Fishing off the Mull of Galloway

Photo © Whitby Sea Anglers

We live just across the North Channel from the Mull of Galloway - over the years I've posted plenty of photos here of our view of the Mull on clear days. For a while now I've been reading up on sea angling techniques from the Whitby Sea Anglers' visits when they travel 300 miles north to fish the Mull. They've now put together a very informative article summarising the shoreline terrains and the species they've caught. You can read it here. There's an even more detailed website here of sea fishing on the Isle of Man.

My brother just spent 10 days in Waterford and Kerry, and he tells me that along the coast there the local council has helpfully put up interpretive signage showing the best spots for sea angling, and info on species / times of year / bait and tackle to use.

Back in 1683, William Montgomery wrote his Description of the Barony called The Ardes to his lifelong friend Patrick Savage of Portaferry. It's effectively the first "tourist trail" of the area. In it Montgomery said that the coast of the Ardes and Lecahill (Lecale) "...abounds with fishes, as herrings, in harvest, also codd, ling, mackerel, barins*, lythes, blockans, lobsters, crabbs, gray lords (which are near as big as codds), whiteing, haddocks, plaice and large dogg fish..."

You can still catch them all these days. A seafood banquet! Perhaps this is something that the local tourism authorities could (excuse the pun) get their teeth into.

* is this a mis-spelling of ballan wrasse?