South Coast Bass by RockHunter

Search for the elusive bass

2012-02-26T22:13:00.005Z

I was delighted to see that my ray from a couple of weeks ago made "Catch of the Week" on IFI Irish Angling Updata Ezine:
http://fishinginireland.info/news/sea-reports/specimen-painted-ray-and-bass-from-an-east-cork-beach/

However my fishing since then has been rather on the slack side. I didn't get out much since I was very busy with work but had about three sessions over the last week:

17th February 2012

I returned to the beach where I caught the specimen ray, this time planning to fish from early on the rising tide to an hour after high tide. There was a good surf, not too rough and the water was weed free. I set up two rods, one baited with fresh crab, the other with razorfish on 4/0 pennel pulleys. Shortly after setting up there was a tug on the rod with the crab. At first I thought I had a small bass but as I began to retrieve I realized it was coming in too easy. Soon afterwards I hauled a dogfish out of the surf.

As the tide began to push in more strongly the codling began to feed. The first one felt a lot bigger than it really was as it managed to get entangled in the rig, and pierced in the side by the upper hook of the pennel. It was only about a pound in weight so too small to keep, fortunately after I untangled it and removed the hooks it seemed to swim away without a problem.

This was followed by another three equally small codling in fairly quick succession. A little later I had another dogfish.

The incoming tide then forced me to move further down the beach. I probably moved too far to my right as the bites stopped and I didn't catch another fish. As it seemed fairly dead I packed up about an hour earler than I intended.

21st February 2012

After the previous poor session I decided to try a different beach to fish the last three hours of the ebb and first couple of hours of the rising tide. A strong southwesterly wind had whipped up a big surf by the time I got to the shore. I normally fish this mark in March and April but was hopeful that the mild weather and big surf might induce a few early bass. Lug has always worked well for me here so I dug some big juicy ones at lunch time. Initially I baited two rods with lug, cast one out as far as I could and the other in shorter. I then moved my rod bag back up the beach and as I was walking back I spotted a few tugs on the distance rod. I grabbed it and struck, but after a few turns of the reel I became solidly snagged, presumably by the gripper weight. As the tide was dropping fast I decided to wait until I could wade out to free the snag. But after a few minutes I spotted the line had become slack, reeled in the slack and found the fish was still hooked. A few minutes later I landed a 43 cm bass.

That was a good start so I was hopeful of a few more but unfortunatly that was it. I had a few bites but nothing was hooked. I tried some fresh crab and razor but that made no difference.

23rd February 2012

Thursday was a nice mild day with a light southerly breeze. I had a bunch of lug left over from the previous session so headed to that same beach early in the evening, this time to fish a couple of hours either side of high tide. Although there was not much wind, there was still a good surf. I set up two rods again with 4/0 pennel pulleys baited with lug. First cast I had a subtle bite, struck and felt a small fish on the end which didn't put up much of a fight. It was a 32 cm flounder.

Shortly afterwards I had a slightly bigger flounder of 34 cm followed by a smaller fish of 28 cm at dusk.

As it got dark the flounder bites stopped and were replaced by coalfish. There was a steady stream of bites, some just whipped the worms off the hooks but I did catch a few small coalfish that managed to get their mouths around 4/0 hooks, although towards the end of the session I switched one rod to crab.

The crab proved harder for the coalfish strip off the hooks and I got another three up to high tide. As the tide began to drop the bites died off so I packed up about a hour after high tide with a total of three flounder and six coalfish.

Specimen Painted Ray - 11th February 2012

2012-02-12T00:43:00.001Z

Saturday morning was very calm but a southerly wind gradually increased in strength through the day. I decided to fish and East Cork beack for a few hours up to high tide. I got to the beach just after 6.00 pm. There was a nice surf. It was a cloudy dark night with a fairly strong onshore breeze so I was hopefully of a good session.

I set up two rods both baited with crab on pennel pulleys. As I was targeting bass I lobbed both baits out a short distance into the breaking surf. About half an hour later I noticed a few small tugs on one of the rods. I picked it up, felt another tug and struck. I felt something heavy on the end, but it didn't feel like a bass. At first I thought I had just snagged a big clump of kelp but when I got it into the shallow surf I realized there was definitely a big fish on the end as it began to pull strongly. Then as I hauled it out of the foam I saw a good size Painted Ray flapping on the beach. However, it was only when I weighed it at 11.5 lb I realized I had a specimen fish.

I took a few photos and quickly released it.

About half an hour later I had a very sharp tug on the other rod. I grabbed the rod and felt a strong fighting fish on the end. There was no doubtling what it was this time and a few minutes later I slid a 4 lb, 54 cm bass on to the shingle.

High tide was at 8.00 pm, I fished on for another hour until the tide started to drop and then pack up. I was happy with that session, only two fish, but two quality fish!!!

Taunted by a bass - 5th February 2012

2012-02-07T10:43:00.004Z

As Sunday was very calm with only a light westerly breeze I decided to have a go at lure fishing, inspired by Pat O'Shea's success in catching a 65 cm bass on a Feed Shallow the previous weekend. I made my way to a mark with a mixture of deep and shallow water terrain. The sea was flat with just gentle swells and the water was crystal clear. I started fishing in a small shallow boulder strewn bay which was now been infilled by the rising tide. After a while I worked my way to the left and fished into some deeper gulleys using a variety of hard and soft plastics but there was not a hint of a fish.

Close to high tide I made my way back to where I started as this was often a time when bass move in close. Then I spotted the fish, a good size bass, probably about 6 or 6.5 lbs just lazily cruising about, 30-40 cm below the surface and no more than 2.5 m out from the rock ledge I was standing on. I had a Feed Shallow on at the time and made a number of passes of the lure right under its nose but the fish ignored it, apart from making one turn to look at lure passing by. I switched to a weedless Slug-Go, letting it drift pass the bass, but again there was no interest. I was beginning to think the bass was asleep!!! After a few more casts I tried an Xlayer, followed by a Hazedong and finally a Waveworm before I lost sight of the fish. I continued casting out in the direction I last saw the bass but there was no interest.

I fished on until darkness, close to dusk I could see some activity on the surface, tips of several fish tails swirling about just above the surface. At the time I presumed they must have been bass as I thought mullet would have moved offshore by now. But despite casting a range of lures across them they were not interested. However, yesterday I was speaking to John, my crab supplier, and he mentioned that there were still mullet in the Youghal Harbour area, so perhaps with the mild winter the mullet have remained close to the shore.

Cold and windy night - 31st January 2012

2012-02-01T23:33:00.003Z

I headed out on Tuesday evening before the arrival of the Siberian weather. However, it was still cold enough with a strong easterly wind. I had intended to fish the beach where I had a few bass last week but at the last minute decided to try another beach close by. I had only fished here once before, and that was on a Sunday afternoon in daylight with a weak surf and on an ebbing tide so needless to say I didn't do too well!!!

This time I was fishing a rising ride with a good surf. I found a section of the beach with a lot of structure; shallow gulleys and depressions, just the sort of terrain where you would expect bass to forage for food. I set up two rods with 4/0 pennel pulleys, one baited with fresh crab, the other with lug. About half an hour after casting out I had a strong bite. The fish was putting up a good struggle and I was convinced it was a bass until I hauled a 2.5 lb cod out of the surf.

Shortly afterwards I had a second smaller codling again on the crab. I missed another a little later. I was getting nibbles on the rod with the lug, but it was most likely small fish pulling on the bait, which couldn't get their mouths around a 4/0 hook. About 20 minutes later I spotted that the line had gone slack on the rod with crab, picked it up and reeled in a lot of slack, before connecting with a fish. It fought strongly the remainder of the way in - another 2.5 lb cod.

After that the bites died off as the tide pushed in and the current running parallel to the beach from east to west became stronger requiring a switch from 5 oz to 6 oz grippers. I was also beginning to snag some big clumps of kelp. About a hour before high tide I decided to pack up as the fishing was becoming too difficult and the wind gaining in strength. Still I had 3 cod for the next few night's dinner.

Couple more bass on a cold January evening - 26th January 2012

2012-01-27T22:26:00.002Z

I thought I would try fishing over high tide on the beach that I fished Tuesday night. I got there at about 5.15 pm and set up two rods both with 4/0 pennel pulleys baited with fresh crab. There was a good surf, much better than the previous night but it was very cold with a bitter westerly wind. My hands were numb after handling the wet crabs and it took a while to thaw my fingers out.

About 15 minutes later, just as the light was beginning to go, I had a sudden sharp pull on one of the rods, I grabbed it and struck into a reasonably strong fish which I reckoned had to be a bass. After a few minutes I hauled it out of the surf. Sure enough it was a 47 cm bass.

Just after recasting the first rod I spotted a slight knock on the other. This didn't feel to be a large fish and came in without much of a fight. It was a small coalfish. Just as I was rebaiting I noticed some subtle taps on the other rod. I picked it up and waited but couldn't feel anything. However, just as I was placing the rod back on the stand the tip buckled over. I grabbed it again and felt a very strong fish, but it came off after a few seconds.

After that it got very quite for a long time, apart from another coalfish and a very small codling. It was a clear night just illuminated by a narrow cresent moon and a multitude of stars but too cold to be sitting out admiring the universe and watching motionless rod tips. So at 8 pm, half an hour after high tide, I decided to pack up, reached for the first rod but found that the line had gone slack. I hadn't noticed a bite earlier. I reeled in a lot of slack line before feeling some resistance, then felt a strong tug as the fish began to fight. It put up a good struggle as I got it in close and eventually I could see a glint of silver splashing about in the foamy surf. I eased it in a little further and on to the gravel. It was a better bass, with a length of 57 cm and a weight of 4 lbs.

I fished on for another half an hour, had another coalfish before before packing up, and heading home to thaw out in front of the fire. It was a reasonable session for late January, with two bass, three coalfish and a codling.

Fine bass to start the year - 24th January 2012

2012-01-25T15:37:00.003Z

As I had not yet got my first bass of the year I was determined to catch one this week before the end of the month. I was off to a slow start this year compared to last year when I had my first bass on 4th January but I have done a lot less fishing compared to the same period last year and much of the fishing I have done has been targetting cod.

I set off to one of my winter marks, the first time fishing there since last February. The wind was forecast to strengthen late in the evening. Before I left home there was a light breeze but not much, this particular beach needs a reasonable surf to bring the fish in close. However, by the time I got to the shore there was a strong southwesterly blowing. Unfortunately it had yet to whip up much of a surf; there were a series of short wavelength, low amplitude waves rolling in, but not the large breakers I was hoping to see. But nevertheless since I had made the journey there I thought I may as well give it a go since my possibilities for productive fishing late on the ebb and over low tide were limited due to the extensive illegal bass netting that took place off the East Cork beaches late in 2011.

I set up two rods, both with 4/0 pennel pulleys, one baited with fresh peeler crab, the other with razor and cast out. No much was happening and I was beginning to think I should have tried elsewhere. At about midnight I retrieved, put on fresh bait and moved the rods forward, closer to the low tide mark. The wind was progressively strengthening and the surf was getting a little bigger, but not much. As I was carrying my tackle box forward I spotted the tip light bouncing up and down on the rod with the crab, dropped the box and sprinted the last 40 m to the rod stand. The line had gone slack, I rapidly wound in the slack until I felt some resistance, struck, but didn't feel much weight, the line was slackening again, I wasn't sure if I had lost the fish or if it was swimming in towards the shore. I kept in contact and could feel some tugs, as I got it into the shallows I could feel something more substantial and then saw a flash of silver as the fish struggled in a few inches of water. I hauled it a little closer and then lifted it out. It was a fine bass, a large chunky fish with a weight of 7.5 lbs and a length of 65 cm so well above average weight for its size.

Weed bacame a problem after that over low tide. The wind had increased significantly and as it was blowing diagonally to the beach my line was getting dragged down to the left making fishing difficult especially when snagging clumps of weed. I was hopeful that more bass would show up when the tide made its initial push in but all I got was a dogfish, there were no more bites, so I packed up at 2.00 am.

Still a 7.5 lb bass is a good start to the season so I went home happy that I had made a good decision on fishing this beach.

More Cod - 15th January 2012

2012-01-22T16:43:00.002Z

I am a week late posting up this report from last weekend but was very busy all week. Last Sunday I headed back to Youghal for some more cod fishing. There was a strong cold southeasterly wind blowing which limited the locations that could be fished in comfort. I made my way to a mark that was relatively sheltered and set up just before dusk. I set up two rods with 4/0 pennel pulleys both baited with fresh peeler crab.

It wasn't until after dark that I had the first bite, a small codling that I released. Shortly after that I caught a slightly larger one, another I would have thrown back had it not been so deeply hooked. This was followed by a very small flounder which managed to get its mouth around a 4/0 hook!!!

As I was placing the rod back on the stand after recasting I spotted a small twitch on the other rod, this was another small codling.

The bites eased off for a while after that. The current was increasing at this stage and bringing a lot of weed with it. I could see one of the rods gradually bending over under the weight of the accumulated debris so tried to pull it in. There must have been about 20 lb of weed on the end, eventually I got it close enough to grab the shockleader and hauled it in the remainder of the way by hand. There was indeed a huge amount on seaweed which had built on around the clip at the end of the leader and extended down to the bait and weight. It took about 15 minutes to clean it all off and it was only towards the end that I discovered a small codling had been hooked. It wasn't big enough to keep but unfortunately it was fairly lifeless at this stage!

A little later I had a bigger codling of about 2 lbs, followed a few minutes later by another slight larger fish. Then I had a very strong bite, I almost had it in but close to the shore I could feel the cod digging itself into the steep side of the channel, as I tried to pull it free the fish came off. I lost a couple more after that. I then decided to use smaller bait, half a crab instead of a full crab so as to insure more of the hook was exposed. A few minutes later there was a strong tug on the rod, this time the fish was well hooked and after a few minutes I landed a 4 lb cod, the best fish of the night.

A little later I had another codling of about 2 lbs.

I stayed on a little longer, had one more small codling which I released. So not a bad session, 10 cod upto 4 lbs and 1 flounder.

A some stage of the night I stepped on the edge of a loose rock, it flipped over and whacked the top of my foot. I didn't think much of it at the time, it was only the next day that it became sore and got progressively more painful that night. I had to visit the doctor who sorted it out with some anti-inflamatory painkillers but unfortunately that put me out of action for the rest of the week. I had intended to have a few beach sessions although my foot seems fine now so I should get in some fishing over the coming week.

Cod fishing - 7th & 8th January 2012

2012-01-09T22:58:00.004Z

Saturday 7th January

After returning from getting some good bargains at Absolute Fishing's weekend sale (including a very reasonable deal on a Anyfish Anywhere spinning rod) I headed to Youghal for my first fishing session of 2012. I hadn't done much cod fishing all winter, instead concentrating on bass. I had picked up a few codling off the beaches and had made a few attempts at cod fishing around Youghal Harbour in October-November but was beaten by weed.

I decided to try an estuarine mark which produced some good fish last winter. I arrived about an hour before low tide at 9.30 pm. I set up two rods with pennel pulleys baited with peeler crab. I had a small codling shortly after setting up but then it went dead until about an hour and a half into the rise. The next fish was a more substantial fat codling of 2.5 lb.

This was followed by another another slightly smaller fish.

The bites were much slower at this mark compared to last winter, it was about 30 minutes later before I had the next, a much smaller codling. The next fish was the best of the night, another chunky codling of about 3.5 lbs. When I cleaned it out its stomach was stuffed with sandeels. Interestingly of the fish I kept only one had a small crab it is stomach, all the rest had been eating sandeels.

I fished on for another couple of hours, getting a few more codling in the 2 lb range, and lost a few that felt a little more substantial. In the end I had six worth keeping. So fish for dinner for the next few days!!!

Sunday 8th January

It was a very mild day for early January. I had some crabs left over from the previous night so headed to another estuarine mark that can fish well over the last couple of hours up to high tide. I had some good codling there last winter but this time it fished very poorly. There was quite a lot of weed coming up with the tide and I managed to snag a large branch which I initially thought was a giant cod!!! I had the first bite close to high tide, a small chubby codling with a deformed spine near its tail.

I had a couple more fairly small codling after that, only one worth keeping, and lost another small fish. I should probably have fished a mark closer to the harbour area, still it was good to be out in the fresh air on such a nice January day.

Best lure of 2011

2012-01-05T12:45:00.001Z

Now that we are into 2012 it is time to look back and review 2011. My best lure during the year was without doubt the Tackle House 128 mm Feed Shallow. I caught 63 bass on lures during the year, 36 of those were on Feed Shallows. The pearl No 14 proved to be best and produced the biggest fish although the Mullet No. 11 came a close second. Picture below is of a bass caught in early April on the No. 14 Feed Shallow:

My first lure caught bass of the year was on the No. 14 Feed Shallow, a 7.25 lb fish caught on 9th April, by far my earliest bass on a lure.

