Bass Frenzy - 15th March 2012

[RockHunter]

People: Me

Duration: 7.00 pm - 12.30 am

Tide: HW at 11.15 pm

Weather: Moderate southerly wind, strengthening later, rapidly dropping barometric pressure, overcast, dry

Bait: Crab and Lug

Rigs: 4.0 pennel pulleys

Results: 19 Bass, 6-7 Coalfish




Report: I had not been fishing for three weeks (apart from one fruitless lure session on a very calm sunny Sunday afternoon). I was away on business for one week and over the remainder of the time the conditions were very calm so not ideal for beach fishing, I couldn't be bothered going out and catching nothing more than a few small coalfish, scrawny flounder and dogfish. However, the weather forecast for Thursday looked promising with moderate southwesterly winds. I would be fishing neap tides so it would be the least prospective according to solunar predictions but I reckoned that the rapidly dropping barometric pressure after a prolonged period of high pressure, along with a moderate surf would bring the fish on the feed.

I arrived at the beach and had two rods set up just after 7 pm, one baited with fresh peeler crab and the other baited with lug. There was a nice warm southerly breeze and a moderate surf, so it looked good. However, I got off to a bad start. First cast on the rod with lug I spotted a small knock, struck but nothing was hooked. I waited for the few minutes in case the fish returned before retrieving but then found I was solidly snagged. Eventually I had to break the line. As I was beginning to attach a new shockleader there was a strong tug on the other rod. I grabbed it but after a couple of turns of the reel I found this was also snagged, requiring another break. So with having two shockleaders to replace it was 7.45 pm by the time I got fishing again.

Shortly after that I had a couple of small coalfish on the rod with lug. Then a little later I had a 42 cm bass on crab. It was quite for a while after that, apart from one or two more coalfish. Then the bass onslaught commenced. Over the space of the next hour and a half it was total mayhem - I had another eighteen bass. Most were in the 40-47 cm range, the largest was 51 cm and a few were undersize.

Sometimes the bait was barely in the water before it was snatched by a bass. They typically ran slackliners in towards the shore and I missed several as well. The majority of the bass were taken on crab. I did get maybe a third on the lug as well as a few more coalfish.

Close to high tide the bites began to slacken off. I was also running out of bait. But the time I had the nineteenth bass I had very little left and resorted to using the crab claws and legs hoping to make it to an even twenty. But once the tide began to drop the fish had moved on; the last bite was another small coalfish. Still a total of 19 bass and 6 or 7 coalfish was a good night's fishing!!!

PS. I went to the same mark last night and had 5 bass, again about 7 Coalfish and 1 flounder. Surf was much the same, same quality of bait. The bass bites were spaced at intervals of 30-60 minutes, nothing like the frenzy of the previous session. The main difference was the barometic pressure - steady not rapidly falling - I think that was an important factor in stimulating the bass to feed.

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Last edited by RockHunter on Tue Mar 20, 2012 2:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.

A few more photos

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Great fishing Frank!

. Still a total of 19 Bass and 6 or 7 coalfish was a good night's fishing!!!

a good night fishing more like a super night's fishing if i had half that amount of bass in a year never mind a night i be a very happy camper
super fishing frank well done

Astonishing

superb session frank im always drooling with ur report

your reports are always a credit to you. a brilliant nights fishing well done frank

Holy shiz!!

Bloody hell! What a night. Well done!

Savage..!!! Thats some session.

A mate of mine mailed me about thursday, one of those windows thats screams get out.
But I was working and he couldnt make it either.
Glad someone spotted it and got some fish.

good fishing

Lost for words UNBELIEVABLE

Wow!! savage Frank, I sense a bass guide in the making

stuck for words. Session of a lifetime

And here's me thinking I'm great getting 19 whiting
A big well done Frank keep them coming

Amazing results, hat off to you , what an angler!

shame the big ones wernt around but at least you got a bit of sport

well done, fantastic nights fishing

Thanks guys,

A mate of mine mailed me about thursday, one of those windows thats screams get out.
But I was working and he couldnt make it either.
Glad someone spotted it and got some fish.

I was waiting for an end to that prolonged period of high pressure, reckoned that once the barometric pressure started to plunge with the approaching southwesterlies there would be some good fishing - but as it coincided with a neap tide I wasn't expecting such a good session.

ow!! savage Frank, I sense a Bass guide in the making

Thanks Rob, you wouldn't say that if you saw my first two casts - straight into snags!!

And here's me thinking I'm great getting 19 whiting

If it any consolation I can never catch whiting!!

shame the big ones wernt around but at least you got a bit of sport

Hopefully the spring tides will bring them in.

well done boy!...brilliant