Dooagh Rocks, Achill Island, Mayo

From Achill, take the 141 to Keel and Dooagh. At Dooagh follow the signs towards Keem Strand. After leaving Dooagh the road is narrow and runs across the side of the mountain. The rock marks are immediately below the road and there is plenty of roadside parking.

Located on the road between Dooagh and Keem Strand. There are several excellent rock platforms available giving access to mainly deep water over very rough ground and kelp. Longer casts find the occasional patch of cleaner ground.

From May right through to October these marks carry good numbers of pollack, ballan and cuckoo wrasse, coalfish, codling, dogfish, garfish and mackerel. Larger baits take huss and conger well in to double figures.

Any cleaner ground holds large numbers of dabs, gurnards and whiting, also turbot and rays.

Two rods are needed. One a 5-6oz beachcaster matched to a large fixed spool reel or 7000 sized multiplier loaded with 25lb line and a 50lb shock leader covers the bottom fishing amongst the snags.

Equally useful is a light spinning rod and reel loaded with 10-15lb line to either spin or Redgill for the pollack and mackerel, or to float fish for the wrasse and gars.

Single hook pulley rigs and 2/0 to 6/0 hooks prove most effective when ledger fishing amongst the snags, but use a weak link to the lead. A two hook rig and hooks between size 8 and 2 take a host of smaller species including rarer types such as gobies etc. Leads of 5ozs cover all situations.

Redgills fished on a 3-foot 15lb trace below a three-way swivel and 1-2oz bomb proves deadly for the pollack.

With the deep water close in you'll catch fish at most times of the day and even the size of the tide matters little. The period over low water is a good time to expect the conger and wrasse, also any rays. Pollack feed well just as the tide is either picking up or decreasing from peak flow. Night tides give the better conger and huss.

The bottom fishing is best when the sea carries some swell during lightish winds, but care is needed before and after storms as the rocks get washed by big breakers from the open Atlantic.

These marks fish well from May on, but September and October, as the sea temperature peaks, give the best overall fishing.

Mackerel and frozen sandeel baits take the bulk of the species, but also carry crab for the wrasse and lug or king rag to interest the smaller flatfish, gurnards etc. Rag and lug tipped with fish will take pout and poor cod here and a fresh fillet from these is the best bait for the conger and huss.

Try a float fished rag or sandeel as an alternative method for the pollack.

Watch for large shoals of launce sandeels forced tight in under the rocks towards high water and spin through these for the better Pollack and mackerel.

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