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Well we've been chasing the bass for some time here and whilst the odd fish has shown itself I had yet to land one. After much deliberation about where to fish on these small tides and NE winds, George and I hit our first mark this morning. To be fair there was too much wind and chop to fish effectively so we moved along the beach to fish off some reefs.
After 3 casts with a Pearl Fin-S Fish (out of MrFish's bargain bin - cheers, Mick!) which I had rigged weedless on a weighted hook, I saw a big bass criuse up behind the lure right under my feet. There was no water left to work the lure, so remembering a tip from Iestyn Jones he gave me when were pike fishing earlier this year, I flicked the lure right back in and gave it a few twitches then left it alone. It did the trick as the fish grabbed the lure and tore off peeling line from quite a tight drag.
This was one of the best scraps I have had with a bass, luckily the fish fought near the surface rather than deep around the rocks and so despite 5 or 6 strong runs we managed to land it after some issues choosing a good spot. The new fish grip (cheers, Hywel!) came into play and we managed to get the fish back to the beach for photos. It was the greatest feeling ever after a lot of time spent questioning whether I was actually able to catch a bass at all!
George was remarkably gracious despite me catching the first fish of our season and not him, and was a great help handling the fish.
It measured 58cm and weighed 4lb 12oz - bigger than anything I caught last season!
We moved marks soon after as the wind was in our face and I moved another very good fish on the same lure in short order. Despite conditions looking amazing we didn't manage any more fish even after being joined by Dom. I had the clumsiest afternoon ever, got soaked through and managed to break the tip on George's 8'6" Bushwacker, so if anyone has a spare tip section I can buy can you let me know ASAP?
few photos below...
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After 3 casts with a Pearl Fin-S Fish (out of MrFish's bargain bin - cheers, Mick!) which I had rigged weedless on a weighted hook, I saw a big bass criuse up behind the lure right under my feet. There was no water left to work the lure, so remembering a tip from Iestyn Jones he gave me when were pike fishing earlier this year, I flicked the lure right back in and gave it a few twitches then left it alone. It did the trick as the fish grabbed the lure and tore off peeling line from quite a tight drag.
This was one of the best scraps I have had with a bass, luckily the fish fought near the surface rather than deep around the rocks and so despite 5 or 6 strong runs we managed to land it after some issues choosing a good spot. The new fish grip (cheers, Hywel!) came into play and we managed to get the fish back to the beach for photos. It was the greatest feeling ever after a lot of time spent questioning whether I was actually able to catch a bass at all!
George was remarkably gracious despite me catching the first fish of our season and not him, and was a great help handling the fish.
It measured 58cm and weighed 4lb 12oz - bigger than anything I caught last season!
We moved marks soon after as the wind was in our face and I moved another very good fish on the same lure in short order. Despite conditions looking amazing we didn't manage any more fish even after being joined by Dom. I had the clumsiest afternoon ever, got soaked through and managed to break the tip on George's 8'6" Bushwacker, so if anyone has a spare tip section I can buy can you let me know ASAP?
few photos below...
