Patrick's Bass Blog

At Long Last!

2009-12-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

At long last reports have started to roll in of a few decent fish being nailed around the coast. The Northerly wind has flattened the sea and cleaned the water and seems a few bass are on the feed. The fine fish you see pictured was captured by Craig an enthusiastic angler from Waterford, Craig and his pals are just getting into lure fishing and I think this fish at 7.5lb is his beat to date. So hats off to you Craig that's a mighty looking fish. Before you all go nuts he had it on an xlayer 4.5" in a top secret color!!!!

I don't know bout you lot but tomorrow its on with the winter woollies and me new Musto smock, I know this is a shameless plug but it's my blog and I'm allowed! But seriously this is an awesome piece of wet gear they really are not cheap ask any half decent yachtsman and they tell you bout the price of Musto gear.

I am going to fish a bit festive tomorrow, I have had great success already on the "one up shad", it is just an awesome bait in the water. But I saw it in the colour above and couldn't resist, money says it nails fish too! It will be super mix 210 all the way tomorrow I could not be happier ith this rod, it's light, medium into fast action with loads of grunt and yet retains the finesse feel of a small rod.

On the tackle front I have one Sakura Rookie and onr Injection left so be quick and don't be sick! The picture of my festive shad was so secret it wont even show when I want it too."

Amazonia

2009-12-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

I just got these pics in from one of the guys from th Ultimate crew who once he finished here was heading from the Amazon. There really is a whole world of fishing out there just waiting to be explored. Just look at the size of the Peacock Bass that Stephan is holding an absolute monster by all accounts. The other less colorful creature is know as a Guyane and are renowned for their fighting qualities.

Anyone who has ever watched any of this stuff on telly will know just what kind of explosive action it can be.

Before I die I will make it down to the amazon to have a go at some of these marvelous creatures.

I also just got a text from an enthusiastic young Waterford angler who has had his pb on a 4.5" Xlayer on a birdy head in west cork, proving that there are still some really good fish about. So well done Craig and ill get a picture up here in the next day or so! Great to hear of people pushing there own limits all the time.

Cant Sleep! So might as well Blog.

2009-12-03T15:32:00.001-08:00

So as many of you know I have a new web site near completion that I hope is going to be a real Bass fishing resource for the lure nuts amongst us. Obviously there will be an e commerce section where "the lure store" will supply you with all your angling needs but I hope to develop a site that is about more than just making money.

I will definitely be including a review section where people can talk about what lures etc are working for them, when I started plugging for bass it was like a secret society where lure where guarded with your life and information was for hoarding not sharing. I really hope that things have moved on a bit since then and that we can see our sport as less competitive and co-operative.

Like no offence intended to match anglers but i always hated it, I just did not get it, I don't care how many flounders you can catch in four hours for me fishing is about being at one with the wild, getting in touch with that part of me that is pre- historic, the urge to hunt. It's there it's in me I want to catch wild animals, it just so happens that i have evolved enough to also want to put them back once I have done it. So if it's not a competition then why all the secrets? It doesn't make any sense. A good friend of mine and avid angler the one and only Cortaz makes a very interesting and valid point when it comes to the whole business of protecting marks etc. When I asked him did he not mind loads of anglers knowing where he fished and was he not worried they would take all the fish his answer was simple if there are anglers on a mark then there can not be poachers, anglers can not do the damage in a season a good poacher can do in a night!

Now as a guide I can tell you it's a fine line, but most of my trade is foreign so what of it! Food for thought though eh!

Peeler Crab

2009-11-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention lads from next week I will have the biggest juiciest peelers you have ever seen, sponge Bob would loose his spongy mind for one of these crabby patties. No order too big or too small so give me a shout.

Long Range

2009-11-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

If you are one of the people who is waiting to get out fishing with me then things at last are looking up a small bit. Not perfect but improving and with the way the weather has been then that will do me.

There is no doubt that the fish are there and in numbers it is just a case of getting some degree of water clarity in order to present a bait to them. A plan to do a bit of live baiting has been hatched and will be carried out on Saturday. Now live baiting is not my favorite type of fishing but when you are beat you are beat, you either accept it or plug on aimlessly.However if you accept it you can diversify and hopefully hook a monster. It is hard when you know that numbers of double figure Bass are about and you are not even fishing for them, you just have to have a go at them no matter what the method. No offence intended to avid live bait fishermen, I am just a lure man at heart but when the stakes are this high the time for stubbornness is long gone. Anyway I fully intend fishing a pouting under a pike float on the bar 270 and maybe a Pollock on the super-mix, light tackle fishing at least.

Have a look at the little buck tail above, I would nearly eat that myself it looks so good, the plastic is a 4" haxedong in aruuro shad to which I have added a glass rattle. If you are interested I am doing variety packs in the buck tails, with different heads and plastics. I will post a list and some pictures of the available buck tails, the colors and the the different jig heads on which they are tied. Please god let this bit of weather hold cause I know I am not the only one going slowly nuts!

Plastics

2009-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have just received one injection, well two actually but I have to keep one for the guiding business! It's a tough job but someones got to do it! Which means I have one for sale so if you have been trying to get your hands on one of these little beauty's then give me a shout and ill sort you out!

Pictured is the Chart glow core spindle worm from Megabass, these are just absolutely stunning soft plastic baits. They are almost like a mix of a worm and shad bait, long body with that rigged tail section and then a shad style tail. The action of these baits in the water has to be seen to be believed and if this weather ever clear I know this lure is going to account for some fine Bass over the winter. I only have it in two colors at the moment which is the one pictured and also in glow shirasu which is a speckled silver color. These can fished on a variety of heads, in a variety of weights, anything from 12g to 30g. They are basically a cast and retrieve type of bait with most of the action built into the lure itself. Be warned though these are vios plastic so be sure to store them seperatly or you will have spindle lumps.

I also just got a Bar 270 into to stock, this is where I started with the Red Rods and there will always be something special about this rod for me, when it comes to fishing from the rocks, or cast 30g jigs across the mouth of an estuary for me you just wont beat this rod. Light weight and yet incredibly powerful, summer pollock fishing was where this rod really showed what it had got, I must ask Mick (MRfish) for the video clip of it stuck into a 9lb pollock. The rod was literally bent from tip to but and stopped the fish in its tracks. I have done everything with this rod top water, jerk bait, soft palstics and even a bit of live baiting it's just a cracker of a pole.

Clips

2009-11-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

They seem like such insignificant annoying little buggers, like who cares about clips, surely any old clip will do? Well I have to say it was Doug aka (fester) from Mrfish in Jersey who put it nicely for me when he said, "guys spend 400 on a rod, 300 on a reel, 25 on a lure then go use some rubbish cheap clip from china and loose the fish of a life time I just don't get it?" (Cheers Doug) He is dead right I don't get it either.

I learned this one the hard way too I lost an absolute cracker about 2 yrs ago on rubbish clip it just straightened and that was that, but worse than loosing the fish and I truly mean this, is I left lure in bass which really bothers me, to the point of loosing sleep bothers me.

So if you are going to spend decent money on good kit then do the wise thing and buy some good strong reliable clips to go with em! The best I have found so far are the JB's pictured above. I have literally straighted a led head in a snag and the clip did not give, now that impressed me. Granted they have their down side they can be awkward to get a led head on first time but once you get it on once it goes on handy from then on.

In fact if I'm being completely honest when I first got them off mick i thought "ye mad jersey Lula what am I meant to do with this yoke with a swivel on it and all." But as time has gone by i wont use anything else to me they are the best, the strongest, most reliable clip on the market. Like the ad says "often copied never equaled." Carlsberg don't do clips but if they did they would probably get ye pisse* and be no good for fishing at all.

Megabass Zonk Gateride

2009-11-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

If you pined me to a corner a gun point and asked me to pick a lure, just one lure that I thought I could not live without then this is it. ITO get very little wrong wit his design but when he put this together he must have been having a particularly good day.

Granted the new lip is fragile and prone to breaking, but what price will you pay for the best and in my humble opinion these are the best. I know a small amount about lure technology and what I think he has captured is the action of a deep diving lure in a reasonably shallow running lure, no mean feet. The action of any lure is supplied by the bid which is the plastic bit at the front, the innovation of this new type of bib has been proving irresistible to Irish bass all year long.

I have had more fish take this at my feet than anywhere else, so imagine how many times have you watched bass follow your lure to your feet just turn away at the last second. Well with the Gateride things seem to happen a little differently, I always stop the lure about 5 ft out from the rock and this is where most of the good bass and Pollock for that matter, that I have caught on it tend to grab it. This lure when stooped sinks back wards in a fluttering motion of a dying fish which I think the bass find irresistible. It is definitely my number one hard lure for this year top of pops without a doubt.

Once again Megabass seem to be a step ahead of all the other lure companies out there, weather it is soft plastic or hard lure technology they are just a cut above the rest, I guess that this what makes them the number one lure company in Japan. Interestingly I recently discovered that everything Megabass make is made and assembled in Japan, unlike some of their rivals who have the parts made in china then assembled in Japan, then go to sell these as made in Japan (not strictly true), bit like "French" oyster's from Dungarvan bay but that's a funny story for another day. I can tell you this that I was a big fan of a lure that was made in Japan, I bought one about 9 month's ago and it was rubbish, I later discovered they had moved their operation to China, I'm no expert but I can tell you that the lure I bough had no resemblance to the lure I previous owned, I used it once and it sits now in the box where all good lures go to die. So bargain is not always a bargain and maybe the old adage you get what you pay for is true after all.

Boga Grips

2009-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

I know there where a few people waiting on the next delivery of Boga, well they have literally just come through the door. Boga are without doubt the finest fish grip in the world ensuring both the safety of the angler and the fish. Anyone who has buried a a treble hook into their hand whilst un hooking a bass will tell you just how useful a tool these little beauties are.

New Lures and Plastics

2009-11-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have just received a whole new shipment of lures and plastics from ultimate fishing so anyone interested in effective winter lures should drop me a line. I also got a whole new range of heads in on the advice of the French lads when they where over so give me a shout and ill fill you in.

I just want to make a brief comment about inter net nastiness, I have noticed it creeping into forums etc and I have to say I just don't get it. Why do people feel the need to slag people off or wind them up, it's just cowardly and childish, it really goes against the spirit of fishing. Yes I use this blog to further my business and why shouldn't I, I am completely up front about it. But I also go out of my way to help people out as best I can, I don't claim to be some bass guru, I am just a guide and a tackle dealer end of! So if you feel the need to have a pop at me at least have the courage to say who you are! But that is always the way with bully's and begrudgers they hide out, they just hate to see people make a go of anything probably because they are too scared to try. Just thought I would get that off my chest cause i want no part in slagging people off or winding them up its pathetic.

