Posts Tagged ‘Cork’

Covid and Cuckoo’s

Saturday, August 15th, 2020

In my lifetime I never would have thought that world Government’s would pay the population not to work, but it happened in 2020 as a way of stemming the spread of the Covid19 virus. Locked down “as it was called” we walked our dogs, tended to our gardens, talked to our neighbours, improved our guitar playing or whatever hobby or pastime rocked our boat and dreamed of going fishing in places such as the Beara peninsula.

Locked down since the 12th of March I finally got the opportunity to get down to Beara for three days in early August. Stopping at Seaview B/B in the centre of Allihies village, “thank you Mary, Niamh and John for the great welcome“, I met up with Mark Noble and went rock hopping in weather that morphed from balmy Mediterranean to a misty damp midge filled sauna in the space of 24 hours. I’m not complaining, there was no wind which helps out on the headlands, but the steamy heat can only be described as Amazonian.

On arriving down with the sun splitting the stones I put a session in jelly worming and spinning for mackerel, the latter of which were barbecued later under a shooting star filled sky, yummy. Fishing a couple of marks, pollack to five pound plus came steady as did the mackerel particularly as the day closed to a spectacular sunset.

After nearly five months lockdown to bait dig at dawn, cast a fly line for pollack, feel the pull of a fish, be surrounded by wonderful scenery and quaff a pint of stoat reminds one that the simple things in life are best. Catching Beara species number 20, a shore caught cuckoo wrasse added icing to the cake.

Meeting up with Mark Noble, we had to abandon ideas to fish isolated rock platforms due to slippery conditions brought about by mist and rain, instead opting for a safer mark with wrasse in mind. Baiting with lug, hard back crab and limpet a number of nice ballans showed along with a cuckoo wrasse which took lugworm hard on the bottom.

When the weather is fine Beara blossoms and the last few days were no exception. It was nice to catch up with old friends and meet up with Mark for the first time, yes Covid19 meant no music sessions in O’Neill’s due to social distancing however that will return in time. The batteries were recharged, more lasting memories were banked and already the next trip down is being planned…………

Deep Sea Fishing off Kinsale, Cod and Bonny Haddock from a Rolling Sea

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Picturesque, historic, beautiful Kinsale, situated on the Bandon river estuary eighteen miles south of Cork city, more noted today for gastronomic excellence, has a tourism sea angling tradition which predates its modern culinary fame. Back in 1964 after returning from working in the USA and Canada, native Irishman Gary Culhane decided to create a tourist sea angling centre modeled on the hunting and fishing lodges he had experienced while on his travels. A visionary, Gary not only earmarked good fishing as a requirement, but also extra curricular activities and amenities suitable not just for all male angling parties but families too. The peaceful coastal haven of Kinsale giving access to both the incredibly fish rich and diverse Ling Rocks grounds and the wreck of the Lusitania lying eleven miles south west of the Old Head of Kinsale fitted the bill admirably.

A grand reef ling for Rob Porter caught on Sundance Kid out of Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Gary had two boats commissioned and built for offshore work and also hired dinghies and outboards for those customers who preferred to go it alone and fish the inner harbour and estuary. He constructed a wooden chalet and also provided space for caravans on the site which is now the Trident Hotel. Working in conjunction with Des Brennan of the Inland Fisheries Trust he invited journalists such as Clive Gammon to sample and write about what Kinsale had to offer tourist sea anglers, with the result that they came in their droves, in particular from Holland and the UK.

Back then common skate could be caught in the outer harbour and also turbot which swam and fed in the race off the Old Head. The Ling Rocks gave access to superb mixed fishing for a vast range of species to include big cod, pollack, whiting, coalfish, ling, gurnard, conger, and blue shark. Presently they still hold the rod and line record for thornback ray of thirty seven pounds, caught by M.J Fitzgerald on the 28/05/1961, a weight which will probably never be beaten. Traveling on out to the Lusitania initial forays produced big catches of specimen ling. This incredible marine diversity linked in with Kinsale and the surrounding hinterlands natural beauty, charm, and ambiance became the catalyst for a sea angling tourist product that at its height maintained a fleet of six deep sea charter boats.

