[Simon Mountjoy]

After a cracking session on Wednesday I was itching to get back down to the beach and have another go. The misses had agreed to another pass yesterday, so I was all revved up and ready to go. However, she decided to change her mind! Gutted. I'll go first thing in the morning on Friday, then, I said to myself.

Got up at 4:30am and got down to the beach for 5:00am. Weather was a lot more pleasent and there was a bit more of a swell running. It was still too dark for the gulls to be working, so I thought I would just start in the middle of the beach and work an Xlayer along the sand.

I still haven't caught yet on an Xlayer yet, so after 20mins or so I decided to change back to my trusted Xrap. Slowly made my way up to the spot were I'd had all the action on Wednesday. There was a lot less water running down this time, and hardly any sediment. However, the fish were there in force!

After a few casts I saw the first fish turn on the surface, then bang! fish on... A nice little fish of about 1.5lb. A few casts later and I'm in to a much better fish, stripping off line. After a couple of minutes I've landed a nice fish of 23inches, so somewhere around the 5lb mark, a PB for me.

After a couple of hours fishing I'd landed over 15 fish, 3 of them well over the
4lb mark. Easily my best session to date. This is my first year of serious bass fishing, and it feels like things are starting to come together a bit. Some pics to follow...

 

[Jeremy Hayden]

Fantastic job Si.
Planning on a visit over the weekend, but will have to see when
Congrats on the PB

 

[Matt Newcombe]

:clap: Excellent work there! Well done on your P.B!! A great feeling landing a fish and just knowing that it's your best. Just out of interest, what's the bottom like where you're fishing? and the Depth?

 

[Steve Lewis]

Well done Simon, great session and report get the pics up soon :wink:

 

[Tim Murphy]

Excellent stuff Simon, well worth getting out of bed for!

 

[Simon Mountjoy]

Fantastic job Si.
Planning on a visit over the weekend, but will have to see when
Congrats on the PB

Shame we couldn't make it last night, mate. I was thinking of you this morning. I'm away this weekend, but get yer arse down there.

Here's the two best fish.

 

[Simon Mountjoy]

:clap: Excellent work there! Well done on your P.B!! A great feeling landing a fish and just knowing that it's your best. Just out of interest, what's the bottom like where you're fishing? and the Depth?

At the bottom of the pebbles there's an area of sand, but further out it's all shallow rocks and gullies, which go for miles in either direction. Perfect bass ground really. We get 8m tides in the bay, but these fish were all in close, so just a few feet of water.

 

[Matt Newcombe]

Was just wondering as we have a few beaches with run off's. I know one of them fishes well on it's day, but it's clean sand infront. Only one way to find out eh.

 

[Simon Mountjoy]

Only one way, indeed. I've done a lot of fishing along my stretch of coast this year, but never had a session like this. However, the macky are right inshore at the moment, so I guess the bigger bass have follow them in. Long may it last!

 

[Andrew Walker]

Great fishing Simon! You are on a roll at the moment!

 

[Nick Aldridge]

Great fish. The fishing the easy bit. It's getting the permission to get out of the house at 4.00am which is the hard bit.... The Xlayers are great lures when used slowly. I had a 6lb+ bass the other morning on one, my best so far this year.

Nick.

 

[Colin jones]

congratulations on new p.b you on a roll mate

 

[Simon Mountjoy]

Great fish. The fishing the easy bit. It's getting the permission to get out of the house at 4.00am which is the hard bit.... The Xlayers are great lures when used slowly. I had a 6lb+ bass the other morning on one, my best so far this year.

Nick.

Permission to go out at 4:00am is no problem for me. It's during the day that's a problem. Apparently there are more important things I should be doing!

 

[Simon L]

Only just caught up with these 2 threads of yours Simon. That's some cracking Bassin' you've had there :clap: :clap:

 

[Simon Mountjoy]

Cheers, Simon.

With the amount of fruitless effort I've put in this year, I'd like to think I've earned it. However, just as I've found a successful combination of tides/times/location/lure I've had to come away on holiday, and I'm just ITCHING to get back to my mark and see if the fish are still there.

This is my first serious year of bassing, so I'm still building up my local knowledge. What's interesting is that the mackerel have only just come in real close, so I'm not sure whether the bass were already there, or whether they've followed the mackerel in. I know that good fish are taken on this stretch of coast, and that it is, in theory, perfect bass holding ground, but I've not known them to be taken in the numbers that I was getting the other day.

Another 10 years or so of careful observation and I may well know the answers!