Cox & Rawle Cork Boat Rig

Skipper of Osprey II, Pat Condon, has lent his experience to the crew of Cox & Rawle. Pat has represented Ireland may times in the past at the International Boat Angling Championships and, having won last year's Master Angler competition, will be captaining the Irish team once more. Relying on his years of experience and particularly of his experience in Cork Harbour, Pat has designed a specialist match rig which is a proven fish catcher!

Pat was out recently with the gang from Cox & Rawle and from Shamrock Tackle testing the rig and it didn't disappoint. Pat had this fabulous red gurnard, just short of specimen, during the course of the day. Well done Pat!

Watch out for this rig which is available shortly at most tackle outlets.

If you'd fancy a day out with Pat on the Osprey II give him a buzz on 00-353-86-3622044 or check out his website here.

Pollacking onboard Lee Star.....

Skipper Johnny Geary always had a penchant for pollack fishing and over the years was one of the best pollack anglers around. When he gets the chance he always tries to put his clients onto some good pollack grounds.

So it was recently, John brought his crew to the wreck of the 'Aud.' The 'Aud' was scuttled within a few miles of Roches Point and is easily accessible. John always fancies the 'Aud' and it didn't disappoint him this time. Over the course of the day they had plenty of pollack; many were small but there were a few crackers, including this one pictured above of 9lbs.

If you'd fancy a day out with John on the Lee Star then give John a buzz on 00-353-21-4812435 or check out his website here. With the summer season now under way there will be plenty of opportunities to target some good pollack!!!

Summer season starts for Noamh Cartha.....

Skipper Gerry Keohane has had a few successful outings of late. Although, the fishing started off slow it has picked up. Gerry puts the poor early start to the extremely cold weather of late spring and the, still, low water temperatures. However, the last few trips have produced better results. Gerry has reported reasonable catches of ling, cod and pollack on some of his more favoured marks.

If you'd fancy a day out on the Noamh Cartha you can contact Gerry on 00-353-87-2589448 or check out his website here for more details.

....and some more mullet...on the lure!

Local anglers Clinton Rachman & his son, Cody, have been targeting mullet on the lures lately....and having success!!!

Clinton has been using a variety of soft plastic lures he's picked up in South Africa and these having being doing the business. Above, Cody is pictured with one of the mullet they picked up on a golden brown softy. Clinton advises that a lot of patience is required as you will have a lot of missed takes but if you stick with it you will get them.

....its not just Bass!!!

While the bass closed season is in effect there are plenty of other species to target for the avid lure angler, fly angler, or obsessive bass angler, as Richie Ryan proved this week. Richie brought client, Kevin McLoughlin, to the Harbour Rock at the mouth of the harbour to target pollack....on the fly!!!

No mean challenge this, as the deeper water of certain areas of the rock make it difficult for the fly rodder. Kevin was upto the challenge. Kevin is no stranger to fly fishing and has only recently seen the potential of the salt on the fly. Richie and himself had nearly 60 pollack on the fly that day....the second day of the bass ban. What a great alternative!

The pic above is of Kevin with the first fish of the day on a fly tied by Kevin himself. Well done Kevin!!!

If you'd fancy a day out with Richie give him a buzz on 086 - 1940744 or check out his website Eire Bass.

The Bass Closed Season

Courtesy of Uk BASS

The bass closed season has kicked in since this Wednesday 15th May and runs right through until the 15th June. Anglers will not be allowed to fish for bass until Sunday 16th June. We would urge anglers to strictly observe these legal requirements.

Over the closed season we also 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.

Our bass fishery is a great resource and we as anglers should do our very best to at least maintain its current status and stock levels. We would encourage all anglers to consider adopting a catch and release policy when it comes to bass fishing. Irish bass stocks are still at fragile levels. We all should do our utmost to help this stock grow further in Irish waters to ensure the sport continues to develop and grow. We owe this to future generations of anglers.

The final hoorah.....