The Weather Gods

2009-11-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

This has to be the toughest year I remember for lure fishing, conditions in waterford have just been really poor from after the ban right through. Before the ban we had some great lure fishing n the spring with some nice bass being caught I think there where three doubles caught between us in March/April. May/June where ridiculously hard months up this way with very few fish putting in a show. July/august where pretty much your average summer fishing with some exceptional days and some really hard days, September and early October fished it's socks off for me and since then it has just been down hill again. By this time you would normally have very settled, very cold weather, with light winds and plenty of frost but this year that weather refuses to show up and so we have these strong NW winds that play havoc with my winter marks dirtying the water and blowing straight at you whilst you fish. Let me tell you an hour or two of that and you are ready for home.

But just to prove that there are still some really fine big healthy here is one of a friend of mine Pat with a lovely bass taken on bait on the wexford coast, if I know Pat there was a fair bit of shouting done when this fish hit the shore something like "Jaysus will look at size a that one lads, ah lads she's beauty!" Pat is an absolute diamond of a character as are the rest of the Wexford Bass mafia Barry and d
Danny, who i would also like to take the time to thank as they have supported my business from the very start so fair play lads and tight lines.

New Order

2009-11-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

I have a new order of winter baits on the way from ultimate fishing, mostly plastic baits with the odd hard bait thrown in for good measure. Give us a shout early next week if you are looking for something to get you through the cold dark months of November and December, when the bass are deep and slow moving. I won't say too much just that i have stuff coming that will tempt those big females that have come in shore for the crab moult.

The bass pictured was taken in April. The little guy above the fish is my Nephew Jack (4 bass) Spain, on his proper bass trip with his uncle and his fishing buddies, Cian and Graham, Jack naled four bass and droped one really decent fish. The kid is a natural, after being shown once how to strike the fish he did the rest himself and his best fish of the day was close to 5lb, not too bad a for a 9yr old little guy. So I think this christmas we will have to sort jack out with his first proper bass fishing out fit (boys would I have loved an uncle who was a tackle dealer) . The 10ft Bass rod from Greys is a lovely pole matched with a 5000 size shimano fixed spool and his own little tripod, once he lauhches a lump of fresh crab out there those bass don't stand a chance and he surely can lauch it this little guy has qute a cast on him proving that it is about skill not brute force. I think he might have a birthday coming up prerry soon too so he should be well togged out for the winter fishing.

If you haven't got into plastic fishing yet then get your finger out and try some thing new. A lot of guys who contact me say they haven't tried plastic fishing because they don't reckon they are good enough lure anglers yet. Rubbish, soft bait fishing can be simple, especially this time of year when the weed has died off. It is without a shadow of a doubt the most productive form of lure fishing world wide, there is an absolute explosion in the number and types of baits available and an equal amount of ways to fish them. Probably the best place to start is with the xlayer, giant xlayer and some type of shad. Like any type of lure fishing once you catch you won't look back. Speaking of catching I really hope to get out tomorow if the weather will just be a small bit kinder

Find Of The Week

2009-11-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ok so I'm in Woodies the other day picking up bits and Bob's to try and sort the house out a wee bit. ME and my Dad live in a 200yr old farm house that is beautifully situated right on a beach at the mouth of the estuary to the three sisters (The Barrow, The Nore and The Suir.) The house itself is called weir house after the salmon weir which traditionally belonged to the owners of the house. For those of you you who do not know what a salmon weir is it was a means by which to trap salmon as they made their way up stream to spawn. It consisted of a series of poles that ran out along the beach for about a quarter of a mile, attached to this then was a a very heavy gauge net that fish could not become entangled in, instead they would swim along the net looking for a way past. At the end of the net was a large cage that once the salmon swam in they could not get out again, it was really avery Eco friendly ay of fishing as any by catch such as bass, flounder, crab etc could just be released back into the tide. But I digress from the matter at hand.

Whilst in Woodies I came across the product pictured which is a glue for soft plastics, as a tackle dealer i am probably the last person in the world who should be telling you of ways to repair your plastic baits (instead of buying new ones) but there ye go sometimes I'm too honest for my own good. I have tried it out on a couple of mother worms that where in pretty poor shape and whilst I don't think it is a miracle fix all, it will certainly enable me to take another couple of fish on two baits that where otherwise for the bin. So keep an eye out for it, I reckon it is worth having for any angler who is serious about his plastic fishing.

Unfortunately some of the most effective plastics are also the most fragile ones, this stuff should tip the scales back in your favour a small bit. It will by no means solve the problem but it will help you get longer and therefore more value out of your soft plastics.

Fsihing and a bit of History

2009-11-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

I fish a certain mark in south wexford on the hook peninsula where there are some very unusual rock pools, these have always seemed far to symmetrical and smooth to be the work of nature and it was just the other day that I got to the bottom of this mystery whilst out for a ramble with Dave from Kerry. You see pictured one off the perfectly circular pools which I am talking about and the picture below is off the structute before it was hand cut to leave the crater. They are in fact created by the cutting of mill stones from the rock, so the bottom picture is obviously of a stone which had a fault and was there fore left behind and not finished. The effect is breath taking it creates an almost lunar landscape on the rock.

The stone is red sand stone and was perfect for millstones use due to its course make up of pebble which ground down the corn. The stones where cut and then at low tide lashed to the bottom of a small boat and transported to the bannow, examples of this work can be found through out south Wexford, I have to say whatever about cutting the stone I would not fancy being the pilot of the small boat with the stone lashed to the bottom of it. Fair play to Dave for his insight into this intriguing subject a real glimpse at the past.

Can you imagine the stamp of sea bass that where available at this time the mind boggles. A time machine a box of tide minnows and a supermix 210, am i asking for too much? A day would do me, with a nice moderates southely and a few plastics amd tide minnows! Speaking of plastics, keep your eyes peeled as the lure store is about to develop what I feel will be a deadly combination of buck tail jig! Perecft for those deep slow colder water winter fish combined with a top secret soft platic bait, I know these have been proving deadly for keith in Jersey so I am lawys open to trying new things.

Fish Photography

2009-10-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

As there is very little fishing happening at the mo and there is only so much I can think and talk about tackle before I go nuts I thought a change as good as a rest when this topic occurred to me this morning as I leafed through old copies of sea angler etc over morning coffee.

I tried to imagine what it would be like for someone with no interest in fishing who pickled up one of these magazines and leafed through it, what would they see? Well lots of things, cover stories, tackle articles, competitions and lots of pictures of dead fish. People holding dead fish in their kitchen, or in front of their garage (a personal favourite of mine), you know the kind of shots I'm on about, one's where the fish have been dead a while and lost their natural shine, bass in particular look terrible at this stage.

I have no objection to people keeping a fish or two for themselves, in fact if you fish solely for food then fair play to you it really is none of my business as long as people adhere to by laws they will get no guff from me but surely the powers that be in the magazine world can see that these pictures do nothing to promote our sport. Neither am I suggesting that we all need to turn into Henry Gilbey and take outstanding bass photographs (fair play Henry keep up the good work) but a few less of these types of photos and more taken at the beach, pier, headland or on the boat where the fish where caught would be nice. I think it would paint a far nicer and closer to the truth picture for anyone who happened upon one of these issues and had a bit of an auld read.

Not All About Catching Fish

2009-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

We hit a couple of marks the other morning despite conditions being less then favorable, we knew in our hearts that Bass would be hard to find but with a sun rise this beautiful and that "well you just never know feeling to keep you going," it is hard to resist a few hours chucking plugs.

On the tackle front the new Sakura rods have arrived both the 8 6" and 9 6" if you are interested give me a bell or drop me an e mail, these are a fast actioned, light weight and a good looking pole to boot. Dare I say it but I think I prefer it to the shukan it is certainly lighter and feels a big more balanced and just a touch faster. Combined with a new Stradic 4000 and a spool of 20lb power shot you have a light weight fast actioned Japanese plugging outfit that did not cost the world. I am doing the lot all three, Rod, Reel and Braid for 340 euro.

The Fishing has remained tough in this part of the world, my theory is that it is still too warm, the crab have not started to moult in earnest and this is delaying the arrival of the big fish, I could be talking rubbish or maybe there is something to it only you can decide weather, Ye buy it or not!

Soft Plastics In Stock and Coming Soon.

2009-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows their winter fishing knows it is all about soft plastics, I have a big selection in at the minute including the long awaited AYU Xlayer available in both the normal and giant size.

Coming shortly will be the the one up shad, I have used a lot of shads over the years and this is by far my favourite, it has a lovely profile long sausage like body, jointed with a tail that gives extraordinary action to the lure in the water. It is also available in a range of colours and sizes that should cover most eventualities. Mark my words these bad boys are going to nail some serious bass in the coming months. They can be fished either on a weighted jig head or texposer style. I have yet to try then texposer but i will keep ye informed, I think it might be good when the bass are being a bit shy.

I will also be getting some new colours in the xlayer, giant xlayer and mother worm based on the information freely shared with me by the French crew when they where here for a brief stay. It was a pleasure to watch these guys fish they have really put some thought into it and it shows. Both their top water and plastic fishing where top class.

Another bait these guys liked a lot was the spindle worm, it is simple to use and has a great action, I nailed a bass in current i would have thought was too strong to pick fish up in, but this lad had it.

There are a number of really obvious advantages to soft plastic baits, one is they are relatively cheap, two they are at times incredibly effective, three they can be fished in a huge variety of styles using a huge variety of methods. A lot of guys who ring me for lures say " I don't think I'm ready for soft plastics yet," rubbish get them fish them and see for yourself how well they work. Bass will actually take a completely static xlayer.

Credit where credit is due Cian aka "the winkler" was really the first of us to find out just how good these soft plastics where, in February of all months he had one on and turned to me and said "I think I had a pull there", I was sceptical to say the least then next cast he had a nice bass on, it has been a journey of discovery since then with some good, some great and plenty of bloody awful plastics being bought and used. In fact I remember certain parties who shall remain nameless nearly wetting themselves with laughter when they first saw xlayers in the boot of the trusty old focus, we did a lot of bass miles together me and that van

The Masked Man

2009-10-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

So the lads have come and gone again, until next time. As usual we had a great time we hit it hard trying our best to find the fish in what can only be described as difficult conditions. I feel the end of October is almost like limbo not quite summer fishing and not quite winter fishing. The big fish are coming I can almost feel it in my bones and no doubt the lads will be back with the thoughts of a monster grabbing their plastic driving them nuts.

