Wicklow Bass.....!

People: Me and Steve R

Duration: 3 hours

Tide: Last hour of drop and first 2 of rise

Weather: Splitting the stones

Bait: Various Lures

Rigs: none

Results: 1 x 2Ib Bass affectionately known now as Houdini.




Report:

Headed out Sunday morning full of inspired confidence and choosing to ignore the blazing sun, neap tides and gin clear water.
Really wanted to try out the new rod again and give it a proper go, and we wanted to try a mark we have flirted with before in the past. I caught a small bass here when I was a teenager and a few years ago my bro in law caught a 5Ib on a popper. I missed a bass on a popper a year later but we have fished it I’d say 5 times. I have also fished with some great Bass men as a teenager who used to fish it and catch bass from it. So we decided enough was enough and a proper recon session was called for. We arrived at 8am to fish the last of the drop and the first 2 of the rise, My favorite times to try for bass. The mark looked amazing. Lots of submerged rocks, kelp beds, water movement.

My first lure to try out was a Fish Arrow flash J Shad. Wow, what an amazing soft plastic. So realistic in the water. Has a side to side wobble and paddle tail action That looks killer. I cast it into every kind of the worst ground you can think of and it didn’t snag once. Better by far than the Black minnow IMO and that’s saying Something. I don’t like the weighted head on the minnow, this lure sinks just at the right speed for me. I also tried out a komomo, feed shallow, and all the usual must haves..! really putting the rod through its paces and also my new Okuma 30s, baby brother to the 40s I have.

Anyway, by this time the tide had turned, it’s about 11am, im starting to cook and im hungry so I suggest to Steve that we make our way back to the car. I want to cast out my new braid as far as poss to have it laid correctly on the reel so I stick on……yeah you guessed it, a small kilty lure in silver. Working my way back I notice a section that appeals to me. Fingers of kelp covered rock running out to the sea and a large kelp bed just behind it. At this stage to save a blank Im thinking Pollock would do just fine. So I make a couple of risky casts across this mess with the kilty. Slow retrieval with the rod Tip high and just dance it inches over the kelp. Im a million miles away when BANG. Back to earth “Wow, fish on”.

The fish then pulls the drag and im thinking Pollock. A few seconds in its all too evident that this is too strong for a Pollock and there is not break in the fight. Sustained power which rules out a mack. I get a flash of silver and think maybe a trout..? But then the bass comes to the surface, gills flared and head shaking. Im immediately hit with a state of shock and then wonder how the hell im going to get it in past the shallow reef and kelp in front of me. Cracking little fight, still can’t believe my luck. I guide the fish in and lift the rod gently and turn to land the fish behind me. Stocky little schoolie around 2Ib. I look over to get Steve’s attention and in a second I see the thing slide past me. In what was slow motion I notice the bass slide back down the rock and into the sea. What a rookie mistake to make. In my state of shock/euphoria I didn’t secure the fish first. Dont have a boga but I might invest. Bit gutted but it happens. Would have been worse if I didn’t get to see the fish and had to wonder what it was.

The bass was a bonus in what was a recon session that uncovered some amazing marks. Sun beating down, gin clear water, neap tides, relatively new mark.

So sorry for the lack of a Bass pic. I could have left that bit out and posted an older pic of a bass but would rather just tell it like it happened.

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Nice work, get a landing net maybe?

Nice work, get a landing net maybe?

Dont ask me why I never thought of that.
Had that been a propper sized bass I would have cried. Must invest in one.
Small enough fish but put some strain on the rod when lifting it. Dont want rod damage either.

Any good telescopic type ones knocking about..?

Well done eoghan a nice suprise for ya

That was the best " you should of seen the one I lost story" ever Eoghan, well told indeed!

[Eoghan]

That was the best " you should of seen the one I lost story" ever Eoghan, well told indeed!

Ha ha im not sure if thats good or bad.
I've done worse. Same thing happened me with an est 8Ib sea trout. I froze. My bro in law said he would have dived on it.

Last edited by Eoghan on Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No it's good, I'll be adapting it for my own use though but my fish will be 20lb +

Good report Eoghan. Shame you didn't land it ...

good report, mite be worth trying a popper there

good report, mite be worth trying a popper there

Ye would think. Here is mistake no two. Grabbed two lure boxes, one I knew had soft plastics, the other had shallow divers and I thought had surface poppers. DOH. But the mark is perfect for them. About a foor of water over the reefs and kelp beds at low water, just perfect.

If you didn't land it you can't claim it on the scoreboard

I landed it, I just didnt touch it. Not sure what you count there. I dont count it in my totals for the year if thats what you mean. But technically the fish hit the rock, threw the hook and slid past me into the water.

I wouldn't count it myself, if it threw the hook and got back in, it got off, that's just my opinion. Fair play on the hook up though.

I'd count it as a bass caught!

I hear ye Rory but it really is the one that got away. I wont be counting it but like Richie said im more happy about the hook up and getting a bass on the first real recon of that mark. Its more about the confidence knowing they are there. Gona be a lot more caught between now and december to make up for it..!

good fishing