boats will be able to get outside the Harbour. If not, however, conditions are not right then fishing will be restricted to inside. This shouldn't be a worry, though, as recent competitions within the confines of the Harbour have produced huge numbers of fish. Shoals of codling have also put in an appearance, so if codling pull your strings make sure you bring your best cod trace.

If you'd fancy fishing this comp then contact Pat Condon on 086 - 3622044, Myles Howell on 087 - 2525162, or Padraic Clear on 087 - 9807685.

Christmas Light Line Comp - the results.....

The second of this winter's light line competitions got under way this Sunday just gone, early in the morning. For this one twenty one anglers gathered at Kennedy Pier at Cobh at 9:30am. By 10am the two boats, the Lagosta II and the Wreckhunter, got underway. The weather for this one wasn't as kind as previous outings. We normally seem to be blessed with good weather but not on this occasion. Having said that it wasn't too bad either, but it was very much a mixed bag. All week the south coast had been plagued by winter storms. By Sunday the wind was still blustery and squally at times. Heavy showers occasionally drenched the anglers during the day but towards the evening it calmed down completely and it became almost balmy.

The weather obviously had an impact on the fishing, which was tough enough going at times. This was in complete contrast to the previous week when Crosshaven SAC had some great fishing in their own light line competition. Numbers caught in that comp were similar to the last light line comp in Nov (The calm before the storm).

In total 793 fish were caught, giving an average of 38 fish per angler. The one positive, though, was that the general size of fish was bigger. Codling also made a welcome appearance. The breakdown of fish caught was 405 whiting, 194 dab, 84 doggies, 2 coalfish, 38 codling, 30 pouting, and 40 poor cod. Indeed, many anglers managed to bag six different species.

On the Lagosta there was tremendous competition as no less than five current and ex-internationals fought it out. Nevertheless, all eyes were on Martin Perryman and John Dennehy who last year jointly topped the league only for Martin to win out on a fish count back. The eyes were on the wrong boat, though, as it was on the Wreckhunter that the better fishing was had. Here Irish Home Nation Team International, Pat Wright, topped the score; well done Pat!!!

The full results are as follows:

 1. Pat Wright,                   55 fish,  810 pts,  100%

 2. Martin Kennedy,          49 fish,  739 pts,  100%

 3. Pat O'Shea,                   54 fish,  797 pts,  98.4%

 4. Sandra O'Shea,             49 fish,  736 pts,  90.9%

 5. Myles Howell,              43 fish,  649 pts,  87.8%

 6. John Dennehy,              41 fish,  604 pts,  81.7%

 7. Dave Ryland,                38 fish,  599 pts,  81.1%

 8. Martin Perryman,          38 fish,  597 pts,  80.8%

 9. John Fitz,                      43 fish,  651 pts,  80.4%

10. Dave Jolly,                   38 fish,  570 pts,  77.1%

11. Slywester Skowronski, 41 fish, 606 pts,  74.8%

12. Donnacha O'Connell,  38 fish,  576 pts,  71.1%

13. Tomasz Thrione,         40 fish,  572 pts,  70.6%

14. Dave Clancy,              35 fish,  543 pts,  67.0%

15. Pat Swan,                    32 fish,  492 pts,  66.6%

16. Pio Enright,                 30 fish,  476 pts,  64.4%

17. Danny Kane,              29 fish,  458 pts,  62.0%

18. Robert Fraczek,          33 fish,  496 pts,  61.2%

19. Cian Ryan,                 28 fish,  423 pts,  52.2%

20. Martin O'Leary,          21 fish,  316 pts,  39.0%

21. Marcin Kavankozski, 18 fish,  281 pts,  34.7%

If you'd like to look at the detailed scoresheets have a look here.

The Light Line league is now starting to take shape. As you'd probably guess, Martin Perryman and John Dennehy are up in the top spots....can they keep the momentum up? You can have a look at the league table here.

The next Light Line Competition is on Sunday 13th January. If you'd fancy fishing this then contact Danny Kane on 086-8161946 or Mary Geary on 021-4812167.

The next big competition in the Harbour is the fundraiser for the Irish Boat team. This competition is on next Saturday week 29th December. To enter contact Pat Condon on 086-3622044, Myles Howell on 087-2525162, or Padraic Clear on 087-9807685.

Winter Light Line comp No. 2

Well the second competition of this winter's light line series is almost upon us. This competition will be fished next Sunday 16th December. If you'd like to fish this one, then contact Danny Kane on 086-8161946 or Mary Geary on 021-4812167 without delay.

