Last few bass of a dreadful month - 27th & 28th April 2012

People: Me

Duration: Two 3/3.5 hour sessions

Tide: HW at 10.00 pm on 27th April

Weather: Strong cold Northeasterly winds, dry

Bait: Crab, razor, rag

Rigs: 4/0 pennel pulleys, 3/0 two hook flappers

Results:
27th April: 3 bass
28th April: 1 bass, 1 coalfish




Report:
27th April: The weather was not too bad on Friday afternoon so I finished work a little early, went to a local estuary to dig some rag, then headed to the coast with some nice big king rag and a couple of packs of razor. There was a nice surf, but mounds of kelp on the beach. Fortunately the weed ended just before my favourite mark. However, there was a cold northeasterly wind blowing across the beach which did not bode well for fishing. I set up two rods, one with a 4/0 pennel pulley baited with rag, the other with a 3/0 two hook flapper with rag and razor, and was fishing by 6.45 pm

Shortly after setting up I had the first bass, a 41 cm fish taken on the pennel pulley. Then I realized I had forgotten my camera. I took it out of my tackle bag intending to charge the batteries, but forgot to put it back.

It was quite for a long time after that, but maybe an hour after the first fish I had a second bass, this was smaller, about 38 cm. It was taken on razor on the two hook flapper.

There was another long period of inactivity and it was after dark before I had another bite. This was an even smaller bass of barely 36 cm. It was taken on the pennel pulley baited with rag. I packed up shortly after that. It was a poor enough session considering how well this beach was fishing in March.

28th April: I headed out on Saturday evening for the last session of April as the weather for the last two days of the month looked to be too grim for fishing. There was quite a strong cold northeast wind blowing down the beach when I arrived. I had fished nights in Jaunary that were warmer! On the positive side there was a nice surf, not too big, just the size of surf that can produce good results on this beach.

I set up two rods; one baited with crab, the other with rag/razor on 4/0 pennel pulleys and was fishing by 7.30 pm. First cast I had a good tug on the rod with the crab. It was a 49 cm bass.

That was a good start so I was hopeful of a great session. However, it was not to be. The rod tips remained motionless. As the tide pushed in the weed became bad for a while but then cleared a couple of hours before high tide. But there was no improvement in the fishing. The only other bite I got for the remainder of the night was a small coalfish.

I packed up at about 11 pm. The one bass I caught brought my total for the month to 14 which was rather disappointing compared to 37 bass in April 2011. After some very good results in the second half of March I have been anticipating some excellent fishing in April. This is normally one of my best months for bass fishing but the dreadful weather with persistent cold northeasterly, northerly or northwesterly winds ruined any chance for a repeat of the results of last year.

I am not sorry to see the end of April 2012, let's hope May is a better month.

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not the greatest of sessions frank by your standers but a few bass all the same let hope the couple of weeks in may are better

That was a hard fishing session Frank yea the weather has been cruel to us all but a bass is a bass.... so well done on the few you got.

low pressure systems for over a month,,even the fekin weather is havin a recession

....ahh dids, only 14 bass....

Thanks guys,

ow pressure systems for over a month,,even the fekin weather is havin a recession

It wasn't so much due to low pressure systems but due to the jet stream doing a big loop down way down south of Ireland and pulling down the cold polar air. At the weekend it doubled back on itself (hence the gales over the weekend) and split off. The main jet stream now lies way to the north and hopefully stays there!!
Have a loook at this link.
http://squall.sfsu.edu/crws/jetstream.html
Also put on the 7 day animation which shows the jet stream doubling back on itself and splitting.

Effect of the month long northerly airstream has been to lower sea temperatures below what they should be for this time of year. For example M5 Bouy off the south coast has a current sea termprature of less than 10C:
http://www.marine.ie/home/publicationsdata/data/buoys/observations.htm#M5

Why do you think its to do with low air pressure and jet stream

Nothing to do with low air presssure, but due to the jet steam

For the last month the jet stream lay to the south of Ireland, blocked the southwesterlies from moving across Ireland. Its been doing a big loop to the south for most of April, which produced the northerly air stream we experienced during all of April. As the loop tightened the northerly air stream strenghtened giving us those strong cold northeasterly winds.

Its just i find northerly winds great for fishing maybe the quantity of small bass is not there but quality of fish has got better this month i think.

....ahh dids, only 14 Bass....

I had only 14 bass myself in April ....all on lures though .

I had only 14 Bass myself in April ....all on lures though

That was good going on lures - I had a few lure sessions at different marks in East Cork-West Waterford but nothing to show for it. It was very disappointing compared to last April.

No Frank, you're right; compared to last year it was a very disappointing month....and things looked looked so promising.

Here are a couple of examples of jet stream maps, first from April 2012 and the second for April 2011

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Interesting stuff

well done frank
you certinly know your stuff man

well done frank
you certinly know your stuff man

Thanks Al, I wish it were true but the more I learn the more I realize that there is so much that I dont know!!!!!
When I first started fishing I just picked up a rod and went to the shore and hoped for the best, but now I have to take into account the tide times, tide magnitude, wave direction, wind direction, barometric pressure, solunar factors and now the position of the jet stream !!!!!!!

it's a hell of a steep learning curve fank.

Stop it Frank your wrecking my head Learning about moon phases was confusing enough then came barometric pressure and now "jetstreams" whatever happened to going out and going fishing when conditions look good.
By the way i do believe in the moon phase theory big time,barometric pressure=any easterly or north easterlywind will put pressure in the water which fish don't like and will bugger off or not feed[east is least],but now "jetstreams" just too much for me im afraid as they say on Dragons Den im out on this one im afraid.Id better get a degree in science for future fishing if it gets anymore complicated.
This past april may have been well down on past years numbers wise but there have been more doubles and 8lb plus fish caught than i can remember in a long time and all with cold offshore winds.Hopefully they will stay around for a while.
Ps hope alls well and my cousins in waterford are helping you settle in

After enduring a false dusk, an anti-clockwise tidal vortex , a barometric rollercoaster and blanking im from now on going to use the trusted and ancient tecnique of "the tree in the back garden" realtime weather forecast

Here are a couple of examples of jet stream maps, first from April 2012 and the second for April 2011

Great post Frank.

You didn't do too bad at all.