Blogger and kayaker Gary Robinson threw the books away and abandoned the stuffy lecture halls for the salty air. He tells us:
With all exams officially finished it was time to get back to doing what I love doing. The Galway weather was glorious this evening and it made for a glassy sea on the bay.
I wanted to get out and was hoping with the summer weather that there might be mackerel in the bay. Hardly a challenging species but one that I am anxious to come into contact with sooner rather than later. Over the winter I had a mishap when the bait freezer was unplugged and the culprit forgot to plug it back in. Words cannot describe the smell and the result for me has been no bait for some time so it was lures only as I launched the kayak from a small harbour in Connemara.
Scorchio!!!With the temperature gauge in the car showing a balmy 22°C and the water getting up for 15°C the day felt wonderfully ‘summery’ and as I was getting set up I decided to use the dry pants but omit the top. I figured if the kids swimming and jumping off the pier into the water were suffering no more than pruning fingers then I would probably be fine; amazingly enough I made it back to dry land without hypothermia!
In the meantime, I fished lures and I fished feathers, hoping to manage some baitfish for the freezer. Where I fished there were no signs of mackerel but I have heard that they are just a bit further out; not long now! I did manage to have a bit of craic with a few small pollock and a feisty little ballan wrasse but nothing of any size managed to find my lures today. Better luck next time – a three day assault on the east coast for smoothhounds starting Monday. I will certainly be using bait on that trip!!!
Things are looking good; college as a mature student is over (for now), interviews next week could herald the start of a new era and for the next few weeks the fish are going to get bigger and more plentiful….
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
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