It has been unusually warm for the time of year and this I think has had a big impact on the fishing over the last tide. The winter fishing when we target the really big females is dependent on the crab moult, this is why these fish come ashore, they are migratory fish possibly spending the summer months on deep water wrecks and reefs feeding on Pollock, pouting, mackerel and anything else unlucky enough to stumble into their path. The French have a beautiful name for bass they call them "le loop de la mer" the wolf of the sea. So my theory is that the warm weather has slowed the big male crab from peeling which in turn has slowed the arrival of the big bass that come to gorge on them. If you have ever had peelers in the boot of your car for a couple of days then you will know all about scent now imagine this on an immense scale, thousands of large male crab all emitting scent into the water this trail being carried by the tide up to seven miles out to sea and the subsequent reaction of the bass that make their way inshore to hunt for crab.

South East Ireland in undoubtedly a very special place that we get this kind of quality lure fishing right through the winter months of November and December, I know that in the south west of the country they say the basing only gets interesting in December.

Bass theory aside it was a great tip and really good to meet our French counter parts who like ourselves work in fishing but are still just fishing junkies at heart, so a farewell to Yannick, Stephan and Bruno we hope to see you soon. As for the English crew well they just keep showing up like clock work at the first sniff of a decent bass. I have to say I have never seen Henry fish so much and shoot so little in all the times that I have fished with him, his photo's are outstanding and he has a way of working with you that puts you at ease. It is not easy having a big camera pointed at you, but I am getting more used to it and feeling more confident the more practice I get.

Always Learning!

2009-10-21T16:16:00.001-07:00

First off apologies for delay in posting anything on the blog in a few days, but I have just been flat out. I have been fishing with my good friends and fellow bass addicts Henry, Andy and Graham. Joining us on this trip where the lads from Ultimate Fishing and I have to say they picked the right name for their company, because it surely is ultimate fishing equipment.

There is so much to learn about bass fishing, about bass behaviour, about water craft, about the rods and most importantly about the lures. These French guys really do know what they are at. For example we hit a mark that I always head right on but Bruno stayed in the middle of the beach and fished the giant Dog X (french pearl from megabass) so slowly it barely moved and sure enough it was nailed by a 6lb fish.

These lads fish seriously light, injections, and total precisions where the order of the day. They really work the lures, not just chuck and chance but thoughtful, calculated fishing, the zonk for example fished finesse style proved deadly, with fish taking the lure on the drop. They introduced me to some new colour patterns that I would never have gone for and yet proved deadly effective. To be honest I think a lot of what I learned is still sinking in.

I fished a favourite mark on Henry's last day, I arrived "late" which in Henry's book is anything after 5.30am. So I fished a different part of the mark and bang third cast nailed by a nice 4lb fish, next cast another then about ten minutes later I lost a really good fish. All these fish fell to the "one up shad" which is definitely the most exciting soft plastic i have seen all year, the action is awesome, it can be fished in a variety of styles and most importantly it hammers fish.

I find it difficult to understand that the best of our bassing is on the way and I am quiet for guiding bookings compared to summer time, If you are a serious bass angler and want a real chance at some really big fish 13-15lb, then get in touch now and book the dates, mark my words the big male crab are starting to moult and the autumn sea trout have arrived and with these come the big female bass that have stayed in deep water up till now.

I am out guiding tomorrow with Micheal who has had an 11lb on bait this week so the big fish are arriving and can be caught on the plastics, fingers crossed for a record fish this winter, she will be measured weighed admired, photographed and returned to the sea where she belongs.

The Lure Store Supports and encourages catch and release.

Last but not least i bought an underwater camera so expect to see some pretty interesting video clips over the coming months, I just need to get my hands on a dry suit and it's away we go to observe these wonderful fish their environment.

Pictured with his first bass is my nephew Jack, this picture was taken the day after my mum's funeral, Granny Meg was looking after us that day we had eleven fish the best was just over 10lb, Jack had 4 and dropped one all of which he struck and landed himself, what a top man! He is coming down in november to get a double no doubt!

The Guides Day Out.

2009-10-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

So I'm off today to fish Cobh and Cork harbour at Pat's kind invitation. This man has been sending me some ridiculous pictures of Bass over the summer that he has been nailing (and releasing) down there in the harbour. It is believe it or not my first time ever to fish cork harbour despite it's proximity.

So no guiding today, just fishing. Don't get me wrong I love my Job and nothing gives me greater satisfaction than seeing my clients bend into decent fish, but guiding and fishing are two very different things. Today the only person I need worry bout is mise.

I'm up since 5.30 am, I just thought I could reorganise the clips or maybe re-label the plastics boxes, final check on the reels. I wonder is pat a tea or coffee man sure I will bring a flask of both. These are the kind of cutting edge questions that have drawn me from my slumber at this hour. Funny thing is I don't need to be in Cork until 10 bells so I reckon I should be on time!!! Ha..

Isn't it great though it's what fishing is all about, we all get it otherwise why would we bother that childish excitement before a good fishing trip, the joy of sorting your gear, figuring out lures and led heads. Making sure everything is oiled and working. I don't know about any of you guys but since I got really into lure fishing it has gotten better, "maybe because there are more toys to play with" but mostly I think it is because there is always a real chance of hooking an absolute monster on light gear and having the fight of your life.

Previous to this type of fishing we really had our Sea Bass out gunned, what chance do these fish have against 13ft of carbon fiber trailing 5Oz's of lead with them, none at all. But against 8 6" of wand with 15lb braid after picking up a barb less 7 g led head then they can show you what they are made off. I love lure fishing everything about it, they all fishermen find their niche well I have found mine.

It give these marvelous sport fish a chance to show just how strong fast and intelligent they really are. If you have hooked a decent bass in a good run of tide on a wild rock mark you will know what I am talking about. So roll on today,good company,light kit, and boxes of soft plastics I am going to have a ball!

Above is a 3.5lb flounder hooked fair and square on a white rolling shad fished off the bottom, on the new Tenryu Injection, this fish actually fought really hard and made a couple of runs back under the boot that put the rod tip in the water, so again with the right kit there is great sport to be had out there. I am really looking forward to my first decent sea trout on the Injection I would say it will be deadly. I do stock a cheaper alternative to this type of 7ft plastic rod so if interested give us a shout and ill fill ye in.

Guess that weight!

2009-10-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is one from the winkler, though i bet when this puppy hit he had to do a bit more than winkle to get it to the boga. Out of divilmemt and just to get a bit of interaction going I am asking you all to post a comment and guess the weight of the fish and lets see who knows their weights. It is just another prime example of why you should come baassing to waterford, out coast is literally loaded with fish of this stamp and particularly so at this time of year, when all the big females move in-shore for the crab moult. God I love the autumn and winter fishing it still baffles me that loads of guys book their fishing holidays in the summer I still have some slots for November which is prime monster time so get in touch now and avoid disappointment for the shot at the bass of a lifetime. I think I have five personal bests so far this season and all from fairly experienced and some very experienced anglers, not bad considering it is only October.

Ultimate Fishing

2009-10-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

The guys from Ultimate fishing arrive next weeek at the start of what look to be a very promising set of tides, I know they are xecited about some of the fish in our waters and the potential that they hold. i for one am looking forward well one to a week off from guiding but mostly to just being out there with a bunch of really experienced guys and get to see what they are up to? How they are working the lures, their favourte colours, patterns techniques etc. It is a well earned break the tackle business will still be running so no panic if you loose that favourite patchinko give me a shout and ill sort it for you.

I have a suspision that we miight get to see some of the new product range for next year and the chance to trial some of that out would be cool. You never top learning in this game, the minute you think you have it mastered is the minute you are codding yourself, you could give a life time to our sport and there will always be things to learn, if I become un teachable then it would be time to stop. It was one of the reasons I was never drawn to match fishing as it had the clicky I am better than you feel to it, just not my thing. I feel fishing as a sport should be inclusive and friendly, life is too short for anything else and recent events in my own life have thought just how presious life really is so get out there live it, go fishing, bring a friend, share your info it just aint a compettition it's a way of life!

Have you seeen the French firm called WOF (way of fishing) I really envy them their name I think it is so cool because i know in my heart I'm a lure guy, it is my "way of fishing" what I love, where I love to be, to talk about, planning trips, fixing kit. You should see the winkler (cian) the man spends hours getting his plastics ready before a few days fishing, he has em all in seperate compartment for different types pre glued ready to roll, but he loves it, it adds to the experience so go for it that's what I say. I had a call the other night (you know who you are) from a chap and he had just recieved the new lure chest pack and was wandering around the house with it on delighted with himself, you know when do we ever get the chance to be kids again, to feel that excitment, that sense of fun. Red rod 400 euro, Daiwa certate 330 euro, collection of lures 1,000, 10lb Bass at dawn priceless!!!! For everything else there is mastercard!

Quality guys and Tight lines to one and all.

Bit of a shout to james in the Photo let us know when you are over home and we wil gett a few hours in! Home bonny scothland is treating you well.

Dawn Bassing

2009-10-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

Was out with the dawn this morning and caught not a sausage, but ye know sometimes it just dose not matter. Good friends, great scenery and the chance at a decent fish it just dose not get any better than that. One fish as usual was taken by the winkler who snuck off with the zonk gateride that you rarely see off his rod these days and nailed on right at his feet in a gutter than runs very close to shore. All in all a beautiful morning to be out and about just a stunning sunrise, makes you glad to be alive.

Tackle Purchases

2009-10-09T03:02:00.000-07:00

Lads a couple of things in relation to contacting me, number is do not copy and paste my e mail address from the blog for some reason is does not work , just type it in! I still don't have a web site up and running bit it is coming very shortly, you can however pay with credit card through paypal and take delivery by post. I just need to have the time to develop a decent web space, so it was always going to be about getting through the summer and early autumn months so I would have some time on my hands to wade through all the work that needs putting into a project like this one. If you are local ie: Waterford Wexford and Cork, just give me a bell (087 7403445) and we can arrange to meet up and get you sorted for those big Irish winter bass that are as we speak making their way in-shore for the brab moult. God bless the humble peeler crab where would we be with out him. Ask the lads in Youghal about that one! Oopps I'm off again that's another day's work. To finish with the fact that the lure store supports and encourages catch and release and has a full range of products that enable anglers to handle these beautiful fish without causing them harm.

Got to love those double hook up's! keeps me a busy man, only two hands and one boga!

Happy Customers

2009-10-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Here is an e mail from the lads that fished the lats big tide with me, I think the customer say's it all really, not much use me telling you our fishing is fantastic, Im kind of bound to say that.

