August bass fishing - East Cork & West Waterford

[RockHunter]

People: Me

Duration: Various

Tide: Mostly rising tide

Weather: Mostly calm

Bait:

Rigs: Lures

Results:
1st August: 2 bass
6th August: 1 bass
9th August: 2 bass
13th August: 1 bass, 3 pollock, 1 mackerel
14th August: 1 pollock
16th August: 1 bass
18th August: 5 bass, 6 pollock
20th August: 1 bass
21st August: 2 bass, 4 pollock
27th August: 2 bass, 5 mackerel
28th August: 2 bass
29th August: 3 bass


Report:
It has been well over a month since I last put up a shore report but I have been busy with work. I focused on lure fishing for bass during the month. The fishing was slow, typically one or two bass per session, although it seemed to pick up later in the month with the best session on the 18th when I had 5 bass. The Feed Shallow proved to be by far the most effective lure. The best soft plastic was the Slug-go fished weedless. Below is a summary of the months fishing. More detailed reports on each session can be found on my blog:
http://rockhunter-southcoastbass.blogsp ... chive.html


1st August: I decided to try an area in West Waterford where I have had a few bass recently. I got there at low tide. There was a light southeasterly breeze and the water was clear. I moved along the shore and two hours into the rising tide as I was casting a Patchinko diagonally across several barely submerged ridges it was struck by a good bass about 40 m out. It fought strongly, dived and broke the surface again. I worked it over the shallow reefs in front of me and eventually eased it onto the rocks. It was a 57 cm bass weighing 4.25 lbs.



High tide was at 6.30 pm so by 6 pm I decided to walk to the opposite end of the mark and try an area which I had not fished before. I put on a weedless Giant Xlayer first to check the terrain for snags before using the diving lures. I had a couple of cast, then on about the third cast the lure was grabbed by strong fish. It was a 55 cm bass with a weight of just about 4 lbs.



6th August: I had to catch up on work at the weekend so didn't get out fishing until Saturday evening. I got to the rocks just as the tide was beginning to push in. As there were lots of very shallow rocks I could only fish with weedless soft plastics and surface lures. I started off with a Patchinko and on about the fifth cast the lure was struck by a strong bass about 20 m out just as I slowed the retrieve down to a stop. It gave a good fight, turned and stripped some line when I got it close to the shore. After a few minutes I got it back in and onto the rocks. It was a 52 cm bass with a weight of about 3.25 lbs



9th August: Over the last few weeks I have found bass fishing slow, probably as a consequence of the water clarity so I decided to have a night time session at a West Waterford mark.

I got to the coast and made my way out across the rocks to the shore and was fishing by 9 pm, just at low tide. There was not much happening until the light started to go and the tide began its initial push in. I was fishing a weedless Xlayer across some shallow reefs when suddenly a large fish lept almost clear of the water to try to snatch it, missed, and fell back with a mighty splash. In the brief moment it was clear of the water it looked like a bass although in the twilight it was difficult to be sure. I continued casting the Xlayer across the same area but there was no more interest. I switched to a weedless Slug-go and on about the third cast it was struck by a fish in exactly the same location that the bass had lept out of the water. It fought strongly, tried to get around some rocks but I managed to keep control and turned it towards me and gradually brought it into the shallows beside me. It was a stocky 55 cm bass, weighing over 4.5 lb.



It was dark at this stage so I switched to a Patchinko thinking that it would make a larger disturbance on the surface as well as rattle to attact any bass moving in with the tide. After 4 or 5 casts there was a massive splash behing the lure about 20 m out, but the fish didn't connect, I stopped the retieve and then the fish smashed into it a second time a second or two later. This time it was well hooked. Intially it fought very strongly, flattening out the rod and stripping line. I struggled with it for a few minutes, gradually coaxing it in. It was a rather slim 71 cm bass, weighing just under 7 lb, about a pound under weight for its length.



13th August: I fished a new mark in Waterford. I started fishing into an area between two large rock outcrops. After about twenty minutes I moved a few meters and fished the opposite side of one of the rocks using an Xlayer. After a few casts directly out to sea I changed direction cast parallel to the shore. First cast the Xlayer was grabbed by a bass that must have been hiding in the kelp directly below the rock I was standing on. It wasn't a big fish but gave a decent fight all the same. It was about 44-45 cm.

I began to work my way along the shore but there was no interest, apart from a pollock on a Feed Shallow. I continued working my way around the bay and reached the southern end just before high tide. There was a deeper water area here so I had a go for pollock. I had two on Xlayers, both about 2.5 lbs, and lost one easily twice that size on a small mother worm. I lost a few smaller pollock on Xlayers too. I also had a solitary mackerel on a Xlayer.