Pat O'Shea with a fine 72cm fish caught on soft plastics

Well the closed season is now upon on and there will be no more fishing for bass until the 16th June. Avid lure anglers will now turn there attention to other species, particularly wrasse. Others may concentrate on mullet as a few have had success lately targeting mullet on lures.

In the last few days before the season came to its annual close there were a number of reports still coming in but the bass fishing did slow down as the tides had peaked and were receding. A sudden swing of winds to the northern quadrant and a drop in temperatures didn't help either. On the last day, yesterday, many local anglers were hard at it but many blanks were reported.

Cobh SAC angler, Pat O'Shea, did report a number of good sessions in the days leading upto the ban. His best bass was a fine 72cm fish, estimated at 8.5lbs, caught on a soft plastic on a tide rising into darkness on Sunday evening. This was followed by a session on Monday with plugs that produced three fish. Pat was out with Fred Mills from Belfast yesterday but despite their efforts they remain fishless. Ebor Benson had better luck. He did manage a fine 62cm fish on a soft plastic despite testing conditions. Ebor persisted, but when two seals turned up Ebor decided to call it a day. Well done Ebor and good fish to wrap it all up with!!!

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.

What a crackin' session....

Andy Davies with a fine 7lb lure caught bass.

Andy Davies is at it again!!!

Andy really bags 'em up when it comes to lure sessions and he really had a cracker the other night. Andy fished one of the outer harbour marks with Darragh McCarthy and Ben and they nailed them. Between the three of them they had over 30 bass. Now that's a right session!!!

Andy reports that they were using a variety of soft plastics and plugs. Best of the session was a fine 7lber which Andy is pictured with above. With today being the last day before the closed season many other anglers will be out to emulate Andy and the lads. Well done!!!

Young Bass anglers show the way....

Darragh McCarthy with a fine bass on a IMA Susuke 140 in Cotton Candy

Some of the young guns are getting in on the act lately. With the outer harbour marks producing a flush of recently arrived bass young turk, Darragh McCarthy, tagged along with seasoned bass angler, Andrew Davies, and another for a lure session and gave them a good run for their money. Darragh has been fishing the Cork Harbour marks with vigour over the last few weeks and the other evening his efforts were rewarded. In fact, Darragh had a bit of a 'red letter day' and had 7 bass in total on plugs. Well done Darragh!!! You're certainly one to watch for the future!!! 

....some more Mullet fishing!

In quiet back waters of Cork Harbour mullet can be successfully targeted. LRF specialists, Cillian Farrell and Dan Gill, who have been pioneering kayak angling in the harbour over the last number of years, have turned their attention to targeting mullet on lures!!!

Yesterday afternoon, one such mission led to success. Cillian gives a brief account of what happened '....A quick LRF session on the last hour of the flood. Dan & myself had felt a bit claustropobic of late having being couped up studying. A short fishing trip was in order. The beauty of Cork Harbour is that there are accessible marks within a short distance. 7 minutes into the session I hooked this 2-3lb mullet, with a pink power isome fished on a 1g jig head. Dan hadn't even set up by this stage. Unfortunately, that fish spooked the others. We did have a few follows later but it was great to catch a thick lipped on a lure!'

Well done, another one for the species count!!!

Super Mullet fishing....

Myles Kelly with a 7lb 5oz Thick Lipped Mullet

Its not just the bass fishing thats taking off, the mullet fishing in the many inlets and backwaters of Cork Harbour has also kicked into gear. Local mullet specialist, Myles Kelly, has had some super results lately. His best catch over the last few weeks is this exceptional 7.25lber pictured above.  This was in fact Myles' first of the season. Myles takes up the story:-

'....Sea temperatures are still low for the time of year and are hovering below 10C. This has made for difficult fishing in Cork Harbour where pollack and bass fishing has been very slow. The change in weather has seen fortunes for local mullet anglers improve and I got my first of the season in one of the Harbour's tidal creeks towards the end of April. Stalking a number of good fish for a frustrating couple of hours finally paid dividends when one hit the bread flake bait and took off on a long run. On light tackle the fish proved a difficult opponent and after some heart stopping moments the fish was finally played out and safely netted.'

