Benone or Downhill?

Hi folks,

Planning an all night beach session around that end of the country, and was wondering which beach to fish? Or if there are any other marks you would recommend?

I'm looking for my first Bass But to be honest anything will keep me happy!

Cheers

Benone is not fishing well in daylight ,competition was won yesterday with four flounder, biggest 23 cm , few undersize turbot taken.

I would like some advice on these beaches as well please. As they are relatively long and featureless are there any gullies or deep channels to be aware of? I take it from the above comment, it will fish better in darkness with a bit of surf running?

You need to get there in daylight and take a look as the features move around on beaches, especially ones like these that take a heavy pounding from time to time.

The best advice i could give you is don't fish anywhere near the entry to either beach as you will be plagued by assholes driving onto the beach with their full beam headlights on. This will go on till near 2 o'clock. So fish as late as you can.

Use rag and don't cast too far, but you can always use 2 rods and try different baits and distances.

Personally i prefer Downhill but it's all much the same. There seem to be quite a few bass showing up so if your lucks in you'll get them.

You could also try Whitepark Bay. I've had bass there before and about this time of year, but it's one hell of a walk back up so be warned.

Beware any beach you can drive onto. Between a**holes with headligts and stupidly loud chavy exhausts ( )you will be plagued as Jammy said. Head up a little between the 2 beaches and you should have a little more success. Although in my experiancre- 7 yrs fishing them beachs i have never caught a bass. Lovely spot though.

you can get bass right along the length of the beach (seven miles), its more a case of fishing it enough to learn the tides and times, baits, and casting range you need to be at to find them

gona head to Benone on sat evening for a short session with a few mates. never done beach fishing, only from the shore, so im looking forward to sat evenings run out.

was chatting to a fella today who got a couple of bass between them but no one else landed any of them.

best advice i can give is as follows

learn how to read the waves to discover the features/gullies/banks. these beaches shift alot of sand about so the topography changes a bit, especially after a storm.

drive the beach and find an area that best fits what you think will produce feeding bass. every one has there favorite spots on these beaches because at one time or an other they have produced fish but to be more productive you have to move - the fish certainly do!

dont cast to far or at least have a reason for casting to an area. a decent lob will get you to where the are, especially at night.

clear water is more productive. avoid days after alot of rain.

no wave/tide movement in the water means alot of crabs so change up rigs to suit.

Rag is a good bait to start with but others certainly work well too.

-what big phil said about learning the place couldnt be more true!!

all this is in my own opinion and is based on my experience and getting knowledge from some very experience bass men.

i've also found fishing in large groups/too many rods for bass seems to be less productive.

hope it helps

dave

dave nice one, thanks

one of our group has been on it a few times so im relying on him to keep us right on sat night. but any extra advice is welcome from someone in the know.

no problem at all.

i may be on there on sat too with a few ones.

i'd love to promise you fish but all i can do is wish you good luck i am afraid lol....tight lines boss.

dave

no probs mate, sure if you see 3 happless beings there on sat evening that will be us

we have one expert (not me!) myself and a complete begineer whos only been out 3 times fishing sice he started a few months back. im actually hoping he gets something more than me, ok i lie there as i would love a new species to add to my currently small list!

Nice one folks,

Loads of info there, great stuff.

I'll post a report when i get back, and dried up, with the look of that weather.

Hopefully we'll get some fish to keep us going, but fingers crossed with the illusive Bass


Cheers again!

Nice one folks,

Loads of info there, great stuff.

I'll post a report when i get back, and dried up, with the look of that weather.

Hopefully we'll get some fish to keep us going, but fingers crossed with the illusive Bass


Cheers again!

def mate. fingers crossed. to be honest anything i catch will be a new species for me as im on 7 species since i started and im hoping for flatties etc

here is the downhill road open at the min? after that rock slide i think its still shut. so downhill beach could be our only option if its not cleared.

you fellas should see coalies and whiting at least and probably a few and flounder and turbot are still showing.


i saw signs for it being closed at downhill this morning, but you can always drive up the whole beach. you only have a few wee streams to cross in the car.
or head down to the rock area on the right of downhill.

you fellas should see coalies and whiting at least and probably a few and flounder and turbot are still showing.

Spot on Dave all of the above plus a nice sized plaice! No Bass tho But a good nights fishing at Downhill. Although things really died down, not a bite after midnight it was low tide about then which maybe has something to do with it. A lot of weed, if you can call it that. It was more like hedges and leaves getting caught round are lines, probably due to the weather we've had over the last week.

All and all a good nights fishing tho, thanks for the info guys much appreciated...... I'll just have to keep hunting for that illusive bass


Cheers

one of the lads with us told me were wasting our time after 8 as the tide had turned and was going out. he reconed the best time was to be there around 3ish and staying to around 7pm. think i will give it a try a bit earlier as we didnt get started till after half 4.

you fellas should see coalies and whiting at least and probably a few and flounder and turbot are still showing.

Spot on Dave all of the above plus a nice sized plaice! No Bass tho But a good nights fishing at Downhill. Although things really died down, not a bite after midnight it was low tide about then which maybe has something to do with it. A lot of weed, if you can call it that. It was more like hedges and leaves getting caught round are lines, probably due to the weather we've had over the last week.

All and all a good nights fishing tho, thanks for the info guys much appreciated...... I'll just have to keep hunting for that illusive Bass


Cheers

no problem. There is one there waiting for you so keep trying.

one of the lads with us told me were wasting our time after 8 as the tide had turned and was going out. he reconed the best time was to be there around 3ish and staying to around 7pm. think i will give it a try a bit earlier as we didnt get started till after half 4.

did you stay out all night?

try a later start. i was only heading out at midnight to fish the flood on another beach but i never stopped up at benone.

you can get bass on either tide direction as long as some water is moving, the buggers are on the feed all night i recon. i feel that top and bottom of the tides are least productive, its when the current/flow picks up that i find most productive. granted the flood is my preffered tide but i wouldnt say you wasted your time fishing the drop.

one of the lads with us told me were wasting our time after 8 as the tide had turned and was going out. he reconed the best time was to be there around 3ish and staying to around 7pm. think i will give it a try a bit earlier as we didnt get started till after half 4.

did you stay out all night?

try a later start. i was only heading out at midnight to fish the flood on another beach but i never stopped up at benone.

you can get Bass on either tide direction as long as some water is moving, the buggers are on the feed all night i recon. i feel that top and bottom of the tides are least productive, its when the current/flow picks up that i find most productive. granted the flood is my preffered tide but i wouldnt say you wasted your time fishing the drop.

one of the lads with us told me were wasting our time after 8 as the tide had turned and was going out. he reconed the best time was to be there around 3ish and staying to around 7pm. think i will give it a try a bit earlier as we didnt get started till after half 4.

did you stay out all night?

try a later start. i was only heading out at midnight to fish the flood on another beach but i never stopped up at benone.

you can get Bass on either tide direction as long as some water is moving, the buggers are on the feed all night i recon. i feel that top and bottom of the tides are least productive, its when the current/flow picks up that i find most productive. granted the flood is my preffered tide but i wouldnt say you wasted your time fishing the drop.

eh??