East Cork bass - 18th October 2008

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Duration: 7.00 - 11.30 pm

Tide: HW at 8.40 pm

Weather: Dry, light westerly breeze increasing in strength later

Bait: Rag, mackerel, razor

Rigs: 3/0 pennel pulley, single hook (Size 6) on flowing trace

Results: 1 Shore Rockling, 6 Dogfish, 3 Bass




Report: As the evening was still quite calm I decided to try a new rock mark rather than fish off my usual beach. I hadn't fished this before and arrived while it was still bright so that I could find a safe way down to the shore in daylight.

I set two rods up with 3/0 pennels one baited with rag and the other with mackerel and cast them out into what I hoped would be a snag free area. Almost immediately there was a knock on the rod with rag bait, but whatever it was didn't get hooked. I had to wait until dark for the next bite - this time on the mackerel bait. It wasn't putting up much of a struggle and turned out to be a shore rockling - but the biggest one I have ever caught - 37 cm.

A little later I got a good knock on the other rod but as I was reeling it in I could feel my footing beginning to slip and momentarily lowered the rod as I was trying to regain my footing - but in that instant the fish was off the hook - a bass??

Then a series of dogfish followed - most taken on the rag tipped with mackerel and a couple on the rod baited with just mackerel. I don't mind a few dogs and they are great to save a blank but by the sixth I was beginning to get tired of them (there was also another that came off the hook just as I was about to haul him out of the water). I was starting to regret coming to this mark and thinking that I should have stuck to my usual beach.

I decided to change tactics and put on a trace with a size 6 hook baited with razor in the hope of catching something other than dogfish. It had only been in the water a few minutes when there was a strong tap on the rod. I started to retrieve and could feel a good size fish pulling on the line - my first thought was yet another damn dogfish. Then as I hauled it up out of the water I was surprized to see a bass - 46 cm and approx 2.5 lb. That was the second time this month I have caught a bass on a size 6 hook.

I cast the rod out again to much the same spot and a few minutes later there was another knock. I struck and could feel a similar pull on the line to previously - hardly another bass I thought - but it was putting up a similar fight and staying down deep not like the dogfish that come up to the surface as you reel them in. Sure enough it was another bass - almost identical in size, maybe a half centimeter shorter and about the same weight, 2.5 lb.

I was delighted at this stage - only 15 minutes earlier I had been regretting coming here. I cast out again. Meanwhile I had reeled in the other rod - I was on a narrow rock and the second rod had tended to get in the way especially when I was retrieving with the other. I was just starting to pack it away when I noticed a good knock on the first rod - as I started to retrieve I could feel a stronger fish on the line - this was putting up a stronger fight that the previous two. He was really putting a bend in the rod. I got closer to the edge as I reckoned I wouldn't be able to swing him up onto the rocks as easily as I had done with the previous two. Then as I hauled him out of the water I could see a bigger bass This one was 53 cm and weighed approx 4 lb.

I decided on one last cast but this time snagged a ball of kelp that must have weighed 20 lb. I got it to the edge of the rocks but the line snapped and I lost my lucky trace . I decided I better pack up at that stage. But that's a mark I shall certainly return to.

Last week when I caught a bass on the trace with the size 6 hook I thought it was a lucky fluke - when I got the first bass on it last night I still thought it was a bit of luck - but to then get two more in quick succession suggests it was more than just luck. In future I shall definitely make a lot more use of small hooks.

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lovely fish well done,very good report

Nice fishing Rockhunter congrats on the bass

Well done Rockhunter, 37cm rockling , 3 bass,2 in 15 mins ,,dream fishing,,,,,i could live with losing the lucky trace ,,,,,small hooks catch big fish,,advice i got from john 1 earlier in the year and has worked for me ever since

nice fishing, if only I could recognize those rocks

Thanks guys,

small hooks catch big fish

Dave - yes the small hooks are proving to be good at hooking bass. In the past I used to avoid using them thinking that I would be plagued with small fish. But the other night the bass avoided my 3/0 pennels and were suckers for a little bit of bait on the size 6 hooks.

i could live with losing the lucky trace

I have made up a couple of new ones with size 4 and 6 hooks - just hope that if the snood length was a vital part of hooking the bass that I have got it right. The original one was something I made up in a hurry before going out to target small turbot last week.

- you've gone mad on those size 6s. Not sure I would go targeting bass with them. You could be in a bit of trouble if you get a big one, but I suppose if you play it right.....
The thing with smaller hooks is that you can get big and small fish on them and I think you are probably more likely to get a hook up with a small hook in certain cases.
Nice fishing anyway, our West Cork beach hasn't been that kind to us recently, so we have been thinking about heading East, so we might see you out there.

great report and pic's RockHunter
well done that was a great session it just shows that you dont have to stick to 3/0 or 4/0 hooks for bass, most of mine this year were got on a 1/0
again great report!! and well done

Thanks guys,

you've gone mad on those size 6s. Not sure I would go targeting bass with them.

I wasn't intentionally targeting bass either times - the first time I was trying to get a turbot - I had never used a size 6 before that.
The other night I was just trying to catch something other than dogfish - I wasn't expecting bass at all

Maybe the small hook on the long snood was successful because it was drifting around in the current whereas the 3/0 hooks with big baits were probably lying fairly static on the seafloor?

Good to see a few bass about, the razor is a good bait for getting a bass amongst dogs.
It seems to be working better now than during the summer months.
I would say using a size 6 hook you probably get a few baits to one razor which is a good recession beater

Nice one again Frank

You can PM me that mark any time you like

fair play mate - ur certainly reaping the rewards


john.

Nice result, fair play. Thats a good size rockling too

Thanks,

using a size 6 hook you probably get a few baits to one razor which is a good recession beater

Too right - 3 bass and only used about a third of a razor - definite economical fishing

Nice one Rockhuter. Just goes to show you you never know exactly what the fish are going to take.