Programme 6 - Giant Skate - Ireland

In the last programme Julian and Rhys travel over to Westport,Co Mayo in search of the Giant Skate. These grow as big as barn doors and it takes a strong man to lift them up from the sea bed. Join Julian and Rhys as they get the best work out of their lives!

Rods

You will need a very strong rod to combat these monsters of the deep, which can grow to in excess of 250lb! I use a deep blue 50lb class rod as it has plenty of reserve power in the butt. A quality boat rod in the 30/50 lb class is essential as common skate need a lot of pressure put on them to prise them off the sea bed.

Reels

The reel should have as much "guts" as the rod and I use a Boss Magnum 4/0 size reel which has plenty of grunt in the gears. A quality multiplier reel capable of holding 300-400 yards of 40-50lb line is essential as we fish in very deep water.

Lines

Line should be either 40-50lb mono, or 50-80lb braid and plenty of it: 300-400 yards.

Terminal Tackle

A heavy mono trace is used when skate fishing. 1½ feet to 3 feet of 250-300lb monofilament with a quality swivel on one end and a 10/0 or 12/0 hook tied to the other end.

Bait

Baits tend to be enormous when skate fishing and can vary from mackerel flappers to whole pollack and coalfish.