"just to let u know pat .had the absolute time of my life!i have been on many angling breaks to alderney,but those two days beat them all! all thanks to my two best buddys nige and jim.what a couple of absolute stars.all the best for the future,definately c u again, probably buy from u(when possible).ps your the man!"

Kind words indeed.

The reel pictured is a Daiwa Certate 3000 this is Daiwa's answer to the twinpower, these are a cracking little reel lovely smooth retireve, faultless line lay and hardy enough to with stand a bit of punishment. If you interested in one of these get in touch as I have a shipment on the way from america.

Hardy Old Divil

2009-10-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well the lads finished out there two days with me yesterday with two short sessions, I think the pictures speak for themselves, it total the three boys have had over fourty bass all from the shore over their short trip. Two of the lads have landed their personal best. It was am absolute pleasure to be out and about with this bunch, they have great crack in em and boys do they love their bassing. Lastly I have to say that Nigel the oldest of the three is possibly the hardiest old devil i have ever met, he climbed rocks, waded gullies, dealt with rolling surf taking boots full of water and still came out smiling. Good luck lads and I really hope to see you again what a cracking trip.

A Cracking Session

2009-10-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Fished today with Jim, Heath and Nigel, Jim booked the day nearly six months ago and when he booked I though now there is a guy who knows his fishing. October, November and December is definetly the Best of our bass lure fishing and today was no exception at the nearest estimate the lads had 17 bass with the biggest fish today around the 7lb mark. I really enjoyed the day just to see guys who are so stuck into their bassing get a real taste of what our waters have to offer is such a buzz.

Well done lads you deserve every second of it, a bonus was that lots of the fish today came off the top with the feed popper doing the business. Some of the winter plastics really shone through today as well, give me a shout for more info.

flounder on rollimg shad

2009-10-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Something a bit different, fished a mark today looking for a few bass, had a good take, fisf fought hard, brought me under the boat and then mucj=h ti my surprise a 3.5lb flounder was brought a board. Just something a bit different and worth a
mention eh.

I had to leave to take my dad for a pint, we live in the country so im the designated driver and murphy's law the lads hammered bass on the drop. Cest La Vie.

Equipment acessories and being prepared.

2009-09-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

European lure Fishing has come a long way in the last few years, we have seen advances in tackle at an astounding rate for many this has seen there catch rate and enjoyment of the sport go through the roof. There is a lot more to mobile Bass fishing than just rods lures and reels. I guess the central issue here is mobility and comfort, practicality and durability. The kit takes a hammering, not just from the salt but the rocks, the climbing and endless barbed wire fences.

A couple of bags have come out over the years that I thought ok so this might do the job but unfortunately I was inevitably always proved wrong. I have now found what I believe to be the most useful piece of kit to date. It is made by Sakura, it has a chest pack, and back pack attached, both are light, durable, comfortable and most important of all functional.

The two front chest packs carry a purpose designed double sided lure box, each box capable of holding 12 lures. There are then two further pockets attached to the front of these chest packs which flip down and have foam pads perfect for holding your pre-rigged soft plastics. Two zingers will hold scissors etc and there is a slot for your pliers on the front. Two separate compartments in the back pack leave loads of space for a drink, a couple of sambos or whatever else you might need. The zips on all the compartments are made from heavy weight plastic and once you rinse it this baby should last.

Give me a shout if you are interested i have a few in stock and there are some other funky little extras worth looking at, I also have a shipment of 15lb boga grips which arrived tonight, these are with out question the best fish gri in the world and have a built in scales and aslo a swivel systen=m that further protects the fish from danage. These would clip beautifully onto this well made , well thought out, useful piece of kit.

It may sound quite simple but for the firs time i can change lures, get my pliers/scissors, reach my boga and store my heacy jacket with the greatest of ease and speed, hassle free, no hooks getting snagged, zips jammed, no struggling in and out of the thing just to get a patchinko. God bless Japanese fishermen these guys make some really cool useful kit.

October-December

2009-09-29T00:57:00.000-07:00

Well the summer has come to an end and so begins the Autumn fishing (Thank god I hear you say.) When lots of guys are putting up their spinning gear for next spring you will find me cleaning down the gear, making sure it is all ready to roll for the run of absolute monsters that are heading our way. The big crab moult is starting and this draws in the the really big female fish and give us a chance to nail them.

Soft plastic baits are really the reason that there has been such improvement in our winter sport. I have a selection of shads, worms and other monstrosities that get used between October and December and the bass just can't turn them down.

I am taking a few days off from the 15Th to the 19Th of October to fish with the lads from ultimate fishing, i have been sending out a few pics of some of the fish taken on the Injection and I know they are buzzing about coming over.

So if it is a monster you are after and are really serious about your Bassing, you need to because it is bloody cold, then give me a shout now and book a days monster hunting as tides are becoming limited.

Killmore Pollock

2009-09-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Rubbish tide today so I got an invite to join the wexford bass mafia for a day on the water after a few Pollock. Danny, Patrick and Barry are the finest company a lad could ask for out for the day mad for fishing and sandwiches by all accounts. Pat had the only bass of the day but we got some Pollock and when I say Pollock I mean Pollock, big angry south wexford torpedo's that don't want to come out of the kelp jungle they live in. We had some hectic sport with loads of really decent fish being landed and returned. I hooked one fish om a 240 super mix (which I now own, spineless tackle junkie) on a shad that I just could not stop. Drag was set maxed out on a Stella 4000 ans he made it look like a trout reel. The power of these fish is awesome. I have no doubt that had we a rib where we could get into the shallower water we would have nailed a few spiky fellas but I ain't complaining.

We spent a couple of hours around the Saltee Islans, in the sound, then head back in shore and set anchor, four plastics hit the water and all hell broke loose. Incredible fishing on such light tackle the super mixes and the shukan where tested to the max today.

The Fish Are On.

2009-09-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Took David last night for an evening session, conditions felt good nice moderate southerly, bit of lift on the water and a reasonable tide. David had been out with me before so he had changed his style of fishing, using far more jerk bait techniques to get the best from his tide minnows and boys has it paid off. David had a cracker of a session I think he landed five, one a personal best at just over seven lb, he lost a fish at his feet that by my estimation was well into double figures, but not to worry Dave next time... Well done cracking session mate.

Another Double

2009-09-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Took a friend and customer who has bought a lot of kit off me out for a few hours two to show him how to fish the rolling shad. Third cast into the hole and this beauty picked up the plastic, what a way to learn. I bet he fishes that shad a bit more often now! Great scarp staying deep making several powerful runs, fish was returned as always UN harmed to fight another day.

Injection

2009-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Got out for a few hours today to give the injection its first real going over with the soft plastics. This rod is just seven foot of fast actioned madness, light as a feather and yet with loads of back bone. Since I started working in fishing my fishing hours have seriously suffered, I spend a lot of time on the water watching other guys catch bass and the rest of my time on line buy, selling and researching lures. Today was a well earned break.

As we arrived the channels where really starting to empty nicely, good stiff breeze, clearing water and high pressure all mixed up with a nice big tide. Again the plastics proved hard to beat.

I missed a fish that hit the tail of The bait i would think, then I had a take on the "surface" with a rolling shad, then bang good fish on. The rod preformed really well, fish made several long hard runs and stayed deep so I knew it was a good size from the off. At no stage did the injection feel like it was locking up or had no more to give.

In that hour I had two fish both on plastics the first was 8lb the second 7lb, god I just love the end of summer. Roll on autumn and winter so I can see how this little beauty preforms against some really big fish.

Leigh's Fish

2009-09-17T07:35:00.001-07:00

Early Doors

2009-09-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

We met at 5am this morning with conditions the way they are it's your best of a few fish. Pollock where the first to show, and lots of big mullet very close to shore. Then Leigh's rod took a serious bend and we had a good fish on.

We moved down the coast and had a few more in the estuary but pray for a southerly breeze and it would kick off big style.

All in all a great result for less than perfect conditions. Plus we are only getting started I reckon we could nab a monster this weekend yet.

Patrick

As a foot note the two Leigh and Stuart are an absolute pleasure to guide to guys who obviously really know their stuff. Apologies for the quality of the shots that is utterly my fault the flash let me down.

Up Top

2009-09-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

We had some stunning fishing the other day, starting at a favourite rock mark, where I hooked a 6lb Pollock right at my feet you can imagine the bend that put in the red rod. We had one or two more bass at this same mark, but then things got a bit flat so off to a local estuary mark. Fish cam one after the next to the surface lures absolute quality fishing. It dose not get any better than taking them on top. In total I think we had close to 16 fish between us.

2009-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Are Ye Having A Laugh

2009-09-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

What about this weather then eh! Just ridiculous, I can remember a summer ever being that bad. High wind ], low pressure followed by much of the same. There where some good fish about but boys they where not easy to catch.

I had two clients this weekend, mark from wales and simon also from wales. Mark started with me and I'm afraid thing just did not go his way, he missed one fish on the top but that was it for the day. The weather refused to play ball and kept us off my most productive marks.

I fished with Simon yesterday and things where not much better, we started at an estuary mark early doors and things looked good. One fish came to the feed popper (chartruse back in stock) but then the wind got up the temp drooped and that was that. All manner of plastics and top water lures where worked to no avail.

At this stage I was getting the hump and determined to find some fish so off we went to a local rock mark. It was taking the full brunt of the sw wind, with big waves milky water and very wet pluggers!!!

Simon sought a bit of advice on the plug to use and i suggested a zonk as it would bite down in the chop. When I turned to see simon's rod bent double tha phrase thank f*ck sprang to mind. He did a great job and played his fish out in the big swell. All in all a cracking result for what can only be described as terrible conditions.

Simon had another today on a low water amrk I put him on, fishing over kelp with th etrusty Z claw. Well done Si it ciuldn't have happened to a nicer chap. Both simon and Mark confirmed what I always thought welsh men are good auld crack.

My new web site for the guiding anf tackle sales is getting there bit by bit, it takes a lot of work folks let me tell ye. I just got in a huge order and lures and plastic, especially aimed at the Atumn and winter fishing so give me a bell if you need anything. Also have plenty of rods and reels in stock.

Whale

2009-09-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

This beautiful creature washed up on one of our local marks recently, such a pity to see such a wonderful example of natures design dying in such a way. On closer inspection the swim bladder was protruding from the whales mouth which may suggest it had been dragged from the deep where it was most likely hunting squid. The whale sanctuary where called but unfortunately this one was beyond rescue. The pictures where kindly forwarded to me by close friend and fishing fanatic pat. It just goes to show what a diverse enviorment our seas are and another pointer as to why we so badly need to care for them. If things progress as they are this resource will not be there for our children and grandchildren. Food for thought.

