Mid Wexford, Bass hunt, Sunday 8th July '12

People:Mise agus Anthony

Duration:09:00 - 10:45

Tide:High at approximately 10:13

Weather:Light/Moderate NW breezes, overcast with some sunny spells, warm (about 15 degrees), dry and mostly good water clarity.

Bait:N/A

Rigs:7" chartreuse senko with Owner weighted twist lock hook, Illex Bowstick, Patchenko, Tackle House feed-shallow

Results:Nothing again



Report:Ah in all seriousness I've nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm just unlucky in the sense that the period in which I decide to fish exclusively for bass (with lures only) proves to be one of the most difficult bass fishing periods in years. Again conditions were less than ideal but if I'm not out I'm not going to catch. Although for me you could change that saying to 'if I'm not out I'm not going to catch but if I'm out I'm not going to catch either'
I had a great laugh though and some good conversation surrounded by a beautiful natural environment. Catching fish is just a bonus. However I have to admit that considering I haven't caught a bass (on lures) in close to 35 sessions along the South East coast between April 2011 and today, it's beginning to turn into a bit of an obsession. I honestly can't stop thinking about it. It's like my mind can't rest and focus on enjoying everything else that life has to offer until I hook and land a beautiful silver lady once again. A large hooked & lost bass in Wexford back in early May (or thereabouts) is the closest I've come in all that time.
But I'll keep on trying, my obsession will see to that!

well in fairness 100% for effort. i havent caught anything on lure this year either i feel like launching the lot into the sea ah it must come good at some stage though

Fair play for posting either way john i figure its like waiting for a bus. As soon as the jet stream and its anti cyclonic low pressure vortexes pass we will be fine

Thanks guys.

I think you're right.

Tight lines,
John D.

They are bang on what there saying john keep pluging away

Fair play John keep it up and you will get your just rewards the fishing gods will spare you one and guess what it will be a big 1 and if so you deserve it for 100% effort and time spent.... PLUGING

Feel your pain John one lost fish for me since may too. Its really sad and horrible to think but I reckon the damage been done in Rosslare is really taken its toll. I usually fish north wexford and I havent even heard any reports from here. Another thing to is I have found it difficult to get the right conditions together this year with the weather. Somethings always wrong, maybe there will be a bonanza of fishing soon.
Tommy

dont be worrie, i was out with me son who is the best angler as i ever seen(7 years age) around waterford and around tralee,woodstown etc.nothing even bite,I start 2 think find cheaper hobii(50 petrol 60 bait 100 food ,votka,toilet roll etc...)
hellooooo spend hours to be at sea side, catch nothing,wait under the rain ageeeeeeessssssss.
result big fat zero.
but you know what, nothing could make me happy see me son,casting his rod, try to catch anything,my dog barking anything and everything and bonus part is I am miles and miles away my wife:)
so there you go my son thats why called fishing not catching....

dont be worrie, i was out with me son who is the best angler as i ever seen(7 years age) around waterford and around tralee,woodstown etc.nothing even bite,I start 2 think find cheaper hobii(50 petrol 60 bait 100 food ,votka,toilet roll etc...)
hellooooo spend hours to be at sea side, catch nothing,wait under the rain ageeeeeeessssssss.
result big fat zero.
but you know what, nothing could make me happy see me son,casting his rod, try to catch anything,my dog barking anything and everything and bonus part is I am miles and miles away my wife:)
so there you go my son thats why called fishing not catching....

Ye hit the nail on the head, still nice to get out and get some fishing done.
I just wonder what the fish do in times like this. Sit offshore and dont feed or move to shoals of baitfish/small macks off shore..?
Move away from estuaries due to cold water from the constant rain and out to deeper reef marks..?
Or does the cold water and conditions drive their metabloism down and they stop feeding altogether..?

One thing is for sure when the right time and conditions present themselves someone is going to have some session..!

