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Luke Aston 'Clare Dragoon' Angling Column
2008
Steady run of Ray in the shelter of the
Shannon Estuary for Dutch group
Report dated July 23rd ...
Fishing this week was at a much gentler pace for me! I had a group
of fisherman from Holland over for a 3 day trip midweek and they
like to fish in quite calm conditions and with the weather the way
it is, this means staying in the estuary.
We fished for a day on some Ray marks and this resulted in a steady
run of Ray to about 6lbs and plenty of doggies. A Tope session of
about 2 hours produced 1 fish to the boat with a couple more missed.
Some fishing on the drift south of Horse Island did produce quite a
species count with Cuckoo and Ballan Wrasse, Whiting, Gurnard,
Pouting and small Pollock. Fishing at anchor here turned up lots of
doggies, a few Congers and a few small Bull huss.
The gang from S.A.I. were back again to try there luck at the
weekend. After what was a peach of a Tope trip last year hopes were
high, but the weather was not as obliging this time round and we
only had a 2 hour session on the last of the flood tide. This
resulted in 3 fish on but only 1 in the boat. They know the reason
why, I’ll say nothing!! Earlier in the day we had anchored on a Huss
mark and had 4 fish in double figures. The next day was my first
full Shark drift of the summer. It is still early for that here but
with 2 Sharks a week earlier while fishing whitefish it was worth a
try. The day did produce one Shark in the boat and hopefully this
fishing will be picking up from now on.
Specimen weight Tope recorded on the Clare
Dragoon this week
Report dated July 16th ...
I did not have any fishing trips for the early part of last week and
did some day charters over the last days of the week. The fishing is
very steady with lots of fish to be caught. One thing of notice is
the increase in the number of small Pollock to be caught in the
estuary. There are not many of size, with the biggest of about 4lbs,
but there are a lot of fish to 1lb on any patch of rocky bottom.
Further off and with a little searching we have had some very good
fishing, with lots of Pollock to 10lbs around. A lot of these fish
are mid water. For the fisherman who makes an effort to avoid the
Pollock there are also a lot of fine whiting and some catches of Cod
and Ling. We also had quite a few Cuckoo Wrasse to 1lb.
I only had one session at the Tope fishing but this produced 3 fish
with one male weighing in at a specimen weight of 42lbs. This fish
was tagged and released with much credit to the fisherman. It would
be nice to be able to acknowledge a fish of this size without having
to have it weighed on the shore.
Shark season commences in Clare
Report dated July 8th ...
I am glad to report that I still get a great thrill out of my job!!
Last Wednesday, after 10 days with weather that had all my fishing
confined to the estuary, the weather lifted enough for me to get out
into the open sea again. The forecast was still giving a windy
morning, with the winds slacking off as the day went on. However it
seamed to me, when I opened the curtains that the winds had already
slackened and I decided to have a look beyond Loop head.
There was still a sea running but getting out past the Loop last
Wednesday was like entering a new world! The sun was out, the
horizon was a long way off and there were sea birds every where, it
just felt great. I have got so used to being at sea here that I take
it for granted, but that morning reminded me what it must be like to
come from a city in Europe and go fishing here.
Anyway back to the fishing. Early last week we were still confined
to the estuary and with a new group in for 6 days fishing, we got
some fun out of fishing at anchor. The Tope fishing at Beal was
still not as I would expect but then it was still quite rough
there. Ray and dogs were the main stay in shelter of the south shore
and we did pick up a few Tope up to 34lbs. Mackerel where in very
short supply and the only place we got any amount of them was south
of Carrigaholt, off Ballybunnion.
Wednesday as I said we got back to sea proper and the place was
alive with Mackerel. The bait box was full in about 10 minuets then
I headed to the reefs about 6 miles off. The rest of that day was
just great fun! Every drop was bringing fish to the boat and with
most of the crew using long light rods with pirks and shads great
sport was had.
The next day I dropped the anchor in about 60 meters of water a few
miles north of Loop head where I was hoping to turn up a few Congers
and maybe a Skate. Fishing was steady with a few small Congers and
some big Pollock taking the baits. Then as one of the fisherman was
pulling in a fish the rod bent double and then went slack. He then
pulled in the remains of a Pollock and in the water below I saw the
shadow of a Shark. Needless to say I had a Shark trace out in a
flash. I was still dropping the bait down and measuring out to
distance to the balloon with my arms when , with the line still in
my hand I felt a bump and then a pull. I told the fisherman who was
holding the rod to watch out and then off went the fish on a
screamer of a run. 15 minuets later we had a nice 65lb Blue Shark in
the boat.
