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Well with two trips out for Mackerel prior to our holiday producing precisely no Mackerel, we decided to go out on the hottest day this Summer as our first theatre school starts tomorrow and we needed to christen our new light gear.
Boarded the 750am ferry to Dunoon and Lynn and I were the only two aboard.
Where we were headed.
The Iconic Cloch Lighthouse.
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The once legendary Gantock rocks.
We boarded the Ardentinny bus, again our own personal taxi and headed for our favourite spot, Blairmore Pier. Off the bus and noticed a guy already fishing. He told us he had 20 Mackerel in the first 30mins of fishing, then it all went quiet. He wondered why, until the often resident seal turned up and in the next 45mins he only hooked 2 fish, both taken by the seal. Having had plenty of experience of the damn seal last year we turned round walked backed to the bus stop and waited for the same bus to come back again. A quick mile and a half journey and we alighted at Strone Pier, our second favourite spot. It was only 930am but already it was roasting and high tide being 1030am we tackled up and straight into the water.
The view off the east side of the pretty dilapidated little pier.
Lynn on the west side.
The fishing was terribly slow and we were desperate to see how our very light Abu rods performed with a decent Mackerel on it. Just fishing with a single spinner or a jelly as we are not keen on strings of feather things. In the first hour over high tide all we had to show for our efforts were 2 Joeys for Lynn which she shook off the hook, back to live another day.
I got a bit bored and took a few more photos.
Back to the fishing and I also managed a couple of Joeys in a row and then my first decent Mackerel, from the shore, of 2013. Wow so much fun on the light rod! Lynn has an Abu Garcia Endeavour with a little Abu reel and I have an Abu Spin Devil and a Shimano 5000 reel. It took me trying about 5 different rods and reels before we settled on these, but so pleased with them, brilliant fight with a decent Mackerel on. I think two fish would be the most the rods could cope with, but that is fine. God help us if a Pollock ever took the lure, but I doubt that will ever happen! Lynn also managed a decent one and then it all went quiet again. By this time, around midday, it was pushing 28 degrees, so felt it only reasonabe to repair to the pub for a well deserved break. We noticed that it has had a lick of paint, new parasols and a new sign since last year, not before time I have to say! The owner is still the same cantankerous old bugger that he always has been and refused to put the cricket on for me. "We are not watching cricket in Scotland!"
Two pints later we went back to the pier and I noticed some, I presume Mullet, milling around the shallows.
The fishing did not improve much in the next couple of hours and my final keeper tally was 5 with Lynn managing 4 keepers. Nothing startling, but enough for a few breakfasts. I didn't actually managed to take any fish pictures, as we filleted them immediately they were caught and put them straight into the cool bag with a couple of ice blocks for company, but I promise you we did have 9 Mackerel to take home.
At the bus stop homeward bound. God it was so hot!
Boarded the 750am ferry to Dunoon and Lynn and I were the only two aboard.
Where we were headed.
The Iconic Cloch Lighthouse.
[
The once legendary Gantock rocks.
We boarded the Ardentinny bus, again our own personal taxi and headed for our favourite spot, Blairmore Pier. Off the bus and noticed a guy already fishing. He told us he had 20 Mackerel in the first 30mins of fishing, then it all went quiet. He wondered why, until the often resident seal turned up and in the next 45mins he only hooked 2 fish, both taken by the seal. Having had plenty of experience of the damn seal last year we turned round walked backed to the bus stop and waited for the same bus to come back again. A quick mile and a half journey and we alighted at Strone Pier, our second favourite spot. It was only 930am but already it was roasting and high tide being 1030am we tackled up and straight into the water.
The view off the east side of the pretty dilapidated little pier.
Lynn on the west side.
The fishing was terribly slow and we were desperate to see how our very light Abu rods performed with a decent Mackerel on it. Just fishing with a single spinner or a jelly as we are not keen on strings of feather things. In the first hour over high tide all we had to show for our efforts were 2 Joeys for Lynn which she shook off the hook, back to live another day.
I got a bit bored and took a few more photos.
Back to the fishing and I also managed a couple of Joeys in a row and then my first decent Mackerel, from the shore, of 2013. Wow so much fun on the light rod! Lynn has an Abu Garcia Endeavour with a little Abu reel and I have an Abu Spin Devil and a Shimano 5000 reel. It took me trying about 5 different rods and reels before we settled on these, but so pleased with them, brilliant fight with a decent Mackerel on. I think two fish would be the most the rods could cope with, but that is fine. God help us if a Pollock ever took the lure, but I doubt that will ever happen! Lynn also managed a decent one and then it all went quiet again. By this time, around midday, it was pushing 28 degrees, so felt it only reasonabe to repair to the pub for a well deserved break. We noticed that it has had a lick of paint, new parasols and a new sign since last year, not before time I have to say! The owner is still the same cantankerous old bugger that he always has been and refused to put the cricket on for me. "We are not watching cricket in Scotland!"
Two pints later we went back to the pier and I noticed some, I presume Mullet, milling around the shallows.
The fishing did not improve much in the next couple of hours and my final keeper tally was 5 with Lynn managing 4 keepers. Nothing startling, but enough for a few breakfasts. I didn't actually managed to take any fish pictures, as we filleted them immediately they were caught and put them straight into the cool bag with a couple of ice blocks for company, but I promise you we did have 9 Mackerel to take home.
At the bus stop homeward bound. God it was so hot!
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