irelands bass

just a concerned angler here wondering where in gods name is our bass,it cant be blamed on the algae bloom as it seems to be the whole country suffering a drought,im sure there may be many factors involved here,nets,spearfishing breeding stock and so on,can anyone elaborate on this debacle?

On my opinion, the bass is around... Just knowing where to fish and the right conditions.

I would say more people get them regularly while going out on different sessions but are not reporting on the forum.

On my opinion, the Bass is around... Just knowing where to fish and the right conditions.

I would say more people get them regularly while going out on different sessions but are not reporting on the forum.

I agree partially,that's fair comment,but they're not in their numbers they once were

Hi there this question has been on everyones lips recently.It makes me laugh to be honest several years ago everyone and anyone were catching bass and judging by the report section here people thought nothing of posting all info regarding their bass catches and giving away info willy nilly openly.
All the time anglers in the know were warning of dropping size and numbers only to be scoffed at as been paranoid etc,yet here we are today with people asking where are the bass gone.Yes the numbers are well down this year for whatever reason[s],just like the general fishing to be honest,but there are still bass been caught around the place and these certainly are'nt been reported on the open forums by savy/genuine anglers.Yet i will guarantee you this given the apparent lack of catches at the moment,the very first half decent session experienced by some people on this site will be plastered all over the report section and so have no fear once theres an upturn of any sort everyone will know the locations to hammer.
By the way this is just a generalisation of the way the wheel turns when it comes to bass fishing.Oh if im lucky enough to experience a decent session of any kind i will always let my angling friends who i trust know the score and vice versa,i certainly won't be telling the few individuals that have left myself and my friends down with a bang in the past all of which are well known on here
Rant for today over.

Very well written beachbuddy, it's what a thousand other anglers are thinking good rant

An excellent reply from beachbuddy. I can tell you for a fact that there are plenty of Bass knocking around Ireland at the moment. You have to know where to go and how to fish for them. Information isn't given out to just anybody.

Yes the numbers are well down this year for whatever reason

Lack of High Pressures !

Fair point Dave,
but if this is causing the lack of numbers around the coast,would love to know where they are hanging out Or maybe as you say the lack of high pressure systems around the country this year has prevented the bass from feeding properly.
I'll be looking forward to the next high pressure system as it could be a feeding bonanza

Just a quick point, and it most probably bears testament to Labyrinthfishes comment there too. The fishing in general, this past few weeks, in the south and southwest area has been absolute muck. We have been out 2 to 3 times a week fishing venues that should hold fish in perfectish conditions, good tides etc for rubbish results. Its not just Bass, flats, rays and rounds are all conspicuous by their low numbers. The only decent fish that have been available in any numbers to target that we have seen are of the mullet variety, greys and golden greys and had it not been for the latter it would have been a pretty horrible few weeks. Some beaches in the area we have found a plethora of weever fish (!) but thats no blooming good either!

If it was just one species, ie bass then I'd say yes, be worried. Its not. Its not a case of us heading out half cocked either, we have access to the best of bait here, (which doesnt seem to be affected by the way) and using the best of traces with scant reward. This has been echoed by buddies of mine with nothing to prove on the angling front who are experiencing similar results. There has been the odd exception to the rule with the odd decent session, but in general, this summer has been utter rubbish on the fishing front.

Fishing beaches with small baits in close should have been producing a ton of flats at this time of year with bass popping up all over. Ray and doggie trips have been relatively fruitless too although if looked for, we can usually find the doggies alright. Its an odd one but I am of the opinion myself its entirely due to climate factors and nothing else so dont worry too much. We will at some stage get a spell of settled weather and be wondering what all the fuss was about!!

All very true Pete[especially on the weever front ]Yip the last few weeks have been shocking for the most part with only a few decent sessions to go with the bad.Infact looking at[shore] fishing overall this season it really has'nt taken off so far on a consistant basis.
If it is all this low pressure ,how many months now ,then im really looking forward to any settled weather in the coming months as the fishing should be excellant especially with the upcoming crossover of summer and winter species.I suppose only time will tell.
Things can't really get much worse or can they For what its worth Pete,nice to hear your getting a few sessions in again down south
Tight lines

Cheers Mike, nice to be on familiar ground even if results haven't been too good. We'll keep the faith and hope for an improvement. At the minute the sun is shining while its raining so thats a positive surely....

All's not lost folks!!!!

http://irishsportfishing.com/2012/08/13 ... omment-112

The lesson here?
1. Weather is important
2. Knowing your quarrys habits and movements
3. Research and know your marks

The attached link is testament to alot in my opinion, there are more people than ever Bass fishing, not everyone will have a great season for a variety of reasons. A new lure rod and box of plugs and a beach will not gaurantee results even if " we always get them here"

I even caught bass this year without trying for them, chin up Bass men!!!!

well lads i to think(hope) it is down to the weather of late across the board fishing has been poor last while,the amount of fresh water pouring out of our estuarys has been unreal that has to effect the fish and the moulting of crabs ect..lets hope for a good sept.
one other thing the last year or so esp in my area is a huge incress in the netting of bass this can not be helping the stocks.a friend of mine in one weekend saw 4 bass nets in a small area one of witch a boat was taking bass out of.