A trip to the aquarium

I havent done a whole lot of fishing lately mainly due to the weather
and other commitments.
I did however get to spend a fews days over in the west with my
girlfriend and get to visit the ''Galway Atlantiquaria'' a fantastic
aquarium with lots of the different species that are found around the coast of
Ireland two of the species I was very interested in seeing were the European
Seabass and the Ballan Wrasse both of which I really enjoy lure angling for
but never really get a chance to see them actually swimming around.
So I made a few videos of both of these and some other species that I saw
which I hope you enjoy.
The videos dont do justice to the size of the Seabass at all almost all of which
were double figure fish with the biggest almost 18lb.

The Ballan Wrasse there were up to 9lb I could see them but not get a decent shot of
them so I just made a couple of videos of those that were closer which were still good
size fish from 2lb to around 5lb one thing I noticed was just
how terrotorial they were with each fish having its own section.....

Also some cool looking Trigger Fish well over 4lb weight....

I hoped you enjoyed those few short litttle videos. If any of you are ever in the west of
Ireland with some spare time a trip to the aquarium is worth if only to see the Seabass


Tight lines

Jay

A few photos from my lasts days lrf.....

I met up with my mate David once again the plan this time was to fish up to and into darkness to
see if I could possibly winkle out a Rockling but unfortunately it wasnt to be.

I fished various rigs dropshot, texas and standard jighead but i'm finding lately the dropshot is a fantastic
but sometimes overlooked rig. I know I for one favoured texas rigging lures over it for a long while but its
quickly becoming my go to rig

A nice variety of fish and I was happy enough with the session even if I didnt manage my intended
target. I really cant get over the teeth on the goldsinney wrasse such a vicious set for such a small
fish, I wouldnt fancy being it intended target....

On another note I recently had been on the hunt for some flourocrbon to fish straight through as
opposed to braid and after much deliberation I picked up some
Sunline super FC sniper in 4lb that is 0.165mm in diameter perfect for what I want not so thin so
it will ping off rocks straight away but still thin enough to allow it to be nice and supple

I'll be sure to write up my thoughts on this line in the coming months

Thats all for now I hoped you enjoyed the read and pics.

Tight lines,

Jay

The times they are a changing.....

I decide to take another trip up my mate David last Saturday since things
had clearly started to slow down this way I wanted to see what the fishing
was like up with him after my last trip up a few weeks ago the weather had
changed alot and the cold has really set in coupled with a big drop in air
pressure of late fishing conditions have been less than perfect

I arrived up in the morning and we decided to try the local pier for a bit
David picked up a poorcod but apart from that the water was very coloured
and the fishing was poor

We went back to his place then and David decided he was going to try for conger and
I would continue fishing lrf.

We headed back out a few hours later and I began to fish a dropshotted red gulp sandworm
and was almost straight away into a little rock goby

I continued fishing this way picking up a few little poorcod but not much else

David met up with his mate and headed off a little bit up from me to try for Conger but I'll let you read about
that on his blog ...  East Coast Fishing

I continued fishing dropshot trying various lures but the fishing had gone really quiet which I put down to a big seal which was patrolling the water about 10 yards out from me.

As soon as the seal went I stuck on a gulp sandworm again on a dropshot rig but this time in the natural colour and managed a lovely long spined sea scorpion

I continued along the edge and got the unmistakeable tap of a wrasse which I missed reeled in and bang another much more solid hit and fish on ...

a lovely goldsinney wrasse a welcome surprise on a very cold and slow day. I recast a few yards up and got another few small taps from some tiny fish which turned out to be poorcod

I kept fishing and the poorcod kept coming they were fast becoming a staple at this mark but all were around
the size of the one above

Another nice goldsinney showed it face a few minutes later

which was followed in another few casts by a nice rock goby

A few casts later and I got another really solid thump which I knew was a wrasse but failed to connnect
so I left the lure and gave a few twitches and smack fish on!!

I knew straight away this was a much better fish than any of the previous fish of the day
and after a few good runs and dives much too my surprise up popped this lovely ballan wrasse
of just over 1lb weight

A very nice surprise and very unexpected.

I finished the days fishing with some more poorcod and another little rock goby

and that was that time to head home.

What I noticed from the days fishing that much the same as home the fishing has slowed considerably in the
past few weeks and judging by the distance between myself and David with him being further north than myself I guess the winter change has began in earnest all round...

Right well thanks for reading

Tight lines

Jay

A trip on the train.....

My car was in the garage and that put pay to any plans that I had for fishing

that weekend. So I rang my good friend David to arrange an LRF and plans 

were made for me to get the train up to him and we could fish a few marks up his 

way.

Thursday night was spent going through gear and making sure that I had everything

I would need for the next days session. 

I arose early on Friday and the weather couldnt have been better so I took the 

short one hour train journey with my rod and gear (much to the amusement of some fellow passengers) 

up to David who kindly met me at the train station.

We said our hello's and decided to get straight into the fishing with a short trip to a local

pier. We arrived at the mark and rigged up our gear, we both rigged standard jigheads with

isomes and gulp and I drew first blood on the day with a stunning long spined scorpion fish

Next up was David with a nice rock goby...

A short while later it was my turn for another couple of fish another rock goby and a first for me a

goldsinney wrasse a species which has eluded me for quite some time.

It went quite then for an hour or so we put this down to the fact that a small diving bird a little

auk I think had started working up and down the edges of the pier so we decided to make our

move stop for a little bit of breakfast/lunch and make up our way to another mark that David wanted 

to try out.

We arrived at our new mark and began to fish I switched over from a jig head to dropshot and it made a marked difference with a nice corkwing falling to it almost first cast 

Then a nice Ballan 

David was also fishing dropshot after having no joy with a jighead was also picking up ballans and

corwings....

It went on like this with ballans and corkwing a plenty for both of us

Then David pulled out a nice little pouting which was a first for him on a lure and he was delighted
with that

I then managed another Rock goby followed by a long spined scorpion

I then managed my first ever Tompot Blenny yet another species that had evaded capture..

Both David and myself both got hit by a couple of trains which proved unstoppable one broke Davids line and the other spat the hook a shame but I suppose its the way it goes.
I also managed a pouting of my own a first for me this year..

So by now we reckoned that we had fished enough on this mark and decided to move on to some rocks
we had both being looking at earlier on in the day.

We fished the rocks with David drawing first blood with the biggest ballan of the day...

I was next with another fine ballan wrasse..

we fished on with another good few corkwing and ballans coming to our lures

A truly epic day with the evening fast approaching we decided that yet another change was in order but this time a move to fresh water.

To try for a species that David had caught but I had not we rigged up well rigged right down really i was using a japanese tenkara hook size 26 and the smallest piece of isome I could manage but it worked and I
got my first ever freshwater minnow

By now it was almost time for my train home and what better way to end the day than a nice cold beer
and a good chat about the days fishing and what a day it was with over 70 fish between the two of
us 8 species including new ones for both of us. It was truly a memorable days fishing and one that I wont
forget for a very long time.

So great craic was had by both of us and an epic days angling and plans were made for the future watch
this space.....

You can see Davids take on the day on his blog East Coast Fishing

I hope you enjoyed the read,

Tight lines,

Jay