£
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