L_A_2015_S_

£

to the south coast of Ireland,
coinciding with a full moon,
but on arrival it was flat calm,
no fizz and no sign of a break
in the abnormally good
weather – bass anglers do
seem to be a special breed,
who unlike most other human
beings, complain when it is too
bright or there is no wind!
I spent the first 24 hours chasing lost
causes as each mark was proving as
unsuccessful and frustrating as the last.
We could see bass moving but they
simply had no interest in pursuing a
lure during the bright calm light of day

• it was time to change tact. I got the
  head torch on charge, the GPS out and
  started to rig up the lures for my night
  assault. I have found in the past when I
  have seen numbers of spooky bass
  around that switching over to low light
  or darkness often tends to boost their
  confidence in chasing lures. The plan
  was to head out onto some sandbanks
  and fish into the night targeting fish
  dropping back with the tide. At this
  point I would strongly suggest you don’t
  try this unless you are 100 percent
  familiar with your marks and have
  attempted such a trip in daylight - and
  never go alone! I was fishing a mark
  which my father and I had done

numerous times before; we knew the

tide states, water levels, current flow

and had it all marked out on the GPS

and compass bearings etc.

We fished this same method (bumping

soft plastics in the current) for three

nights in a row, which resulted in 36

bass about half a dozen of which fell in

the 5 - 6lb class, the biggest weighing

around 12lb (83cm). The double figure

fish was caught by my father, a new

personal best for him and a memory

which will stay with us both for ever - it

was a pure beast.

The trip showed me how taking a step

back, clearing your head and looking at

past experiences can help make the

difference between success or failure! I

also learnt that, where possible, you

should try and leave weather dependent

fishing trips to the last minute before

committing and potentially wasting

your time, effort and money... certainly

one to think about for the future.

Useful bits of gear

I have started to really cut back on the

amount of gear I take out with me

during my sessions and I guess there

are two main reasons. Firstly, I find it

over complicates things - too much

choice can lead to more time being

spent in the tackle box than productive

time spent in the water. Secondly, my

camera and video kit adds an extra bag

every time I go out so I need to trim

back on the fishing gear unless I bring

a mule! So with this in mind, I had a

think about a few critical bits of kit

which not only make my life easier but

I would feel lost without them.

ABU GARCIA LURE GLOVES: First off are

my Abu Garcia thin neoprene gloves

which I wear pretty much

all year round. At this stage

some of you are thinking

‘gloves in the summer -

really?’ Let me explain.

When out climbing down

cliffs, over barnacle

encrusted rocks and getting

a grip of weed, they make

life so much easier. I have

also found if I need to lift a

fish using the line or to pull

out of a snag that it saves

slashing your hands open

when you wrap around the

braid. Also, it’s better for the

fish when you can confidently

tail a bass or get hold of a

wrasse without it slipping or

sliding around, plus wet

neoprene saves any skin on

scale contact with the fish.

VASS 175 JACKET: It is crucial when I

am out that I have a lightweight and

water tight jacket on to prevent spray

from waves and of course, rain. I would

simply be lost without my Vass 175

breathable jacket, it is light weight,

folds up nicely into my bag and so far

it has taken everything I have thrown

at it - including some seriously fizzed

up, rough fishing for bass! I know it isn’t

as expensive and as flash as some of the

other dedicated surf tops which the U.S.

striped bass anglers use, but so far I

cannot find a fault in it.

DELALANDE LURE CLIP: As a roaming

bass angler I spend a lot of time

chopping and changing lures to suit the

conditions and terrain and I have been

through quite a wide range of clips

before settling on the Delalande Agrafe

Lure Clip. I prefer the 29lb breaking

strain model which so far (touch wood)

hasn’t showed any signs of

weakness, even under the strain of

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Molix Sligozzo and

Illex Stalking Special

Lure caught thick

lipped mullet