Gary Robinson of Kayak Fisherman Ireland sums up the Summer and takes to the wilds. Read ahead and see how he got on:
With just a few days left before returning to college the wind decided to finally die for a couple of days which gave a rare opportunity to launch on glassy seas.
With the weather forecast not being dependable enough to risk a run home for a go at the tope we decided to fish in Connemara instead. Simple fishing, using lures. We launched from a small harbour and paddled out over deeper water where we started to hit fish from the off. Pollock, ballan wrasse, mackerel and scad all fell to our hooks easily enough with Rory taking the best fish of the session with a fine pollock.
Fiiish Minnows did the business on the first day and it really was a pleasure to be out on such calm water, a huge departure from what we have been experiencing since the end of Spring this year. Let’s hope El Nino stays away for a while after this summer. A very pleasant evening was had with a range of fish and sizes being taken from nice single fish to tiddlers. The video below shows a tiddler being returned.
We called it a day and returned to shore as the light started to fade.
For the second session I headed out further west into Connemara. The weather was still exactly the same as I dragged the kayak across the beach to the launch point. The sea looked inviting and the dolmen, an ancient burial site, that overlooks the bay creates an air of mystery and intrigue about the area. Parts of Connemara are most definitely well off the beaten track and it is these type of areas that I particularly like fishing. There is a silence, solitude and tranquility to them that you just cannot find on the more popular spots. I like unspoilt areas and if fishing them requires a bit more work in terms of driving further and dragging the kayak over rough terrain the so be it.
Launching onto the perfectly still sea was followed by a paddle towards a particular mark where I started casting and fishing lures, ever so slowly. Once again, soft plastic lures were the weapon of choice and for the afternoon I switched between Fiiish Minnows and Koneels from Sakura. I knew it was going to be a fun session from the start when the first five casts resulted in fish. I like promising starts!
Happy enough with my start, I fished on and managed quite a few fish indeed but the jewel in the crown was a fantastic pollock that took the lure in very gently but once it realised it was hooked its demeanor very much changed. It dived for the weed, it made it to the weed and only a stubborn tug of war freed it. Beaten and finally on the surface, I was looking at my biggest pollock of the year. Not a bad way to cap the ‘summer’.
I fished on and caught more fish but none were to the size of the ‘big one’. Temperatures are starting to creep back, daylight hours are lessening; it’ll soon be pike time!
Gary Robinson
kayakfishermanireland.com
Kayak angling in Ireland
Gary discovered the thrill, freedom and pure joy of kayak fishing almost by accident. After purchasing kayaks with the intention of paddling trips with his long-suffering partner, he started to assess the suitability of such a craft as a fishing platform. Some internet searches showed him that he was not alone in his thoughts. America and Australia already had blossoming populations of kayak anglers. Needing no more encouragement, he set about rigging his first sit on top kayak and transforming it into a fishing platform to gain access to some of the more inaccessible waters. Now into his fifth year of kayak fishing he shows no sign of slowing down.
Find out more about Gary and his adventures at www.kayakfishermanireland.com