Honour Satisfied

2009-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Went out for an hour today in the wind and rain, brought the injection but it was no day for it so stuck it out with the 270. Now every bone in my body said fish deep so I put on the feed popper, what is that about! I fished for about an hour and at that stage new well that they would not come up top! So on with a plastic and bang hit by this little beauty that tipped the scales on the new boga at exactly four pounds. Reckon I could have had a few more but at that stage i was wet cold and honour had been satisfied. Plus there was the promise of a big fat juicy rib eye (cheers lads best staek in ages), so good luck to the fishing and off for a feed.

The plastic sticking out his mouth is just new in and they are deadly so give me a shout if interested.

Joe From Devon

2009-08-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Joe I just missed your call and my phone did not pick up your number so this seemed like the logical way to get a hold of you. Either try me again on the mobile or drop me an e mail. patrickgallagher73@gmail.com type it in though dont copy and paste cause it wont work.. Cheers man sorry I missed you..

Plugging Rods

2009-08-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

New rods on the way. These are a more affordable plugging rod, yet still retain the fast action that is required to deal with modern plugging tactics. Give me a shout for details on these, but i have to tell you whilst being kind on the pocket these beauties are no light weights, I have fished them hard and am really impressed with how they preform, in fact so impressed I have bought them in for my customers who travel without their own kit. I know I am being a bit secretive not posting pictures etc bit give me a shout on 087 7403445 and I will fill you in. I am not sure of the exact price of these yet as I am waiting for confirmation on shipping charges but they are somewhere around 150-160 euro. I recently sold one of these rods to an angler in Waterford who fishes some demanding ground and i know he is delighted with his and that it has handled some really decent fish for him.

The Big Hand

2009-08-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

The big hand says "buy a tenyru." Even if you don't catch fish if you buy enough you can always build a tee pee at the back of the jeep and camp out.

On a slightly more serious note I have got the injection in stock,(pictured above with black but section)my god what a serious piece of kit. I know that in certain circles men would be seen laughing if you suggested you where going to land a bass on this rod, but then again these are the same people that brought you 6oz grip leads heavy beach casters and hours of "yeah I'm pretty sure I have a fish on or maybe or is it?"

I know these are some what of a luxury but if you are serious about your plastic fishing then this is the Rod for you, you will feel if a bass farts next to your plastic, matched with a 3000 size Shimano or Daiwa this is going to balance perfectly. 15lb power shot braid which I have to say I reckon is the mutts and you will be so in touch with your plastics that the odds are seriously stacked in your favour. At last i have the right kit to really prove the deadly potential of plastic fishing. Fish wont find it so easy to suck it in and spit it out on me anymore, there is no doubt that when plastic fishing the takes can be very gentle and fish are missed, well I reckon a large portion of that is about to go out the window. I also got a call from my good friend Michelle (a plastic nut) who is back in France, to say he has sent me a parcel via secret squirrel mail service and I have feeling it may just be full of some of the lovely bits of rubber i saw him playing with whilst over here for three weeks. Quality timing Michelle, trust the French to pull it out of the bag at just the right time! Happy Days!

If you are interested in one of these rods give me a shout and ill arrange for you to get a gander at one.

Personal Best

2009-08-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here is David's fish taken on a mark I showed him in Waterford. As you can see the fish was taken on a tide minnow 145 sld an absolute cracking jerk bait I know I never leave home without one. Well done David on a smashing fish in less than perfect conditions.

Sept &Oct Guiding

2009-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Lads the fishing is about to start getting really good so if you are thinking about booking days wih me then I encourage you to get in touch, really truly the fun starts here, so don't miss the boat give me a shout and get the best tides available.

Patrick

Two Cracking Sessions

2009-08-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

The fishing over the last couple of days has been great. Things just work out well sometimes and you have to roll with it, so roll on I say.

My guys have had two personal bests over the lats two trips and I have to say im just delighted.

We had some serious top water action tonight on the feed popper, this is a beast of a lure that will handel some really rough conditions. On our way out fishing we bumped into another angler who was heading home. He looked at us with that "look at these two gobshites kind of a look" and said "it's too windy ye may go home." Fair play I thought, take it handy and good luck to ye.

On we went bit of a trex to this mark but when we got there I knew we had a shot at them. Sure it was blowing and raining but it looked pretty good, water was clear and it was warm.

I missed one on the yellow patchinko and just thought fish would find it hard to have the lure in such rough conditions. So bit a sift through the box produced the feed in chartruse and silver, an animal of a lure. Up she went out she went pop pop pop, bang, fish on! We only had the one so I gave mine to Pat, "no he said I can't" "go on" said I "ye will I insist", three casts later fish on, funny he didn't try to give it back to me after that!!!! Well what a popper the feed is truly awesome. in total Pat had three on the top and missed a few, best of all he took his personal best at 6.5lb, well P a great nights fishing for your first really serious bash at the top water. A true gent a plaesure to fish with.

Packing up then to head home I recieved a call from David who i fished with last night to say he had returned to the same mark and nailed his personal best bass, it just don't get much better than this. Well done to both the lads, two gentlemen that it has been a pleaseure to fish with.

Proper Fishing

2009-08-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

So we fished last night, over some incredibly rough ground, in what can only be described as perfect conditions. Sometimes as i am sure you all know it just feels right, we had a nice sw breeze, warm air, clear water and the juices start to flow. The tide was not a big one but that was not a big concern as the three most important boxes had been ticked, conditions, conditions, conditions.

David opened things up, I was just explaining why a bass might hold in a certain spot and showing David where and why, when a very obliging fish nailed his lure. Sometimes things go your way and it actually looks like you know what you are talking about! We fished on for a bit talking lures, techniques etc. Then time for a move.

The next spot is my favourite on the mark, extremely rough, full of boulders with a good rip of tide running through it. David had a follow, then hooked a fish at his feet. Quickly it was obvious this was no small fish, after a short battle David was broken off by what he reckons was his personal best. Well he knows where she lives so he can come calling again. All in all a really good evenings fishing with some really nice black backed Bass being caught over lovely terrain.

I know i will be back for another go this evening and I am pretty sure David will be a regular visitor to this mark until he hooks up with that fish or her big sister! I will post some pics later unfortunately I forgot my camera but I am sure David will e mail me on a coule of pics.

Sea Trout

2009-08-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these stunning little lures from megabass the sw beat gg akakin and the baycat. The bay cay is the smaller of the two pictured just above, it is just 68mm long but weighs 6.5 grams, basically this equals castability. I am about to give these two a serious going over in the hunt for big sea trout. Unfortunately I have had little time this year to devote to these beautiful fish but tonight that is about to change, the weather is good, winds light, small tide and so hopes are high. I love these fish, i love that they do your head in, they are by no means easy to hook and once you hook them they are even more difficult to land. If you loose the cool for one second (incredibly hard not to if you hook a decent trout) then they are gone.

The sw beat is another little cracker, it measures jut 80mm and weighs 11.5g, again castibility, it has an interesting scoop taken out of the lip which alters the action and makes it more erratic. I have no doubt that both these lures will catch bass also, in fat at this time of year when the water can be full of fry and the bass get preoccupied with scooping up mouth fulls I reckon these two will come into their own.

The top picture gives you some idea as to why i work my ass off all the time, trying to stay on top of what is hot and what is not in lure fishing takes more work than you might think. There is however a definite up turn in the numbers of Irish guys getting involved, interested, and hooked on lure fishing. I say "good stuff" the more the merrier, anglers could not do in a season indeed five seasons the damage done by netters in a week. The more responsible anglers and I don't use that word lightly, the better as their presence makes it increasingly hard for illegal fishing to take place.

Note the healthy living! Coffe, Coke and Fags, the go to breakfast for any angler worth his salt! Quality! (don't forget the occasional red bull)

Guiding Cancellation

2009-08-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Lads I have had a cancellation for the 23rd through to the 25th which should fish very well. If anyone got in touch about fishing and is still looking for a day drop me a line and book it now. These are really healthy tides lads and it looks like we are going to get some slightly more settled weather. So the fishing should be good.

Check out this Wrasse, I hooked it, it broke me off, then ten minutes later after catching it's big brothers, bang fish on again. Hungry little devil.

New Lures

2009-08-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Another Lure order has landed men, so drop me a line, I have some really classy stuff coming in! Ill post some pics over the weekend.

Worthy Of Mention

2009-08-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

For obvious reasons I will not name the bailiff that I am talking about lads but i have to tell you this guy really is great at his job. He is motivated dedicated and truly wants to protect the fish. I just think it is worthy of mention as so often people give out about nothing being done well in Waterford that is just not the case anymore this guy is top class! So a big shout out and well done on a class job. Remember a bailiff can only be as good as the people who pass him information so if you see anything suspicious, don't remove it(it is probably too late and the damage is done) call your bailiff and they can stake out the net and catch the poachers in the act. Don't leave it to the next guy, if you love your fishing then protect the fish.

More On Tide Minnows

2009-08-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ok I could be wrong but Im not sure that many really rate these lures as much as others. I have to tell you I fish the life out of these little beauties and catch some really cracking fish on them. They will not perform when fish cast and retrieve, these are lures that are begging to be fished, you need to do the work. So have a look around or book a lesson with me and find out how to properly jerk bait fish it will up your catch rate. i fished with James recently and have to say he is a good angler his years of match fishing show through. he has obviously applied what he learned to a new type of fishing, the single most important thing you have is bait (lures, plastics, heads, jigs, spinners).

James I know is switched onto a particular colour in the tide minnow, it is the chartreuse with silver sides. this lure really seems to do the job, it certainly worked extremely well for both of us the day we fish together. Give me a shout to get your hands on one of these they will be back in the end of the week.

Happy Ending

2009-08-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

First off guys a big thank you for all the kind words of support. Blogging is weird some days you feel like no one is tuned into this thing so why bother but then something like this happens and it is obvious from the response on here and the phone that there are lots of chilled out anglers about who give a damn. I can't say how much these fish mean to me, I got into bass angling as a kid. I was a pretty messed up kid locked away in boarding school which I hated and found a book in the library written by the legendary Des Brennan, called angling in Ireland. most of the tales of their exploits where out chasing Irish sea bass, as I read the book as a young lad it was like I was there and could feel the salt spray on my face, he breakers rolling to shore on warm wexford July evenings, the excitement as the rods doubled into another decent bass. In fairness to these guys back then they where putting these fish back into the sea, anyone who has looked a big bass in the eye knows it is a thing of wild beauty and power, perfectly adapted to it's environment, to put them back alive and well is a privilege, And that was it I never looked back, I have been, besotted and in awe of these tremendous fish ever since. I had my first fish at 15, a 6lb on half a sand eel and the rest is history.