Local guide Richie Ryan also specialises in targeting the local mullet shoals. If you'd fancy a day targeting mullet you can contact Richie on 00-353-86-1940744. Check out Richie' website for more details.

Osprey II gets the season under way....

Skipper, Pat Condon, had a seasoned crew out with him last weekend as he put Osprey II through its paces before the season really takes off. With him were such angling veterans as John Dennehy, Noel Lane, Pat Wright, Sandra O'Shea to name but a few.

Pat brought them to the Smiths and mixed ground close by. However, the fishing was patchy. Nevertheless, they did manage a mixed bag of fish, especially with a few nice megrim landed. Noel Lane is pictured above with a fine megrim. Conditions were tough, though. Despite the sunny conditions there was a strong breeze with a lumpy sea. For some comfort Pat brought the crew closer to land and fished one of his marks in Fountainstown Bay. Here they picked up some fine dabs and doggies. It always pays to have some back up marks.

Pat is now taking bookings for the remainder of the season. If you'd like a day out on the Osprey II give Pat a buzz on 086 3622044 or check out his website for more details.

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

The Spanish Armada do Cork.....

There is just no stopping that soft plastic supremo, Jim Clohessy. Jim had a few Spanish clients out from Bellavista recently and videoed some of the action. The action takes place on the Ling Rocks, south of the harbour. Although, nothing massive was landed, there were plenty of fish to keep the anglers busy!!!

If you'd like to hire one of the Bellavista self-drive boats for the day, contact Kevin Murphy on 00-353-86-6029168. Check out Bellavista for more details. You might be lucky, Jim himself might be available for a day's guiding.

Fishing in general picks up....

Fishing in general seems to have started to pick over the last two weeks inside and outside the harbour. The recent mild spell has helped tremendously and, at last, the water temperatures are starting to pick up after that extended cold snap and easterly winds.

Joe Lynch, charter skipper of Wreckhunter, has sent us in this report '....We had a nice day out with a local party on Saturday 27th April. We started off Trabolgan in blazing sunshine. We had a great start with a very welcome 2-3 dozen or so fine spring Mackeral. Its great to see Mackeral early in the season. We then moved onto some favourite haunts and got a few Pollack, but it was slow going. Only when the tide changed did things pick up. At that stage we were in deeper water and caught some nice fish, including the 13.5lb Cod and 12lb Ling (pictured above and below). The fresh Mackeral strips seemed to be the best baits. All in all a welcome change to have a nice bag of fish and a red face (from the Sun!)'

If you'd fancy a trip out in Wreckhunter this summer you can contact Joe on 00-353-87 230 2362 or check out his website here.

....and the Bass keep coming!!!

Its great to see the bass back after such a long absence. Upto last week we probably went through one of the leanest late winter periods in donkey's years...but that's all behind us now and the bass have arrived in numbers. Many seasoned Cork Harbour bass anglers have now returned to some of their favourite haunts to target some sport as the fish are hungry and are competing for food.

One of the area's most experienced lure anglers, Andy Davies, has been chalking up the hours with some great results already under his belt. On the right is a pic of a fine 6lber that Andy had the other evening on a soft plastic.

Andy had a cracking session landing five bass on a rising tide peaking in darkness. He also managed to catch a thick lipped mullet on a plug. The fish was hooked fairly and squarely in the mouth which was an unusual occurrence in its own right.

With less than two weeks away to the closed season there's ample time for the avid bass angler to pick up a few fish before the month long break.

Remember, during the closed season anglers are not allowed to target bass at all. The closed season runs from the 15th May (midnight) to the 15th June (midnight) and includes both of these days aswell. Effectively, the last allowable day for fishing will be Tuesday 14th May with the season reopening on Sunday 16th June.

 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.