Richard Dodd reports on Borough SAC’s last competition of 2025, fished on Killiney Beach…
The wind came in from the south westly, strong enough to ruffle jackets and send hats skittering, but the air was mild, 10°C in December felt like a gift. Killiney Beach stretched out before us, its sands hiding more than just lugworm.
Back in 1849, Mallet and his son buried kegs of gunpowder here to test how energy travelled through rock and sand. On this night, it seemed their ghosts were still at work, judging by the way Brian Cooke’s rigs vanished without trace.
Nine anglers gathered, though we missed Jim McDonnell, struck down by flu. Speedy recovery wished, Jim—we raised a rod in your honour. John Coyne returned after two years away, greeted like a prodigal son, ragworm in hand. Robbie Reynolds, fresh from a long rehab after major surgery, stood tall on the shingle—his single fish was worth a dozen in spirit.
The beach, however, was unforgiving. Weed tangled lines, rough ground chewed tackle, and the high pegs felt cursed. Brian Cooke, poor soul, lost every rig he cast in the first hour. By the final whistle, his tackle box looked like Mallet’s sand pits after detonation—empty, smoking, and full of despair.
Yet there were triumphs. John on Peg 1 hauled in eight fish, a triumphant return. Joe on Peg 3 matched him with six, steady as a metronome. Tom on Peg 4 landed a fine flounder of 28 cm, while Willie on Peg 5 wrestled the only conger of the night—a slippery 48 cm beast that looked ready to bite back. I myself managed three fish, modest but respectable, while Donal on Peg 7 drew the dreaded blank, earning the “cheque book and pen” award. Brian salvaged one fish from the wreckage of his tackle graveyard, and Martin quietly added another to the tally.
The species list read like a roll call of the usual suspects: whiting, rockling, dogfish, flounder, and that lone conger.
As the tide ebbed and the clock struck nine, we packed up rods and stories. No official results yet—John Duff, keeper of the scores, was himself laid low with flu. But the night’s tale was already written: camaraderie, resilience, and laughter in the face of weed and blank pegs.
And so ends Borough SAC’s final shore comp of 2025. We’ll return to Killiney in January, hoping for kinder seas and fewer tackle‑eating gremlins.
Join the club…
The Borough Sea Angling Club is made up of a group of active anglers. Usually we hire 2 or more charter boats for our 8 boat competitions. The 10 shore competitions have a hardcore group that fish mainly on the east coast. Usually there are 2 competitions around the Ardmore / Youghal area. Some members are also involved in pike, coarse and trout fishing. Usually there is at least one tour abroad each year to various destinations.
