Articles

A New Challenge part 3 Bangor Pier
Terry’s Travels   The continued hunt for a specimen Shore Rockling!           As with all Irish fish species, once I put my mind to the task ahead, I usually pursue it to the end, bitter or sweet! Shore Rockling are considered a mini-species, with a specimen, i.e. a "fish of a lifetime" currently set at thirty centimetres. Although this seems tiny by specimen standards, a thirty centimetre Shore Rockling is no easy task it seems!      ...

View Article Details

A New Challenge, Part 2, Portaferry
Terry’s Travels A New Challenge, Part 2, Portaferry Following on from my previous blog, I seem to have a mini-species bug! This time, I will be trying my luck on some local venues, chasing this elusive thirty centimetre Shore Rockling!         Portaferry, a small coastal village situated at the south end of Strangford Lough, County Down, is a local venue I know extremely well. It is one of those strange venues you fish from time to time, an area of outstanding na...

View Article Details

A New Challenge, Part 1, Portbradden
Terry’s Travels A New specimen Challenge Part 1, Portbradden   Over the years, the Irish Specimen Fish Committee have added new targetable species to the list as particular Irish species become increasingly popular.       Recently, mini-species such as Gudgeon, Scorpion Fish, Corkwing Wrasse and Shore Rockling have come under the specimen hunter's spotlight. Although small in stature, the challenge of finding a sizeable specimen can be great fun. New metho...

View Article Details

A new year, let's see what's about
Terry’s Travels A new year, let's see what's about It seems like an eternity since I've had the Fast fisher out off the coast. In fairness, it hasn't been a long winter thus far, being mild right up until Christmas, but windows of opportunity have been rare enough due mostly to strong inshore breezes plaguing the Irish coastline.     The beginning of January offered one such window, and happily, in the good company of my old mate Michael Mcgimpsey, we launched and were ...

View Article Details

Winter Roach Fishing
Terry’s Travels Winter Roach Fishing on the River Blackwater Well, the plan was three days Pike angling over the Christmas break, "bivvied" up...rods on alarms and basically "crash-out" on the bed-chair, lazy ass fishing. But when do angling adventures ever go to plan? Rarely, I can tell you.       An advanced weather forecast gave very little rain over the week ahead, ideal I thought for Skip (my ageing Jack Russell) and I to relax. A possible chance of a decent ...

View Article Details

Kilmore Quay Harbour
Terry’s Travels Kilmore Quay Harbour Back again after only twenty years or so!             I last fished out of Kilmore Harbour, it's crazy to say, sometime last century! Leading up to one of the Master Angler Boat Competitions. I think my old mate and Irish International Liam Longmore won it that year. Our club at that time, Parkview Angling, booked a couple of trips with top charter skipper in the area, Eamonn Hayes, in a bid to get a feel of the pl...

View Article Details

Youghal Harbour, for a wee look about
Terry’s Travels Youghal Harbour, for a wee look about I have fished Youghal Estuary successfully from the shore many times over the seasons, it was high time I had a taste of boat fishing to see if anything was about!       Following yet another invite from Sidney Kennedy, I found myself en-route to Cork City. Stopped over at his for the night, always great to see him and Mandy, and the god forbids, along with the fabulous hospitality they offer me. The Moby Dick pu...

View Article Details

Back at the Ballans
Terry’s Travels   Back at the Ballans         As a youngster, almost all my sea angling was through the discipline of float fishing. I had a cheap two-piece "specimen rod" that I strapped to the cross-bar of the bike, and a rucksack of tackle on my back. All my destinations were within cycling distance. I float fished for Mackerel and Herring off Bangor Pier, Flounder in the "Long Hole" and Pollack and Wrasse off Orlock Point, County Down. That little rod d...

View Article Details

Bluemouths, A ten Year Project
Terry’s Travels Bluemouth A Ten Year Project         Having pushed hard to get Blackmouths on the specimen list some years ago, it seemed fitting that I should target Bluemouths!   Throughout my angling career, I have been fortunate enough to see the vast majority of native fish species available in Irish waters. Logistically however, there are a few that can be extremely difficult to target, despite best laid plans of mice and fishermen. How stunning w...

View Article Details

Another new species to target
Terry’s Travels Another new species to target       In 2021, the Irish Specimen Fish Committee introduced several new salt water species to the list of targetable fish that can be caught in and around Ireland.   These include, the Short-spined Sea Scorpion, the Shore Rockling and the Corkwing Wrasse. Broadly described as mini-species, these will interest the LRF (Light Rock Fishing) guys along with the usual bunch of Irish specimen hunters. It should be interesti...

View Article Details