My largest lure caught bass of 2011 and a personal best (although I had an 8lb 10 oz bass on bait later in the year) was also taken on the same Feed Shallow on 30th April. It was a 79 cm fish but slim for its length with a weight of only 8.5 lbs. It had probably just spawned since a bass of the length would typically be well over 10 lbs.

My last two bass of 2011 were also caught using No. 14 Feed Shallows, both decent fish with weights of 5.25 lbs and 6.25 lbs. They were caught on the 10th and 11th December respectively. In previous years October was the latest that I had bass on lures.

I did try a large range of other hard plastic lures (Megabass X-140, X-120, Zonk Gataride, Duo Tide Minnows, IMA Popkey, Komomo and Sasuke, Zenith Z-Claw etc) but the Feed Shallow was the only one that consistently found the fish. Often I would try several different lures (I had spent a lot of money on those and was determined to get some value out of them) without a hint on a fish then put on a Feed Shallow and have a bass within the first few casts.

The surface lures which worked best for me during the year were the Xorus Patchinko and Xorus Asturie 110. Night time fishing with a Patchinko on a clear calm night in August produced the 7 lb, 71 cm bass below:

I had 22 bass on soft plastics; 10 on Slug-Gos, 8 on Xlayers and the remaining 4 on Hazedongs. I just started to use the Hazedongs in early September, and they were looking to be lethal in clear calm conditions but then we got hit by the tail end of Hurricane Katia and a series of Atlantic storms followed which ruined the lure fishing for the remainder of the year.

December bass - 10th & 11th December 2011

2011-12-14T18:15:00.003Z

It has been a while since I last made a post on the blog. I was not doing that much fishing over the last month. I did have a few beach sessions but there was not much to report, just a few small codling as well as the odd coalfish and dogfish. However, with light NW winds forecast for last weekend it looked like possibly the last opportunity for some lure fishing before the end of the year.

Saturday 10th December

It was a calm cold frosty morning so I grabbed the lure rod and headed down to a West Waterford mark that I reckoned would have been relatively sheltered from the strong westerly/northwesterly winds earlier in the week. I arrived and looked down on the bay, it was indeed calm although the water was still somewhat murky, but still the water clarity was a lot better than it has been recently. I made my way to the eastern end of the bay and began casting a variety of hard and soft plastic lures into an area of relatively deep water but there was no interest. As the tide bagan to push in I worked my way westwards along the shore eventually arriving at a small shallow bay which was now becoming rapidly infilled by the tide.

This particular mark has been very productive for me from mid-tide to high-tide. I put on a Feed Shallow and began casting across a now submerged drop-off. I had about five or six casts before the lure was grabbed by a strong bass from just below the ledge merely 10 m out. It fought very strongly, stripped several meters of line before I tightened the drag. I eventually eased it into the shallows and onto the rocks. It was a stocky well fed 60 cm bass with a weight of 5.25 lbs.

I continued fishing with the Feed Shallow but their were no more bites, switched to some soft plastics but still there was no interest. I worked my way further westwards and eventually packed up just after dark. Still I was very happy to have got the one bass as it had been over a month since my last one.

Sunday 11th December

I planned to try an East Cork mark but when I got there the sea was much rougher than I expected and the water highly coloured. I reckoned it would be a waste of time unless I was fortunate enough to pass a lure right in front of a fishes nose so I decided to head back to the West Waterford mark I had fished the previous day.

By the time I drove there, climbed down to the shore and was ready to start fishing it was 2.40 pm so I only had about 2 1/2 hours of daylight. This time I started at the western end of the bay and worked my way eastwards. It was rather breezier compared to Saturday and the sea was a little rougher and slightly more coloured. After about an hour I arrived at the location where I had the bass the previous day. I put on the same Feed Shallow and began casting across the same ledge. After only three casts the lure was snatched by a powerful bass in almost the same location. It fought very strongly, thrashing about on the surface and made several dashes for freedom as it stripped line. I eventually coaxed it in but it was still thrashing about wildly before I grabbed it with the boga grip and lifted it onto the shore. It was a better bass, well fed with a length of 62 cm and a weight of 6.25 lbs.

The tide then pushed me back and I moved a little to the left before continuing to fish with the Feed Shallow across some shallow boulder strewn ground. I briefly connected with another fish. It felt to be a decent size bass but came off after about 10 seconds. There were no more bites after that. The wind strength was increasing and the sea becoming rougher so I packed up at dusk. Still another good day for December.

Lunch time bass - 7th November 2011

2011-11-09T12:04:00.001Z

Monday was another lovely sunny day, too nice to be stuck indoors working at the computer. The urge to head out for a lure session got too great to resist so by Midday I decided to head out for a few hours - an extended Mediterraean style lunch break!!

I went to an East Cork rock mark that will almost always fish well if the conditions are calm and the water reasonably clear. However, when I arrived the sea was choppier and the water more coloured than I expected. I made my way on to a finger of rock and cast a large Slug Go into the surf. Large waves were breaking onto the rock so I moved further along the shore to a small bay that was more sheltered. I tried a range of soft plastics and a Tide Minnow but there was no interest. Pat, another regular at this mark, was fishing the opposite side.

I then made my way to the other side of the bay. There is a gulley here that has produced good size bass in the last hour and a half before high tide. Sure enough after about 15 minutes I had a strong bass take a giant Xlayer. I had been using weedless SPs but switched to an Xlayer with a 12g lead head to get lower in the water column as I reckoned there might be bass scouring the bottom of the gulley for crabs and the water was probably too cloudy for them to see shallow diving lures. The fish stayed deep most of the way in but when it broke the surface I could see that is was a decent size. It made several breaks for freedom, stripping some line, before I eventually eased it in close to my feet and lifted it out. It was a well fed 66 cm bass with a weight of just under 6.5 lbs.

I fished on for a little longer - then Pat had a mishap!!! I won't go into that, other than say his fishing was cut short and he went home rather damp!!!

I packed up shortly afterwards at about 3 pm and headed back to work. If only every lunch break was like that.

Another window of opportunity - 6th November 2011

2011-11-08T13:27:00.006Z

Fishing over the last couple of weeks has been dire. The storms a few weeks ago left the beaches unfishable due to vast amounts of drifting seaweed. I headed out for about 5 bait sessions but had to abandon each after no more the three casts as huge clumps of seaweed accumulated on the line. One time I had not even had the chance to place the rod back on the rest before I could feel the drag of the weed. So with a favourable forecast for last weekend I was anticipating that finally I might be able to do some fishing. Saturday was a lovely calm sunny day but I reckoned I better do some gardening first. I headed to Youghal at 4.00 pm for an attempt at cod fishing. The tide was ebbing at this stage so not ideal but I knew of a mark that fished well last winter on a dropping tide so reckoned that was my best bet. Seaweed was still a problem and all I could manage over 3 hours were two small codling - a very poor result compared to this time last year.

Sunday was another great day, blue sky and little or no wind. I thought the conditions would be good for lure fishing and headed to a West Waterford mark that had been fishing well in August and early September. I wasn't sure if the water would be clear after all the stormy weather but as I made my way down the slope to the shore I could see that the water was crystal clear.

I started fishing a shallow bay that was now been filled by the tide. But there was no sign of any fish activity. I made my way eastwards, reached some deeper gulleys and fished into them using a variety of soft plastics and deeper diving lures but still nothing. I decided to work my way to the western end of the bay and headed back to where I started to collect my bag. I was just about to move on when I spotted a splash near where I first started. It was about 35 m out, but as it was very shallow ground I was going to have to use weedless soft plastics. It was too far to reach with the normal Slug-Gos and Xlayers but fortunately I had a couple of the extra large Slug Gos. After a few casts there was another splash but closer this time, about 20 m away from me. I continued fishing with the Slug Go then suddenly it was grabbed by a bass between some boulders in very shallow water only about 6 or 7 meters from the rock I was standing on. It gave a good fight, thrashing about on the surface and stripping some line before I coaxed it in through the rocks and on to a flat ledge. It was a 51 cm fish and weighed a little over 3 lbs. My first bass in about three and a half weeks!

That gave me some encouragement so I continued fishing in the same small bay. About 20 minutes later I moved about 20 m to the right and cast the same Slug Go towards a deeper gulley, after the lure hit the water I let it drop, gave it a few twitches as I began to retrieve, and instantly the lure was grabbed by another fish. This time it stayed deep as I worked it in and only broke the surface about 10 m out. It felt a much bigger fish and put up a stronger fight, especially when I got it in close and stripped several meters of line as it made one last surge for freedom, before I eased it on to the rocks. It was a fine chunky bass of 5.5 lbs and a length of 58 cm.

I fished on for a little longer but as the tide began to drop I decided to pack up. I was very happy with that session, it is just a shame that we didn't have some weather like that in September!!!

Calm conditions at last - 19th October 2011

2011-10-20T00:20:00.004+01:00

After nearly 6 weeks of blustery weather and rough conditions along the south coast we finally had some northwesterly winds which flattened out the surf and allowed the water to clear. I finished work at 4.30 pm and headed down to the coast. I got to the shore shortly after low tide. It was a nice mostly sunny afternoon but rather chilly and the sea at that location was the calmest I have seen it since June.

I started fishing with some soft plastics (Hazedong and Slug Go) and then switched to a Feed Shallow. Nothing was happening on the first mark so I began to work my way westwards along the shore. I reached an area with several barely submerged reefs with intervening deep gulleys. On the first cast diagonally across the gulleys a mullet-coloured Feed Shallow was grabbed by a strong bass about 30 m out. It stayed deep most of the way in and only broke the surface about 5 m out. It put up a good fight and stripped some line on several occasions. I eventually got it in close, surfed it over the reef in front of me on the crest of a small wave and eased it on to the rocks at my feet. It was a well fed plump 56 cm bass with a weight of 4.5 lbs.

A few casts later another bass snatched the Feed Shallow in much closer. This gave another strong fight, made a couple of darts for freedom as it stripped some line. I coaxed it across the same reef and on to the rocks. It was a 58 cm bass but was not as fat as the first with a weight of 4.25 lbs.

Shortly afterwards another bass struck the lure about 20 m out. It was a smaller fish but still put up a good struggle. I had it in very close, just at the edge of the reef but as I tried to surf it over the rocks the bass gave a strong head shake and shook the lure free. It looked like it was just hooked in the gill plate by a single barb on the lower triple of the Feed Shallow.

A few cast later there has a big splash behind the lure 5 or 6 m out as a good size bass attemped to strike the lure but it wasn't hooked. I had a few more casts with the Feed Shallow but there was no further interest so I switched to a Slug Go, followed by a Hazedong but I could not tempt the fish again.

I then spotted some activity on the surface about 30 m out so changed back to a Feed Shallow. First cast the lure was snatched by a bass. This again fought well although it was not as strong as the two earlier fish. I eased it in and on to the rocks. it was a 53 cm bass weighing about 3.5 lbs.

I continued fishing for a while into darkness but there were no further bites, not even pollock which normally are a pest on this stretch of coast at dusk on a rising tide, so I packed up at about 7.50 pm.

Feed Shallow strikes again - 13th October 2011

2011-10-13T23:00:00.000+01:00

Today was warm and partly sunny, it seemed too nice a day to waste sitting in front of a computer. So I headed out at 2 pm. As it had been fairly calm for a few days I decided to try a mark that I have not be able to get on to since late August. In September-early October of 2009 this location produced some excellent bass sessions but with the windy weather of the last six weeks I reckoned it was not worth trying.

I got to the coast at about 3.15 pm just as a sea mist was beginning to roll in. It was not as calm as I was expecting, it would be relatively calm for about ten minuites and then the shore would hit by several large waves up to 2 m high . On one occasion I was hit by the full force of one of those and it came close to knocking me off my feet despite brancing myself with a firm footing.

I started off using soft plastics, first a Hazedong, then a Slug Go followed by an Xlayer but there was no interest. I switched to a Feed Shallow and on the second cast the lure was grabbed by a strong bass practically below my feed. It pulled strongly, stripped some line as it dived below a rock ridge and then was gone!!!

A couple of casts later I felt a brief tug on the lure but the fish was not hooked. A few casts later across the same area the Feed Shallow was struck by another bass. This one was securely hooked and after a short struggle I eased it on to the rocks. It was about 46 cm and weighed just over 2 lbs.

Shortly afterwards I had a second bass. This put up a better fight and was a little bigger at 50 cm.

I was pushed back by the tide after that and the frequency of the big waves increased making fishing difficult. I continued fishing until 5 pm but there was no more interest despite trying a variety of other hard and soft plastic lures.

A bunch of bass - 11th October 2011

2011-10-12T22:16:00.001+01:00

I headed to a beach that I have not fished since mid-June. It had fished well earlier in the year but as I had concentrated on lure fishing over the summer I had not returned to fish there. I had also heard report that it was unfishable due to weed after recent stormy weather, but with the light westerly winds on Tuesday I reckoned the seaweed would have migrated down to the eastern end.

I planned to fish 2.5 hours either side of low tide and arrived at about 9.30 pm. There was a moderate surf illuminated by a full moon and just a weak cross-wind so the conditions looked good. I set two rods up, baited the first with crab and the second with razor, both on 4/0 pennel pulleys. I would normally prefer lug for this beach but I was too busy during the day to dig some. After about 15 minutes I had a bite on the rod with crab but it was just a dogfish.

Not long after I had a strong tug on the same rod. This was definitely a bass and fought strongly all the way in especially when I got it into the shallows. It was a good chunky fish of 52 cm and weighed 3.5 lbs.

About 20 minutes later I had a second bass. This was about the same length, but slimmer with a weight of just about 3 lbs.

Close to an hour after that, at about low tide, I had a very strong tug on the rod with the crab and the line went slack. I grabbed the rod and rapidly retrieved the slack and struck immediately I felt some resistance. This felt to be a powerful fish and it took me a few minutes to haul it in close. I could see a good size bass splashing about in the shallow surf before I eased it on to the sand. It was the best fish of the night, a well fed 67 cm bass with a weight of 6 lbs.

I quickly got some photos and as I released the fish it surged off with a powerful flick of its tail.

So far all fish had been taken on the crab so I switched to crab on the second rod. About 20 minutes after catching the 6 pounder I spotted a twitch on the first rod and noticed that the line had gone slack. This time the fish had run a long slackliner before I caught up with it. Then it put up a powerful fight and I was surprised that is was only a 57 cm bass with a weight of approximately 4 lbs.

A little later, after rebaiting and casting the first rod I realized that the line on the second rod had gone slack. I reeled in and eventually connected with a fish very close to the shore. This was a much smaller 42 cm bass.

I fished on for another couple of hours into the rising tide but the bites died off and I just had a small 22 cm flounder. I was surprised that it managed to get its mouth around a 4/0 hook.

I packed up shortly after that very pleased with the result especially as a few recent bait and lure sessions have been nothing to shout about.

Bass on bait - 9th October 2011

2011-10-11T11:50:00.001+01:00

Bass have been illusive on lures for me over the last few weeks so I decided to have a bait session after dark. I headed to a beach that has produced bass on an ebbing tide in the past. I arrived on the shore at about 9.15 pm. There was a moderate surf and the beach was weed free. I set the first rod up and baited a 4/0 pennel pulley with crab. While I was setting up the second rod I noticed a twitch on the first. I picked it up and felt a gentle tug, struck and hooked into a reasonably strong fish. A few minutes later I hauled a 46 cm bass on to the sand. That was a good start so I was hopeful of a great session.

About 15-20 minutes later I spotted another knock on the same rod. This was not putting up much of a fight in comparison to the first fish. It was a 38 cm bass.

A little later I had a dogfish on the second rod followed shortly by another smaller dog on the first rod.

It then went dead for two hours over low tide. The fishing only began to pick up when the tide started to push in more strongly. First fish was an average shore-size coalfish followed by two more dogfish. The last dogfish was a big one and I was convinced it was a bass until I hauled it out of the surf and saw it twisting sideways on the sand. I decided to pack up after that.

The night had not lived up to my initial expectations but two bass, four dogfish and a coalfish is not the worst session I have ever had. All fish were taken on 4/0 pennel pulleys baited with fresh peeler crab.

