First bass of the year - March 2015

[RockHunter]

People: Me

Duration: 3 hours

Tide: Rising

Weather: Light northery wind, clear, sunny

Bait: Lug

Rigs: 3 hook flappers, 4/0 pennel pulleys

Results: 2 bass




Report: I was off to a slow start with the bass fishing this year. As I was very busy with work I did no fishing at all apart from a short session in early January. The cold weather was not too enticing either. Having cleared the work backlog I had some free time coinciding with the big tides a few weeks ago so made my way to a beach that usually produces bass at this time of the year close to high tide given the right conditions. I arrived about three hours into the rising tide but found that the northerly wind had totally flattened the surf, there was hardly a ripple on the sea. That, combined with bright sunny day and hardly a cloud in the sky, did not seem too promising for bass fishing. So I started off with small hook (size 2) three hook flappers baited with freshly dug lug to target flounder.

After about half an hour I noticed a large splash out about 50 m. Then a few minues later a fish arched out of the water. Could it be a bass or sea trout I wondered. It was unlikely to be mullet as the water still felt very cold. I changed over to my usual 4/0 pennel pulley rigs and cast one rod out to roughly where I had seen the fish activity and cast the second in the direction of a submerged depression which would be a likely bass foraging spot.

Maybe 20 minutes later there was a sharp knock on the first rod, I grabbed it, struck as a fish burst on to the surface. It put up a good struggle as it thrashed about on the surface before I glided it into the shallows and on to the beach. It was my first bass of the year, not big, about 2.5 lbs, so I was delighted particularly as I had not been too hopeful at the start of the session.

About half an hour later there was a strong tug on the other rod, the one that was targeting the gulley. Again the fish broke the surface as I began to retrieve. This looked a bigger fish and was certainly putting up a stronger fight, pulling strongly to the right as I tried to land it on the beach. It was indeed a bigger bass, a well fed stocky fish just under 5 lbs.

I continued on fishing for another hour and a half but the bass had moved on. I did have one strong tug but the fish wasn't hooked. But after that it got quiet so I packed up just after high tide.

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Last edited by RockHunter on Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Fair play a good read and a decent catch

Nice start to the season. Well done.

good fishing, just goes to show you never know where the bass will turn up.

Fair play Frank I was out myself in Cork when those big tides were about it was tough conditions like you said-flat calm and sunny.I didn't have any joy so well done on the couple of fish

great stuff frank hope its a sigh of things to come

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Nice couple of fish Frank, well done.

Thanks guys,

good fishing, just goes to show you never know where the bass will turn up.

Too true, I didn't think there was a hope of getting a bass when I saw the conditions.

Good fishing Frank, well done.

Well done,great read and nice fish

Nice pair of bass there Frank. Still to strike into silver yet up here. Hopefully not long more to wait.

Good man Frank. Ye just never know when a fish will turn up.

nice one Frank!