2018 season ends and apart from it being a reasonable season for fish, the weather was superb until start August when it really went downhill. Mackeral continue to be fairly scarce, although my feeling now after 5 years of stocks getting less & less, is that it is as simple as that – there are no longer as many Mackeral in the ocean as there used to be. As such, they are available & catches are slow and not numerous.

Weather has turned very poor from end August – however, the sand in Mulroy Bay fishing OK.

Mackeral – for the sixth year – are proving difficult to catch with any consistency

Weather has been extremely settled this past number of weeks.

Wrecks fishing better for Ling than Pollack or Coalfish.

Limeburner is producing the usual suspects in reasonable numbers

Tory fishing OK.

All in all, not too bad.

Megrim from Limeburner

Good numbers of Whiting

2018 has started with usual results expected – a few Mackeral – this is the 6th year of scarce mackeral, with anglers having to put in too much time to catch enough for a day’s fishing.
Limeburner – off to a good start – plenty of Haddock, Whiting, Gurnards etc. & for the third year now Octopus being caught on the lures – back after a 10? year absence.

Wrecks – too early to say but not millions of Coalfish.

Tory – Pollack OK. Sand – north side being overtrawled – south side coalies!

Poor Conger fishing on one day on the Laurentic

Let’s see.

2 John Dorys last year and now another 2 this year. Becoming a habit!!!

Limeburner is fishing good.

All other fishing is really very inconsistent with the most noticeable and most frustrating being the lack of Mackeral. Some days can hardly catch even ONE SINGLE MACKERAL.

After around a 10 year break, the Rosguill had 2 John Dorys in 2017. Well, another off Tory Island in 2018 – beautiful fish.

Caught a great 14 pound Bull Huss – second ever on board the Rosguill.

Great fish.

Back fishing after a while with divers.

Limeburner still OK – not just as great as earlier in the season.
Tory Ok, but again, neap tides may be preventing the fish from feeding hard.
Tope – just a few – same as earlier in the season – 3 years now since Tope were there in big numbers.
Mackeral – Damn Mackeral – caught ONE single Mackeral at Tory – next day, good enough numbers at the Limeburner.

Generally, fishing is reasonably good. I get the feeling that it is not just as good as last year which was the best year for a very long time.
Caught a few nice flatfish, but they also have been more difficult of late.
Divers for a while, so next report in August.

Season continues apace: –

Mackeral still a bit patchy – I remain hopeful that they will be plentiful soon.

Conger – caught a 32LB Conger which is a great size for around here

Limeburner – fishing great for Whiting, Haddock etc – in fact Whiting are close to becoming the “New Coalfish”.

Tope – scarce

Common Skate – the new Common Skate mark produces again in 2017

Tory – good for Pollack & Flatfish

Bays – Thornbacks OK – another day or so before finding out about other fish

Octopus – made a return in 2016 and still here!

Sandeels – 2016 and there were millions around on the sand – seems to be a good few this year also.

Mackeral – patchy, but end May is OK – let’s hope they are back after around 5 years now of “messing around”.

Limeburner – off to a flying start with loads of Whiting & Haddock.

Tory – Good so far for reef Pollack and Flatfish on the sand.

Tope – don’t be fooled by the attached photos – struggled a whole day to catch just 4 Tope.

Wrecks – usual for May/June – loads of Coalfish – Yuk!!!

2016 season started with super fishing – as good as ever I remember it over this past 30 years. And it stayed that way right through middle August, when after a few weeks with divers into September, the fishing had turned not so great. However, by end September and into October the fishing was reasonable.

Of note was the exceptional fishing on the Limeburner grounds for mixed species. Tory fished good for both Pollack and the sand.

Notable poor fishing was Tope, which were hard to come by at Malin Head in mid season.

Blue Sharks were OK in 2016.

Porbeagle Sharks have been effectively absent on the Blue Shark grounds during the July – October period since the Bluefin Tuna returned in 2012 and it is my belief that these occurrences are correlated.

Conger could have been better.

Wrecks a bit inconsistent and of note is the gradual transformation of HMS Audacious into a Ling wreck as the wreck continues to collapse.

Mackeral which have been very difficult since the “Mother of Red Tides” in 2012 remained scarce.

Common Skate – It is starting to look like I shall have to stop calling them Uncommon Skate.

Bluefin Tuna, for the 4th year, have been extremely plentiful with early sightings in first week of August and assume they will remain into December as previous years. Anyone wishing to avail of my emailed reports on BFT (Tuna Enews) – just email me for inclusion on the report elist.

Rosguill ended up with 34 different species for the year – down a little, but since I now have quite a proportion of days diving, that accounts for the deficit.

I look forward to 2017 with curiosity & interest.

After a few weeks with divers and back to fishing – quality appears to have taken somewhat of a turn for the worse.

Not many Mackeral as has been the case all season – actually this past 4 seasons.

Limeburner just OK.

Few Blue Sharks and a few Tope.

Tory poor on the single day I was there.

May be just a bad week – I’ll know better by end September.

August and fishing has been buoyant – apart from the Mackeral.

And who is the old guy who keeps catching trebles????

Having waited something like 12 years for another John Dory I get 2 within a week – reminds me of the one about waiting for a bus.

12 years and then 2 in a week

No Tubercules on this fish which had “non-slidey” skin??????????

Fishing remains very good.

Limeburner fishing well.

Reefs fishing well.

Tory fishing well.

Mackeral a little patchy.

Sand fishing well.

Water temperature now 15 degrees or more

Not on its own – few reasonable sized Turbot around