More pollock - 8th October 2011

2011-10-08T22:35:00.002+01:00

With light westerly winds and mostly overcast the conditions looked good for lure fishing. I headed to the bay I fished last weekend hoping for a better result other than a bunch of pollock. I got to the shore about two hours after low tide. I tried a range of soft plastics and shallow diving lures but there was no interest. I worked my along the shore and got to two fingers of rock with deeper water between them. I started fishing on the western flank of the ridge with a Slug Go and on the second cast something grabbed the lure. It pulled strongly downwards but came off after a couple of minutes. It was most likely a pollock. A few casts later I had another strong bite which again pulled strongly downwards but this time I worked it close and on to the rocks. It was a 3 lb pollock.

I moved a short distance to the east and fished between the rock fingers. After a few casts I had another smaller pollock again on a Slug Go. I had a few more casts and moved to the next ridge and fished across some shallower ground hoping for bass. Then I spotted a huge shoal of tiny fish in close to the side of the rock finger. Then some splashes on the surface as some predators smashed through the shoal. Bass I hoped!!! But after a few casts I hooked another small pollock.

I moved back westwards to the western side of the next small bay. I spotted some activity, lots of small bait fish leaping on the surface. I cast out a Slug Go and as I retrived I could see several mackerel following, they were making grabs at the lure but failed to get hooked on the weedless hook. I switched to a small hard plastic lure and on the first cast hooked a mackerel, shortly followed by another.

I then tried a Feed Shallow in case a bass was lurking on the perimeter of the mackerel shoal. But had no success. I moved to the western end of the main bay. As I approached I could see a lot of activity on the surface that looked like more mackerel. When I got to the edge of the rocks I could seem a huge shoal of tiny fish. The water was black with them, I have never seen so many in my life. Dark area in water close to rocks on photo below is dense shoal of bait fish:

Then it dawned on me why there were no bass - they were most likely stuffed to gills with bait fish and not interested in feeding any more. I thought I many as well catch a few mackerel while I was there. I caught 4 in a few minutes. That along with the two I had earlier was enough for tomorrows dinner.

Nothing but pollock - 2nd October 2011

2011-10-05T12:14:00.007+01:00

Last Sunday was calm misty day and looked like the last opportunity for lure fishing as more windy weather was forecast for the coming week. I got to a reliable rock mark at about 4.30 pm just as the tide was starting to push in. Normally I would make my way down to the eastern end of the bay but rocks on the foreshore were quite slippery due to the misty rain so I decided to stick to a good mark near the western end. As the tide was still quite low it provided a good opportunity to study the terrain before it became submerged. That was useful as I could see some of the structures where I had previously caught bass.

I commenced fishing into a narrow deep gulley to the right. The water was clear, there was a bit of turbulence and it was overcast so the conditions looked perfect. First cast I had a small pollock on a Hazedong from beneath the kelp on the gulley margin. Next cast I could feel another fish snatching at the lure but it was not hooked. Third cast I had another pollock, again on the Hazedong. The fish totally engulfed the lure.

I changed to a Slug Go and cast it to the left of the gulley, after a few casts the lure was grabbed by another pollock. This was a bigger fish of about 3 lbs.

As the tide was now filling the small bay to my left I turned my attention to bass. I cast a Slug Go across the shallow rocky ground and on about the fifth cast something made a lunge at the lure but was not hooked. I was convinced it was a bass and continued fishing across the same area but could not tempt it again. I switched back to a Hazedong and very slowly retrieved the lure. This time the fish grabbed the lure and was well hooked but it turned out to be a small pollock.

I was pushed back by the tide and onto a small rock platform. This stage of the tide has been the most productive for me in the past at this mark so I was very hopeful of getting a few bass but all I could managed were more pollock. Then a shoal of bait fish swam into the bay and were leaping out of the water. Several pollock leapt clear out of the water as they chased them. I was hopeful that there might be a bass in amongst them and switched to a Feed Shallow but all I got were more pollock.

As light began to go I changed back to a white Hazedong with silver glitter but again only the pollock were biting, the biggest was about 3.5 lbs. When the light was gone even the pollock stopped feeding.

So while the pollock kept me busy I was disappointed not to have had any bass, particularly as the conditions looked ideal and there were plenty of bait fish around. That may well be my last lure fishing session of the year as there does not appear to be any respite from the windy weather for the moment.

Some photos from last week

2011-10-04T10:44:00.001+01:00

Painted ray - 27th September 2011

Largest codling of ten (just under 3 lbs) from the same session:

The cod are back! - 27th September 2011

2011-09-30T18:33:00.001+01:00

My finger is slowly healing so by Tuesday I was ready to have a trial session. I headed to a local beach and fished the last hour of the ebb and first three hours of the rising tide. There was a good surf and it was weed free. It was the darkest night I have ever fished. A new moon coupled with a dense mist blocked out all light. I usually turn off my headlamp when wading out to cast but without the lamp I couldn't see a thing not even the white foam on the shore. So I had to keep the lamp on.

From the first cast I was into codling, I caught about 10, most were small around 1-1.5 lb, but the last fish was bigger with a weight of close to 3 lb. I also had a decent size Painted Ray (about 5-6 lbs), a 30 cm flounder, a coalfish and a dogfish, but no bass!!!! All fish were taken on crab on 4/0 pennel pulleys.

I will post up some photos later.

Out of action - 19th September 2011

2011-09-19T13:09:00.000+01:00

As if the the recent bad weather was not enough to reduce my fishing time I somehow managed to inflict a deep gash across my forefinger with a brand new ultra sharp kitchen knife on Friday night. I probably needed stitches but the thought of facing a busy accident and emergency ward full of Friday night drunks was more than I could take. I stopped the bleeding by wrapping a huge wad of tissue around it. It is healing now but I reckon I will be lucky if I can get out by next weekend.

I had great plans for the weekend and bought 2 dozen crabs on Friday evening from my crab dealer. I was intending on having a beach session on Saturday, fishing from low tide at 3.00 pm up to high tide and then half way down the ebb. As northwesterly winds were forecast for Sunday I was planning a lure session at a mark that has fished well recently. If the water had been too coloured for successful lure fishing I was going to bait fish with crab. So much for well laid plans!!!!

A brief lull between the storms - 14th September 2011

2011-09-16T14:37:00.001+01:00

After the battering of the south coast at the weekend by the tail end of Hurricane Katia, Wednesday was the first calm day in almost a week. I finished work early and headed to the coast and arrived about 4.00 pm. The tide had pushing in about halfway and the water was still quite coloured after all the windy weather. I fished a range of shallow diving and surface lures and soft plastics but there was no interest. I was pushed back by the tide and found a flat rock to stand on further back, changed to a Hazedong and cast it diagonal to the shore across a submerged gulley. On about the fourth or fifth cast just as the lure was dropping after hitting the water it was grabbed by a bass. It felt a reasonable fish and was fighting strongly but I was surprised when I got it ashore that it was only a 46 cm bass.

Shortly afterwards another fish lunged at the Hazedong, pulled on it but wasn’t hooked. I continued fishing across the same area but couldn’t interest it again.

I moved along the shore but there was no further bites. Even at dusk the pollock failed to show up, normally they become a nusiance at that time of the evening late on a rising tide. At the beginning of the month I was hoping that September was going to be a great month but halfway through I have only have five bass, four taken on soft plastics and one on bait. The weather is still unsettled with no sign of it calming down so it’s not looking good for lure fishing during the remainder of the month.

Back to bait - 10th September 2011

2011-09-16T11:24:00.000+01:00

I made an attempt at lure fishing late last Saturday afternoon in an area I thought would be sheltered from the strong southwesterly wind. It was sheltered alright but the water was highly coloured. I fished for about an hour before giving up. I reckoned I would have better success bait fishing on a beach later that night.

I didn’t have an opportunity to dig lug and only had some razor in the freezer. I got to the mark just after dark. Although the beach faces to the southeast there was still a big surf. I was concerned that weed might be a problem; initially it was OK but got worse later on. It was quite a clear night and the beach was well illuminated by a large bright moon. There was a persistent very strong wind with some stronger gusts but my 6 oz grippers generally held despite the pounding surf.

The last time I bait fished was in mid June having lure fished since then so it took a while to get used to the heavy beachcasters. About an hour after setting up I spotted a knock on the rod tip. I picked up the rod and felt another tug, I struck and could feel the pull of a bass on the end. It was just a small fish of 41 cm.

I had a few slack line bites after that, but nothing was hooked. I did get a couple of dogfish. I thought the second one was something bigger but it turned out to be just a small dogfish along with about 8 lbs of kelp!!!

After that the weed was getting progressively worse so I packed up. Not a hugely successful session but at least I did get one small bass.

A few bass before the storm - 3rd September 2011

2011-09-06T17:00:00.004+01:00

I headed to a West Waterford mark on Saturday afternoon and arrived just as the tide was beginning to push in. There was a strong westerly breeze. The weather forecast was not great but it turned out to be a nice sunny evening. The shore was sheltered but the wind was blowing up some large swells at the eastern end of the bay. I started fishing at this end as that tends to fish best early on the rise. The water was a little coloured but still clear enough for a bass to see the lure. However, despite firing out a range of lures there was no interest. There was also a large shoal of 2-3 cm long bait fish swimming adjacent to the rock platform I was standing on. That didn’t look too encouraging, if any bass had been around I am sure they would have been feeding on the little fish and scattered the shoal.

I moved a short distance to the west and began casting a weedless Slug-go into a deepish gulley between two rock outcrops. On about the third cast the lure was snatched by a strong fish. I was convinced it was a bass until I got it to the surface, surfed it over a ridge in front of me and saw the characteristic golden brown of a pollock. It was a decent size at 54 cm but not what I was after.

I had a few casts subparallel to the shore across some rough ground but there were no more bites. I then moved further west along the bay and reached an area of shallow ground between two rock platforms. This part of the bay was sheltered from the rougher sea and the water was still very clear. I tried a Slug-go first followed by a weedless giant Xlayer but there was no interest.

I switched to a Hazedong and on the first cast had a small pollock. A few casts later I had a strong fish but the drag was set too tight and the line snapped at the knot. I put on another Hazedong and began casting in the same direction. On the second cast I had another pollock. A short time later I had a much stronger bite about 30 m out. This fish was putting up a much tougher fight and when it broke the surface I could see the silvery glint of a bass. Several times it stripped a little line as it made breaks for freedom but after a few minutes I had it in and eased it on to the rocks. It was a 57 cm bass with a weight of about 4.5 lbs.

A few casts later I had another strong bite. This time the fished stripped some line and dived behind a rock and seconds later the line snapped!!! Needless to say I wasn’t happy!!! I put on another lure, a Slug-go this time, and lobbed it across the same area. The light was beginning to go at this stage. The tide pushed me back, I moved a few tens of meters to the east and found a flat rock to stand on. I clipped on another Hazedong and resumed fishing. After a few casts the lure was grabbed by another strong fish. I made no mistake this time, had the drag set right, and worked the fish in through the boulders in front of me. It was a 50 cm bass.

It was totally black at this stage, a dark night with no moon. I moved to the west and cast towards a gulley which was now fully submerged. After 5 or 6 casts the lure was struck by a very strong fish in quite close, no more than 5 m out. It thrashed about on the surface, stripped a little line before I could turn it and coax it into the shallows between some boulders on to the shore. This was the best fish of the night, a 60 cm bass weighing about 5 lbs.

I packed up shortly after that, so not a bad evening, 3 bass and 3 pollock. With the stormy weather forecast for the next day and most of the following week that might be the last lure session for a while.

Short session - 29th August 2011

2011-09-01T10:48:00.002+01:00

Monday was a nice warm day. I was sitting in my office working but the urge to get out fishing grew too great to resist so I finished work early and headed out arriving on the shore at about 3.40 pm. I clipped on a Feed Shallow and began fishing. On about the fourth cast the lure was struck by a bass about 25 m out from just below a rock ledge. It gave a good fight although it wasn't a big fish, just 44 cm.

A few minutes later I had a second from below the same ledge. This was a bit bigger with a length of 47 cm.

Although the weather forecast had predicted light northwesterly breeze the direction changed to WSW and the wind strengthened shortly after I arrived. Initially the sea was quite calm, with just some gentle swells but within 15 minutes the wind had blown up 1 m high waves. I was amazed how quickly it had changed, although I saw in the News later that evening that mini-tornados had been reported in Ballycotton. So there were some unusual weather conditions that afternoon.

The large waves surging in made fishing more difficult but shortly after getting the second bass I hooked another, but lost it close to the shore. However, a few casts later the Feed Shallow was grabbed by another bass. This one was coming in easy, at first I thought I lost it, but then felt it again. When I landed it I discovered that it was hooked in the eye, presumably why it was not putting up a struggle and just coming in with the lure. It was a 45 cm fish. Since a one eyed bass would probably not be a very efficient predator I thought it best to keep that for dinner.

I fished on for a little longer but the bass shoal had moved on so I packed up at about 5.30 pm and headed home for dinner.

A few East Cork bass - 28th August 2011

2011-08-31T13:50:00.001+01:00

I arrived at an East Cork mark just after low tide early Sunday afternoon. There were moderate swells and the water was a little cloudy, although it cleared as the tide rose. I tried a range of hard and soft plastic lures but there was no interest. The last time I fished there a shoal of bass showed up a couple of hours into the rising tide so I stayed on hoping that they would arrive. Sure enough about two and a half hours after low tide I had the first bass on a Feed Shallow. It was a small, but very lively fish just under 40 cm.

The next cast another bass struck the Feed Shallow. This was a bit bigger at 46 cm.

I felt a few knocks on the lure after that but the fish were not hooked A few minutes later a third bass grabbed the Feed Shallow but it came off about half way in.

The bites died off after that. Two hours before high tide I made my way around to the other side of the bay. However, there was no sign of any fish activity and no interest in the range of lures I fired out.

Given the big tides and conditions I had been expecting a better session, especially as the previous time I fished there I had five bass up to 5 lb and lost three others on slacker tides. But at least I did get two bass to add to my annual total.

Greedy fat bass - 27th August 2011

2011-08-30T13:58:00.007+01:00

I headed to a West Waterford mark on Saturday morning. There was a fairly strong northwesterly breeze blowing but the bay I was going to fish would be sheltered. It was partly sunny with a lot of broken cloud. So the conditions, along with the big tides, promised a good session.

I started fishing at the eastern end of the bay. It looked ideal with gently swells breaking on the rocks. I had a few casts into an area of fairly deepish water between some large rocks. After about 15 minutes I moved to the left and cast a Slug-go across a small bay. First cast the lure has grabbed by a strong heavy bass. It stayed deep as I gradually worked it in and only came close to the surface a few meters from the edge of the shore. It looked a big fish. It made a few darts for freedom before I surfed it on to the rocks on the crest of a breaking wave. It was the fattest bass I have ever caught!!! Its stomach was bulging and it weighed just over 7 lb, although its length was 66 cm so it was approximately 1.5 lb over-weight for its size.

I continued to cast across the small bay. Shortly afterwards I had a second bass on the Slug-go. Again it stayed deep and as I got it in close I could see another similar size bass following. At the edge of the rocks it dived which had me worried that the line might snap due to abrasion on the edge but I succeeded in raising the fish before any damage was done and eased it on to the rock platform. It was a smaller bass at 52 cm and had a more normal weight of about 3.5 lbs.

By this time the wind direction had changed and a strong breeze was blowing parallel to the shore. At one stage I saw a large bass swim up close to the ledge I was standing on. It was less than an arms length from me in about a meter of water. It wasn't following the lure, as that was still about 10 m out, just crusing the shore. I decided to stick to the same mark, but I could not tempt any more fish.

I moved westwards along the bay but the shore-parallel wind seemed to kill off any fish activity. By high tide I had made my way to the western end of the bay. I fished an Xlayer into a deep gulley and could see a large pollock checking it out. Next cast the pollock grabbed the lure but came off before I could land it. A few casts later the Xlayer was grabbed again, but further out, the fish dived and must have gone behind a rock. As it tried to bully it out the line snapped, presummably on the edge of the rock. I cut off the damaged line and tried again. This time an Xlayer was snatched by a fish right below my feet but the same thing happened, as it dived below the rocks the line snapped!!!!

Then the water around me erupted into a frenzy of leaping bait fish and feeding mackerel. I put on a silver toby and lobbed it into the shoal. One fish was instantly hooked but about 15 others crowded around trying to get at the lure. In the next few casts I caught another four. Mackerel do certainly provide an entertaining fish on a lure. I decided to pack up after that as the tide was now starting to drop.

Sunday bass - 21st August 2011

2011-08-25T11:49:00.003+01:00

On Sunday I decided to return to an area I fished for the first time a week ago. That previous session had been poor, with one small bass and a few pollock but the venue looked superb with lots of areas that one would expect to find bass moving in on a rising tide.