But back to the car, first off this incident has spurred me to get off my ass and look for the jeep I have wanted for ages and can now just about afford after many hard hours of guiding. And anyone who knows me when I guide I work hard, go that extra mile, to that next mark to try find some decent fish for guys who have put their faith in me. So that's the first result, I am looking at a 03 freelander any thoughts much appreciated.

Lastly the car cost me the princely sum of 40 euro to fix, so I think we all know who came out worst of this little debacle. Cheers guys for all your support I really do appreciate it.

Also worth mention is I have a new order of lures and rods arriving this week so if you are after some kit then drop me a line.

The hairy chap in the picture by the way live on the hill up the road from me and early in the morning (stupid o'clock) come down to graze on the road side. Only in Ireland, you just got to love it.

Smashed Car

2009-08-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

Went out this morning to a spot where some nets have been showing up lately, in fact some one was caught there two nights ago. Parked up the van and headed off fishing. What you see is what I returned to, someone had taken a hammer to my car. At the end of the day that is the kind of mentality you are up against. If these illegal netters think this will deter me they have me very wrong, very wrong indeed. In fact we will all now make a point of showing up on this mark and double our efforts to find nets. I love these fish and they are worth protecting, they are certainly worth more than a car light and mirror to me. They are my way of life, what I do, what I am about, so go ahead smash all the cars you like but you will still have to put up with me showing up, catching and releasing fish and watching your nets. Fair play to our local bailiff for a top job catching these guys the other night and whatever the car costs me, their day in court will definitely be a bit more costly! I Had one nice fish this morning, got up a bit late and missed the best of it, but hey there is always tomorrow.

Day Off

2009-08-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Had the day completely to myself so thought I could catch up on some paper work for the business or I could go fishing? So maybe it will rain tomorrow and ill get to that paper work... The guys are safely back in England and we had a great time, would have liked to see more and fished more with them but unfortunately I have to work as hard as I can this time of year.

So I fished today with James, a mad keen angler who has regularly be ringing me looking for all sorts of shining bits of plastic to tempt bass from the shallows and recently got his hands on a new sakura which i know he is very happy with.

We hit a handy few fish today over so some truly awesome looking bass ground, I recently sold James a tide minnow 125sld to cover this very water so decided to try it myself today and boys oh boys did it do the business in what was at times fairly murky water.

James started things with a nice fish on the 125, then I had one on the patchinko, then one on the 125. Then I got crunched by a really decent fish, he thrashed about then made a steaming run, turned ran back at me and then the hooks pulled! Like Henry says some fish just aren't meant to be landed. All in all a cracking way to spend your day off! Great company and great fishing.

Good Fishing

2009-08-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Fished again today with Nigel (Guns) from devon, it was his last day so we really wanted to hit it hard. Nigel is from Devon and my souces tell me he is well know in his part of the world for smashing really decent bass and a bit of a Dab hand it the flounder. So we hit the rocks this morning where Nigel opened his account with a nice fish about 3lbs. It looked good, I had had one on the Zonk Gateride, (fast becoming my go to lure), but things failed to develop. So we moved to another spot where Henry had a decent fish, but it didn't feel right to me and I could see that Nigel wasn't really turned on by it. So my gut said I know where there will be some decent fishing, but it was a long drive away. I put it to Nigel who was up for the spin and so we went for it.

We arrived at our next mark 90 minutes later and I knew we where a bit late but some fish should still be catchable. Up with the Patchinko for both of us and off we set, wading and casting as we went. Turns out my gut was right between three anglers 13 fish where caught.

Nigel had nearly all his fish on the surafce this week and this from a guy who had not really used this technique before. Bit of a natural if you ask me. All in all a really good couple of days, it is great to get to fish with guys who know and love their fishing.

Over all the red rod brigade have been samshing a handy few fish this week and often in conditions that could only be descirbed as "less than perfect." Things look right now though so I have a feeling that tomorrow could be really good. Lesson for today for me was trust your gut feeling, because some times it really pays.

Thanks for your company Nigel and I hope you come back fishing soon.

Above is a picture of Damien who I hear tell had a handy few fish today, well done mate!

Weather At Last

2009-08-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

So a bit of better weather out there today thank god! I have been out since early morning with a customer from Devon, Nigel. Nigel got in touch early in the summer to say he fancied a go at an Irish croc and would love to come over. Nigel has been banging some nice fish in his part of the world and wanted to check out what we have been up to. Fishing was limited this morning due to water clarity, the coast is blown out. We reached our mark at 6.30 bang on the high water and it felt right. Andy opened play early on with a nice fish on the plastics, soon followed by Nigel who showed the Irish lads how to do it also on the plastics. We made a move then to another spot and weed was an issue so on with the surface lures. This is a technique that Nigel had little confidence in but was eager to check out. So up with the patchinko and first chuck he had is wobbling nicely back across the surface. I had a random cast (I don't end to fish much at all when I guide) and bang good fish on. Fish went nuts on the surface and put up a decent scarp, choosing to have it out in plain view, thrashing around. On the scales she weighed in at roughly 8.5lb. Nigel went back on the Patchinko and flash behind the lure, stopped it and bang fish on. First one off the top for Nigel so a result. Watch out Devon Bass as I think you might be seeing quite a bit off the business end of a Patchinko. All in all a great mornings fishing and hopes are high for the next couple of days producing some decent results. I will add some pics later as we are having a few technical difficulties with transferring the pictures.

Beat Tierd

2009-08-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so really shattered at this stage so I'm in bed at nine! There is a god! Had a days guiding called off due to weather so cruised round to Henry's to get the sp! So it seemed a good idea at the time but you learn from your mistakes, or do you? So crap weather out with the light bait rods and off we went. That was at some ridiculous hour. Mr Hill nailed a nice fish and it looked lie it might fire then the brown water arrived and that was that. So we chased it all day for no more fish. But it gets better we are all the way down in waterford when Graham gets a call from his Mrs to let him know she has just nailed a nice fish back up in Wexford! I ask you? Moral of the story is dont chase it cause if it ain't right it ain't right! Well done Carol on kicking our collective arse!

Here is a nice pic sent in by a keen cork angler of a cracking fish that has been zonked! I really love these lures especially if the bass are just a bit deeper.

New Lures

2009-07-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Have lots of smashing new lures in stock lads check them out on the link on the right hand side to the lure store.

Patrick

Week Ahead

2009-07-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

So really looking forward to the week ahead, the posse from England will soon be en-route to Ireland and there should be some serious fun had by all. The forecast is not great but the Met have been wrong before and I always have a trick or two up my sleeve no matter what the wind is doing. Mr Henry Gilbey,his and our good friend Andy Bignel, Mr G Hill and family are all coming over for some serious bassing over the next week. So safe journey guys we are really looking forward to seeing you lads again and thrashing up and down the rocks chasing Irish silver even if the weather is a bit wild. Our last days summer rock fishing together was a truly awesome day out, it was wild, wet and filled with big bass on light gear what more could a man ask for. Oh and last but nort least Jess henry's dog who usually dose a better job on the rocks than any of us. One of my fond memories of jess is her swimming past me on the way out to a sand bar up to the top of our boots, sometimes she just has the advantage on us there is no doubt. Cant wait men, quality!

The Lure Store "New Lure Blog"

2009-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Guys I have added a link to a new blog where you will be able to see some pics of the plugs I have in stock. It is under the blogs I am following section on the right hand side. I will be adding to this as the weeks go by. It is just a stop gap measure whilst my web site is under construction but it should help you in making your selection. You can then contact me by phone or e mail and I Will send you out a paypal request for whatever you choose. Thanks guys and tight lines.

Patrick

One Happy Customer.

2009-07-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Love this picture think it says it all about plugging for Bass. Once again as always, fish where returned un-harmed to the sea.

Zonk Gateride

2009-07-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

OK so I have been talking to one or two people about new lures what's hot and what's not etc! And they where making a fuss about the Zonk Gateride and the new special lip. Well I'm not one for gimmicks but always have some faith in Megabass and I know the japanesse guys love this lure for their bass fishing. So really gave it a go this morning, I was guiding so I don't really fish very much at all when I am working i try to focus on my clients and get them fishing the marks, gullies, holes etc. So I was demonstrating casting over the gully with the Gateride on and bang hooked a stinker of a fish which turned and was gone. Recast the lure just to see was I right about the action on this thing and by god I was. I could be wrong but I think this lure is going to out fish everything else in it's class by a long shot.

So yes the bib is fussy and probably prone to breaking but hey if it nails fish like that then I for one don't really give a damn. Imagine the action of a diving lure that thunk thunk thunk on the rod tip but your lure is in the top three feet of water and you are close to what this lure does.

Time will tell and i need to fish it a lot more but I reckon this one is an out right bass buster! Had a call from a friend Pat this morning who just bought a red dragon and took it out first trip today. He hammered fish on a local mark, what a way to christen the new red rod! Well done Pat and I hope it brings you years of pleasure, I have yet to meet a more enthusiastic character! Quality!

Plastic Fishing

2009-07-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Had a few this morning on the plastics! Fishing a mark with a serious rip of current and it looked like there should be some fish there but I was having no success. I pulled back a bit from the water to try and read the flow. There was a sand bar with a gully dug out behind it by the current a perfect spot for Bass to hide in wait for prey! So up with the 6" mother worm in shrimp cast across the current drop the rod tip and let it bang back through the rip. Touch fishing as it goes, pluck pluck then bang lift into a nice fish about 3 lb. I repeated this five times over the next hour and them it was time for home. All in all a great mornings fishing and without doubt had I not had the plastics I would have come home fish-less. Best fish this morning was about 4.5lb not nad considering the fishing is tough at the minute with the un-settled weather.

125 Sld

2009-07-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Have a look at this little peach, it's 125mm long, slim profile weighs just 14.5g and is slow floating. Slow floating means that once you jerk it then it slowly floats up to the surface inducing a Bass to hit it. The reason I got this into stock is that a whole stretch of coast that I fish is subject to murky, milky water conditions and I hoped this might be far more visible to the fish. The good news is that it is not just working for me but for a number of people I sold one to. I find this colour so good that I have order several other Tide Minnows in the same pattern, including the 145 Sld and the 90S.