Butch Roberts, skipper of Sundance Kid, displays a specimen red gurnard.

Unfortunately today, like many sea angling centers around the Irish coastline, Kinsale trades on its past. As a teenager in the seventies I was drawn to the town, initially on a youth hosteling trip with the school, then captivated by its location, how it resembled a Cornish fishing village, and of course its famous pubs such as The Spaniard, Bullman, and Hole in the Wall, on most bank holidays from then until the early 1980′s yours truly would be found resident. Camping around Charles Fort, a wonderful star shaped 17th century structure now preserved by the OPW, fishing other than for mackerel was secondary to girls, drink, and craic. That said, if one took a late afternoon stroll up to the Trident Hotel of an August bank holiday a regular sight would be large blue sharks strung up on a gantry. A sad legacy to ignorance, but it has to be said, we didn’t know any better then.

So full circle and a call last week to Mike Hennessy, Inland Fisheries Ireland’s sea angling maestro. In conversation Mike told me about the fabulous haddock fishing he experienced the previous weekend out with skipper Butch Roberts off Kinsale. Letting Mike know that I had never fished out of the venue, “in fifty two years a major personal oversight“, he said “leave it with me”, hung up and two minutes later rang back saying a party was heading out with Butch next Saturday and I was welcome to join them. Three days later at 08.30am on a cold, grey, dismal morning I hopped aboard Butch Roberts 38 foot Aquastar named Sundance Kid and made my introductions to both him and the anglers present.

A brace of codling for sea angler John Young aboard Sundance Kid out of Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland.

A mixed party, immediately I felt welcome, there was Dubliner Nick Ward, two knowledgeable anglers from the Cork City based Carrigaline Sea Angling Club Rob Porter and John Dennehy, and John “forever” Young, a Scotsman who sailed his yacht into Kinsale over a dozen years ago and never left. Preparing tackle as Butch guided Sundance Kid clear of the Castle Park Marina before steaming up the estuary past the twin bastions of Charles and James forts, our skipper then set a south easterly course out into the open ocean to a mark where hopefully the haddock would still be present.

Six miles south east of the Old Head of Kinsale charter boat Sundance Kid pitched and rolled under a dirty grey sky. The sea, still heaving after Thursdays gale, had thankfully settled enough for the 38 foot Aquastar to leave harbour, force eight south easterlies being replaced by a steady north east breeze pushing occasional wintry squalls ahead of it. Blowing at a slight angle off the land its effect was to flatten the sea somewhat, although in reality a short chop now became superimposed on a heavy swell, safe but uncomfortable. Baiting up with frozen razor clam and slivers of mackerel we lowered our rigs 100 feet towards a clean bottom of shale.

Nick Ward displays a nice haddock.

Instantly John Dennehy’s rod signaled bites which resulted in a brace of plump whiting, a false dawn as things went quite after that. Skipper Butch instructed lines up and we motored to another mark close by where he dropped anchor just as the tide was beginning to push west. To the north east I could make out Roche’s Point, while to the north west obscured by a sleety squall one could just make out the Old Head of Kinsale. Every so often we would dip into a trough and land would disappear, that’s the kind of day it was. Butch, Captain Ahab like with his beard, oozing sea going experience from South Africa, his native land, to Australia, was a constant source of reassurance. He’s been fishing these waters since he first came to Kinsale in 1984. What attracted him, “a woman of course”.

For an hour as the tidal flow increased bites came slowly but steadily, haddock made an appearance with Nick landing a grand four pound fish while John Young boated a brace of nice codling. Top rod for the day was Rob Porter, employing a two up one down rig laced with beads he regularly contacted haddock and large whiting, with his fish of the day being a ling in the eight to ten pound bracket. Best fish of the trip turned out to be a specimen red gurnard of 2.2 lbs caught by a rightly chuffed John Young, and I was delighted to see a number of big whiting landed, Kinsale at one stage home to the Irish record.