I got there at about 6.00 pm just as the tide was beginning to push in. It was a nice evening, partly sunny with broken clouds, a light southwesterly breeze and gentle swells breaking on the rocks. I started off on a rock platform fishing into an area of two intersecting gulley. I reckoned that the back wash from the tide would wash food back though the gulleys. I fished there for about 40 minutes but just had two pollock on Slug-gos and missed a few more.

I then moved to the other side of the platform and cast towards some shallow reefs. After a few casts I had a bad wind knot. I spent about 20 minutes trying to undo it but in the end gave up and had to cut a sizable amount of line off which left me with not a lot remaining on the reel.

I moved into a small bay that was rapidly infilling with the rising tide. Cast a Slug-go across some quite shallow ground. After maybe 8 or 9 casts the lure was grabbed by a very strong fish, there was a massive splash as it pounced on the lure. Then it turned and powered off out to sea like a locomotive, line was just peeling off the reef and I realized that within seconds it would have emptied the spool. I tightened the drag and the rod bent over as I tried to stop the fish, I turned it and was beginning to bring it back in. It was thrashing about on the surface and then the hook came out!!!!! I could see a bulge on the water surface as it surged back out to sea. It was a very big bass, easily specimen size.

In future I will bring a spare spool, I may have still lost the fish but if I had more line I could have played the fish differently and might have landed it. A little later I had another strong bite again on the Slug-go. The fish fought strongly but this time it was well hooked and after a few minutes I had it at my feet. It was a well fed 59 cm bass.

I stuck with the Slug-go and had a few more casts. Then I spotted a lot of activity further out, but no way did I have enough line left on the reel to even come close. I did have a spool of 20 lb amnesia in my bag so I loaded that on and resumed fishing. I worked my way out along a finger of rock to get nearer the splashes. Then got a good size pollock. Maybe it was pollock that were breaking the surface.

At that point I spotted a lot of splashes back where I had been fishing previously. Ran back as fast as possible across rough boulder strewn ground and started casting. Then a seal popped its head up right in front of me and stared at me for about ten minutes. That killed off all the fish activity. It remained quite even after the seal moved on. I moved a little further along the shore and had one more small pollock. It was dark at this stage so I began to work my way back. I stopped close to the spot where I had the previous bass for a few casts. On the first cast the Slug-go was struck by a bass very close in, no more than 4 meters from the shore. As it was so close and it shallow water it was easy enough to land. It was a 51 cm bass.

I stayed on a little longer but there was no more bites. It was a better session than I expected, the last time I fished there on full moon tide in very similar conditions I had just one small bass, this time on the neap tide, when the fishing is predicted to be slack, I had two good bass and lost a potential specimen.

A bass milestone - 20th August 2011

2011-08-24T12:12:00.003+01:00

After the successful session on Thursday I decided to try the same mark on Saturday. The weather had been rather windy on Friday but seemed to be much calmer on Saturday afternoon so I made my way down to the shore for the end of low tide. Unfortunately the sea was still rough, large swells were breaking on the rocks. This particular location does not fish well in rough conditions. But nevertheless since I was there I thought I may as well fish for a while and see how it goes.

I started off with some soft plastics, Xlayers and Slug-gos, but the surf was just carrying them in and even with a weedless set up I was still getting snagged. So I switched to a Feed Shallow. I put on a new one I got recently from Absolute Fishing, a silvey grey lure with a bright red belly. On about the fifth cast, directed diagonal to the shore and across several shore-parallel gulleys, the lure was snatched by a fish. It was putting up a reasonable struggle and when it broke the surface I could see it was a bass, although not big. I eased it onto the rocks on the crest of a wave. It was a 45 cm bass; it fought well considering its size.

It was my 120th bass of the year - so I now equalled my previous best annual total achived in 2009.

If there was one there I reckoned there should be a few more. I continued fishing, tried some different Feed Shallows and a few other lures such as Tide Minnons and Magabass X-140 but there was no more interest. As the tide rose the surf got bigger and I was getting hit by a few large waves so I decided to move on. I headed to a Cork Harbour mark, worked my way along the shore but had a big problem with weed. There was no sign of any fish activity so I packed up early.

Still I was happy to have pulled out the one bass given the conditions.

Good bass session - 18th August 2011

2011-08-22T13:04:00.005+01:00

Thursday was a calm partly cloudy day and I reckoned the conditions would be ideal for a good mark that I had not been able to fish recently due to rough conditions so I finished work early and headed off . The sea was quite calm, just a little choppy, and the water was clear with very little weed so it looked promising. I started out with some some soft plastics and after about 20 minutes I switched to a Feed Shallow. After a few casts the lure was grabbed by a bass. At first it was not struggling too hard so I thought it was a small fish but as I got it in close I could see that it was a decent size. As it approached the shallows it began to fight much more strongly and thrashed about wildly. I eventually eased it on to the rocks. It was a 65 cm bass, weighing 5 lb. It had almost totally engulfed the lure.

I continued fishing with the Feed Shallow but it was quite for about another 25 minutes then the lure was struck by another bass in close, this was putting up a better fight than the first one but was only 50 cm.

Shortly afterwards I had another, again in close. This time the bass dived into a gulley and the line was rubbing against the rocks on the edge but I managed to raise it and landed it without snapping the line. This was an almost identical 50 cm fish.

I cast across the same area and shortly afterwards was struck by another bass, this one erupted behind the lure, lept out of the water, crashed back in and fought fiercely. Then disaster - the line snapped and the bass was gone along with my favourite Feed Shallow!!!! The line must have been damaged when the previous bass dived below the ledge. I was kicking myself for not checking it and cutting off the damaged section.

I switched to a weedless Slug-go and lobbed it across the same area. On the first cast the lure was grabbed by another bass, this one was the smallest of the session at 45 cm.

Shortly afterwards I briefly had another on the same lure but it came off. Then a few minutes later I had the fifth bass, another 50 cm fish, which again grabbed the Slug-go from the edge of the same gulley that most of the bass had been lurking in.

I hooked another bass a little later, had it on for a few minutes but as I got it in close it came off. Next cast I had a good size pollock. This was followed by a few more pollock but the bass shoal seemed to have moved on. I moved further around the bay but just had another couple of pollock. I fished for a while in darkness but could only get one more pollock.

So I was very happy with the evenings fishing, that was my best lure session so far this year; 5 bass and 6 pollock.

More night time lure fishing - 16th August

2011-08-19T17:51:00.002+01:00

I headed to a local mark after dinner, got there just after high tide at about 8.45 pm. I had a few casts across an area of shallow rocks that was now flooded by the tide. There was no sign of any activity. I made my way along the shore to an area of flatter rocks where the water was deeper and began fishing. I had a few casts with an Xlayer, fired out a Patchinko and then switched to a Feed Shallow. On about the thrid cast a bass struck the lure only about 6 m out, it lept into the air and did a brief tailwalk before crashing back into the water. The fish was pulling hard and stripped some line before I had it under control and gradually coaxed it into a shallow gulley where I could lift it out. It was a stocky 53 cm bass, weighing just under 4 lb.

I continued fishing in the darkness and worked my way along the shore and then back. But there were no more bites. I hadn't been that hopeful since the tide was now dropping fast but decided to try it on the ebb as I always fish this section of coastline on a rising tide, looks like I will be sticking to fishing it on the rise. Since it didn't look too promising I packed up before Midnight, but at least I did get one bass.

Short session - 14th August 2011

2011-08-19T14:58:00.002+01:00

I just had time for a short session on Sunday. I headed to a West Waterford mark that fishes well early on a rising tide. I got there at 2.00 pm just as the tide was beginning to push in. It was a bight sunny afternoon with a light light westerly breeze and the water was crystal clear.

As it is very shallow with lots of snags I used weedless soft plastics and surface lures. I started with an Xlayer, fished with that for about 15 minutes then changed to a Patchinko and blasted it out to the edge of the reefs. I covered the ground in front of me at a range of angles and on about the tenth cast a fish lept clear out of the water as my lure passed over it, the fish seems to hang in the air for a moment of two before crashing back into the water and then lunged at the lure again, this time it was hooked. From the fight I knew it wasn't a bass, it kept deep, all the time pulling downwards, but nevertheless it put up a good struggle. I hooked the fish at 60 m out it and it put up a fight all the way in. It was a well fed 55 cm pollock. I was very surprised to get that in bright daylight in shallow water.

I continued fishing across the same small bay until I was forced back by the tide. I moved to the left and fished a shallow gulley between two rock ridges but had no interest. Then I had to move back again as the tide rose around me. I packed up close to 4 pm, happy enough to have got one fish.

Fishing a new mark - 13th August 2011

2011-08-18T12:44:00.002+01:00

There was a strong west southwesterly breeze on Saturday which ruled out fishing a reliable East Cork mark. There is a bay in Waterford that I have been meaning to fish for a long time so decided that the conditions would be suitable. I found a route down the cliffs and was on the shore at the northern end of the bay just as the tide was starting to push in. I was hopefully of a good session given the full moon tides. There was a moderate swell breaking onto the rocks at this end of the bay and oxygenating the water so it looked good.

I started fishing into an area between two large rock outcrops where the water looked a few meters deep, using Feed Shallows and Xlayers. After about twenty minutes I moved a few meters and fished the opposite side of one of the rocks using an Xlayer. After a few casts directly out to sea I changed direction cast parallel to the shore. First cast the Xlayer was grabbed by a bass that must have been hiding in the kelp directly below the rock I was standing on. It wasn't a big fish but gave a decent fight all the same. It was then I realized I should have brought a landing net. I worked the fish along the shore until I got it into a groove in the rocks and was able to reach down and lift it out. I put it into a rock pool while I went back to my bag to get the camera, got back lifted the fish out of the pool and just as I removed the lure from its mouth it gave a mightly twist and slithered out of my grasp and into the water before I got a chance to photograph or measure it but it was probably about 44-45 cm.

I continued fishing there for about half an hour but there were no more bites so I began to work my way along the shore. There were plenty of shallow areas now being flooded by the tide which looked ideal locations for bass to come in searching for crabs and other food but there was no interest, apart from a pollock on a Feed Shallow.

I continued working my way around the bay and reached the southern end just before high tide. There was a deeper water area here so I had a go for pollock. I had two on Xlayers, both about 2.5 lbs, and lost one easily twice that size on a small mother worm. I lost a few smaller pollock on Xlayers too. I also had a solitary mackerel on a Xlayer. By 6.30 pm I started to head back, saw some activity in an area of shallow water and fired out some surface lures but there was no interest. The fish splashing about were presumably mullet.

I packed up at about 7.00 pm. I had expected a better session, although there were a few other anglers there who didn't seem to fare any better. Despite that I will return since the bay contains an abundance of bassy looking marks.

Night time lure fishing - 9th August 2011

2011-08-11T13:41:00.010+01:00

Over the last few weeks I have found bass fishing slow, probably as a consequence of the water clarity. The fish seem to have been reluctant to come close to the shore in such clear conditions. As there have been plenty of reports of bass caught on lures at night in recent weeks I decided to have a night time session at a West Waterford mark.

I got to the coast and made my way out across the rocks to the shore and was fishing by 9 pm, just at low tide. A westerly wind was beginning to pick up but the water was crystal clear. There was not much happening until the light started to go and the tide began its initial push in. I was fishing a weedless Xlayer across some shallow reefs when suddenly a large fish lept almost clear of the water to try to snatch it, missed, and fell back with a mighty splash. In the brief moment it was clear of the water it looked like a bass although in the twilight it was difficult to be sure. I continued casting the Xlayer across the same area but there was no more interest. I switched to a weedless Slug-go and on about the third cast it was struck by a fish in exactly the same location that the bass had lept out of the water. It fought strongly, tried to get around some rocks but I managed to keep control and turned it towards me and gradually brought it into the shallows beside me. It was a stocky 55 cm bass, weighing over 4.5 lb.

I had a few more casts with the Slug-go. It was dark at this stage although the shore line was well illuminated by a bright three quater moon. I switched to a Patchinko thinking that it would make a larger disturbance on the surface as well as rattle to attact any bass moving in with the tide. After 4 or 5 casts there was a massive splash behing the lure about 20 m out, but the fish didn't connect, I stopped the retieve and then the fish smashed into it a second time a second or two later. This time it was well hooked. Intially it fought very strongly, flattening out the rod and stripping line. I struggled with it for a few minutes, gradually coaxing it in. Then the fight stopped, at first I thought I had lost the fish, but could feel weight on the line and thought I might have snagged a clump of weed as the fish came off. I reeled it in close and then turned on my headlamp to see what was on the end. The bass was still there!! but as soon as I switched on the light it went into a frenzy, wildly thrashing about although as it was so close it was easy enough to ease it onto the rocks. It was a rather slim 71 cm bass, weighing just under 7 lb, about a pound under weight for its length.

I fished the same area for a few more minutes but was pushed back by the tide. I found a new spot close by and fished for another twenty minutes or so. The tide was rising fast now so I moved further back. I fished a little longer but there were no more bites so I packed up and was off the rocks before Midnight. Still I was happy with the result for a few hours lure fishing in the dark.

Saturday evening bass - 6th August 2011

2011-08-10T12:18:00.000+01:00

I had to catch up on work at the weekend so didn't get out fishing until Saturday evening. I got to the rocks just as the tide was beginning to push in. As there were lots of very shallow rocks I could only fish with weedless soft plastics and surface lures. I started off with a Patchinko and on about the fifth cast the lure was struck by a strong bass about 20 m out just as I slowed the retrieve down to a stop. It gave a good fight, turned and stripped some line when I got it close to the shore. After a few minutes I got it back in and onto the rocks. It was a 52 cm bass with a weight of about 3.25 lbs.

Shortly after there was a large splash about 15 m out in front of me. I cast various lures across the spot but could not tempt the fish and was soon forced back by the tide.

I worked my way along the shore but there was no more interest and no sign of any fish activity apart from a few crusing mullet.

Bank holiday bass - 1st August 2011

2011-08-04T16:51:00.003+01:00

After a poor session on Saturday at what is usually a reliable East Cork mark I decided to try an area in West Waterford where I have had a few bass recently. I got there at low tide. There was a light southeasterly breeze and the water was clear. At the low water mark there was an extensive carpet of kelp (growing on the rocks not loose) in front of me so it was only possible to fish with weedless soft plastics. As the tide began to rise I switched to surface lures, in particular a Patchinko which I could blast out a good distance against the wind. I fished around the first mark for close to two hours. It looked an ideal spot for bass to move in with the tide, a narrow gulley floored by loose rocks and some sand with plenty of kelp for cover, but there was not a sign of a fish. There was also no sea bird activity, a couple of weeks ago gulls were constantly diving not far out to sea but this time the few that were around were just sitting on the rocks. So it didn't look too encouraging.

I then moved a few hundred meters along the shore to another likely looking spot. I had a few casts directly out to sea with a Patchinko across several barely submerged ridges. Then cast diagonally along the shore, first cast the Patchinko was struck by a good bass about 40 m out. It fought strongly, dived and broke the surface again. I worked it over the shallow reefs in front of me and eventually eased it onto the rocks. It was a 57 cm bass weighing 4.25 lbs.

I fished the same area for a while but was pushed back by the tide. I moved a little further along the shore but had no more bites. High tide was at 6.30 pm so by 6 pm I decided to walk to the opposite end of the mark and try an area which I had not fished before. Access was easier here, the rocks flatter. As the water was deeper I switched to some shallow diving lures such as the Feed Shallow and Megabass X-140 but there was no interest. I moved about 30 m further along, and put on a weedless Giant Xlayer first to check the terrain for snags before using the diving lures. I had a couple of cast, then on about the third cast the lure was grabbed by strong bass. The drag was set a little loose and it stripped some line before I turned the fish. It gave a good fight for a few minutes before I landed it. It was a 55 cm bass with a weight of just about 4 lbs.

I stayed on a little longer but there were no more bites. So not a bad start to August, let's hope the fishing picks up from now after a rather slow July.

A few hard earned bass - 23rd & 24th July 2011

2011-07-25T12:26:00.006+01:00

Saturday 23rd: I returned to the area in West Waterford where I fished last Sunday. I had one bass there that day during gale force winds so with the calmer conditions I was hopeful of a good result. It was breezier than I expected with a rather cold westerly wind. I fished the first mark for about an hour with no indication of any fish activity. As the tide began to push in more strongly I moved further along the shore. As I was passing a small inlet I had a cast but the wind caught the lure and carried in onto the rocks. I made my way out along the margin of the little bay and rescued the lure. While I was there I thought I may as well have a few casts. It looked shallow and snaggy so I put on a Texas rigged giant Xlayer and cast it diagonally with the wind across the reefs. Second cast I was hit by a good bass about 30 m. It fought strongly all the way in. It was 59 cm and weighed 5 lb.