As per usual, this comp will be fished using the scorecard from the IFSA National Fish-Offs. Fishing will be from 10:30am till 3:30pm. The boats will leave Kennedy Pier, Cobh at 10am and registration will be on the pier from 9:30am.

The usual rules apply and are kept to a minimum as it is a fun competition. The only stipulation is that your mainline would be a maximum of 15lb b.s. Have a look at our report of the last competition 'The calm before the storm....again!' to give you an idea of what the fishing was like. The cost for the day's fishing is €40....its great value!!!

We'll see you there, hopefully!!!

The calm before the storm....again!

We always seem to have a knack of doing it! I mean of course of getting good weather for the light line competitions, and so it was last Saturday. What a glorious day! Beautiful sunny, blue skies and light breezes, who could ask for more. We were lucky, though, for on Sunday a humdinger of a storm moved in and continued for two or three days. In fact, the weather since could be classified as positively manky and typical of winter fare!

Well enough about the weather and onto the fishing! The fishing was spectacular! We were hoping for something similar to the National Fish-Offs, which were held in mid-Oct; what we got was better. In the fish-offs there were 11,300 fish caught between 31 anglers over 12 hours of fishing. That equates to 30 fish per angler per hour. In last weekend's light line comp 3,378 fish were caught between 20 anglers over 5 hours. That's an average of 34 fish per angler per hour. Wow!!!

The breakdown of fish caught were as follow: 3,162 whiting, 185 dabs, 10 doggies, 17 codling, 3 dragonets, and 1 tub gurnard.

Once more the craic, banter, and slagging was mighty. Three boats from the hub were used; the John Boy, the Lee Star, and Lagosta II. All three boats opted to fish more or less the same ground; the drop-off into the channel from Curlane Bank, and were within a couple of hundred yards of each other. Having said that Lagosta II, which was the furthest south seemed to have the best of the fishing. Onboard Lagosta 1,465 fish were landed between 6 anglers. On the Lee Star 1,391 fish were landed between 8 anglers, and on the John Boy 522 fish were landed between 6 anglers. The Lee Star did opt to fish the eastern side of the channel, under Carlisle, for the last hour, but other than that the boats remained put for the whole day.

Martin Perryman, overall light line champion of 2011/12, was going to be under pressure this time round. Not only was he up against John Dennehy, captain of the Irish Home Nations team, who he had pipped by the narrowest margins for the crown, but he had also Irish Internationals Davy McCormick and Gordon Darker to contend with....and all on the same boat! It didn't end there. On the Lagosta there was also Heiko Drier and Pat Swan. Martin was upto the challenge, though, and won his boat, the Lee Star, to put himself in second spot and a creditable finish against the overall winner, Heiko Drier. Well done Martin and well done Heiko!!! The full results are as follows:

  1st  Heiko Drier,                350 fish,  4616 pts,  100.0%
  2nd Martin Perryman,        270 fish,  3582 pts,  100.0%
  3rd  David Clancy,             115 fish,  1576 pts,  100.0%
  4th  Silwester Skowronski, 107 fish,  1462 pts,    92.8%
  5th  Pat Swan,                    311 fish,  4104 pts,   88.9%
  6th  John Dennehy,             237 fish,  3137 pts,   87.6%
  7th  Gordon Darker,          236 fish,   3112 pts,   86.9%
  8th  Pat O'Shea,                229 fish,   3011 pts,   84.1%
  9th  Bobby Crebor,             96 fish,   1290 pts,   81.9%
10th  Sandra O'Shea,          221 fish,   2928 pts,   81.7%
11th  John Fitz,                    89 fish,    1257 pts,   79.8%

12th  Donnacha O'Connell,  84 fish,    1168 pts,   74.1%
13th  Danny Kane,             254 fish,    3328 pts,   72.1%
14th  Rob Miland,              219 fish,   2890 pts,   62.6%
15th  Fergal Madden,         177 fish,   2350 pts,   50.9%
16th  Evan McGovern,       154 fish,   2028 pts,   43.9%
17th  Timmy Leahy,            119 fish,  1573 pts,   43.9%
18th  Paul Maloney,             31 fish,    440 pts,   27.9%
19th  Martin Foy,                74 fish,     992 pts,   27.7%
20th  Davy McCormick,        5 fish,     76 pts,       2.1%


With such good fishing the next competition is eagerly awaited. If you fancy fishing this one its on in three weeks time, on Sunday 16th December. To book in give Danny Kane a buzz on 086-8161946 or Mary Geary on 021-4812167. C'mon you know its good for you!!!