Waterford Friday 13th 2009

fair play nice Bass ,if you scale them before you gut them it makes it quicker and also saves your back yard from being littered with scales ,thank god all the cod i,m getting dont have scales its lookin like they have forgotten where wicklow is this year ,roll on april and the summer fish

Roger when I scale a bass I do so before I gut it, but the sooner you scale it after (giving him his last rights!) the scales just fly off !

Rather than scale the fish, bake the fish whole. When cooked the skin and scales can be peeled off with ease.

I've never tried it that way must give it a go !
I ended up filleting and frying it on the pan .
Place the bass on a warm pan with butter skin side down then increase the temp slowly so as that it doesn't shrink when it hits the heat . 90% of the fish is cooked on the skin side then flip it over for just enough time to color the other side .
Served with chips r spudz and veg his/her choice, but the fish will taste divine .

I once fished with a very good Bass gilly in Ballinskellig who caught a 6Ib fish on a plug.
On gutting the fish it had 15 hard back crabs, all approx 2-3 inches wide and in different states of decay.

I would love to try glueing a live hardback crab to a float or similar with a hook tied on and floating it over a shallow reef. Gotta be good.

Most fish will take hard back crab but its the moving on the bottom thats getting them going no good on a float.
Some times you will even get stones in side them if something is going pass them that could be food they will have a go at it.

Rather than scale the fish, bake the fish whole. When cooked the skin and scales can be peeled off with ease.

or better still release the fish to swim another day

Bass Point like jd said C&R debate should be kept out of reports .
I have never seen a report from you on this sit and you are living in Tramore . and me a Townie !

Bass Point like jd said C&R debate should be kept out of reports .

Look, unfortunately ever so often you will catch a fish that is very deeply hooked and you have no choice but to keep it. You should allow for that every season. Out of over 100 fish caught last year I only kept about 4. These were deeply hooked fish. I caught a few more that were deeply hooked but managed to extract the hook and revive them. I think most anglers on this site have the same philosophy.

Bass Point like jd said C&R debate should be kept out of reports .

Look, unfortunately ever so often you will catch a fish that is very deeply hooked and you have no choice but to keep it. You should allow for that every season. Out of over 100 fish caught last year I only kept about 4. These were deeply hooked fish. I caught a few more that were deeply hooked but managed to extract the hook and revive them. I think most anglers on this site have the same philosophy.

craigo u released the fish didnt you........into your stomach

Most fish will take hard back crab but its the moving on the bottom thats getting them going no good on a float.
Some times you will even get stones in side them if something is going pass them that could be food they will have a go at it.

Im willing to take a bet and prove you wrong mate.
Been fishing for them for years and I have spoken to a few very good Bass men who want to try this.
One being Mike Ladle. Ye cant tell me he doesnt know his stuff.

As for the catch and release, its been flogged to death and best left to another post.
Its not like the guy had a pic of 10 dead bass, he kept one for the table.

Most fish will take hard back crab but its the moving on the bottom thats getting them going no good on a float.
Some times you will even get stones in side them if something is going pass them that could be food they will have a go at it.

I have seen doubles of Ballan Wrasse cought on hard back crab , float fished at a well known co.Waterford rock mark

A few guys on the UK B.A.S.S. site have reported catches of bass on hardbacks.

Most fish will take hard back crab but its the moving on the bottom thats getting them going no good on a float.
Some times you will even get stones in side them if something is going pass them that could be food they will have a go at it.

I have seen doubles of Ballan Wrasse cought on hard back crab , float fished at a well known co.Waterford rock mark

Yep I know the mark and I know Wrasse will take hard backs but Wrasse will also take shell fish of rocks so they are feeding all over the rock face and will find hard backs all over the rocks.

brown crabs 2/3in. across, chop em in half, works ok for bass. with or without a float.