I continued fishing the same area until I was forced back by the tide. I moved further along the shore and then worked my way back but there was no more interest.

Sunday 24th: I arrived at a favourite bass mark a about 7 pm shortly after low tide. The water was crystal clear and weed free. It looked good with a bit of fizz in the water due to moderate swells breaking on the rocks. Earlier in the afternoon I had made a visit to Absolute Fishing in Tramore and picked up a bunch of shiny new lures that I reckoned no bass could resist so I was eagar to try them out. I was fishing for about an hour and got through all my new lures and some of the old reliables but there was no interest. I was about to move on further down the shore but decided to have a few last casts using an Asturie, the one lure I had so far yet to try. First cast it was grabbed by a bass about 40 m out. It fought well and I was surprised that it was only a 41 cm fish.

I coutinued using the Asturie, I had a few splashes behind the lure but no hook ups, then just as I was lifting the lure out of the water a bass made a snatch for it just below my feet but missed. I tried some other lures and soft plastics but the Asturie was the only lure that was getting any attention, so I put it back on. A little latter the lure was grabbed by a bass in the same place only 1.5 m out. I had it on for about 5 seconds and it felt a good fish, it was stripping a little line and putting a good bend in the rod but then came off!!!

Shortly afterwards Pat arrived. We fished together for a while, I had another fish (may have been a pollock) lunge at the lure but it wasn't hooked. The pollock then came on the feed. Pat seemed to be getting a small one on every cast. He moved on at about 10 pm but I stuck it out for another half an hour but all I got were another four small pollock.

So another slow weekend, but hopefully with the weather warming up and the tides increasing the fishing will improved later in the week.

A few bass in tough conditions - 16th & 17th July 2011

2011-07-19T12:17:00.009+01:00

Saturday 16th: The weather forecast for the weekend was not looking ideal. I headed to a favourite bass mark early Saturday afternoon just as the tide was starting its initial push in. The westerly winds had already disturbed the water which was now quite coloured and there was a lot of fine seaweed floading about. I spent about 20 minutes on the first mark but was snagging weed on every cast despite using Texas rigged soft plastics. I moved a couple of hundred meters down the shore to an area where I could cast with the wind. I was able to reach a good distance with a Texas rigged Giant Xlayer. After about half an hour my persistance was rewarded when I felt a strong tug on the Xlayer, a strongly fighting bass had taken the lure. It was hooked about 35 m meters out and put up a spirited fight before I landed it. It was a 55 cm, 4.25 lb fish.

As the tide rose I was pushed back off the mark, the surf was becoming bigger as the wind gained strength, and the waves were picking up a lot of loose weed left on the rocks making fishing difficult. I moved further down the shore to a small bay. I fished around the margins of the bay until close to high tide. The water was highly coloured so I stuck to the soft plastics and fished them close to the bottom but didn't have a bite.

Sunday 17th: By Sunday the wind had swung around to a northwesterly and was now gale force. I decided to try a rocky peninsula in a bay that I thought would be relatively sheltered. The wind was blowing off-shore but there was not as much shelter as I had hoped for. I was nearly blown off the rocks a couple of times by strong gusts. The tide was just beginning to push in when I arrived. I was fishing across an area with many barely submerged rocks and lots of weed in places so stuck to using Texas rigged Giant Xlayers. As my back was to the wind I could cast them out considerably further than normal. Less than half an hour after starting I was struck by a bass. It was hooked about 40 m out and struggled fiercely all the way in. As I got it close it saw me an made a last break for freedom, turned and stripped a few meters of line before I regained control and coaxed it the rest of the way in. It was a 57 cm fish, a bit more slender compared to the fish I had the previous day and weighed about 4 lbs. I laid the fish on a flat rocks and reached into my bag for my camera but discovered I had left it at home!!!

Shortly afterwards as I was retriving the Xlayer in the final meter a good size bass must have been following the lure, saw me and made a large splash as it turned and surged away.

I continued fishing in the same area for another half hour until I was pushed back by the tide. I moved to the left, and fished into a small bay that had now become filled by the rising tide. I did see another large bass follow the Xlayer in very close but it turned a couple of meters from the shore. I tired a variety of other lures but could tempt no more fish. However, given the gale force winds that were flattening out the sea I was happy enough to have caught the one bass.

The ones that got away - 13th July 2011

2011-07-15T13:14:00.003+01:00

Wednesday was a lovely summer's day so I finished work early at 4.00 pm and headed to the coast for a short session before dinner. High tide was at 5.00 pm and I arrived at the shore just after 4.30 pm. I commenced fishing a mark that I had previously checked out at low tide and reckoned it would be a good area for bass to lurk as the tide filled. On the second cast as I retrived a Feed Shallow I could see a large bass following, but it stayed about a meter behind the lure and turned away close to the shore. I continued casting across the same area, changed lures, tried some soft plastics but I had no more interest.

I then moved about 25 m to the east. I was casting across an area of shallow reefs with intervening deeper shore parallel gulleys. As some of the rocks were barely submerged I switiched to surface lures. After about ten minutes, just as I had the lure within a meter of the shore a bass made a sudden lunge for an Asturie right below my feet, it was on for a second or two but came off. I could see the bass in the crystal clear water, and could see another two fish right beside it. However, the brief fight spooked them and they were gone in an instant. Despite throwing out a variety of lures I had no more bites.

I moved further along the shore. There were lots of splashes in the calm water but they were mostly mullet. As it is a good bass mark I thought it likely that there could be bass amongst them but there was no interest apart from one big splash behind a patchinko about 30 m out.

As the tide began to drop I worked my way back. I got out onto a rocky platform that was starting to become exposed. There are several gulleys just off this that have produced plenty of bass for me in the past. I put on a Texas rigged Slug-go and lobbed it in to one of these, let the lure drift, giving it a few gentle twitches to keep it moving. At that stage of the tide it was probably about 3.5-4 m deep. Then suddenly the rod flattened out, there was a very good fish on the end pulling fiercely and stripping a little line. I had it on for about 10 seconds and was trying to get it to the surface, then the line went limp!!! The line had been rubbing against the submerged rocks on the edge of the drop-off and snapped!!!

I was annoyed to say the least!!! As I was travelling light that was my one and only Slug-go so I tried a giant Xlayer. I did feel a tug on the Xlayer at one stage but nothing was hooked. I perservered for about another hour but the tide was now dropping fast so I packed up. Not the best session I have ever had but at least there were fish there even if I didn't succeed in landing one.

A couple on Sunday evening - 10th July 2011

2011-07-13T14:24:00.004+01:00

I was busy during the day so didn't get out until evening. I arrived at the shore close to 7 pm, not an ideal time with low tide at 8 pm. I started fishing with a Feed Shallow, after a few casts I was hit by a small bass about 25 m out. I had it in at the edge of the rocks and was waiting for the next swell to coast it in over the edge but before the wave arrived the fish managed to shake itself loose!!

I continued fishing with the same lure, then about 10 minutes later the lure was struck by another bass in about the same area. It felt a slightly bigger fish and was pulling harder. I coaxed it in around the rocks into the shallows. There was no escaping this time. It was a 49 cm bass. Interestingly its dorsal spine was bloodied, as if it had been lashing at bait fish. But afterwards looking at the photo I noticed that there is a mark on the fish's body below the doral spines, looks like it was caught in a net and maybe damaged the spines trying to free itself.

There was nothing for a while after that and I tried a variety of lures. Then switched to a Texas rigged Xlayer. I cast it out an let it sink into over the edge of reef, just giving it gentle twitches to keep it moving. On the first cast there was nothing. I lobbed it out into the same gulley a second time, letting it drift. Then after a few minutes the line suddenly went taut and I could feel a strong fish pulling. Shortly afterwards it broke the surface and I could see that it was a bass. I guided it through the rocks and into the landing net. It was a 52 cm fish, well fed and weighing just under 4 lb. It was cleanly lip hooked so the hook could be removed with the minimum distress to the fish.

Just before the tide started its initial push in I moved further along the shore to a mark that often produces big bass at this stage of the tide. However, it was quite. I fished there for about an hour without a bite so moved back to where I started. I did have a strong bite but the fish came off after a few seconds. As the light began to fade the pollock came on the feed. I had a few attack the Feed Shallow, but most were lightly hooked and came off apart from one. At that stage I decided to pack up as it was going to be difficult to find a bass through the pollock.

The mighty Feed Shallow strikes again - 2nd & 3rd July 2011

2011-07-04T13:17:00.008+01:00

2nd July: When I left the house early Saturday afternoon it was quite overcast, with just a few breaks in the cloud, but by the time I got to the coast the clouds were gone, the sea was calm and the water was clear. It looked like a real summer's day, I had forgotten what those were like. I arrived at a reliable mark just as the tide was starting to push in. In April this was a particularly productive stage of the tide for big bass. However, this time with the calm conditions and bright sunlight, I was not so successful. I tried a variety of lures, I had a bass on for a few seconds on an Asturie but it came off. I moved along the shore as the tide pushed in, but no more bites.

After about 2.5 hours I moved to a small bay further along the coast. On about the fourth cast I had the first bass, only a small one of 37 cm, caught on a Feed Shallow, but a start at least, and my first lure caught bass since the end of April.

A few minutes later I had a second, a bit bigger at 43 cm, again caught on a Feed Shallow.

Not longer afterwards as I retrived the lure in close I could see a small bass following but it failed to bite. I had a couple more casts across the same area, then there was a good solid bite. It was another small 39 cm bass again caught on the Feed Shallow.

All three were taken within about 15 minutes. However, the bites died down after that. The shoal of small bass must have moved on. I switched to some surface lures and soft plastics but could tempt nothing more. About two hours before high tide I made my way to the other side of the bay. I began fishing from a mark where I had a number of 4-5 lb fish in April. After about 20 minutes I was rewarded with a good fish. It hit the Feed Shallow about 30 m out and put up a fierce struggle, but I eventually worked it in. It was the best bass of the day, a fine chunky fish at 57 cm and weighing just over 5 lb.

I fished there for a little longer and then made my way further along the side of the bay. I clambered along a narrow promontory and began to fish. A few minutes later I had a bass smash into the Feed Shallow only a few meters out. It was another strong fish, as I got it close it made several dashes for freedom stripping line. I finally got it to the edge of the rocks. I was leaning down trying to grab the fish when it made one final violent head shake and shook the lure and was gone!!! It was a bigger bass than the previous one. Its hard to estimate the size but I would guess it would have been between 6.5-7.5 lbs.

I had a few more casts, changed lures but could not tempt it again. I packed up about 30 minutes later. So while the fishing had been slow with a toal of 4 bass from low to high tide, at least it was a start to the summer lure fishing.

3rd July: Sunday looked like been another hot summer's day. This time I lashed on plenty of sun screen and remembered to bring a hat and most importantly a landing net!! When I got to the coast the sea was even calmer than the previous day. Since the low water mark had not been productive on Saturday I decided to start in the bay where I had encountered the shoal of small bass the day before. Second cast out diagonally across some shallow reefs my Feed Shallow was hit by a bass. It fought strongly and I was surprised that it only measured 48 cm. The landing net came in useful this time as I needed to lift the bass up a ledge close to 1 m high.

Next cast I hooked another bass, but lost it two thirds of the way in!!!

A little later I made a long cast directly out to reach the seaward side of a reef. Just as I began to retrieve there was a massive splash behind the lure, the fish was hooked for a second or two, but then broke free. I continued casting across the same area, then a few minutes later I hooked another bass, but in closer. It was a 45 cm fish, again taken on a Feed Shallow. It was my 100th bass of 2011!!!

It was quite after that. I experimented with various lures but there were no more bites. So I moved to the other side of the bay. I fished the first promontory, and cast parallel to the shore, towards the area where I had lost the good bass the previous day. After a few casts I was hit by another bass, but not the big one. This was a 47 cm fish, again taken on a Feed Shallow.

I moved further along the shore but there were no more bass. I did get a couple of 40 cm pollock with the Feed Shallow. I debated working my way back the way I came but I was tired and hungry at this stage so decided to head for home. It was another slow day but at least I had three bass so I was happy enough and the Feed Shallow again saved the day.

A fine bass - 26th June 2011

2011-06-29T12:51:00.006+01:00

I have been very busy over the last couple of weeks so have not had the opportunity to do much fishing. I did have a couple of evening lure sessions last week but was beaten by the weed and murky water. So last Sunday evening I decided to have a beach session. I dug some lug over the last hour of the ebb and headed to a beach mark.

There was a nice surf, not big, just moderate rollers, which is what I prefer for this particular beach. It was a nice warm evening, very little wind, it finally felt like summer! I got set up at my favourite spot. But I was not alone there were five anglers a hundred meters or so down from me and at least two at the far end of the beach.

I set up two rods, one with a 5/0 pennel pulley, the other with a 3/0 pennel pulley. I cast the larger hook rig out as far as I could and the other to moderate distance. It was quite for the first hour but as soon as the sun had set and the light began to go I had a strong tug on the distance rod. I grabbed it and stuck, hooking into a decent fighting fish. I few minutes later I hauled a gleaming silver bass out of the surf. It was 53 cm and a little over 3.5 lbs. A good start!!

A few minutes later as I was returning from the bait bucket with a couple of fresh worms I spotted a sharp pull on the other rod, dropped the worms and ran to the rod. I picked it up, struck, but it felt like I was stuck into something solid. For a moment I thought I was snagged, but then it began to give a little, I hauled on the rod, but there was only a little movement. I thought I must have snagged a huge clump of kelp, but then felt a kick, suddenly I realized there was a very good fish on the end. A fierce struggle then ensued, after about 10 minutes I had it in close, then a clump of kelp appeared out of the water. At first I thought it was on my shock leader knot but afterwards discovered that I had snagged somebodies lost line which was tangled up in the kelp. That caused a bit of a panic as I tried to clear my line, got it clear and fortunately the fish was still on the end. As I eased it into the shallows it thrashed about ferociously and eventually I had it on the sand. It was a fine bass, in great conditions, stocky and powerful. It was not the longest bass I have caught this year at 71 cm but it was the heaviest. It weighed 8 lb 10 oz, so was a new personal best. It had been feeding well since spawning and was above average weight for its length.

The fight must have exhausted the fish as it was very slow to recover when I tried to release it. For a while I thought it wasn't going to make it, a wave knocked the fish out of my hand and it floated on its side but when I reached to grab it again it gave a powerful sweep of the tail and surged off. Maybe I will meet it again next year when it may weigh over 10 lbs.

About 30 minutes later as I was moving the rods and rod stand back I had the drag loosened so I could move the rods, but after I repositioned the stand the line was still spooling off one of the reels. Was there a fishing running with the bait? I tightened the drag, reeled in some slack and struck. I could feel a good fish on the end. It took a while to reel it in as a lot of line had spooled off the reel and the fish was fighting strongly. It was another good bass, 60 cm and weighing 5 lbs.

It was quite for a while after that, then I spotted some twitches on one of rods. I held the rod and waited, I thought it was probably small flounder pulling on the bait but then felt a stronger pull. I struck and hooked a fish. This was not putting up such a strong fight and turned out to be the smallest bass of the night at 47 cm.

I stayed on for about another hour, but then the weed became very bad. It had been fine most of the night, just a few strands now and then, but suddenly it appeared, dragging up the line and bending the rods over. In amongst it all I did manage to get a 35 cm flounder but it got too difficult to fish so I packed up. However, I went home very happy, 4 bass including a new PB!!

Off to a good start - 16th June 2011

2011-06-16T13:56:00.003+01:00

At long last the bass ban has finished!!
I reckoned that the strong steady southwesterly wind during the day would have blow up a good surf on south facing beaches. I arrived at the beach at about 11.20 pm, made my way down to my favourite mark and proceeded to get set up. It was a lovely night to be out, mild, very light breeze and the beach was illuminated by a bright full moon on a clear night.

I decided to use three rods in order to fish a range of distances. I used 4/0 and 5/0 pennel pulleys on the two rods cast to long and intermediate distances and a 4/0 running ledger on the rod cast in close. I had a good stock of freshly dug lug plus some razor. There was a moderate to weak surf, I had expected it to be bigger, although it did increase as the tide pushed in. As the surf was not too strong I reckoned that lug would be the best bait.

I had all three rods set up and baited with lug just before 12 am, and on the stroke of midnight began to cast them out. Initially I snagged a few clumps of kelp on the rod at distance, so began to cast that to intermediate distance also. Low tide was at 12.30 am and it was quite until the tide started its initial push in, then there was a sudden sharp tug on one of the intermediate distance rods. I struck and began to retrieve. From the fight I was sure it was a bass, but not a big one. A few minutes later I hauled a 43 cm bass out of the surf - a good start!!!