14th August: I just had time for a short session. I headed to a West Waterford mark that fishes well early on a rising tide. I got there at 2.00 pm just as the tide was beginning to push in. It was a bight sunny afternoon with a light light westerly breeze and the water was crystal clear. I started with an Xlayer, fished with that for about 15 minutes then changed to a Patchinko and blasted it out to the edge of the reefs. I covered the ground in front of me at a range of angles and on about the tenth cast a fish lept clear out of the water as my lure passed over it, the fish seems to hang in the air for a moment of two before crashing back into the water and then lunged at the lure again, this time it was hooked. From the fight I knew it wasn't a bass, it kept deep, all the time pulling downwards, but nevertheless it put up a good struggle. I hooked the fish at 60 m out it and it put up a fight all the way in. It was a well fed 55 cm pollock. I was very surprised to get that in bright daylight in shallow water.



16th August: I headed out after dinner and got to the shore just after high tide at about 8.45 pm. I had a few casts across an area of shallow rocks that was now flooded by the tide. There was no sign of any activity. I made my way along the shore to an area of flatter rocks where the water was deeper and began fishing. I had a few casts with an Xlayer, fired out a Patchinko and then switched to a Feed Shallow. On about the thrid cast a bass struck the lure only about 6 m out, it lept into the air and did a brief tailwalk before crashing back into the water. The fish was pulling hard and stripped some line before I had it under control and gradually coaxed it into a shallow gulley where I could lift it out. It was a stocky 53 cm bass, weighing just under 4 lb.



18th August: I finished work early and headed off to a local mark. The sea was quite calm, just a little choppy, and the water was clear with very little weed so it looked promising. I started out with some some soft plastics and after about 20 minutes I switched to a Feed Shallow. After a few casts the lure was grabbed by a bass. At first it was not struggling too hard so I thought it was a small fish but as I got it in close I could see that it was a decent size. As it approached the shallows it began to fight much more strongly and thrashed about wildly. It was a 65 cm bass, weighing 5 lb. It had almost totally engulfed the lure.



I continued fishing with the Feed Shallow but it was quite for about another 25 minutes then the lure was struck by another bass in close, this was putting up a better fight than the first one but was only 50 cm.



Shortly afterwards I had another almost identical 50 cm bass, again in close. I switched to a weedless Slug-go and lobbed it across the same area. On the first cast the lure was grabbed by another bass, this one was the smallest of the session at 45 cm. Then a few minutes later I had the fifth bass, another 50 cm fish on the Slug-go



I hooked another bass a little later, had it on for a few minutes but as I got it in close it came off. Next cast I had a good size pollock. This was followed by a few more pollock but the bass shoal seemed to have moved on. I moved further around the bay but just had another couple of pollock. I fished for a while in darkness but could only get one more pollock.

20th August: After the success of the previous session I returned to the same mark. Unfortunately the sea was very rough with large swells breaking on the rocks. This particular location does not fish well in rough conditions. But nevertheless since I was there I thought I may as well fish for a while and see how it goes.

I started off with some soft plastics, thenI switched to a Feed Shallow. I put on a new one I got recently from Absolute Fishing, a silvey grey lure with a bright red belly. On about the fifth cast, directed diagonal to the shore and across several shore-parallel gulleys, the lure was snatched by a fish. It was putting up a reasonable struggle and when it broke the surface I could see it was a bass, although not big. I eased it onto the rocks on the crest of a wave. It was a 45 cm bass; it fought well considering its size. It was my 120th bass of the year - so I now equalled my previous best annual total achived in 2009.



I continued fishing, tried some different lures but there was no more interest. As the tide rose the surf got bigger so I decided to move on. I headed to a Cork Harbour mark, worked my way along the shore but had a big problem with weed. There was no sign of any fish activity so I packed up early.

21st August: I got to a West Waterford mark at about 6.00 pm just as the tide was beginning to push in. It was a nice evening, partly sunny with broken clouds, a light southwesterly breeze and gentle swells breaking on the rocks. I started off on a rock platform fishing into an area of two intersecting gulley. I fished there for about 40 minutes but just had two pollock on Slug-gos and missed a few more. I had a bad wind knot, gave up trying to undo it and had to cut a sizable amount of line off which left me with not a lot remaining on the reel.

I moved into a small bay that was rapidly infilling with the rising tide. Cast a Slug-go across some quite shallow ground. After maybe 8 or 9 casts the lure was grabbed by a very strong fish, there was a massive splash as it pounced on the lure. Then it turned and powered off out to sea like a locomotive, line was just peeling off the reef and I realized that within seconds it would have emptied the spool. I tightened the drag and the rod bent over as I tried to stop the fish, I turned it and was beginning to bring it back in. It was thrashing about on the surface and then the hook came out!!!!! I could see a bulge on the water surface as it surged back out to sea. It was a very big bass, easily specimen size.

A little later I had another strong bite again on the Slug-go. The fish fought strongly but this time it was well hooked and after a few minutes I had it at my feet. It was a well fed 59 cm bass.



