Textbook sea bass

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Textbook sea bass
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 1:05 pm Post subject: Textbook sea bass

I know there are bass about on my local beaches as I've caught a couple but they normally just leap about while ignoring whatever I chuck in.

Although the weather wasn't great today, with a stiff onshore wind, I wanted to try a few new lures out along with my recently acquired light (1 - 2oz) spinning rod and reel so I set off for low tide.

Books say bass like churned up water, especially after stormy weather which we've had recently. They also apparently swim very close in shore and hungrily venture in just as the tide turns and starts flooding in. I know this but still wasn't overly convinced.

However, after a couple of casts into the 2 foot breakers with a cheap 22g silver storm lure I hooked something a little different to the usual seaweed. Yep, after some gentle reeling in my first bass on my new rod - a fine 2lb 14oz and a lengthy 50+ cm long. Perhaps they read the books after all.

That's a few dinners sorted.

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 1:37 pm Post subject:
Nice looking fish. How are you going to cook it?

Sally Too

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 1:42 pm Post subject:
How satisfying... I'm sure it will taste delicious!

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9878
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 1:56 pm Post subject:
excellent

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 2:11 pm Post subject:
It's a better looking and much fatter fish that the one I ate earlier in the year, that was a bit thin and I'm hoping late summer/autumn bass will be a bit tastier. I've cut it into a few chunky stakes, a couple for the freezer and one I'll bake/bbq in a parcel with fennel for dinner.

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 5:11 pm Post subject:
Nice!

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 7:25 pm Post subject:
I LIKE THIS!

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 8:32 pm Post subject:
Maybe you should try bait next time rather than spinners. This may be a bit extreme though. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19741831

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 9:05 pm Post subject:
Thankfully the stomach was empty; you're advised to check to see what they've been eating so you know what bait to use next time.

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 12 9:09 pm Post subject: Re: Textbook sea bass

Treacodactyl wrote:

They also apparently swim very close in shore and hungrily venture in just as the tide turns and starts flooding in.

That's definitely true. I've seen bass swimming round my legs in water that wasn't up to my knees at Northam Burrows.

woody guthrie

Joined: 28 Jan 2009
Posts: 209
Location: Cork, Ireland

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 10:18 am Post subject:
Lovely fish, never caught one using lures but seen others pulling them out of shallow breakers on the west of Ireland storm beaches. I have had a few on lugworm and peeler crab and I am definitely going shore fishing as soon as the trout season finishes in October. My first ever bass 2010.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 12 5:28 pm Post subject:

Another fine looking fish! How late do you normally fish for bass, I thought they tend to move off shore at the end of October?

Not much luck today, just a foul hooked lesser-weaver (which is the first live weaver fish I've ever seen so worth the trip along with a few foraged bit's of lost tackle).

I did notice someone else turn up and catch one in a few minutes on the rocks near me though, so still much to learn.

I need to find a way of reliably fishing just over the weeds in a couple of foot or water, as that's where the bass are, but without losing my tackle.

I did try a 'popping' lure today, which does float ok, but after half an hour the only thing it seemed to attract was a seal!

I didn't think it likely at first but it swam away when I stopped using it and immediately appeared near me when I started again.

woody guthrie

Joined: 28 Jan 2009
Posts: 209
Location: Cork, Ireland

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 12 11:30 am Post subject:
The bass are still around even in the depths of winter here on the West coast of Ireland, maybe something to do with the warmer water from the gulf stream. Not as plentiful as the spring and summer but a great bonus when you are fishing for cod and whiting and you get a big thump from a bass on a cold winters night.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue May 28, 13 7:31 pm Post subject:
They're back, first trip of the year and I managed a nice 3lb / 53cm male. I was quite pleased as I used my new bass rod and although the sea was quite rough a simple light (10lb) line and a 2oz bullet lead worked very well. Bait was a peeler crab and opening up the bass's stomach it contained bits of other crabs inside so that confirms what our local ones nosh down on at this time of year.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Wed May 29, 13 11:07 pm Post subject:

nice fish ,checking stomach contents is a good tactic,for instance large trout in a small river mostly eat small trout which mostly eat drowning terrestrials and snails.

re the fishing just over weeds and rocks

a sliding float with a depth stop on the line and enough lift to support either weight n bait (a single short beam paternoster with a short weight line and 60 cm trace seems ok )or heavy spinner on the end for active fishing
or
a water weighted bubble float (bottles can be used depending on circumstances and style , a short stout section of bamboo works rather well for long casting) and a trace with a small split shot to sink the bait.

the first is best for more than a metre of water over the weeds the second rig tends to tangle if using a long trace but is ideal shallow depth over the weeds at a distance by rod or throwing or sailing the thing where it should go .

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