Portrush 12th June 2016
First trip of the year with Richard Connor on board Causway Lass in Portrush, 9 members and 1 guest angler took part.
Stephen Montgomery
Gerard Girvan
Roy McCoy
Alan Buchanan
Dan Boyle
Glen Murphy
Martin Buchanan
Paddy Trainor
John McCourt
Al Marsden (guest)
We have been really fortunate with our first trips this season, and this trip would prove to be no exception. Richard had told us on the Saturday that his anglers had taken an unusual amount of big Bull-Huss, and we would make a point of targeting the same species on the Sunday. Mackerel have been pretty scarce this year so far, and we took a large box of Calamari Squid along as well as some frozen baits as a standby. This was just as well as we only caught 3 mackerel along with some small Coalfish between us during our feathering hour, although Dan Boyle took the first proper fish at this time with a small dab on his mackerel rig. A highlight of our run out to the marks was the sighting of a Minke Whale which broke surface a few times.
On out then to a mark facing Culdaff, where Richard and his able deck hand Connor expertly set the anchor, and we started fishing. First to show were the usual LSD,s which can be a nuisance when targeting bigger species, but before long the first of a succession of Bull Huss were brought to the surface. Action was continuous all morning and into the early afternoon with Huss after Huss being netted, weighed and returned, including a very unusual double hook-up of 2 Huss for Alan Buchanan. Skipper Richard informed us that this was the first time he had ever witnessed that. Roy McCoy was the early pace setter with a good fish of around 9lb 8oz before being overtaken by Stephen Montgomery with a 9lb 13oz fish. Dan Boyle was first into a double figure fish, the first of 5 fish over 10lb for him, with his best a cracking Huss of 12lb3oz. Roy then pipped him with a 12lb5oz fish. In total we took 37 Bull Huss from this ground, which is pretty incredible fishing.
By the early afternoon bait was in short supply, and as a result, Martin Buchanan resorted to using a whole head and guts of a coalfish, and promptly took the best Bull Huss of the day, a smashing fish of 13lb 7oz, just half a pound short of the club record. This looked a pool winner all the way, as we had by then decided on a shift of ground to a mark close to a sunken submarine closer to Portrush.
Richard set us up for our drift, and Straight away we were back into fish , whiting this time, of which we took over 50 to around 1lb 8oz. Mixed through the whiting were a few Spurdogs, nothing big showing at first, but a welcome sight none the less. Other species on this ground were Gurnards, Codling, Haddock, Coalfish, Mackerel (where were they when we need them?) and a rare Spotted Ray of around 3lb for Stephen Montgomery. Skipper Richard had set 16.15 as the time for “lines up”, and with just minutes to go Glen Murphy broke Martin Buchanan’s heart by hooking a huge Spurdog, which pulled the scales to 17lb 8oz and take the days pool of £25. Dan Boyle caught the last fish of the day with a Spur of 9lb.
What can I say; once again Richard Connor came up trumps with a day’s fishing we are unlikely to forget in a hurry.
1st place Glen Murphy 17lb 8oz Spurdog 15 points
2nd place Martin Buchanan 13lb 7oz Bull Huss 10 points
3rd place Roy McCoy 12lb 5oz Bull Huss 5 points