I feel your pain. I grab the chance to get out when I get it but chances are that either you get down and the water is the colour of chocolate or ( at the moment) that it's grand for 10 mins and then you get a soaking! Nothing on lures for me either yet..

Im wondering do the unsettled conditions drive the fish off or is it just that the conditions (watre clarity/rain) make it hard to target them.

Looking forward to a high pressure.. has to happen at seom stage..doesn't it??!

Pardon my ignorance but what exactly happened in Rosslare?

Feel your pain John one lost fish for me since may too. Its really sad and horrible to think but I reckon the damage been done in Rosslare is really taken its toll. I usually fish north wexford and I havent even heard any reports from here. Another thing to is I have found it difficult to get the right conditions together this year with the weather. Somethings always wrong, maybe there will be a bonanza of fishing soon.
Tommy

I hope you're all right lads and personally I think you are i.e. we're going to have to get at least one decent spell of settled bass friendly weather.

In relation to what happened at Rosslare I'm not sure exactly.

Although if I was to divulge what I hear as rumour then what happened is that a lot of 'anglers' caught, killed & retained a hell of a lot of bass. Not only that but they were meant to have done this during the closed season between May 15th and June 15th. And apparently the area has been heavily netted too.



As I said I didn't witness any of these happenings myself, I'm just recycling hear'say.

Mind you what I did see there early in the season last year was a nice sized bass dead on the beach. It was just the head and tail held together by the spine. It was like someone filleted the fish on the spot straight after catching and landing it. Not that there's anything actually illegal about that act in its own right - but it did make me wonder.

Here's hoping for a good future for bass angling in Ireland!

Tight lines,
John D.

From Ed Fahy and the Irishbass website

An angler observed that if you cast a bait in these circumstances you were as likely to hook a bird as a fish.

T K Whitakers First Programme for Economic Expansion would be published in 1958 and there was a new entrepreneurial spirit abroad. In 1957, E P Kearney, promotions manager for Bord Failte, identified angling as "a tourist feature which had never been exploited". Splaugh Rock was the place to begin and bass, a species which has remained high in the list of recreational and tourism attractions ever since, would be the target. Local politicians Brendan Corish (Labour Party) and Sir Anthony Esmonde (Fine Gael) added their support. Bord Failte provided an angling trophy and the following June, 1958, almost 70 entries were registered for the Splaugh Rock angling competition. Later that year Erskine Childers (Fianna Fail), then Minister for Lands, met 24 journalists from leading French sporting magazines along with representatives of the French Federation of sea anglers to extol the virtues of Irish sea angling, among which the best was to be had at Rosslare.

Its habit of concentrating into small inshore areas proved the undoing of sea bass. When competitive fishing commenced, an angler would boat an average of fifty fish during a single tide and they were large bass. Ten years later the catches had collapsed and Rosslare Angling Club, which had been established on the back of the bass fishery, discontinued the competitions altogether.

Wow! What I'd do and the money I'd pay for a bass fishery of that quality now!

Went out last night aswel for a few hours and got nothing, waited for the rod to double over but unfortunately didn't happen. Have yet to get any bass on the lure !

i thought it was just me that was struggling with lures went off and spent over a 100 on lures 180 on spinning rod and all the other little bits and still have not hit a bass i have fished alot in waterford area along the copper coast but i only know a few locations and i know there is better spots but because i dont live there i dont know were they are i am seriously struggling at it i am going this thursday down that way and who knows my luck might change

It would appear as though everywhere is taking a bit of a hit but particularly the South East coast. Mind you while I was down at the Bass Festival I heard one or two people mention that even catches over in France are down so who knows what's going on?

John D.

john d if you are fishing in waterford along the copper coast i seen were all the big guns were fishing and tryed it got a massive hit on a popper played the fish but hadnt got the expierence to stand in to the water and get te grabbers to his lip because i was so shocked of the way that beast came up and hammered that popper was a lovely sight if your going down that way let me know and ill give you the mark they are 100% in this area when conditions are right