Yellow Patchinko

2009-07-20T12:26:00.001-07:00

Day Off

2009-07-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Had a day off today, so did my good mate and partner in fishing crime Cian, so plans where made, reels rinsed, lures picked and boxed, vans packed and hope where high. It was the first day of the bigger tides, we had a westerly that was gradually shifting south west and some sunshine. It looked good for a few fish. We where hitting a new mark so excitement was running high we knew this was capable of producing some awesome fishing. I had the trusty red rod as did Cian with a fly rod packed on his back. We got out to the water and Cian pointed and said bass attack, one flick of the red beauty and my yellow patchinko was in the thick of feeding fish, bang fish on, then drooped the beat of a heart and bang another fish on, unbelievable. Fish caught photographed and released un-harmed, then Cian got the fly rod out. I think he made four casts before I heard a yelp and saw his rod buckle over into another fine Irish bass. All in all a class days fishing, what a way to spend time with your mates. In total we had twelve this morning with no fish under 3lb and the biggest about 6lb. All my fish where taken on the yellow patchinko a truly awesome surface lure, Cian had one on the fly and the rest on the Feed Shallow another absolute dynamite lure. Both these lures are currently in stock so drop me a line or give me a ring on 087 7403445.

Patrick

Xlayer Gurnard!

2009-07-18T03:11:00.001-07:00

Here is something you don't see every day! I caught this on an xlayer, I have caught lots of Gurnard over the years but this is a first on a Lure! Absolutely delighted with it! The challenge may be to find a fish that wont take the xalyer. So far that is bass, wrasse, mullet, sea trout and Gurnard! Not bad for a bit of high-tec plastic.

Bass & Gurnard??????

2009-07-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

So myself and Pauley Big Fish as he is now affectionately known headed out this morning to catch the ebbing tide. Water was nice and clear weed died off a bit with a slight westerly, reasonably warm, it felt right despite the small tide! We had some fantastic sport taking twelve fish in a hour and a half including a double hook pictured. All fish fell once again to the sinking tide minnow, then home for a feed of Rashers! Life is good! Tight Lines!

Patrick

Hazedong & Xlayer

2009-07-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

So a quick look at some soft palstics that have just come into stock the new Hazedong and the old trust worthy Xlayer. Both palstics are rigged on the bachi head which is the ultimate head for finesse plastic fishing. Really to appreciate just how good these baits are you hae to see them in the water, whilst in jersey myself Cian and Paul where messing about on the dock with a Haze dong on an off set weighted texposer head some small pollock decided they wanted to make friendly with it, unbelievable, they have a fluid subtle motion in the water that is incredibly life like. The French lads swear by these when the bass refuse the Xlayer, if the last couple of weeks have reaffirmed anything for me it is that bass are not always switched on, we saw numbers and i mean numbers of fish over the last big tide but they would not hit our lures whilst on a certain mark. It is at times like this that an ultra realistic bait like the Hazeong would come into it's own.

Having done a lot of fly fishing over the years this new finesse plastic fishing is as close as it gets to fly fishing, the lure presentation is so similar. Indeed it seems that in France there is a huge crossover between fly guys who have gotten into and been completely turned on by finesse plastic fishing. There is a whole range of specialist kit for this type of fishing, I am waiting for the new Injection rods to arrive, not so patiently I might add. I am ridiculously over excited about them at this stage and not sure how much more I can stand. Can you imagine hooking a 6lb bass in shallow water on a 7 2" rod with 15lb braid and 2500 twin power, now that's fishing!

This type of fishing however is available to all lure anglers whilst the above kit might add to the experience and lend itself to better presentation it is not essential, in fact I watched Mr G Hill fish plastics all last winter on a Red Dragon and Hammer some stonking big bass I might add.

Catch & Release

2009-07-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Here is one of Paul looking after his latest capture. It would never enter any of our minds to hram these beautiful creatures. We return them back to the sea to live and fingers crossed fight another day. What a fish for july once again well done Pauley on a cracking result.

Another Clonker

2009-07-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

Here is the fish described below, I know this is Paul's best bass to date indeed this is a fish of a life time by anyone's standrads. An absolute cracker, well done again Paul, I know no one who has worked harder to get results.

Tough Conditions

2009-07-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night Tom managed to find the fish pictured, the wind was NW, it was cold and a lot of weed in the water. In short very difficult conditions so well done Tom. Again the Patchinko did the business.

Fishing has been difficult, I have been in touch with anglers and indeed fished from west Waterford to South Wexford over the last few days and found it hard to catch. I have seen a lot of fish but they are just not in a taking mood and conditions have been against us. However we have managed to find some quality fish today. The clonker pictured was taken this morning by Paul, so a big well done to him. Paul is one of my fishing buddies and let me tell you this guy has invested his time and money into catching this marvelous creature. I know he is still smiling from ear to ear, the fish fought really hard making long runs, staying deep testing Paul's Rod Bar 270 which preformed extremely well. So despite the hard fishing we have still managed to find some quality fish, we moved after getting this fish to another mark, which started to fish just on the turn of the tide.

A couple of bumps on the lure but no hook up, which points to the kind of mood the fish are in they are only half heartedly taking the lure. Then bang I had a good fish on, it fought well and was just within reach when the hooks pulled. i saw the fish and it was some where around the 6-7lb mark. Arthur had a nice fish about the 4lb mark and then I finished with an accidentally foul hooked Mullet that went like a bone fish across the shallows.

One For Spitty

2009-07-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Fishing has been extremely tough, everyone I talk to is struggling to catch on lures in the south east. Some people have done ok but in general things have been hard. Spitty knocked one on the surface tonight though and the Patchinko did the business. Well done mate as the fishing really is tough at the mo so one off the top is a bonus. It looks like it should improve tomorrow and certainly be better by Friday when the wind is due to shift into the south. I know other guides have been struggling to catch so it ain't so bad but you have to go the extra mile to help people get a fish or two so I really hope that things pick up tomorrow. I think the fishing is poor because the temperature is well below average for the time of year as the wind is in the north west. Add to this dirty water and lots of weed and what you have is a fishing nightmare. I will post a couple of pics later.

Tough Start For The Spitfire!

2009-07-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

Well we made a go of it at first light this morning but things where racked up against us from the get go. Wexford is un-fishable at the minute so we headed west in search of clean water. Tom was in good form and hopes where high. We fished a mark that just screams Bass! But the gutters where dirty and confidence began to die as the rain came down in buckets. So up the cliff and another move further west and bingo water and ground that looks like a mini version of Jersey, this just produced one follow for Paul and that was that. After watching some huge mullet in the margins we headed for home to re-group and make plans for a dusk assault. Fingers crossed Spit will get hit tonight! In the mean time a couple of young lads from wales, hussbusta(Dan) and his mate Biffa have been on to me they are in Wexford surrounded by dirty water and someone has steeped on their rod while they slept so I have them on the way down here to fish with us and borrow a rod off me! You just have to love the determination of these young lads, they are mad for an Irish bass. These guys are the future of our sport and to my mind the future is bright if you judge it from their dedication and enthusiasm for bass plugging!

Have to say Tom (Spitfire) is a smashing bloke his enthusiasm for bass fishing is infectious, so we are off again this evening to see if we can bag one on the evening tide as the dusk comes in. He had a tough trip to Wales early in the year where the weather was agaisnt him the whole trip so we will fish our socks off this week to make up for it. The tide is building from today and the long range is reasonably good so on we go.

Catch & Release

2009-07-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

First of the Summer Double's

2009-07-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

So my good buddy and long time fishing pal Cian has nailed a stinker of a fish this morning, we made an early start, at stupid o'clock (3am) to catch the ebbing tide. The tide is small at the moment but we have found in the past that if you put in the hours you wont catch numbers but there is always a chance at a stinker like this one. My hat is off to Cian this morning great job, he read the water right and moved to where he felt the fish would be as the tide slackened and he was bang on. This monster took right at his feet, it butted the lure and Cian thought he had missed the fish but he came back for another go. At first it looked like he was into a normal 4-5lb fish but then the fish caught sight of me avec boga in the water and decided to show Cian who the boss was. Needless top say Cian came out on top and what a cracking fish. We got this chap un-hooked then straight back into the water to let him breath, then up for a couple of quick pictures and returned unharmed to harass sand eels for the rest of the day! Well done Cian on a smashing fish, you put the hours in for this one fair play. Worthy of mention that Cian's wife to be, Ms Amy white is a cracking lure picker, not sure if she picked the winner this time but chances are! Quality on the breakfast as well "you're the best in your game."

Catch & Release

2009-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Both these fish where properly revived and went back to the sea in top condition. It takes very little effort and just a small bit of kit to ensure the safety and survival of these beautiful creatures.

Last Minute

2009-07-03T02:28:00.000-07:00

A last minute decision to do a bit of fishing late last night has paid off in the shape of five bars of silver. It was one of the smallest tides of the month but conditions where good. We had a south/southwest breeze putting a bit of fizz on top, muggy heat and clear water, you just got to fish in that and damn the tide. So Paul opened the play with a nice Pollock of about 3lb's followed by a bass about the same weight. The bass where all very darkly coloured along the back, pure rock and kelp fish. We finished out with five Bass biggest about 4lb's and three Pollock biggest about 3lb's, all fish where returned unharmed and just a little wiser to the sea. Next time they will double take those plugs as they go past!

My USB for the camera has disappeared so I am off to town to get a new one soon as it is sorted I will post few pics. Tackle news worth mentioning is I am using the new lure bag from ultimate and I have to say it is awesome, far batter than anything else I have used. Comfortable, spacious, sturdy and highly functional. You can get all your bits and Bob's on this little beauty, boga, pliers, water bottle and loads of lure space (they stay in their boxes).

Top Water

2009-06-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I have been dong a lot of top water fishing and catching thank god. Couple of baits I really like are the patchinko and the z claw. I was fishing the other day and thanks to maui jim I spotted four nice fish following my claw, but no take next cast and bang! As for the patchinko well the takes on this lure are really positive, fish just mullah the thing. Personally I think it pisses them off, the action is just so good on these baits they have to catch fish.

Good day out.

2009-06-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well today was a really small tide but i thought we would have a chance at a fish in one spot that I know. Today I fished with an English customer, jon who was eager to get his first bass on a lure. Our first mark proved difficult. Big sea, lots of weed and bright sun. We moved on and eventually found a fish or two tucked away. Well done on your first lure caught Bass jon, first of many I am sure. Once again the patchinko proved deadly.

Check This Out

2009-06-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is Marty trying to get to the bass he nailed this evening. a lot of guys would have walked away from what was banging in there tonight but with the right kit and a small bit of know how, you can bang a few fish. Love these two pics! extreme fishing! I love it!

Bit More Like it!

