After the fun I had on Monday evening I decided to try and get back out there for another go. I figured that high water might be a better option on this mark and there was only one way to find out.
The van was loaded up and once again pointed in the direction of Connemara. I passed through a few small towns on the coast road from Galway and parked up beside the launch point, a small harbour that was busy with tourists and locals, most of them curious about my set up and intentions. I explained some of the finer points of my equipment and then excused myself by telling them I had fish to catch!
I left the harbour to the crowd of spectators and found the water conditions almost identical to those encountered on Monday, the difference being the extra few metres of water that high tide had created. While the water was not at its highest point, it wasn’t far from it. Tactics were almost the same as the previous trips with just the size of the bait slightly scaled down. I had felt lots of nips on the larger baits on Monday that never developed into rod benders so maybe a little more finesse would be the key to hitting larger fish.
A short paddle from the harbour found me sitting over six metres of water and I figured with the rough ground that this would be as good a place as any to start. For such a calm day and with it being so close to slack water I was surprised with the speed of the drift. The drogue had been left on the shore so I would just have to make do with what I had. I started to hit fish from the beginning, with them all being more or less the same size as the fish I had been hitting on Monday. All pollack, no monsters but still great fun.
As I drifted the area it became evident through the echo sounder that there were a few deep gullies and I felt that these certainly warranted further attention. I positioned the kayak above one of them and cast the imitation sandeel in such a way as to allow me work it along some of the length of one of these gullies. Within three turns of the handle the rod buckled over and I was into what certainly felt like a better fish. When pollack fishing I like to have the clutch on the reel set pretty tightly and this fish was the first to gain some line from me.
After a brief tug of war the fish was on its side by the kayak. I lifted it in, removed the hook, took a quick photo and let it back to where it came from. I fished on for another half an hour or so but that final, larger fish was the last one I saw. Catching it coincided with the change in the tide and at this stage the ebb had taken about a metre of water with it. Perhaps this is a mark for a rising tide? Only time will tell.
No wrasse turned up on the day but a very enjoyable session was had all the same. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I might have to try and get out after some trout!