On Sunday we were drifting for Pollock when the fish were again
attacked by a Shark. This time he got a hook from a trace stuck in
his nose. We got him to the surface but the first roll got the line
in his mouth and off he went. So the Sharks are about and as soon as
I get a group that want to do a days Sharking I will give it a
proper go.
Star of the trip for UK anglers were the
Tope in an otherwise mixed week
Report dated July 2nd ...
the forecast was right and as I feared when I wrote my report
last week the weather has indeed been grim. I only got 1 days
fishing out of the last 7 outside the estuary. Even that was under a
cloud (so to speak!) as the forecast was giving the winds freshen
and I did not want to get too far from shelter.
I had a group in from England for 4 days and they were lucky to get
the one day out on the reefs. Fishing was fine with a good mix
coming to the boat. The rest of their trip was saved by the fact
that we have sheltered water somewhere in all winds and the star of
their trip were the Tope. On 2 days we had good fishing at slack
water with 11 Tope in all, though not all were landed. Indeed the
fishing might have been better but we were late to a Tope mark
because of the difficulty in getting fresh Mackerel. Although
showing signs of moving up river last week, Mackerel have proved
hard to get in any numbers in sheltered water this week. We also
kept the ball rolling with a few Ray and Dogfish, so that trip was
okay but not what it should be at this time of the year.
On Friday I had a charter out with part of a group that had been out
shore fishing in the area all week. They arrived on board complete
with some Mackerel caught early that morning from the cliffs near
Kilkee. Armed with this bait I headed, after a short stop to try and
top up the Mackerel, to a tope mark that had fished well the day
before. However the wind was blowing more from the west and it was
quite rough. I did manage to hold with the help of 2 anchors but the
boat was moving a lot and unfortunately no Tope obliged. Later in
the day I tried east of Scattery island but fishing was still slow.
At this stage (Monday) it looks as if the weather, or at least the
winds, might die down from midweek and I think both my sanity and
the fishing needs it!!
100lb Skate boated on the Clare Dragoon in
what was otherwise a difficult mixed week weather-wise with gales
blowing over the weekend
Report dated June 23rd ...
During last week I had 2 groups in for 2 days fishing each and each
group got 1 good day for a good drift on the ground west of the
head. Nice mixed fishing was had with a steady landing of Pollack
mixed with a good range of other whitefish. Indeed there were some
wonderful Whiting about with many over 2lbs and one specimen of 3lbs
6oz. Both groups also had to spend 1 day in the shelter of the land
as the winds freshened. The first group had to stay out of a fresh
south west wind and had some nice Thornback Ray and a Tope of about
35lbs to the boat. Although in fairness this was not landed due to
quite a tangle!! The second group had north west wind to contend
with and I was able to anchor on a mark on the south side of Loop
Head, just east of Horse island. This mark can produce some good
Conger and Bull huss and indeed it was living up to this when we got
hooked into what at first seemed like the bottom but then made a
“unbottom like” move! A good half an hour later we had a fine Skate
in the boat, measuring 199cm by 151cm and around 100lbs. This is not
the first Skate that I have hooked on this mark but it is the first
we got into the boat from it. The conger trace had just hooked it in
the corner of the mouth and the hook itself was all the beast could
chew!!
As I write this we seem to facing into a rather grim week weather
wise. And unseasonable weather has been hampering us for the last
few days.
Fishing conditions yesterday (Sunday) were just as bad as it gets
with gale to strong gale north west to west winds. I spent the day
with a group that were down for a weekend and could not get them
into any constant fishing in sheltered water. At least the rain
stayed away and it was quite pleasant if you could stay out of the
wind! Saturday it lashed rain in a strong south east wind but we
could get fishing in shelter to the north of Loop head. Indeed there
was a good showing of fish, but it was hard to stay interested in
the wet.
Another busy week on the Clare Dragoon
with Tope showing at every try
Report dated June 17th ...
It was another busy week on the Clare Dragoon. A
group in for 3 days fishing had 23 species of fish for their trip.
Among that collection was a specimen John Dory of 4lbs 1oz. This was
caught on a baited devil rig in about 60 meters of water.
The Tope fishing took off for me this week with
fish showing at every try. This was probably helped by the fact that
the tide run was not as strong as the previous week. The best fish
in the boat so far has been just over 30lbs and in a change from
last year where almost all my Tope were male, the fish this year
have been split about 50/50 between the sexes.
Mackerel have been moving up the estuary east of
Loop head and this week there are some signs of some big Pollock
feeding under them. There is also a good sign of small Saith close
in to the land.