2009-06-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

So this weekend has started to throw up a few fish. Have been in touch with a few sets of anglers who are nailing a few fish. Out tonight in conditions I love it can be difficult to fish with this much lift on but it blows my hair back and I got a decent fish that gave me a deadly fight! I would rather be nailing this size of fish on a wild day on the rocks than monster fish in an estuary any time, each to their own eh! The lure of the minute was the tide minnow 140 sinking. You could only fish a sinker tonight anything else would just pop up!

This fish went back by the way, the blood is just from a hook that caught his side not his gills.

East Wind

2009-06-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

On a lot of the ground I fish in south wexford the east wing makes things very difficult. it holds back large rafts of weed and cabbage weed in the water which means that your plugs get clogged all the time. Not sure what anyone else thinks but i find that even the smallest piece of weed stuck to your plug and the fish will not hit it.So fishing has been hard oer a couple of days, but last night the wind died and it was muggy warm, it just felt a bit more fishy. I had a couple of follows and flashes behind the lure so I knew the fish where there but could not connect due to clogged up plugs. Digging deep in the tackle bag I found the new press bait from duo. this is like a vertical jig with an assit hook at the back. this can be fished sink and draw and collect very little weed. Fished this for about ten minutes and then bang a nice fish hit it like a steam train. What an awesome lure while my buddies struggled to clean there p[lugs I fished away with the press bait and nailed a couple of fish. Then on the dusk the tide had run off the weed pushing it out to sea and up went the surface lures, the patchinko. This is s msut have surface lure for me, fish hit so aggressively it must just piss them off I think. All in all no monster fish but a really enjoyable evening.

2009-06-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Wrasse On Xlayer!

Got to Love Megabass!

The Ronseel of lure fishing!

Jersey Trip

2009-06-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Admiral And His Crew

All in all an awesome spot, I throughly enjoyed my two days. The fishing was hard and I have posted some thoughts on this below but I would think when it kicks off it's only deadly. Mick and Bob are class company in the boat and two top class anglers these guys know their stuff and their ground like the backs of their hands, which probably resulted in me taking the kitty for most Bass, a bit of cmpetition always adds to the fun. I owe you boys a pint!!!

So Jersey got me thinking about lure fishing in general, I caught some cracking wrasse on hard and soft baits and boys do these bullies go some. It is too easy to get over focused on Bass as the primary target when there are other hard fighting fish at your feet. I will definitely be putting some time into these boys on our coast line.

Have to say I also really enjoyed boat fishing, i like it a lot. So watch this space I think it's time to open and a credit union account and start putting away a few bob. I think the potential to boat fish in Ireland is enormous and i know the lads would be straight over for a trip.

The bassing was slow but we still hit a few, I had five over the two days with Cian taking four, and I think about fifteen fish taken in total. So while it was hard fishing we still got a few fish so we are not complaining one bit. I think a visit later in the year would produce a very different result. I will be back for sure, just trying to find a slot in my diary as the guiding business is getting busy.

2009-06-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

One on top for MrFish

2009-06-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Jersey Days.

2009-06-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well a bit delayed but have been up to my eyes, so to get the ball rolling the lures that did the job out in jersey where, The Feed Shallow, The Z claw, The Patchinko, The Zonk, Live X Revenge and The Tide Minnow 140 Slim.

What a spot, awesome bass ground, the nicest water I have seen in a long time. Like the place looks like it should produce fish at every corner but there is a noted lack of fish. So over two days really hard to call that this fishery is in trouble cause it's just two days. But having spoke to Mick (MrFishJersey) and Bob, I have a suspicion that commercial fishing has taken it's tole. When you see ground this good and don't hit fish you have to think about it.

On my first day in mick's shop I met a young lad who had been long lining and they had 64 Bass in one day, biggest 12.5lb, that kind of says it all. It just confirms for me the fact that we really need to protect our own Bass fishery and see it for the natural resource that it really is. We can all play a part in this by fishing responsibly and practicing C&R particularly on our big fish.

Jersey

2009-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

So at last it's the 19th and that means I'm off in the morning to Jersey for three days of fish fish fishing! Or product testing as it is now known. So it's me Cian and Paul, heading for the channel islands to sample some of their legendary bass fishing, I reckon we will nail a few fish and hope we might see some quality. I will be concentrating on top water fishing and am really looking forward to sampling boat lure fishing. i think there is enormous potential for rib fishing in South East Ireland and have been doing some research into getting this sorted out for next year. So ill blog from Jersey soon as we hit a few fish and keep ye posted on the most successful lures.

Are You A Trout Head!

2009-06-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sea Trout probably the most elusive sport fish in Irish waters, for years only targeted in rivers during summer months, are in fact very catchable in the sea! If you are a trout head have a look at the plug above, it is the tide minnow 75cd from Duo. What a cracker this plug will seriously smash trout, remember all those really frustrating follows on spinners well get ready to start hooking up cause these things and a good few more lures from Ultimate fishing seriously do the business on sea trout.

I want to say a big thanks to any of the Irish lads who got in touch to wish me luck and give me their business, seriously I really appreciate it and hope that i can do justice to Irish Lure fishing because I believe we have the best fishing for sea bass in Europe by a long way. So lets look after it and enjoy it. There is surely no better way to catch these majestic fish than on light tackle with lures and plastics. I know I am well and truly hooked so I hope you all have a great season ahead and drop me a line to let us know how you are getting on, what lures you like, whats hot and whats not. As my mate Henry once wrote "The economy may be rubbish but the fishing is going to be fantastic."

And if anyone has an in with the big man, can you have a word with him about the weather! All we asks is southerlys and a nice bit of fizz!

Tight Lines.

140 slim and 140 slim sinking.

2009-06-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

So why do I like these lures, well to be honest the pictures speak for themselves. They catch fish bottom line, the two lures pictured take a more natural approach to colour patterns and there is no doubt that some days Bass just want the real thing. The top lure is the sinking version which I find really handy if there is a bit of lift on, just count it down a few seconds and work it back, bring it to life, get your moneys worth out of your red rod that's what you paid for. The bottom is the floating version of this lure, a great lure if over shallower stuff or on a calmer day. Both are all rounders these lures are perfect for the guys using, bar270, red dragon, ultimate one or similar they are 21g and 19g respectively and cast like a bullet. Summer rock mark heaven!

Edonis sw

2009-06-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the new megabass Edonis SW, this in my opinion is the perfect lure for those days when bass will not look at other lures. Those flat calm days in July when all else fails I reckon this lure will bag you a fish. I just love this company they are at the cutting edge of lure fishing they really are.

Tide Minnow 145sld

2009-06-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

Tackle sales

2009-06-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Lads a quick post to let you all know that the new stuff has arrived. There is some absolute quality amongst it. Apologies for the lack of a picture resource at the moment but it is on the way. Mean time give me a shout on 00353877403445 / 087 740 3445 and I will run through stuff with you. I have to say I am once again impressed by this French company they are very efficient and carry awesome bass lures! Here is a taster of what is available.

The Eagle Has Landed..

2009-06-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

So my first order has arrived in Ireland and should be delivered tomorrow at some stage. I will post some pics tomorrow of some of the lures etc that are available. It has been a nerve racking stressful time to get this thing off the ground at such short notice but we are up and running and most importantly carrying really cool, effective lures for the Irish and foreign market. A new web site is being developed and hope to be on line by the end of the summer! In the mean time I will keep an up to date catalogue of pics of what's available linked to my blog and feel free to give me a shout to talk about what you need or any lure/rod advice I can give. So watch this space and give me a day or two to sort the pics out! Talk about perfect timing cause all the Irish lads know what day tomorrow is. On the fishing side I lost the sea trout of a life time last night, fish was easily six pounds, fished a tide minnow at the back of a channel on the rising tide, fish hit like a steam train stripped loads of line jumped and snapped me off! **** was what was heard for miles around! Knee trembling, heart breaking stuff, but it sure will keep you fishing. Got to Love those tide minnows boys do they work!

Injection

2009-06-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

So i have just ordered a new rod for myself, money is tight after the business start up but I am a weak willed fisherman who can not resist top end fishing tackle. I have ordered the Tenyru Injection, this is a soft plastic specific rod. It really looks like a special piece of kit, it comes in the 5-28g range and will be perfect for the type of plastic fishing that I am into. Other than that I am off to Jersey today week so really starting to look forward to that, it is mixture of business and fishing(pleasure). I will post some pics as soon as i get my hands on some decent snaps of it.

2009-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

DUO Tide Minnows

2009-06-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough good stuff about Duo, this is a company that produces quality lures that will catch you quality bass. There is a wide range of lures available and often the question is, which lure is best for what I want? which will catch me fish? which one is the killer I have been searching for?

Again you need to think about your lure fishing, what kind of marks are you fishing, what are conditions like, what bait fish are in the water. This answers a lot of the previous questions, lets start with lure size, how big or small should your lures be. The answer for me is you need a range of sizes to suit certain situations, as for the big question well I once nailed a bass on a Waterford beach just shy of 10lb, she unfortunately died on the beach, when I gutted the fish she contained, six whole squid, two peelers, one edible and the tail section of a mackerel so these fish can eat and hit big baits.

So in duo I have everything for the 75cd right through to the 175 slim. But I choose where and when I fish these lures. I tend to use smaller lures early in the season the 90s is a favourite of mine, I love the action of this lure and it casts like a bullet, the 75 cd is very similar and also works well for sea trout. The new slim range are really worth looking at, the lure in the man picture in orange and gold is a 120slim which is one of my go to summer lures when there are quantities of sand eel in the water. If there is a good bit of lift or fizz on the water I use the surf range, the 120, 135 and 150. These are a heavier bulkier more stable lure that fish well when there is a good chop on, which we all know is prime bass time. Some of the really big lures like the 175 are an excellent imitation of Launce which is a late summer staple of the bass diet, I have had great success at the mouths of big estuary systems with these lures. Remember that it may be difficult to fish all this range on one rod, a rod that is good at lures in the 10-20 g range may not do so well with the really big lures and vice verse. The range I find most use full, usually fall in the 14g range, these lures need a medium action rod to work effectively some thing that has a bit of give, a big fast action rod can kill the action which in these lures can be quite subtle. I fished a 120slim on the bar270 and was not impressed but once I switched to the lighter rod I have not looked back with what I feel is an extremely useful lure.

As the season progresses and i fish different conditions and marks I will write reports on these lures and give some insight into method, technique and colour. A few pointers are early in the year and when it's calm think small, in choppy weather use a bulky more stable lure, in deep water try a sinking or diving lure and remember try to match the hatch.