Shortly afterwards there were a lot of splashes within the bay. Then a seal popped its head up right in front of me and stared at me for about ten minutes. That killed off all the fish activity. It remained quite even after the seal moved on. I moved a little further along the shore and had one more small pollock. It was dark at this stage so I began to work my way back. I stopped close to the spot where I had the previous bass for a few casts. On the first cast the Slug-go was struck by a bass very close in, no more than 4 meters from the shore. It was a 51 cm bass.




27th August: I headed to a West Waterford mark on Saturday morning. There was a fairly strong northwesterly breeze blowing but the bay I was going to fish would be sheltered. It was partly sunny with a lot of broken cloud. So the conditions, along with the big tides, promised a good session. I started fishing into an area of fairly deepish water between some large rocks. After about 15 minutes I moved to the left and cast a Slug-go across a small bay. First cast the lure has grabbed by a strong heavy bass. It stayed deep as I gradually worked it in and only came close to the surface a few meters from the edge of the shore. It was the fattest bass I have ever caught!!! Its stomach was bulging and it weighed just over 7 lb, although its length was 66 cm so it was approximately 1.5 lb over-weight for its size.



I continued to cast across the small bay. Shortly afterwards I had a second bass on the Slug-go. Again it stayed deep and as I got it in close I could see another similar size bass following. It was a smaller bass at 52 cm and weight of about 3.5 lbs.




28th August: I arrived at an East Cork mark just after low tide early Sunday afternoon. I tried a range of hard and soft plastic lures but there was no interest. The last time I fished there a shoal of bass showed up a couple of hours into the rising tide so I stayed on hoping that they would arrive. Sure enough about two and a half hours after low tide I had the first bass on a Feed Shallow. It was a small, but very lively fish just under 40 cm.



The next cast another bass struck the Feed Shallow. This was a bit bigger at 46 cm.



I felt a few knocks on the lure after that but the fish were not hooked A few minutes later a third bass grabbed the Feed Shallow but it came off about half way in. The bites died off after that.

29th August: Monday was a nice warm day. I was sitting in my office working but the urge to get out fishing grew too great to resist so I finished work early and headed out arriving on the shore at about 3.40 pm. I clipped on a Feed Shallow and began fishing. On about the fourth cast the lure was struck by a bass about 25 m out from just below a rock ledge. It gave a good fight although it wasn't a big fish, just 44 cm.



A few minutes later I had a second from below the same ledge. This was a bit bigger with a length of 47 cm.



Shortly after getting the second bass I hooked another, but lost it close to the shore. However, a few casts later the Feed Shallow was grabbed by another bass. This one was coming in easy, at first I thought I lost it, but then felt it again. When I landed it I discovered that it was hooked in the eye, presumably why it was not putting up a struggle and just coming in with the lure. It was a 45 cm fish. Since a one eyed bass would probably not be a very efficient predator I thought it best to keep that for dinner.



I fished on for a little longer but the bass shoal had moved on so I packed up at about 5.30 pm and headed home for dinner.

Last edited by RockHunter on Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.

top class fishing as always frank and great report and photos

Nice report Rockhunter.

execellent report as always sir well done any good during november for bass?

some very nice bass frank great to see some fish around as im heading down on the 28 th sep
for a weeks fishing and i cant wait hope your free for a session or two will give you a ring
nearer the time .

Thanks guys,

any good during november for Bass?

Should be, but will depend on the weather. If it is calm then should be able to get some on lures. if it is windy then bait fishing should produce plenty of bass.

some very nice Bass frank great to see some fish around as im heading down on the 28 th sep
for a weeks fishing and i cant wait hope your free for a session or two will give you a ring
nearer the time .

Thanks Gerry, I should be around, will you be staying near Dungarvan again?

Wow, what a report. Extremely good fishing Frank, top stuff as always - very well done

Great fishing. Myself and outlaws also caught a lot of bass but they were mainly schoolies. Sept should be a great month

Fair play to you, great fishing there!
Be sure to give them all directions to Clare when you release them won't you?

Thanks guys,

Wow, what a report. Extremely good fishing Frank, top stuff as always - very well done

Thanks Paula, it has been tough going but I have usually managed to find at least one bass each time I have been out.

Great fishing. Myself and outlaws also caught a lot of Bass but they were mainly schoolies. Sept should be a great month

Thanks Stan, yes hopefully September will be good.

Fair play to you, great fishing there!
Be sure to give them all directions to Clare when you release them won't you?

Thanks Mike, no I usually tell them to stick around so I can catch them again the next time.

oh my goodness what reading superb frank lovley fish there and to top your pb from 2009 well done! i dont know if ive as many fish for the whole year myself a pity about the one that got away! must have been some fish to take the hook!
topclass as usual
fergal

you were on fire there rockhunter.certinally lived up to your name....

great fishing frank well done on the mega- haul beating your seasons best

More superb fishing and great report too Well done on the seasons best haul!

Savage fishing well done Frank !

Thanks guys,
I was looking forward to some good lure fishing this month but unless the weather improves it will be back to bait fishing sooner than I had intended!!