A good week on the Clare Dragoon with
lively Sea fishing in pleasant summer weather
Report dated June 11th ...
I started the week with the arrival of three fisherman for a weeks
fishing and some glorious weather! The wind had gone round to the
west at long last and our first day out was for some long drifts on
the reefs west of Loop head. The fishing was great and a good
mixture of fish were coming to the boat. The next day was more of
the same. For the middle days of the week the wind freshened and we
stayed inside Loop head to fish in some comfort. Bottom fishing at
anchor just east of the head produced some nice Conger to about
12lbs and some Bull huss. Spinning and jigging was also turning up
some small Pollack. Another try at the Tope still failed to produce
a fish in the boat but the tide was very strong over the while we
tried. Slack water only lasted for about 15 minutes and was then
running at about 4 to 5 knots, not ideal!
The winds dropped again towards the end of the week and another fine
day was had on the drift. Saturday was a day charter and after a
fruitful morning west of the head, we again decided to try the turn
of the tide for the Tope. This short session did at last produce a
fish in the boat, tipping the scales at around 20lbs, but at last a
fish! Sunday’s group wanted to spend the full day on the reefs and
we again had a fruitful day. One of the bonuses was quite a few Ling
to 12lb pounds were landed.
In general the fishing is very good at the moment, although I am
travelling up to 10 miles off the land to get into really good
catches of white fish. The fishing closer to the land is still
relatively quite, with fishing inside 4 miles quite poor. Mackerel
are very plentiful around Loop head and to be had in spots all over
from the headland out. However they are still scarce in the estuary.
Open Sea Fishing improves as gentler winds
swing to the south west
Report dated June 4th ...
Well June has arrived and with it some glorious weather. I had day
charters booked for 2 days last week and then a group arrived on
Sunday for a weeks fishing.
The day charter on Friday went well with some nice drifts west of
the Loop. The fishing was slow but steady with the wind still in the
north east. Still a good range of fish were showing up with about 60
kg’s caught for a 2 and a half hour drift. We decided to fish for
the last while at anchor and I came in east of horse island and we
turned up a couple of Congers and a few Bull huss.
Saturday was also a lovely day weather wise but I could not get any
steady fishing on the reefs. I tried a lot of marks and with fish
showing on the sounder we could just not catch a fish! I think 4
hours fishing produced about 12 worthwhile fish and a box and a half
of Mackerel (caught in the first half an hour). The weather at this
stage was a light easterly wind but very thundery and hot. With some
reports of Tope showing I decided to try my luck with my first shot
at a Tope this year. No decent run was had and no Tope to the boat.
Sunday saw my group in for their first day so I decided to try
fishing some different ground. First I had a crack for a Wrasse at
the north of the Loop and caught 1 very nice Ballan of about 4lbs,
then I moved to some mixed ground about 3 miles north west of the
Loop. This produced some very nice Whiting and a couple of Haddock.
I then decided to have another go at the north side of the reefs.
The fishing was like the day before with just a few fish.
Today I headed out to a beautiful day with (at long last) the wind
now a gentle breeze from the south west! If ever people doubt the
saying about poor fishing in easterly winds, they should have been
fishing with me over the last few days. It was like a different
world! I could do nothing wrong. Fish were taking hooks like they
were going out of fashion!!
Easterly winds has slowed fishing over the
past two weeks
Report dated May 27th ...
has been very slow over the last 2 weeks. We have had
easterly wind for almost a month now and it is taking it’s toll. On
the days last weekend when the winds were up to gale force it was a
case of Mackerel bashing and a little scratching at anchor! This is
producing some Conger and Bullhuss at times and with patience. If
the wind is lighter and we can get off the land then drifting is
producing light but steady fishing of about a box of mixed fish.
There is plenty of fish showing on the sounder and you can feel them
plucking at the bait especially when fishing with shads. I have not
targeted any Tope yet but should be trying that over the next week.
I think the westerlies promised by the end of this week will change
the fishing around again. Anyway always remember it is called
fishing, not catching!!
Sea temperature increasing as pleasant
summer weather arrives
Report dated May 13th ...
Well summer is starting to come in and the breeze is starting to
have a warm feel to it. The water is starting to warm as well with
the sea temperature reaching 13’.
I was out on Saturday and had a great day. The sea was flat and the
fish were cooperating and we spent the whole day on one long drift
on the reefs west of Loop head! Pollock made up the bulk of the
catch with fish to 10lbs and a lot in the 8 to 9 lb bracket. The
drift also produced Cod, Ling, Saith, Gurnard, Pouting, Whiting and
Haddock.
