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Due to work hours I haven't spent as much time sea fishing as much as I'd have liked too in the past few months - and looking at a mesely 10 species in the 2014 hunt over the past month I decided something needed to change.
Myself and regular fishing companion Andy (Lambtonworm) decided a couple of weeks back that a trip to Anglesey north wales was in order to give me the chance to catch up, as well as an opportunity to pick out some of the species we don't see much of on our coast. And the trip didn't disappoint.
Day 1:
Set off Sunday morning 7am, and after picking up some breakfast at Oinkeys in Llanddualas, we arrived at the beach motel in holyhead around lunchtime.
A quick decamp and straight to the breakwater.
Started fishing around 13:00 on the green light - the low tide meant despite our LRF approach we were not fishing into particularly deep water down the side. Still Andy managed a sand smelt for the hunt before we decided to move further along. Same approach resulted in numerous ballens/corkwings, pin whiting, and poor cod, plus plenty of dogs on the big rods - Also a few large spider crabs and a pair of brittle starfish.
Spent time chatting and fishing alongside Alan huges of the welsh international team and fished on into evening. Tried the end for an hour or so before heading back to the motel for 10pm.
Day 2:
Early rise again at 5am and straight back to the breakwater. Given that it was early hours and I had planned to spend most of the weekend fishing LRF style, I decided to have a first few hours targeting rays/hounds/huss.
2nd cast with a big Sandeel/squid wrap bait resulted in my first bull huss, weighed and verified by Andy at 10lb 2oz - absolutely over the moon! Sadly just dogs for the next couple of hours and we decided to have a break once the sun really started turning the heat up.
Back out again for lunch and we were back on the LRF gear resulting in leopard spotted and rock gobies, smelt, common blennies, ballens/corkwings.
The numbers for the hunt were on the rise for both of us but I was most determined to get a goldsinny and Andy a tompot blennie.
Andy got said blenny, however I was growing frustrated in my goldsinny search, particularly as we had commandeered and baited an abandoned lobster net, and every time I dragged it up there seemed to be a goldsinny inside!
Giving up on my pursuit of a goldsinny I switched back to the big rod with big fish/squid baits again in the hope of a ray or conger - sadly this didn't materialise. At 10pm Andy shouted over that he'd just had a succesfion of pouting and, sensing another opportunity, I set up the LRF rod again. Yet again my quarry eluded me, but guess what happened to come along on the last cast - a goldsinny!!
3rd day:
Our last day today but we still decided to hit the breakwater again for 5am and fish on till high water at 10am. This time exclusively stuck with big baits, again targeting conger/rays/huss - you guessed it - nothing but bloody dogs.
Packed up at 10am, headed back to check out and proceeded to take the long drive back home!
Had a brilliant weekend and will most certainly be heading back again.
All in all I managed 9 species over 2 and a half days - not bad going I reckon, and certainly shot myself back up the table!
Here's a few pics from the various sessions.
Myself and regular fishing companion Andy (Lambtonworm) decided a couple of weeks back that a trip to Anglesey north wales was in order to give me the chance to catch up, as well as an opportunity to pick out some of the species we don't see much of on our coast. And the trip didn't disappoint.
Day 1:
Set off Sunday morning 7am, and after picking up some breakfast at Oinkeys in Llanddualas, we arrived at the beach motel in holyhead around lunchtime.
A quick decamp and straight to the breakwater.
Started fishing around 13:00 on the green light - the low tide meant despite our LRF approach we were not fishing into particularly deep water down the side. Still Andy managed a sand smelt for the hunt before we decided to move further along. Same approach resulted in numerous ballens/corkwings, pin whiting, and poor cod, plus plenty of dogs on the big rods - Also a few large spider crabs and a pair of brittle starfish.
Spent time chatting and fishing alongside Alan huges of the welsh international team and fished on into evening. Tried the end for an hour or so before heading back to the motel for 10pm.
Day 2:
Early rise again at 5am and straight back to the breakwater. Given that it was early hours and I had planned to spend most of the weekend fishing LRF style, I decided to have a first few hours targeting rays/hounds/huss.
2nd cast with a big Sandeel/squid wrap bait resulted in my first bull huss, weighed and verified by Andy at 10lb 2oz - absolutely over the moon! Sadly just dogs for the next couple of hours and we decided to have a break once the sun really started turning the heat up.
Back out again for lunch and we were back on the LRF gear resulting in leopard spotted and rock gobies, smelt, common blennies, ballens/corkwings.
The numbers for the hunt were on the rise for both of us but I was most determined to get a goldsinny and Andy a tompot blennie.
Andy got said blenny, however I was growing frustrated in my goldsinny search, particularly as we had commandeered and baited an abandoned lobster net, and every time I dragged it up there seemed to be a goldsinny inside!
Giving up on my pursuit of a goldsinny I switched back to the big rod with big fish/squid baits again in the hope of a ray or conger - sadly this didn't materialise. At 10pm Andy shouted over that he'd just had a succesfion of pouting and, sensing another opportunity, I set up the LRF rod again. Yet again my quarry eluded me, but guess what happened to come along on the last cast - a goldsinny!!
3rd day:
Our last day today but we still decided to hit the breakwater again for 5am and fish on till high water at 10am. This time exclusively stuck with big baits, again targeting conger/rays/huss - you guessed it - nothing but bloody dogs.
Packed up at 10am, headed back to check out and proceeded to take the long drive back home!
Had a brilliant weekend and will most certainly be heading back again.
All in all I managed 9 species over 2 and a half days - not bad going I reckon, and certainly shot myself back up the table!
Here's a few pics from the various sessions.
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