....and there is some big ones showing up too!!!

Pictured above is local bass angler, Ebor Benson, with his first of the season. Well done Ebor!!!

Below is a fine 75cm fish caught by Cobh SAC angler, Pat O'Shea. Pat was using a weighted soft plastic.

 Here is Pat again with that fine 75cm fish.

With just over two weeks to go to the closed season the return of bass couldn't be more welcome. At least all anglers now have a chance to bag a few before the month long break.

Over the closed season we urge anglers to be extra vigilant as this is the time when those less scrupulous step up their poaching activities. If you come across illegal nets or suspected illegal netting activity in Cork Harbour or in the area from Ballycotton Island to the Old Head of Kinsale (or anywhere for that matter) make sure you report it. Contact us on corkharbouranglinghub@gmail.com or report it directly to Inland Fisheries Ireland on 1890 34 74 24.

The Bass are back.....

Normally you wouldn't be trumpeting the return of the bass, because they never really go; they're always bass to be caught in the winter months on the outer beaches, albeit in fewer numbers. This year was different; they were just absent. Except for one superb specimen caught on one of the East Cork beaches in March there have been no reports of bass caught...until now!!!

Since last weekend reports have flooded in of bass appearing all across the region. Frank Murphy, from Midleton, had a good return last weekend, fishing one of his regular beach marks with lug and razor, landing three bass. Another East Cork angler had a few more on Monday night. On Wednesday Pat O'Shea, Cobh SAC, had two fine bass from a rock mark on peeler crab. He followed that up with 15 bass to lures the following day, with the best fish coming in at 62cm. That's a great session by any standards.

With just over two weeks to go to the closed season the return of bass couldn't be more welcome. At least all anglers now have a chance to bag a few before the month long break.

Over the closed season we urge anglers to be extra vigilant as this is the time when those less scrupulous step up their poaching activities. If you come across illegal nets or suspected illegal netting activity in Cork Harbour or in the area from Ballycotton Island to the Old Head of Kinsale (or anywhere for that matter) make sure you report it. Contact us on corkharbouranglinghub@gmail.com or report it directly to Inland Fisheries Ireland on 1890 34 74 24.

Cork Soft Plastic 2013 Season begins.....

Jim Clohessy and the Bellavista crew get their soft plastic season underway......

Big Winter Bass

As bass fishing goes it was a tough winter; well particularly the latter half. In normal winters fishing is quite good upto Christmas and then it slackens off. Mind you fish are still taken in January and February but its normally March before bass appear in numbers. This winter wasn't the norm!!!

It's now mid-April and there have been very few, and I mean very few, reports of bass caught since Christmas. No doubt the cold weather from the start of February and those persistant easterly winds were to blame. Water temperatures are at an all time low.

With less than four weeks to go to the closed season we may at last get some fish. Here's a pic to give us some hope. It's of a specimen bass caught on a lure from the shore just before Christmas. Captor, Pat O'Shea, takes up the story '....typical of late November, going into December, there were periods of settled weather, but it was damn cold by day with temperatures hovering about 4.5c. Water conditions were almost crystal clear but despite that the lure fishing was very good, as it can be at this time of year. The fish tend to bunch up before their exodus and can go on quite frenetic feeding frenzies at times. I was having good sessions with good numbers of fish; nothing massive but the type of fishing to keep you very happy indeed. It couldn't last and when the weather would eventually break it would probably put paid to the lure fishing for a month or two. That break loomed not long after when a deep low approached. I was determined to beat its arrival and get one last session in before Christmas. As I arrived at my chosen mark the change in conditions was already apparent. Although, the wind hadn't got up, the sea state was starting to rise and the water was already colouring up. I fancied a crack with a large pearl shad, which can be lethal at this time of year, and on my very first cast I was rewarded. On the retrieve I felt a bump and instinctively knew it was a side swipe from a bass. I kept up the retrieve and after a few yards the fish nailed the lure. Nailed the lure was an understatement, the lure was right down its gullet. Mind you it was none the worse for wear and soon revived in a nearby pool. It was a fine fish, though, measuring 69 cms  What a beauty. Not long after I had another. This was also a good fish coming in at 67 cm. It was beginning to look like a red letter day. Another few casts and close in my lure stuck fast. My initial reaction was that the shad had caught up in the weed on the shallow ledge in front of me. That was until my rod doubled over and the reel handle spun around at a rate of knots nearly breaking my fingers. I hadn't the drag on as when fishing with weighted shads that is a sure recipe for losing your lure. Luckily I had the anti-reverse lever on. After several spirited runs I had the fish beaten. What a fish! 75 cms in length and as broad as hell across the back. I began to hope I had a specimen. On the scales the fish came over the magical 10lb mark. Yes!!! It was going to be hard to top that. I carried on fishing but had only one more around the 4lb mark. Later the wind picked up and the water clarity deteriorated completely. Heading away I couldn't help thinking that if Carlsberg did fishing sessions then this would probably be one of them!'

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.