Maybe 20 minutes later I had a second, much the same size at 44 cm.

This was followed by another three bass over the next hour or so. They were all of a similar size range, 43 cm, 41 cm and 47 cm and all hooked on lug at intermediate distance. The rod in close was quite, so for a lot of the time it was out of the water, but I was intending to use it again closer to high tide when the water depth in close increases as the beach steepens up.

It was quite for about 30 minutes after that apart from a small 21 cm flounder. Then as I was returning from casting out one of the rods I spotted the line on the other had gone slack. I grabbed it and rapidly reeled in the slack. There was a lot of slack line but eventually I caught up with the fish. This was putting up a better fight compared to the previous bass and was pulling strongly as I got it into the shallows. I could see it splashing about in the moonlight. It was a 51 cm bass, the best of the session.

I had been thinking of having a lure session at dawn but as the sky lightened I could see large waves crashing on to the rocks to the east. It looked too rough for that and the water in the mark that I wanted to fish would very likely have been highly coloured and weedy. So I perservered with bait fishing.

I had one more bass after that at dawn, a 45 cm fish.

The fishing then died down and all I had was one more tiny flounder of about 18 cm.

I packed up at high tide at 6.30 am after using all the lug. So not a bad start to the reopening of the bass season, 7 bass ranging from 41-51 cm and a couple of small flounder.

2.00 pm 15th June - 10 hours to go !!!!!!

2011-06-15T14:17:00.003+01:00

The end of the bass ban is finally in sight - it seems to have been a long month!!

I am just back from digging lug over low tide. The worms have been fattening up over the last month, I dug for about an hour and probably got close to 150, most of them big and fat, plenty in the 6-9 inch range and a few up to 12 inches.

I will be heading out at about 11 pm tonight, get to the beach, set up and make the first cast on the stroke of midnight. Conditions should be good for bait fishing, while I was digging the lug there was a strong steady southwesterly wind which should blow up a nice surf. I will probably fish all the way up to high tide at 6.20 am. I was intending to spend about 4 hours bait fishing and then move to a rock mark for a dawn lure session but I think the strong winds will probably have resulted in highly coloured water. But if the wind dies down during the night I might still do that. I would prefer to lure fish in the morning but I will use which ever method, bait or lure, that is likely to produce the best result.

A load of Pollocks - 3rd & 4th June 2011

2011-06-06T13:24:00.010+01:00

3rd June: I hadn't been fishing since the bass ban came into force so with warm calm weather forecast for the weekend it was time to get out and wet a line. I planned to mostly lure fish but I took along some rag too. I headed to a deepish water mark that I reckoned should throw up some pollock and maybe wrasse too.

I arrived at the mark at about 7.00 pm (high tide at 7.30 pm). It was a warm sunny evening and the sea was dead calm, like a lake. I put on an Xlayer and lobbed it out a short distance. On about the third cast I had a pollock of approximately 2 lb. I had a few more casts without a bite so decided to try some rag. I freelined a large king ragworm, letting it drift down over a ledge. I was hoping some wrasse would be lurking under there. Almost immediately I was getting tugs on the bait, and then hooked a pollock, again about 2 lb. This was followed by another three pollock in the 1-2 lb range. But no wrasse.

I was fishing an area of deep water just to the east of a shallow bay. The bay is a good mark for bass but once the water depth increases they dont seem to move any further east. However, I could see an angler fishing close to the western end of the bay. In that area he could only be targeting bass - despite the ban!!!

I switched back to an Xlayer and after a few casts landed another pollock. I had another three pollock on the Xlayer, all in close but small, nothing above 1.5 lbs. I found a stop/start method of retrieve worked best, reel in at a slow pace for a few seconds, stop and let the lure drop, most of the fish then struck. I switched to a small metal spinner so that I could cast out further. I did pick up a few pollock 30-40 m or so out. As the sun began to set the pollock began to feed more ferociously. I could feel them hitting the lure on every cast, hooked some and lost some. Most of the fish were small but a few were about 2 lbs.

I packed up at 10 pm so that I could make my way a back up the cliff while there was still some light. It was a good session with a total of 14 pollock.

4th June: After the success of the previous session I headed to the same mark on Saturday but got there earlier at about 5.30 pm. I had a few casts with an Xlayer but nothing was biting. I then tried some float fishing with rag. However, unlike the previous day there was no interest. Then I spotted a disturbance in the bay to my right - a basking shark was crusing around very close to the shore. I stopped fishing and watched it for a while. It then swam out of the bay, at first it was moving westwards, but then turned and swam towards me, passing only 10 from the rock where I was fishing, before turning again and swiming diagonally away from the shore out to sea.

After that interruption it was back to fishing. I put an Xlayer back on and after a few casts had the first pollock, it was about 2 lbs. This was followed a little later by a second of approximately the same size.

It was then quite for a while so I switched to the metal spinner that had been successful the previous day and picked up another 2lb pollock.

I alternated between this lure, an Xlayer and various jelly worms for a while after that, but the bites were slow. At one stage when my lure hit the surface a fish lept out of the water close by. It looked long and slender, like a garfish but I wasn't sure as I only had a momentary glance at it. I had a few more pollock after that mostly on the spinner. Then suddenly I hooked something that was putting up a strong fight and not diving to the depths like the pollock tend to do. As I got it in close I could see it was a silvery fish but long and eel-like. I hauled it onto the rocks - it was a garfish!!!!

I foul hooked a baby garfish last year but this was the first time I have caught an adult garfish.

As the sun began to set the pollock came on the feed. They were hitting the lure on almost every cast and in amongst them all I caught a small coalfish.

However, the pollock were generally small, mostly in the 1 lb range. I was intending to pack up at 10 pm so at about 9.50 pm I put on a wave worm hoping that it might produce a bigger fish. Second cast I had a pollock of just over 2 lb, shortly followed by a second of about the same size.

I packed up just after 10 pm. So another successful session with a total of 17 pollock, 1 garfish and 1 coalfish.

A letter to the Minister

2011-06-01T13:18:00.009+01:00

Minister Simon Coveney TD.

Dail Eireann,

Leinster House,

Dublin 2.

Dear Minister,

First of all I wish to congratulate you on your recent appointment as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine.

In recent years the Irish Federation of Fishermen (FIF) have been lobbying the Government to allow the retention and landing of Sea Bass caught in Irish offshore waters. This would be disastrous to the bass population. After twenty years of protection Irish bass are gradually making a recovery. To permit commercial fishing for bass again would undo all the benefits of the last twenty years of protection in a very short space of time.

Sea bass are essentially an inshore species but in the winter they commonly move offshore. There is no evidence to support the presence of large shoals of offshore bass. The following is a quote taken from the Marine Institutes advice to Dail Eireann in 2008:

“The institute advises that the total size of the sea bass stock frequenting waters around Ireland is unknown, but is likely to be quite small, with a maximum estimate of 100 tonnes. It advises that, despite warming seas around our coasts, the species remains at the northern limit of its range. The institute advises that "there is currently no prospect of a sustainable commercial fishery for sea bass”.

Commercial netting of sea bass would without question decimate the population in a very short period of time for very limited short term gain.

Irish bass provide a very valuable recreational resource. Our inshore bass fisheries are the envy of European anglers. The economic benefits of angling tourism, not to mention the spending by Irish anglers, would far out strip the short term limited benefit to the national economy of opening up our waters to commercial bass fishing.

As sea bass stocks throughout Europe become severely depleted due to commercial over-fishing increasing numbers of foreign anglers are visiting our shores for bass fishing. The potential of bass as a tourism resource is far from been fully realized and has the potential to generate revenues for the State far in excess of the limited short term gain for a few commercial fishermen. The vast majority of visiting foreign bass anglers also practice catch and release so they are not harming the bass stocks.

The expenditure by overseas anglers visiting our shores is substantial. They are making a significant contribution to the local economy, staying in local guesthouses or hotels, eating in local restaurants and bars. They will also purchase bait locally and are likely to purchase tackle in local angling shops. They may utilize the services of local bass guides or take charter boat trips.

If more resources are devoted to the prevention of illegal netting and the promotion of bass angling tourism, bass as a sports fish can make a very valuable contribution to our economy as more overseas anglers visit our shores. I urge you to do your utmost to maintain the present ban on commercial bass fishing.

Yours sincerely,

Francis X. Murphy, B.Sc., Ph.D.

I have also sent a copy of this letter to his constituency office:

Main Street,

Carrigaline,

Co. Cork.

Since an important aspect of the argument for maintaining the ban on commercial bass fishing is the benefits of angling tourism to the economy the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Leo Varadkar) should also be contacted. I have sent similar letters to him at Leinster House and to his constituency office:
37A Main Street,
Ongar,
Dublin 15.

I would urge every angler to do the same. In particular, overseas anglers who have visited Ireland for bass fishing should write to the relevant ministers and outline their expenditure during their stay.

The final countdown - 13th - 14th May 2011

2011-05-16T14:44:00.005+01:00

With not long before the bass closed season I headed to a beach that has been consistently producing bass over the last few months. I had a good stock of big juicy lug, dug the evening before, and a couple of packets of razorfish, the two optimum baits for this mark. I arrived shortly after 9.00 pm, just as the tide was beginning to push in. I set up two rods; one with a 4/0 pennel pennel pulley, the other with a 4/0 running ledger both baited with plenty of lug.

Shortly after casting out, I spotted some subtle twitches on the rod with the pennel pulley, I picked it up, felt a slight tug, struck and started to retrieve. There seemed to be a fish on the end but it wasn't putting up much of a fight, soon afterwards I hauled it out of the surf and was surprised to see it was a bass, a 44 cm fish. That was the most lethargic bass I have ever caught, he couldn't be botherer putting up a fight and just coasted in. However, it surged off with a powerful twist of the tail when I released it. But it was a good start, a bass on the first cast so I thought I was in for a good session.

Unfortunately that was it, I had no more bass bites, although I was plagued by small flounder robbing my bait. Within seconds of casting they were onto the bait, stripping the hooks in minutes. I resorted to the razor, tied on with plenty of elastic, it lasted a little longer, but I still needed to rebait every ten minutes. I caught three small flounder in the 21-24 cm range, including one that was not hooked at all, but had got the bait elastic stuck in its mouth! In amongst the flounder there was also a small coalfish.

I was hopeful that the bass might turn up close to high tide and fished all the way up. But still no bass. By 3.00 am I was out of bait so packed up and got into bed by 4.15 am, after setting the alarm for 8.00 am for a final lure session.

After about three hours sleep I struggled out of bed at 8 am on Saturday morning and headed to a relaible rock mark. However, the water was still highly coloured and there was a lot of weed. Met Pat there, we fished for a few hours, without a bite between us. Pat said he was heading to another mark which had been clear the day before so I joined him. The water was crystal clear so it looked good. But again the bass were not biting. Pat could see them swimming up and down, he had a couple of follows and I think he briefly hooked a fish but I didn't have a bite. By high tide at 3.30 pm my back was aching from all the casting and I was feeling the effects of the lack of sleep so packed up.

So that's the end of bass fishing for the next month until the 16th June. Time to service the spinning reel, replace some of the rusted and bent triples on the lures and maybe do some wrasse and pollock fishing.

May was a poor month for bass fishing, the conditions were tough with strong winds and gales at the start of the month and kelp choked bays. Lets hope for good conditions for the reopening of the bass season next month.

Last cast bass - 10th May 2011

2011-05-12T17:43:00.000+01:00

I headed to a local beach on Tuesday evening as the winds had eased off. I wasn't too hopeful of it been fishable at all due to weed but surprisingly it was almost totally weed free. As the wind had changed to a more southwesterly direction all the weed had been blown down to the eastern end of the beach. I didn't have time to dig lug, the prefered bait on this beach, so took a couple of packets of razor out of the freezer.

There was a good surf so I was optimistic about getting a few bass but the rod tips remainded stubbornly still. I did get a small 40 cm codling close to high tide but that was the only bite. At 12.30 am, an hour after high tide, I decided it was time to pack up. I had expected a better result given the surf and conditions but it was a nice, mostly clear mild night to be out. I lifted the first rod and held it for a minute or two (as I always do before reeling in) and suddenly felt some subtle tugs. I waited, felt a stronger pull, then struck, hooking into a fairly strong fish - a bass and not another codling I hoped. After a few minutes I hauled it out of the surf - it was indeed a bass, 48 cm, that glint of silver was welcome sight after a bass drought for the last ten days!

That was the first fish picture on my new FujiFilm XP30 camera, the ultimate waterproof, shockproof, freeze proof and dust proof fishing camera. It even has a GPS in case I can't find my way home!.

Of course I had to fish on a bit longer now. However, there were no more bites so I packed up at about 1.15 am.

Blown out - 7th & 8th May 2011

2011-05-09T12:27:00.002+01:00

Due to the windy weather over the weekend I decided to fish some more sheltered marks using peeler crab as bait. On Saturday I headed to a sheltered area in Cork Harbour just after low tide. I was hopeful that I might get a bass with the incoming tide. But all I had was a small red codling. Something bigger had a bite on its tail. As the tidal flow increased I began to snag large clumps of kelp and lost about 4 rigs.

On Sunday I headed westwards. I planned to fish at the mouth of a small estuary. There was a huge surf rolling in on the beach and an extremely strong steady southerly wind blowing.

I was relatively sheltered but there was still a strong enough wind funneling around the corner of the headland. There was a lot of fine "lettuce" weed which made fishing difficult. I just used one rod and held it high to stop the weed building up on the line. Fished there for a few hours without a bite. Eventually I gave up and packed up early at about 6.30 pm.

The wind is supposed to ease off later in the week so hopefully there will be an opportunity to get a few bass before the 15th.

Weeded out - 5th May 2011

2011-05-06T18:44:00.002+01:00

The windy weather has put lure fishing on hold for the moment. I headed out for a bait session last night, hoping to find a clear patch on a local beach. I got to the mark before dusk so that I could check if out for weed. There was a mound of kelp at the western end, but the center of the beach seem clean. At first it was OK, just a few strands collecting on the shock leader knots, but as the tide dropped it became unfishable. Clumps of the fine lettuce weed collected on the lines. I spent longer cleaning it off than I did fishing. In the end I had to admit defeat and headed home early.

There is only 8 days left to add to the annual bass tally before the closed season, so tomorrow I will have a change of tactics. I have ordered 2 dozen peeler crabs and will stay away from the beaches. There are a few marks in Cork Harbour which may be fishable.

8.5 lb bass; fine end to great month - 30th April 2011

2011-05-01T22:07:00.007+01:00

I arrived at a reliable mark just after low tide on a nice sunny morning. A fairly brisk ESE wind was blowing but it had not yet created a big surf and the water was still crystal clear. It was quite a warm day despite the wind direction. I began to work my way along a productive stretch of the shore with shallow reefs alternating a Feed Shallow with various soft plastics. Since the wind was quite strong I mostly cast diagonal to the coast to achieve greater distance. As the tide began to push in I moved westwards. I had been fishing for about 40 minutes and cast a Feed Shallow almost parallel to the coast across an area of barely submerged boulders and was suddenly hit by a big bass no more than 2 m out from the shore. It was fighting ferociously and stripped a little line. I gradually worked it in but when the fish was close it began to thrash about violently making it very hard to land. Eventually I got it into a very shallow pool and managed to lift it out. It was just over 8.5 lbs, my best ever bass. Unfortunately I forget to bring my ruler so I didn't get a length. The fish was quite slender so was well below average weight for its length. It would not surprise me if it exceeds 10 lbs by September. I got some photos and quickly released it. I do keep a few bass for the table but a fish of that stature has to be put back.

After releasing the bass I put my camera back in its case but failed to close it properly and before I could place it somewhere secure it slipped out and into a rock pool!!!! The end of another camera. That's about the sixth camera I have ruined in four years. As if that was not bad enough about 10 minutes later as I was crossing a narrow but deep rock pool I lost my footing and fell in ending up with one wader leg full of water!!!!

I continued fishing. As the tide pushed in I moved further to the east and fished across a small bay. At first I was using a Feed Shallow but as the tide rose I had to move back and was fishing across a very shallow area so switched to surface lures. On about the fifth cast my Asturie was grabbed by a bass. It was a small fish, just over 2 lb, but my first on a surface lure this year.

Close to high tide I moved down to a small cove that has been fishing well in the last hour before high tide. I worked my way around the bay, trying a variety of hard and soft plastic lures. I reached the far side of the bay and switched back to a Feed Shallow. After about 10 casts the lure was hit by decent bass. It was putting up a reasonable fight and I almost had it in when it got sight of me and made one last dash for freedom, stripping some line, before I turned it and coaxed it back it. This was a 3 lb bass.