Rob Porter plays a good ling aboard charter boat Sundance Kid out of Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland.

At days end motoring back in conversation with John Dennehy about the quality of sea fishing off the Cork coast, what he described gave hope. Yes, based on historic catches sea fishing has diminished with species overall smaller in size and less common. That said he and his friends fishing regularly throughout the year catch not only a range of species but fish to a good weight also. What I witnessed aboard Sundance Kid at the tail end of the season on a rough, cold day, backed up John’s narrative. Not a lot of fish were boated, that most definitely being down to the conditions, however codling to four pounds, whiting close to if not over two pounds, haddock averaging a pound and a half, a couple of good ling and a specimen gurnard in this day and age represents quality fishing. What might be achieved in the high season with good weather I intend to find out, roll on next summer.

John Dennehy with a nice plump winter whiting.

Fact file: Charter boat, Sundance Kid. Skipper, Butch Roberts. Telephone: +353 (0)21 4778054. Email: info@anglingkinsale.com. Website: www.anglingkinsale.com

Rock Hopping for Pollack and Bull Huss.

Saturday, November 12th, 2011

For the last session of our weekend on the Beara David and I chose a rough ground venue much favoured by Paul Harris of Dromagowlane House. On the morning in question Paul kindly offered to show us the way down to the mark, as it is down a maze of twisty lanes and thus difficult to find. On arrival Paul gave us a heads up of the location, species present, and the best fishing spots. Thanking him we said our goodbyes before sorting out our equipment and packing what we needed into rucksacks, then made our way out onto a low headland. The morning was dull and windless and the sea flat calm ideal for a spot of rock hopping. David was mad keen to catch a conger, while I was hoping for a bull huss.

David Murphy with a nicely coloured Beara Peninsula pollack.

Finding our first fishing location, a steep cliff giving access to deep water, the rock formation thankfully was stepped and so quite easy to climb down. Choosing a rock platform high enough above the lazy swell to act as a base, we decided to warm up with a spot of jelly worming for pollack.  Using a ten foot spinning rod with matching reel, I rigged up a trace comprising a 60 gram barrel lead above a bead and swivel to which was attached by five foot of 9.kg amnesia a 2/0 kamazan 496b. Threading on red jelly worms David (using similar tackle) and I commenced fishing, casting 70 meters then letting the lead touch bottom before slowly retrieving. The pollack initially were not obliging but after about an hour things picked up with takes occurring regularly. Pollack up to 4.lbs hooped our rods over crash diving towards the kelp, it was great fun, they are a true sport fish.

Jelly worming for pollack on the Beara Peninsula, West Cork, Ireland.

Replacing the jelly worm with a set of hokais I commenced fishing for mackerel to no avail, with only one frozen mackerel between us conger king David took control. Setting up a rotten bottom ledger rig he cast out our sole predator bait about 40 meters tightened up and waited. Within five minutes the rod top nodded then heeled over, lifting into the fish his Zziplex beachcaster took on a mean curve. A tug of war fight with occasional strong dives  ensued, after a couple of minutes the fish showed in the clear water below. Occasional flashes of a white belly and a dark back initially had me thinking conger, but on reaching the surface Dave and I were delighted to see that it was a fine huss.

A mean Beara bull huss for David Murphy.

In fact a very big bull huss, well over the 10.lb mark and mean to boot vomiting it’s stomach contents up as we attempted to extract the hook, edible crab and fish bones comprising a lot of the contents. Pitch black with characteristic blotches on it’s tail we took a few quick snaps and returned it to Davy Jones locker, where upon he swam away none the worst for wear. Dave was shaking and absolutely delighted, as was I, our species count was now up to a creditable eight and we had broken two Beara ducks thanks to a cracking bull huss and the quality bass fishing from the evening before.

See also: Beara bass.