First cast bass - 27th August 2012

I was tempting fate with my last post "Signs of Improvement" from a session on 9th August two and a half weeks ago. The following evening saw a deteoriation in the conditions as a strong ESE wind picked up. I returned to the same mark on 11th August but it was practically unfishable with big swells and chocolate coloured water. I stuck it out for a couple of hours in to dusk but had nothing to show for it. The pollock that were there in profusion two days previously were absent never mind the bass.

Unfortunately that was just a foretaste of what was to come. The south coast was hit by a massive storm the following week which ruled out lure fishing for the next week. I had one bait session a few days later but on an ebbing tide which was not the best for that particular beach and needless to say I blanked. Interestingly I gathered up the carcasses of about 12 spider crabs from the high water mark 20 m either side of where I was fishing. These weren't empty carapaces left after moulting. The strom must have battered them and threw them on to the foreshore.

The water was just beginning to clear when we were hit by another Altantic depression with strong wind and rain. I did have a few short attempts a lure fishing late in the evenings but not even the pollock showed up.

After a rather stormy Sunday night, the following day, Monday 27th, was much more pleasant so I decided on another bait fishing session. I arrived just after dusk and set up two rods, the first baited with rag and the second with razor on 4/0 pennel pulleys. Shortly after casting out the rod with the razor I spotted some twitches on the rod tip. Then it bent over sharply, I grabbed the rod but at that stage the fish was running a slackliner in towards the shore. I rapidly reeded in the slack and caught up with the fish. It fought strongly for a few minutes until I hauled it through the surf. It was a 53 cm bass.

That was a good start and I was hopeful of a few more but that was it. I should have packed up then and gone home but I perservered for another three hours but only had a small coalfish towards the end of the session.