Charter skipper John Brittain operating out from Cliden in Connemara reports that We are having great fishing from Cleggan for the last month or so but the weather is the enemy and despite the prolific shelter of Inishboffin Inshturk and Inshshark Isalnds we have had to cancel a couple of trips.
The weather finally settled down a bit over last weekend allowing Ray Mayock and his group to get out top the ground around Slyne Head for a days drifting last Saturday. The fish were in good form as well with just about everything except for Mackerel showing up in abundance. Plenty of Cod in the 5 to 10 lb. range unlimited Pollock for those who fished an artificial and some nice Ling taking what Mackerel we had.
On Sunday Mark McEwain had a group out from Galway for the day and in spite of the good fishing around Slyne Head the previous day we headed North to the grounds 5 to 10 miles west of Clare Island in calm seas. The Mayo fish were just as hungry as their Galway neighbours and we had big numbers of Cod and Pollock for most of the day with whiting wrasse scad pouting and some fine red gurnards adding to the species count.
Mackeral have been in short supply all year and there seems to be even less of them around now at a time when they are normally at their most abundant. I hope this is a cyclical thing and not the start of a stock collapse.
Blue Water
42′ Cygnus. Twin 250HP
Skipper: John Brittain
Base: Clifden/Cleggan Operational area: Aran Islands to Achill Head Packages of fishing and accommodation are available in the Skippers own guest house at www.sharamore.com Address: Streamstown, Clifden, Co. Galway.
Telephone: +353 95 21073 or +353 87 2779622 Fax: +353 95 21678
Email: [email protected] Website: www.seafishingireland.net