So despite ruining my camera and getting a soaking I went home happy with a new personal best.

Afterwards I did a calculation on the length of the fish using the length of the Boga grip - works out at just over 79 cm!!!
The average weight for a 79 cm fish should be about 11 lbs so the fish should fatten up over the summer and easily exceed 10 lbs by September.

Quite night - 27th April 2011

2011-04-28T11:06:00.001+01:00

As low tide was about 8.45 pm I decided to have a bait fishing session rather than go lure fishing since the amount of the rising tide in daylight was going to be limited. Dusk at the inital push in of the tide at the chosen mark can often be very productive. However, when I got to the beach there was just a very gentle surf. I took a spinning rod with me too with the intention of lure fishing close to the rocks before dark.

I set up two rods with 3/0 and 4/0 pennel pulleys, both baited with razor. I didn't have time to dig any lug or rag earlier in the day, although I think the rag would have been more suited to the calm conditions than the razor.

From the start I was getting tugs, presumably small flounder munching on the bait. Then I spotted a large splash to my right and about 35 m out - bass chasing sandeels? I fired out a Feed Shallow in the general direction of the splash, but no takers. Then I spotted another larger splash this time to my left and again I cast out some lures toward the disturbance to no avail. When I got back to the bait rods I noticed small tugs on one of the rods, picked it up, and began to retrieve. There was definitely a fish on, but not a bass. It was a rather plump 38 cm flounder.

A little later I had a good knock on the other rod, grabbed it and struck. At first I though I had a small bass as it was pulling strongly but as I reeled in the fight weakened and it turned out to be a dogfish - my first of 2011.

As the tide began to push in more strongly I had another good bite on the same rod - but it was a second dogfish. Its nice to get a dogfish to add to the annual species list but one is enough. Every time I hook one I think it could be a bass, there is a rush of adreneline and the heart starts to beat faster, then there is the disappointment as I haul it out of the surf and see the characteristic sideways twisting of a dog on the sand.

I was about to move the rod stand back when I had a strong tug on one of the rods. I struck and started to retrieve. But this didn't feel like a fish, more like a clump of kelp with a rock attached, although the beach was weed free. As it began to emerge out of the surf I wasn't sure what I had, then as I approached I realized it was a large spider crab! It's the first time I have got one on that beach.

I had one more small flounder after that, about 23 cm, and a lot of nibbles from small fish. If the fishing had been better I would have probably stuck it out to high tide at 2.50 am but decided to pack up at about 1.20 am and get an "early" night.

Easter Bass - 23rd April 2011

2011-04-25T14:02:00.004+01:00

It was a nice warm sunny day with a light southwesterly breeze so looked an ideal day for some more lure fishing. I reached the mark at about 4.00 pm just before low tide. The water was a bit more coloured than I would have liked. I started fishing in the location where I had a 71 cm bass a couple of weeks ago. I then moved westwards eventually reaching a small rock promontory as the tide was beginning to push in more strongly. There was quite a lot of weed drifting about there, but I perservered, as I was fishing into a gulley which looked like it might hold a fish. I had started fishing with a Feed Shallow, swtiched to some surface lures and then changed back to the Feed Shallow. Suddenly there was a big splash behind the lure and a bass connected with it. It was about 45 m out and thrashed about on the surface as I worked it towards the rocks. It was a bit tricky to get down to lift it up and I was worried that I might loose it, but it was well hooked. It was a 60 cm bass and weighed just over 5 lb.

As the tide pushed in I moved back eastwards and fished into a small bay. I reckoned that the breaking waves would wash food out of the gulleys to the west of this and into the bay and hopefully there might be a few bass lurking about. I fished there for about 25 minutes and then just as I was thinking of moving I was hit by another good fish. I could see the fish just below the surface, it was stationary for a second or two before it realized that my Feed Shallow was not a tasty snack and then began to thrash about. It felt a strong fish and wasn't going to come in easily. I gradually eased it in. At this stage the waves were breaking over the rocks where I was standing which made it difficult to land the fish so I had to move back a bit until I could coax it into a shallow gulley and on to the rocks. It was a 64 cm bass and weighed just under 6 lb.

I fished there for a little longer but had no more bites and was forced back by the rising tide. I moved further along the shore and had a few more casts but was getting snagged by strands of kelp. I switched to a surface lure but nothing was biting. I packed up at 7.00 pm as I promised I would be home in time for dinner.

Three before breakfast, one after dinner - 22nd April 2011

2011-04-25T12:40:00.005+01:00

As there have been a few reports of anglers getting good size bass early in the morning I decided to make the effort to get up at the crack of dawn and get in some fishing before work. I am not a morning person. I could happily head out at 11.00 pm and fish until 4.00 am but getting out of bed at 5.30 am was a bit of a killer. It was an overcast morning and had rained earlier, although the rain ceased by the time I got to the shore. The sea was quite calm, just gentle swells breaking over the rocks.

I worked my way around a small bay, tried a variety of hard and soft plastic lures but nothing was biting. I was intending to pack up at 8.30 am. By 8.00 am I started to work my way back. At this stage I was thinking I should have stayed in bed. Then just before 8.30 am I put on a Feed Shallow for a last couple of casts. Suddenly I was hit by a decent fish about 30 m out. It put up a good fight, I was trying to ease it into a narow gulley at my feet but it had other ideas and headed around the rocks into the next gulley, requiring me to scramble over the rocks. I then managed to ease the fish on to the shore. It was a 51 cm bass.

It was now 8.30 am but I couldn't pack up now that it looked like a shoal of bass might be moving in. I had a few more casts, then at about the same distance out I connected with another. This felt a bigger fish, it was pulling strongly and stripping a little line. I worked it in slowly, this time it came in to the gulley directly below me and I was able to grab the fish without having to scramble across the rock. It was a better fish alright, 58 cm and weighed about 4.5 lbs.

It was now close to 9.00 am, but I couldn't leave without a few more "last" casts. I cast out the Feed Shallow over the same area a few times. Then changed direction and as soon as I started the retrieve I was into another fish. This again felt to be a sizable bass and put up a strong fight. It was indeed the best fish of the session, at 59 cm and weighing just under 5 lb. So in the end it was well was worth getting up so early.

During the afternoon Pat contacted me to say he was going for a short session that evening and had some crabs which I was welcome to share. That sounded like an opportunity not to be missed. We met up at 8.00 pm and headed down to the shore. I have never bait fished over such rough ground. I lost my first rig on the first cast. Pat kindly gave me one of his drilled bullet weights and some beads to make up a rig similar to his.

Pat got the first bass, I think it was about 52 cm. We both lost a few fish, then Pat had a second, around 55 cm. I was still loosing rigs in the rough ground, I was down to my last 4/0 hook, when I felt a tug and struck. I hooked into a good fish, it was putting up a strong struggle. It was a fine bass just under 63 cm.

A little later I connected with another bass, it felt another sizeable fish but came off a third of the way in. We packed up at about 11 pm. I would like to thank Pat again for sharing his crabs and giving me some tips on rough ground bait fishing.

Mullet on a lure - 19th April 2011

2011-04-19T23:55:00.001+01:00

As it was a nice sunny evening I headed out for some lure fishing. I went to the same area where I caught three bass on Sunday. I got there about 7.00 pm. I was working my way around a small bay and then spotted a shoal of fish breaching the surface in front of a mass of rotting seaweed at the back of the bay. I wasn't sure if they were mullet or bass but fired out some lures over them just in case. I did feel a few tugs but nothing made a serious attempt to take any of the lures so I realized that they must be mullet.

I moved further around the bay and fished into a few gulleys and off several promontories. But nothing was biting. As the light was beginning to fade I began to move back. I had a few casts off a promontory. The mullet were starting to move back out of the bay at this stage with the dropping tide and I was casting over them. I was frequently changing lures and put on a white Asturie. I had a couple of casts with it and suddenly hooked a fish. At first I presumed it was a bass, it was giving a typical bass fight, but when I had it in very close I realized it was a mullet. I gradually eased it into a narrow gulley, reached down and grabbed it. My first ever Irish Mullet and hooked on a surface lure too!!! It weighed just over 3 lb. It was hooked on the outside corner of the mouth so it looked like the fish made a grab at the lure rather than being foul hooked.

At least now I had confirmation that the shoal of fish were definitely mullet. I moved back to the other side of the bay and had a few more casts but still no bass. The light was almost gone at this stage so I packed up and headed off the rocks before it was dark.

Razorfish gathering - 19th April 2011

2011-04-19T23:33:00.001+01:00

A low spring tide today combined with high atmospheric pressure was an ideal opportunity for restocking my razorfish supply. It was a lovely spring afternoon and myself and Melissa set off just after mid-day. The sandbanks were just starting to become uncovered when we arrived. I waded out to a bank that was very productive last year while Melissa went onto a sandbank closer to the shore.

There were plenty of razorfish squirting water in the air when the tide began to recede off the crest of the bank and I got to work with the salt. I got through 6 plastic packets. Soon they began pushing up and on to the sand, although not as plentiful as the previous time I was there last year. However, we ended up with two buckets full - 142 razorfish, so that will help replenish my stock in the freezer, although Melissa is wondering where she is going to put her frozen peas and ice cream.

Eventually found the fish - 17th April 2011

2011-04-18T11:55:00.005+01:00

I headed to the same mark as yesterday. The wind direction had changed to a light southeasterly. It was overcast and a bit of sea mist was present so it was quite chilly, although it cleared later in the afternoon and warmed up nicely. I started in the same spot as yesterday but this time there were no bites. I moved along the shore as the tide pushed in but nothing was interested in a broad selection of lures.

I worked my way through a series of small embayments and gulleys but there was not a fish to be seen. Eventually I reached a small cove with a lot of rotting seaweed mounded up on the shore. I reckoned there might be a chance of a bass feeding on maggots or small fish close to the margin of weed. I cast out a range of hard and soft lures but again nothing was biting. Then I spotted the outline of two fish, just submerged and crusing only 3 or 4 meters out from the shore. I moved closer to where they were and put on the Texas rigged Slug Go as there was a lot of kelp strands floating in the water, cast over the fish and retrieved just in front of one of them but it showed no interest. I cast a second time but when the lure hit the water it spooked the fish and they disappeared. I continued fishing there for some time and every five minutes or so there was a small splash so I knew the fish were still there but still I could not tempt them to bite. Initially I thought they were bass but it's possible they were mullet.

I had intended to pack up at 5.30 pm as I needed to be home by 6.30 pm. So at about 5.25 pm I decided to have one last try at another mark not too far away. I started off with an Xlayer. On about the second cast I was connected with a good fish about 20 m out. It gave a good fight and tried to get around a jagged ridge of rock which would probably have snapped my line had it succeeded but I managed to turn it and gradually coaxed it towards the shore. It was a good bass, about 5 lbs, and just under 60 cm. In my hurry to restart fishing I forgot to photograph it.

I had a few more casts with the Xlayer, but came close to been snagged a couple of times on a barely submerged rock about 10 m out. I switched to a Feed Shallow and cast it out. Second cast I was hit by another bass about 30 m out. This felt a heavier fish and was stripping some line. But when I eventually landed it I found the fish was much the same size, although fatter, with a weight of 5.75 lb. However, it was hooked in the side, one of the triples was set just below the gill cover. The fish must have lashed at the lure with its gill plate. That explains why it was so difficult to land.

A couple of casts later another bass made a grab at the lure but wasn't hooked. Then after a few more casts I had another savage bite. This felt to be another strong fish, and again stripped a little line. It was putting up the strongest fight of the day and it took a few minutes to get it in. It was just over 61 cm but weighed the same as the previous fish at 5.75 lbs. It was only lightly lip hooked on one barb of the lower triple so I was lucky to land it.

It was 6.00 pm at this stage so I reluctantly packed up. I reckoned I could have had a few more bass if I stayed but I was already late. But I can always get them the next time.

Fine bass on a SP - 16th April 2011

2011-04-18T11:12:00.001+01:00

As the conditions were calm with light northwesterly winds it looked good for lure fishing. I headed to the mark where I caught a good bass last week, getting there just as the tide was starting to push in. I started with a Feed Shallow but I was casting across a shallow reef with strands of weed and was getting snagged. After about 4 casts I changed to the soft plastics. I put on a Texas rigged Slug Go and on the second or third cast I was hit by a powerful fish. It was pulling strongly and stripping a little line. I was worried that it would come off as I tried to get it across the shallow reef and waited until a bigger wave rolled in, then surfed it over the rocks. It continued to fight very strongly, twisting and splashing about in a shallow gulley and eventually I eased it on to the rocks. It was a fine 69 cm bass, weighing just over 6.25 lb.

I continued fishing in the same area until the tide pushed me back. Moved along the coast and fishing into several small embayments but I could tempt no more fish. But I was happy enough with the one fish I did get.

A couple more - 14th April 2011

2011-04-15T12:25:00.003+01:00

After the success of Wednesday night I headed to the same beach to fish from low tide through the first half of the rising tide. The previous night all the bass came in a one hour window between 11.00 pm to 12.00 am as the shoal moved along the beach, so if they were consistent in their feeding pattern I reckoned Midnight to 1.00 am would be the most productive. However, the surf was a lot weaker compared to last night but at least it was still weed free.

I set up two rods with 4/0 and 6/0 pennel pulleys baited with full razor. It was quite for the first hour, apart from small fish (flounder and/or coalfish) nibbling on the bait. Then as the tide began to push in more strongly I noticed subtle twitches on the rod with the 6/0 pennel. I thought it was probably the small fish pulling on the bait again. I picked up the rod, I could feel very gentle tugs, let out a bit of slack, the fish picked up the bait and started a run, I struck and connected with a strong fish. Definitely not one of those small bait robbers!! It was pulling strongly as I retrieved, especially when I got it into the shallow surf. Then as the wave retreated I could see the glint of sliver on the beach. It was a 50 cm bass.

However, after that it was very quite for a long time. There were lots of slight knocks on the rod tips but it was just small fish chewing on my razor. I hooked a tiny coalfish at one stage.

I had seen a headlamp way down the far end of the beach. Just before 1.00 am I noticed somebody was approaching from that end, it was Pat, he was heading home. As we were chatting he spotted a knock on one of my rods. I thought it was just the small fish again and ignored it. But as he was heading off there was another knock so I picked up the rod, there was indeed a fish on the end. It was putting up a reasonable struggle although much less than the first fish. It was a smaller bass just under 40 cm.

I had intended to pack up at about 1.00 am but decided to stick it out a bit longer in case a shoal was moving in. A little latter I had a good tug on the rod with the 6/0 pennel, and the line went slack. I grabbed it and rapidly wound in the slack, then felt resistance and struck. I had a good fish on the end and it was pulling strongly. I had it in close then, only about 5 m out, the weight was gone. It felt like the fish had come off. I reeled in but found a small coalfish on the end!! No way could it have given a fight like that. However, when I examined the fish it was damaged just below the gill cover. It must had been munching on my bait, got hooked and then a bass grabbed it. The bass was either holding on tight, not wanting to loose a tasty feed of coalie, or it got lightly hooked itself and shook the hook when I had it in close.

I decided to pack up at that stage and when I brought in the other line there was a 23 cm flounder on the end.

I was happy enough with the result, two bass despite the slack tides and a weak surf. With calm conditions for the next few days it looks like a return to lure fishing for the weekend.

Bass in the Surf - 13th April 2011

2011-04-14T12:57:00.004+01:00

After the windy weather of Tuesday I reckoned there should be a good surf up. I didn't have time to dig lug so some razor out of the freezer would have to do. I got to the beach just as the tide was beginning to push in. There was a nice surf alright, not too big, the wind had died down and it was relatively weed free. So despite the slack tides I thought there was a good chance of a bass or two.

I set up two rods, one with a 4/0 running ledger, the other with a 4/0 pennel pulley. It was very quite for the first couple of hours. Then at about 11 pm I had the first bite, a fairly subtle knock on the rod with the pennel pulley. The line had gone slack - it had to be a bass running a slackliner. I grabbed the rod and rapidly reeled in the slack, then connected with the fish. It felt to be a good one and was fighting strongly. After a few minutes I hauled a well conditioned 57 cm bass out of the surf. It weighted just under 4.5 lb.

About 25 minutes later I noticed that the line on the second rod was limp, I started to retrieve, there was a lot of slack and I was sure the fish was gone, then suddenly I felt some resistance, I struck and connected with the fish. It was putting up a reasonable struggle so it had to be another bass. It was in very close at this stage so it didn't take long to land the fish. It was 44 cm, the smallest bass of the night.

Not long afterwards there was a small tug on the rod with the pennel pulley. I grabbed it and struck, this felt to be a stronger fish and was putting up a better fight. It was a 50 cm bass.

