Darragh McGee pictured on board the White Water II in Newport harbour.

Get hooked on Clew Bay angling charter business

NEWPORT native Darragh McGee swopped a career on the road for one on the high seas. And six years on he is delighted with the change as he skippers the White Water II, a 38-foot chartered angling boat with 420hp, around Clew Bay, writes Tom Gillespie.

As the 2016 season begins Darragh offers anglers full-day or half-day fishing trips around the island-studded bay in the shadow of Croagh Patrick and he also conducts evening sightseeing trips.

Darragh’s interest in the angling charter business stemmed from his father, Peter, who had the 10th boat ever registered in the country, operating out of Newport.

I always had a keen interest in fishing,” he admits. “I spent a lot of my time on the road driving for various companies and working for myself. After being on the road all that length of time I got fed up with it. It was taking its toll on my back. I had no life so I thought the right thing to do was to get into the fishing again. I have always had a boat, ribs and small fishing boats. So I thought if I could make a pound out of something you enjoy all the better.

I saw the opening for the boat in Newport. There was nobody operating out of this port at the time. I am still the only licensed charter operating out of Newport.”

His White Water II is moored on a convenient pontoon at Newport harbour, making access easy for visiting anglers.

He added: “We have a good set up here with the pontoons. This is my sixth season. I bought the boat at the end of 2010 but I did not start operating it until mid 2011. There is a very strict procedure to get a licence. The authorities go through it with a fine tooth comb. Then, when the licence is granted, you know your boat is fit for purpose.”

The main volume of his customers would be Irish people. He also gets a lot of English lads, as well as anglers from France, the US, and Dutch and Spanish visitors.

Darragh admitted: “In this business it takes a long time to get your name out there. That is the biggest hurdle. I am now only getting started really.

I supply all the gear. All the anglers have to do is turn up and bring a rain jacket. Everything its supplied and I even do a bit of cooking for them on board. I cook fresh mackerel when they catch them, as well as sausages and rashers in the morning - it’s all part of the service.

I do sightseeing trips as well. They take from an hour to an hour-and-a-half with a minimum group of six.

When I leave here the first stop is where there are seals and we can get very close to them. Then we go over round Inishturk Beg, out around Inishshoo, and to Graine Uaile’s castle. I also offer them the option of doing 10 or 15 minutes mackerel fishing just to break up the trip and this makes the day for the kids on board.”

The biggest fish caught on the White Water II was a common skate weighing 174 lbs. followed by a 48 lb. blue shark. The main species in the bay are dogfish, thornback ray, skate, mackerel, herring, tub gurnard, John Dorey, pollock, cod and spurdog.

He said: “It is all catch-and-release now and it had proven very successful, particularly with the growing numbers of skate.”

Darragh charges €500 for the boat for a full day’s fishing in the bay and €100 extra to go to Clare Island. He aded: “White Water II is fully insured and is licensed by the Department of Marine and is fully equipped with all the latest navigation and safety equipment and can cater for 12 passengers and two crew.

Newport is one of the best all round sea angling centres in Ireland. With 365 islands in Clew Bay there is always shelter to be found, allowing deep sea fishing to continue in most weather conditions. To the north you have Mulranny and Achill, to the south Louisburgh and Westport, and to the east the mighty Clare Island at the gateway to the Atlantic.”

Seals and dolphins are popular sights in Clew Bay and in more recent times the numbers of sightings of other large mammals such as basking shark and whales have increased in numbers. Darragh has binoculars available on board for visitors.

Skipper Darragh McGee can be contacted on (086) 3884425 on email darragh@clewbaycharters.com.

Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.