Couple of bass from two weeks ago

I have been a bit slow updating the blog over the last few weeks due to too much work. So here is a report on some sessions from two weeks ago:

Friday 7th September  - I headed to a reliable rock mark in East Cork early on the evening rising tide. Although there was not much wind there were still big swells breaking on the rocks and the water was highly coloured. I fished for a while without a bite so close to dusk I decided to move on to a more sheltered location.

I got to the new mark just as the light was beginning to fad and made my way down the rocks. I had a few casts with a Feed Shallow but as the sea was quite choppy the lure wasn't sitting well in the water. I changed to a weighted paddle tailed SP. On about the third cast it was snatched by a bass about 25 m out. It put up a good struggle especially as I got it near to the shore. It was a 55 cm bass and weighted about 4 lbs.

It was now dark so I switched to a Zonk Gataride hoping that the movement of the lure would attract a bass. It worked!! After a couple of casts the lure was hit by a bass of about the same size probably about 30-35 m out but unfortunately it was only lightly hooked and shook itself off just a meter from the rock ledge I was standing on.

I had another two bass take the lure in quick succession shortly after that but again they were not securely hooked. One came off just as I was about to lift it out of the water and I lost the other half way in. I fished on for a little longer but the bass seemed to have moved on.

Saturday 8th September - I had to work on a report that was overdue during the day but later in the evening headed to the same mark. I arrived at much the same time in the evening just as the sun was setting. After a few casts I had a bite but it was just a large mackeral. Then after dark the Zonk Gataride was hit by a good fish (this time I was using a brand new one rather then the one I had lost three bass on the previous evening in case the hooks on that had been a bit blunt). This fish was well hooked. It fought very strongly all the way in, turnned and stripped a little line when I almost had it in. But eventually I coaxed it back and on to the rock ledge. It was almost identical to the fish I had the previous evening , 55 cm and 4 lb in weight.

I fished for about another hour but it was quite after that. There was no sign of the shoal I encountered the night before.

I had one more session there last week on a much bigger tide but the sea was rougher. There was a strong onshore wind and big swells were breaking over the rocks. This time I had no fish.