About 15-20 minutes later there was a subtle twitch on the same rod and the line went slack. I lifted the rod and started to retrieve, there was a lot of slack line. I thought the bass had dropped the bait, but then briefly connected with the fish before it surged in towards the shore again. The bass was in close by the time I caught up with it. It then began to fight strongly but after a couple of minutes of a good stuggle in the shallow foamy surf I beached it. It was a 52 cm bass and was just under 3.5 lb.

I continued fishing for an hour or so more but the bass had moved on. All I had after that was a very small coalfish. So it was a good result considering the slack tides. It was also good to see that the bass are taking razor again. Last month all they seemed interested in was lug.

First Bass on lures for 2011 - 9th April

2011-04-10T13:12:00.002+01:00

I headed to a rock mark in the afternoon for the second lure session of the year - hopeful of a few bass since reports of bass caught on lures have been coming from Waterford and Wexford over the last week. I fished for about an hour at the first mark with deepish water over the last of the ebb then moved down the coast for the rising tide. The sea was rougher than I expected, with some medium sized waves crashing in. I prefer to lure fish in calmer conditions and was beginning to think I should have gone bait fishing. But as I was there I thought I may as well give it a go.

I clambered out over the rocks to the edge just as the tide was beginning to push in and fished out over a ledge with a steep drop off using a Feed Shallow. On about the fifth cast I had a savage hit just below the ledge and had a powerful fish on the end. It was fighting ferociously and I eventually managed to coax it in over the rocks, surfing it in over the breaking waves. It was a fine 7.25 lb bass, 71 cm, my best bass ever, so not a bad way to open my lure fishing account for the year.

As the tide pushed in I moved to the other side of small embayment and cast across it. A few casts later I was was into another bass again on the Feed Shallow. Not as strong as the first but still putting up a good fight. It was a 56 cm fish, weighing just over 4 lb.

Again I was pushed back by the tide so moved further down the coast and began casting across an area of low lying rocks and shallow gulleys which were now submerged. After about fifteen minutes I was hit by another big fish. It was fighting almost as strongly as the first and I had got it in close, only about 3 m out. I could see it was a big fish but then disaster - it was lightly hooked on the lower triple and broke free. I continued fishing in the same spot for awhile but by 7 pm decided it was time to pack up. But now I know there is at least a second big bass there.

So a good early start to the lure fishing season.

Lure fishing at the weekend

2011-04-08T14:30:00.000+01:00

I reckon there should be a chance of a few bass on the lure this weekend. There are reports of nice bass on the lure in Waterford and Wexford so the Cork fish should be taking them too!!

I will probably try a few East Cork marks on Saturday and maybe venture further afield on Sunday (West Waterford or West Cork).

Last year I picked up a bunch of nice lures at Absolute Fishing's open day which I never got to try out so this will be the chance and of course I will be dusting off the cobwebs from the old reliables such as the Xlayers, Patchinko, Feed Shallow, Tide Minnow and not forgetting the Asturie 110, a very under rated lure in my opinion. I have had more bass on the Asturie than any other hard bodied lure.

Using up the leftovers - 7th April 2011

2011-04-08T10:35:00.002+01:00

I had some lug left over from the session on Wednesday night so headed out to a local beach for a short early evening session. There was a fairly weak surf but this is a mark where you don't need a big surf to bring in the bass. It was a very nice warm sunny evening, with just a light onshore breeze. I set up two rods with a 4/0 pennel pulley and a 4/0 running ledger. After about half an hour I had the first bite on the running ledger, a small bass of 38 cm.

About 40 minutes later I had another bite on the same rod. The fish was pulling more strongly and I thought I had a bigger bass but it was only a few centimeters larger, just under 40 cm.

There was then a long period of inactivity, apart from the occasional bass breaking the surface about 35 m out, so I knew they were there. They seemed to be chasing small sprat, a few lept out of the water at one stage. I should have brought a spinning rod and some lures with me!!!

I had been saving the best worm for dusk, a big fat juicy black lug, I reckoned that would be too tempting for any bass to resist, I could almost eat it myself. I cast out and waited. After a few minutes I spotted gentle twitches on the rod tip, picked it up, waited, then felt a stronger tug, struck, but felt nothing. I reeled in to check the worm was still on the hook and found about the smallest coalfish I have ever caught - the little swine had made a meal of my best worm!!!

I had a small flounder shortly afterwards. I was nearly out of bait, just a bunch of very small lug left. I put the lot on the hook and had one last cast. Five minutes later I had a strong bite. It was another 38 cm bass.

So while the fish were small it was not a bad way to spend a nice warm spring evening.

Just the one - 6th April 2011

2011-04-07T10:38:00.005+01:00

I dug a bunch of lug in the afternoon and later in the evening headed to a West Waterford beach that fishes well on an ebbing tide in hope of getting a better bass than the Cork beaches have been throwing up lately. I had not fished it in at least a year. I got there about 9.00 pm, there was a moderate surf and just a little weed. I set the rods up with 4/0 pennel pulleys and a 4/0 running ledger. At about 10 pm, just as the drop in the tide was speeding up, I spotted a slight knock on the rod cast in close. At first I thought it was a breaking wave tugging on the line but when I picked up the rod I realized that the line had gone slack. I rapidly reeled in the slack and caught up with a good fish. It was pulling strongly and putting a severe bend in the rod. As I reeled it in I could see a decent fish splashing about in the shallows. Eventually I hauled it onto the sand - it was a fine well fed 60 cm bass, weighing just over 5 lb.

I continued fishing for a few more hours but crabs became a problem. They were stripping the baits in minutes. I then remembered why I hadn't fished there for so long; the same thing happened the last time I was there. All I had for the rest of the night was a small coalfish and one crab that had become entangled in the trace. Next time I will bring peeler crab!

Still I was happy with the result, only one bass but it was my best fish of 2011 so far!

Daytime bass fishing - 2nd & 3rd April

2011-04-04T13:32:00.001+01:00

2nd April: It was a lovely sunny day so I decided to have a daytime beach session. I was not all that hopeful of catching much, maybe a few flounder. I arrived at the chosen mark and found a nice surf, not too big despite the storms the previous couple of days and best of all it was weed free. I set up the rods, one with a 4/0 pennel pulley the other with a 4/0 running ledger - not a rig I use much but thought I would give it a go for a change. Both were baited with a couple of big juicy lugs left over from my session the previous Thursday night.

Not much happened for the first hour apart from small flounder tapping the rod and stealing my worms. Then I spotted a slightly stronger twitch on the rod with the running ledger, I grabbed it and felt another tug, struck and was into a good fish. It was pulling strongly but I coasted it in on a breaking wave. It was a well fed 54 cm, 4 lb bass. I then realized I had forgotten my camera. So got one on the phone, although the quality is not great.

About another hour passed without much happening, then there was another subtle tug on the same rod. I picked it up, waited, I could feel some very slight tugs and thought it might be a flounder, then there was a stronger pull, I struck, and had something a lot stronger than a flounder on the end. It was putting up a good fight and eventually I landed a 56 cm bass weighing 4.25 lb.

About 20-25 minutes later there was a knock on the other rod with the 4/0 pennel pulley. I grabbed it and struck. Again I felt a strong fish but it ran a slackliner and surged in towards the shore. I thought I had lost it but reeled in the slack as fast as I could, briefly caught up with it before it charged in again, but this time I could see the fish in the breaking wave, I connected again and hauled it out of the surf, this was a even nicer fish, 57 cm and well fed

I had one more bass after that, smaller at 36 cm and taken in close.

3rd April: I dug some fresh lug at low tide and headed to the beach for another daytime session. It was another lovely sunny day, although a bit more cloudy than the previous day and the wind picked up later. The surf was not as strong but again it was relatively weed free.

I set up three rods this time, one with 4/0 running ledger, the others with 4/0 pennel pulleys, although one of these became a pulley rig after I got snagged in close and broke off the upper hook of the pennel.

It was relatively slow start, but after about an hour I had a 41 cm bass, on the running ledger. This was followed about 45 minutes later by a second just under 40 cm.

At about 4.30 pm I decided to move down the beach, moved about 300 m. This proved to be wise decision. Shortly after recasting I had another small bass. It was quite for a while then I had another five between 6.00 and 7.00 pm. The biggest was 46 cm.

As I was packing up I realized that the line on rod in close was running parallel to the beach - I thought a bass had run a slackliner and started to retrieve, there was something on the end but it didn't feel like a bass - it was a 36 cm flounder.

So not bad for daytime bait fishing, 4 bass on Saturday and 8 bass on Sunday bringing my bass total for 2011 to 56. But even if the fishing had been poor it would have been great to be out on the coast on two such nice sunny days.

Stormy night - 31st March

2011-04-04T12:41:00.000+01:00

It was a windy night so I headed east for a late night session - to a West Waterford beach which I thought would be fairly sheltered. When I arrived there was a good surf and it seems relatively weed free. I set up two rod both baited with lug on 4/0 and 6/0 pennel pulleys. However, the wind strength increased and was blowing parallel to the beach. My 6 oz grippers were been ripped up and the lines dragged down the beach. With the wind it was difficult to detect bites, but I was hopeful that the big surf would bring in a few bigger bass than on my last session. However, no bass were caught although I did have five small codling, the largest was only 38 cm.

I eventually had enough of the wind and rain and packed up "early" at about 1.30 am, with enough lug left for another session.

The night of the small bass - 29th March

2011-04-04T12:31:00.002+01:00

I decided to venture further from home this time, much further to the west. I arrived at the beach at low tide, there was a lot more features (depressions and gulleys) than I am used to on the local beaches. I set up on the edge of an area with a lot of structure, as the tide pushed in I intended to cast into this area and use a ball weight so that the bait could settle in a depression. There was a good surf, not too big and it was weed free. The tides were slack but I reckoned that the good surf would bring in a few fish.

Initially I set up one rod baited with lug and a second with razor/lug but as the night progressed I was only getting bites on the rod with the lug so I switched to lug only baits. For a while I had a third rod set up for in close but as the night progressed this became redundant, and I was busy enough with the other two rods so it was out of the water most of the time.

At first it was quite, apart from fish robbing my worms (probably small flounder). After about an hour I noticed that the rod with the ball weight was running diagonally up the beach. At first I thought it had been dragged by the current and I began to retrieve but then connected with a fish. I felt a good size fish, presumably Bass, but I lost it in close.

It remained quite for the next hour. Then as the tide began to push strongly I had a good tug on the rod with the lug and I reeled in a 41 cm Bass. I had a 34 cm flounder shortly after that, again on lug. This was followed about half an hour later by a small Bass-codling double on each hook of the pennel also on the rod baited with lug.

I had a 29 cm flounder after that on the rod in close on the two hook flapper, it had swallowed the hook but I got it free and the fish swam away seemingly without a problem.

I had intended to head home about midnight if the fishing was poor but so far it was OK, so I thought I would stick it out for another hour - just as well I did. I had a couple more small Bass over the next hour. At this stage I changed the second rod to lug also as the razor was not getting a bite. About 1.30 am a Bass feeding frenzy commenced as a shoal of small Bass moved in. They were on the rampage - I was getting a bite a cast, usually after less than five to ten minutes, and at one stage I had just placed the rod on the stand after casting when I had a bite and reeled in little Bass. All the Bass were small, mostly in the 32-38 cm range, with one more just about 40 cm and a couple of very small guys at less than 30 cm.

By 2.30 am I was almost out of lug, I scrounged up a few small worms from the bottom of the bait container and put them on for a last cast, and returned to razor on the second rod. Nothing was happening for a while then I had a good tug on the rod with the last of the lug - I struck and started to retrieve. This time it felt heavier and stronger than the Bass I had been catching so I was hopeful of a better quality fish but when I hauled it out of the surf I found two small Bass, one on each hook of the pennel rig.

Again there was nothing on the razor, so with all the lug gone it was time to pack up and face a long drive home much later than I had intended but with a total of 17 Bass it was my best ever session, although they may not have been big they were still Bass. Afterwards I realized that with that my Bass total for 2011 (44) now equalled my total for the whole of 2010 and it's not even April yet - looks like been a bumper year for Bass.

I must add that all Bass were rapidly unhooked, quickly photographed and released with the minimum delay and all swam powerfully away.

A few nice bass - 27th March

2011-04-04T12:21:00.002+01:00

I headed to a beach mark directly after digging a load of lug on the last hour of the ebb. I got to the mark just as the tide was starting to push in. There was a better surf there than I expected so I was hopeful of getting a few fish despite the slack tides. I set up three rods, one with lug/razor, another baited with just lug on 4/0 pennel pulleys. I set up the third rod with a two hook flapper and cast in short into a bit of a gulley. It was quite until after dark, then just after the light went I had the first bite. It felt to be a strong heavy fish but I lost it two thirds of the way in.

About 20 minutes later I spotted a gentle twitch on the same rod (the one baited with lug), I picked it up and could feel some slight tugs, I released the lock on the reel and waited until the fish started to run with the bait, locked the reel and struck. This felt to be a good fish and after a strong fight I landed a 54 cm Bass.

This was followed by a 38 cm flounder and then a smaller 26 cm flounder. After that my lug baits were been constantly robbed. I would see subtle twitches on the rod tip but the fish were seldom hooked. I reckon there was a load of small flounder pulling away at the worms.

About an hour after the first Bass I had a strong tug on the rod in close. It ran a slackliner to the left but I quickly caught up with it. The fish was fighting strongly and I could see it splashing about it the shallows. After a few minutes I landed a 56 cm Bass.

I had a couple more small flounder after that (24 and 26 cm) followed by a small Bass at 38 cm, again all fish were taken on lug. The bites then died down, apart from the little bait robbing flounders. The last fish was a small codling this time on the rod baited with lug/razor cocktail.

Lure fishing - 26th March

2011-04-04T12:14:00.000+01:00

I tried some lure fishing from a reliable summer time mark, but nothing to report. A couple of small fish lept out of the water about 20 m in front of me as if a predator was chasing them but whatever it was I could not interest it any of my lures/soft plastics. I had a spare spinning rod with me and baited it with limpet on a 1/0 hook and dropped it into a gulley in close. I had a good bite on this but the fish went to ground by the time I got to the rod. I could not dislodge it and left it for about 15 minutes. When I picked up the rod again the line had come free but the fish had shook the hook. It’s probably still too early to expect much for the lures in this part of the country.

A few small fish - 23rd March

2011-04-04T12:12:00.000+01:00

I had a few lug left over from Sunday night’s session, so headed back to the same mark. However, there was quite a weak surf. I got there just before high tide and fished from 8 - 11.30 pm. I had a small Bass (34 cm) over high tide. It was in close and taken on lug. This was followed by a small 27 cm flounder. I quickly used up the lug and then fished exclusively with razor but had nothing more apart from a couple of small coalfish.

In January and February razor was fishing well but in March the bass were much more selective and the preferred bait seems to be lug.

Bass from March 20th 2011

2011-04-01T13:52:00.001+01:00

Bass fishing In March

2011-04-01T13:44:00.000+01:00

Hi, welcome to my new blog.
Bass fishing in the second half of March along the coast of Co. Cork was very good compared to the same period last year. I caught a total of 24 bass, including one exeptional session where I landed 17 bass!!!! bringing my total for 2011 to 44 so far, a vast improvement on the first quarter of last year when the fish were just not around.

The month got off to a slow start and I didn't get the chance to do much fishing for the first three weeks but made up for it towards the end of the month.

20th March - I headed to a local beach that I had not fished for a long time. I fished the last three hours of the ebb and first two hours of the rising tide with two rods, one with lug on a 4/0 pennel pulley and the other with razor or razor/lug cocktail on a 6/0 pennel pulley. There was a nice surf so it looked promising. There wasn't much happening at all on the dropping tide, but over low tide I had a strong tug on the rod baited with lug, I struck and connected with a good fighting fish. It had to be a Bass. After a few minutes I hauled a 45 cm out of the surf.
As the tide began to push in I spotted a tug on the same rod. The line went slack, I grabbed the rod, rapidly reeled in the slack and connected with the fish. This one was putting up a stronger fight, ran another slackliner as I was getting it close, I caught up with it and after a brief struggle in the shallow surf I landed it - this was a better plump Bass at 54 cm.
I had a very scrawny 42 cm flounder a little latter. The bites died down after that so I started to pack up. I brought in the rod baited with razor first, I didn't have a bite on it all night - the fish were in the mood for lug. I started to reel in the other rod, at first there was little resistance, then I felt a sudden pull on the line and had a fish fighting on the end. It was a 42 cm Bass. I reckon it must have chased after the bait as I was retrieving it as there was definitely nothing there initially.

More to follow ........