The next day on the same ground in a light easterly, the fishing was
a lot harder and the Pollock would not cooperate. But while we had
to work harder to catch fish, one nice surprise was the number of
Codling in the 4 to 6lb range.
Monday I went north of the Loop and with visibility sometimes down
to zero and the sea flat, again had to work, hard for fish, but 4
fisherman had 4 boxes of fish for the day and almost the first fish
landed was a Cod of 15lbs!
Today, Tuesday, I was working a trip to try for a Turbot or Skate.
Although sadly neither of these species obliged! It was a beautiful
day on the sea and a scratcher rig at anchor produced some fine Gray
gurnard.
Steady mixed fishing north of the Loop
Report dated May 7th ...
It’s starting to get a busier now and I was out 5 days this last
week. After a bit of a blow on Saturday it also looks as if the
weather is settling down and the last few day have been lovely.
The Mackerel have turned up again and are now fairly reliable. As
for the general fishing I have been working the ground to the north
of Loop head as these big tides are not as strong up there. All my
trips this week were single day charters so I was fishing on the
drift for Whitefish every day. The fishing was steady with the catch
made up of Pollack, with a mix of Saith, Ling, Cod, Whiting and
Haddock as well. Early in the week we had some good catches on
shads, but the catch rate using this method fell off as the tides
built and perks were working better.
First Specimen Wrasse of the season is
boated on the Clare Dragoon
Report dated April 29th...
My only days fishing over this last week, was again Saturday and
Sunday.
I did have a group of Germans turn up to my house on Tuesday looking
to fish on the Wednesday but I was committed to going to Dublin
where a group of us were hoping to finalize the setting up of a
Irish Charter Skippers Association. This we did with the help of the
Central Fisheries Board. I hope and believe this can be a very
useful organisation for the promotion and improvement of the Charter
fishing fleet in this country.
But enough of that and back to the fishing! The weather last week
had still not settled and on Friday there was a big swell running.
By Saturday morning the wind had settled but it was still quite
bumpy off the Loop! To add to this the Mackerel that were in
plentiful supply the previous week, were not to be found. An hour of
trying did not produce a single fish and all we had to show in our
bait box was a couple of herring. Anyway we decided to head off and
try our luck. The sea was a lot nicer off the land and we settled
down to fishing with a selection of rigs, some of which were tipped
with some frozen squid I had brought along. Fishing was steady but
never reached the level of the previous week. I put this down in
part to the lack of fresh bait. We did have some nice codling of
about 4 to 5lbs on some perks tipped with herring.
The next day (Sunday) I had a group out who were looking to get as
close as possible to specimen size for a “big fish” competition they
were running. We again started off looking for some fresh Mackerel
and with much trying were lucky to run across one shoal that
produced about 30 fish. Armed with these and a fine array of other
baits we stopped to try for some Wrasse. Fishing for this species
was brisk with some fine fish and even a specimen Ballan Wrasse of
2.41kg (5.3lbs) was boated. From this I moved to some whiting ground
which produced fish to around 2lbs. After this good start I moved
down onto the Reefs that were fishing so well over the previous
weeks, but even with our supply of fresh bait, the fishing was never
busy and catching was hard work.
So all in all the fishing was a lot quieter over the last few days
but we did have the bonus of our first Specimen of the year. And I
am sure the fishing will pick up as the weather improves.
Good fishing despite a cold start to the
season for the Clare Dragoon
Report dated April 21st...
Back fishing again after what has been a long winter! I started back
a little later than last year as I was away with my family over the
Easter break. The weather still has not settled down yet and we have
had a lot of cold easterly winds which I would not consider the best
fishing conditions. My trips have all been at the weekends so far
and I was out for the last two.
The first day back was quite rough but we did get a little drift
west of Loop head. The Mackerel were around so that was a good start
and on a short drift a bit further off we caught a few bigger fish.
After a short while we came back into the estuary and anchored up.
This session produced some fine Bull Huss and a nice conger. The
next day (Sunday) was a lot calmer and we got well out on to the
reefs about 5 or 6 miles off. The fishing here was as good if not
better than at any time last year which was a very pleasant
surprise. Drifts were producing constant fishing with Pollock and
Colie making up most of the catch, but there was a nice mixture of
other fish about as well.
The last day I was out was the Sunday just past and the fishing has
continued to show very well. Good shoals of Mackerel could be found
and mixed through them were some very nice Herring. Further off the
fishing was constant and we finished off with a nice cod of about
10lbs.
