where to catch bass in cork.

redmouse · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 11:40 am Post subject: where to catch bass in cork.

hi, can anyone point me to a good spot for bass in cork. im fairly central in the county so most beaches less than an hour from me.
cheers

fishbonkers · Member Joined: Sep 05, 2007 Posts: 14 Location: Suffolk

Hi redmouse

I don't think you'll have many responses here because if anybody broadcasts their bass marks on here, the commercial boys or the old boys with gillnets will fish them out within 24 hours. Believe me they will, and with bass being territorial it will take years for stocks to build up - if at all.

I don't know if you're aware but the bass is under threat from overfishing and the commercial boys are not stupid - they will keep an eye on this and other such websites - I would if I was a commercial fisherman !!

Now for some help for you. First of all have a look at an Irish sea fishing forum such as
http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bulletin%20board/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=51a81a7681be619a9de221a05187f7a1

Look back at the titles of threads going back a couple of years if you can and I bet you can glean some bits and pieces which hopefully will build up into a picture for you. Also register on that site and post your same question there - you might get a few private emails as a result.

Next thing to do is look at a few websites for Cork - go into google and put in Cork bass and see what websites come up. Probably more bits for the jigsaw.

Next get yourself an Ordinance Survey Map for the area and mark up the sandy areas and low-lying rock ledges. And then travel to each one and check 'em out at low tide for bassy features such as freshwater inlets, channels, rocky fingers, depesssions, rockpools,sandy banks etc. If there's anybody fishing when you're there go over and have a friendly chat about the place and its fishing. Don't expect people to give you bass marks straight away - for all they know you could be a commercial boy out for a walk getting information.

The other possibility, if you can afford it, is to have a day's fishing with a bass fishing guide, whereby you will learn a few marks and learn the ways of sussing out new areas for bass potential. I don't have any names for you, but ask in tackle shops.

I know this all sounds like cloak-and-dagger stuff, but I'm afraid that bass fishing is part-detective work and part-fishing. But that makes it all the more satisfying when your detective work pays off !!

(My apologies if you already know some of this, but I thought it best to draft this reply to help newcomers with the same question).

redmouse · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject:

cheers fishbonkers.
no help in a good mark but plenty of advise on how to find one. every bit of help is appreciated.
i was out with a friend the other day whos caught a few good sized bass in the last 2 years. we tried where he caught them(better not say where) but didnt even get a bite on either rod after 2 hours. it was just getting dark when we left but the weather took a turn for the worse so we packed up. might head back there again tomorrow evening if the weather is as good as it was today. if i do get one ill let ye know. i dont eat much fish so if i do get one itll go back to be caught again by some other fisherman.
cheers again,
redmouse.

baitdigger · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject:

Fishbonkers,
There is no legal commercial fishing for bass in Ireland so our stocks are not so much under threat from that.
However I am sure many of our bass are illegally netted here and landed on foreign shores in boxes of mixed fish.
I think that the problem with getting a good reply is the lack of Irish members on this site. Look back at the other threads and see if there is any replies from anybody in the area you are looking for advice from. I meet very few local anglers on my trips out, the few I meet tend to be English lads over for a fishing holiday or the Eastern Europeans who are decimating inshore stocks, taking everything they catch regardless of size or species( this is not a racist rant as I am a " non national" here myself) They tend to be easy to find, just follow the trail of empty cans , wine bottles and Aldi bags. Most of them spin or mackerel fish all the time, this is another reason you will not find many open replies to your question.
If you had asked for bass marks in Clare I could have helped you out by pm but as a whole we are very protective of our bass
Good luck with your quest.

redmouse · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject:

i have also noticed a large amount of eastern europeans out fishing but i cant really complain as a hungarian guy in work got me into fishing and usually if im out, its with him. we were out about 3 weeks ago just lookin for mackerel and 2 Polish guys were only 10-15feet away from us. they must have bagged at least 10 pollack not much bigger than gold fish so i know where your comming from bait digger. when we asked them why they were keeping such small fish they said it didnt matter how small they were cos they were making fish pies with them so if they were small they'd just use more fish in the pies. pretty sickening really.
theres a guy i met a few times (also eastern european) who throws back most of what he catches. he says he likes pollack and if their a decent size he takes them. if he gets a mackerel he offers it to the others about, if nobody wants it, he throws it back.
i know the Polish have a bad name in Ireland when it comes to fishing and hunting but their not all bad. a lot of them are tho....

