Articles

Specimen Hunting Series Part 8 Roach/bream Hybrid
The Roach-Bream Hybrid Challenge   Irish record, 7 pounds, taken at lower River Bann on 24.04.2002 by Roy Gretton   Specimen weight, 3.528 pounds or 1.6 kilos       The trip Two years ago, the prospect of locating and catching a specimen Roach-Bream Hybrid would have given me no cause for concern at all. In fact, it would have been so easy I would not have considered targeting it for this series! The Lower Bann running from Lough Neagh at Toome down through Loug...

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Specimen Hunting Series part 7 Grey Mullet
The Grey Mullet Challenge Latin name Chelon labrosus Irish record, 9.10 pounds, taken at Cork Harbour by Cay Heerwagen on the 26.09.93 Specimen weight, 5 pounds or 2.268 kilos         The trip So far this year, to keep things interesting, I have tried to alternate the specimen hunting from salt-water to fresh-water. After last month’s fabulous Tench capture, it was time to take on the challenge of a sea-going specimen. In keeping with the editor’s demands...

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Specimen Hunting Series Part 6 Tench
The Tench Challenge Latin name Tinca tinca Irish record, 8.15 pounds taken at Ballyeighter Lake by Nick Parry on 20.06.95 Specimen weight, 6 pounds       The trip After last month’s “near miss” with the Plaice specimen, I needed an ego boost and decided on the relative safety of a coarse angling species. I say safety, but in reality, no specimens are a certainty! June heralds the arrival of the Tench season in the North, lagging behind the warmer climat...

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Specimen Hunting Series Part 5 Plaice
The Plaice Challenge Latin name Pleuronectes platessa Irish record, 8.23 pounds, taken at Ballycotton pier by Edmund Cull on 23.1.82 Specimen weight, 4 pounds.     The trip After last month’s Carp challenge, and the editors’ demands to target something a little more challenging, I decided to pull out all the stops and target a species on the North Coast that, at specimen size, is as rare as rocking-horse manure. Certainly, twenty years ago, a four-pound plaice would...

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Specimen Hunting Series Part 4 Carp
The Carp Challenge Latin name Cyprinus carpio Irish record 29lbs 13oz taken at The Lough, Cork by Sidney Kennedy on 5.7.1998 Specimen weight 12lbs or 5.443 Kilos     Article 4 of a twelve part series, originally written for Irish Angler magazine several years ago  The trip I had several specimen options to target this month, and, after a great deal of thought, narrowed my list down to three species, namely Perch, Roach or Carp. A welcome break in the chilly weather b...

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Specimen Hunting Series Part 3 Spur Dog
The Spur-dog Challenge Profile Latin name Squalus acanthias   Irish record, 21.25 pounds taken at Dun Laoghaire by Charlie Robinson on 10.8.2001 Specimen weight, Twelve pounds or 5.443 kilos       Article 3 of a twelve part series, originally written for Irish Angler magazine several years ago  The trip In my experience, the month of March is the worst time of the year to target a specimen fish. There is the possibility of a large Lesser- Spotted Dogfish fr...

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Specimen Hunting Series Part 2 Pike
The Pike Challenge Profile Latin name Esox lucius Irish records Lake record: 42lbs 12oz taken in White lake in 2005 by Larry Kelly. River record: 42lbs taken on the River Barrow in 1964 by M.Watkins. Specimen weight Lake: thirty pounds River: twenty pounds     Article 2 of a twelve part series, originally written for Irish Angler magazine several years ago  The trip After last month’s Skate adventure, I wanted to seek a freshwater species this time, and Febru...

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Specimen Hunting Series part 1 Common Skate
  The Common Skate Challenge   Profile Latin name, Raja batis Irish record, 221 pounds taken in Ballycotton in 1913 by T.Tucker       Article 1 of a twelve part series, originally written for Irish Angler magazine several years ago Introduction A recent phone call from the editor of Irish Angler certainly set me thinking. “I want to run a concept by you, see what you think” he said. “Would it be possible to target a different species at specime...

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Another Carp Adventure
Cork City Carping At least once a year I make the effort to spend a few days on “The Lough” down in Cork City.   Although I am not a dedicated “carper” as such, and prefer targeting all Irish fish species, I find that I still need my little Carp fix each season to keep things balanced in the angling world.   A few days relaxing among friends, the contemplative quiet periods between “runs”, and the adrenaline rush when the receiver quietly tells ...

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Three-Bearded Rockling, In pursuit of a new species
In pursuit of a new species   As we struggled through the depths of winter last year, I decided to set my sights on a new target species at or above specimen weight.   As a dedicated specimen hunter for all Irish fish species, this would offer the challenge of a complete change in tact, methodology and approach.     By applying a “reasonably new” technique, generally known these days as “light-rock fishing” or LRF, I could scale down the tackle ...

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