Gary Robinson of Kayak Fisherman Ireland is a romantic at heart…..well at least on Saturday anyway. Sunday was a different matter and fishing was calling…he reports:
Saturday was a beautiful day but to avoid a Valentine’s Day massacre I stalled the fishing plans for the weekend until Sunday. Saturday would have been a lot drier.
Rain greeted me when I awoke, accompanied by a strong wind. I had planned to go to the upper reaches of the Shannon but I didn’t fancy driving for an hour to find the venue blown out so I settled closer to home on a series of small but sheltered waters. I started about setting up the Ride 115X when I was approached by a lady walking her dog. It was pouring with rain and she mused that I must have been out of my mind to be going out in the weather, completely missing the fact that she was already out in it!
I launched the kayak and picked my way through the small ponds and connecting channels. The water temperature was just over six degrees and this means that pike spawning will soon begin. With this in mind I decided that I would fish closer to the margins rather than targeting the deeper water. I was using shallower diving lures and working the top three metres of the water.
After covering one smaller, shallow pond that I thought would produce I turned my attentions to the next pond on the system. Casting a small Sakura Golem Crank lure towards the reeds I twitched it back letting it dive for a few feet at a time. Fishing over four metres of water the rod arched over during the retrieve, immediately proving that it was a good fish by taking a determined run against the clutch.
I got her to the surface and realised that the hook hold seemed to be a good one and relaxed a little with the playing of the fish. With the pike beaten I lifted her from the water and set about removing the hooks, easily done with the Cox & Rawle Inline Replacement Singles. A quick photo and she went back into the water. She needed about fifteen seconds of support by the side of the kayak before disappearing with a powerful flick of her tail. A lovely double and a nice fish to break a recent run of fishless outings.
I fished on a while longer but by this stage the weather was becoming intolerable. It’s not all sunshine in Ireland! It had been pouring with rain for the whole afternoon. After investigating a further two ponds on the complex with nothing to show for it I decided to pick my way home through the labyrinth. It would be nice to get out during the week again.
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
DISCLAIMER NOTE: Inland Fisheries Ireland do not support any brand over another.