baitdigger · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject:

Redmouse,
You are right, there is good and bad in all people. I am quite happy for anybody to take as many mackerel as they need, but those small pollack you mentioned will never grow and reproduce, and nobody wll have the chance of catching one if it where ever to reach 10lb. There are minimum landing sizes for sea fish and this applies to all anglers.
I know in the UK there has been a debate on sea licences, and although I would be against the introduction in principle, I wonder if the revenue could be used to police our shores and inforce regulations before it is too late.

redmouse · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:45 pm Post subject:

dunno wether id be for or against having a sea licence. i cant imagine it would be that expensive to get one so even if people were for it, i dont know if it would stop undersized fish being taken or even help bring up stocks. here in cork alone there must be a few 100 miles of coastline thats accesable for fishing. with the amount of people needed to enforce that amount of coast and the economy the way it is i dont think itd be very viable. there are a few places in cork that are watched by bailiffs. i know of one place in west cork where cars have been searched looking for bass so they are trying. im actually going to that spot tomorrow night to try and get my elusive first bass so i might see them there. ill keep ya posted.

baitdigger · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:00 pm Post subject:

Redmouse
What are you using for bait to entice these bass, I like to use big lugworm baits, my mate likes to use sandeel but two fairly large bass have just been taken on my local beach with squid.

redmouse · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:23 am Post subject:

we went out last night and were using different baits. we had ragworm, peeler crab and small sand eels which are all meant to be in abundance where we were fishing. when nothing was working we tried a bit of mackerel just to try and get any kind of a bite. in the end we ended up with not a lot. we had 1 tiny fish that my friend reckoned was a tiny ling. he reckoned he looked like a small rock ling but had only 1 beard. it was only about 7 or 8 inches long. we also had a small pouting which we didnt even know we had on the hook till we landed the trace.
no bass im afraid, maybe ill have better luck the next time.

baitdigger · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject:

redmouse
Ive done a bit of scouting for you; try these In the west, Rinn Beag or Serragh rock
Courtmacsherry- Timoleague or Burrenpeir
In the east Barley cove
Clonakilty harbour, Bar rock and Warren strand
Most bass marks fish best if there is a bit of a wave,the movement makes the fish hunt what ever has been dislodged.
If that isnt enough marks to be getting on with try this http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/ and look at shore marks for Cork
Dont give up perseverance is the key to sucess

redmouse · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:45 pm Post subject:

your a star baitdigger.
it was rosscarbery we were at last night. we were gonna go to the warren strand but theres a smaller beach right next to it with an estuary separating the 2(only 50yards away). theres a pier right next to the smaller beach so we parked the car up on that and casted towards the beach. it was very comfy but not very successful im afraid.
we had a bit of craic and enjoyed ourselves on a lovely night so it wasnt all bad.
i was on the sea-angling.org site and saw them other spots so gonna head somewhere else the next night, not sure which one yet tho,
cheers again.

george · Joined: Sep 30, 2008 Posts: 2

Hi Redmouse,

Been trying for Bass in West Cork myself and no joy either so maybe they just aren't around in numbers.....

robc22 · Member Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 50 Location: the beach

Multiple choice quiz ??????

A. The queen is an alien
B. Commercial fishermen lurk in cyberspace hoping to learn your secret fishing marks
C. Ireland's going to win the next world cup
D. None of the above

The correct answer would be D. winking

redmouse · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject:

Multiple choice quiz ??????

A. The queen is an alien
B. Commercial fishermen lurk in cyberspace hoping to learn your secret fishing marks
C. Ireland's going to win the next world cup
D. None of the above

The correct answer would be D.

personaly, id contest A. and B. and who knows about C.

baitdigger · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:58 pm Post subject:

You lads still looking in the wrong places?