bass

got bass finaly,only small,the thing is that i maith lost two bigger ones,(was scare then saw rod bending..) so pleaze tell me what you think then the best time to strike? thanks..

any bass i have ever caught hooked itself .. the ones I missed were because I let the line go slack or waited too long they are usually so aggressive that once you feel the pull strike and reel like hell....
good luck

i would always hold my rod when bass fishing and as soon as i feel a bite i walk forward a yard , give it a second r 2 and then strike, especially with lug razor fish r crab. they seem to hit sandeel quicker and harder. maybe because they think the sandeel will escape quicker???????????
i would of course not b bass fishing again for a fortnight mind you!!!!!

Just to confirm the obvious that you should not be worring about this until 2 weeks time.
However, the rig can be important, in my experience a ledger rig tends to work better than a paternoster as Bass can be fussy and may feel the resistance on a paternoster and drop the bait. With a ledger they then to pick it up and hook themselves as they are moving with the bait before the resitance of the lead hits home. This is another reason that I tend use fixed grips leads when Bass fishing. I have also found that most Bass once they feel the lead, they slack line you ie come towards you and its when you have caught up with them they turn and try and throw the hook (all part of the fun). Therefore you need to have the hook well set before this point. A key point is sharp hooks with the barb exposed, an offset hookpoint can improve your strike rate. Hook size is optional, yes the bigger the hook the bigger the Bass. Size 3/0 + works well, but a size 1/0 will cathch other species aswell making the session more interesting. I have caught a specimen Bass on a size 6 steel hook, so you never know.

no wories lads -no harm 4 bass from me,not taken home even before spawn period,got some on friday, look like they finish with spawing,was fishing on mussels,bass were mad for it and keep me outa doggys :) mussels for bass - is it usual r just ones nighy trick? round 22.00 hoked fish which were staying wery close to the bottom even then was 5-10 metres from me,couldnt lift it and got away lucky one....could it be ray????same was for my mate just within half an hour

Okuma.Weather you are taking them home or not is beside the point.You should not be targeting them until the 15th of june.I apologise in advance if you were fishing for other species and accidentally caught them but PLEASE abide by the law to conserve the stocks.

not targeting them...mussels good for flats thats all i need,tryed fish wery close,still got some,actually was fishing on lug,didnt got any fish so i suppose its for the best:),i use small hooks sas well...