24th October - Bassing with Craig

6lb rough water, rough ground spikey

With no clients booked in, when friend and fellow spikey enthusiast asked if I would like to join him fishing a spot way to the east of my usual patch, I must say I didnt need asking a second time. The wind was howling when we arrived, and we had arrived too early to begin fishing, as originally we had planned to fish another venue for a coddie on the early flood. But we chatted, and before too long it was time to make the long stroll out to the spot. The wind had made the early flood a maelstrom of foaming water, but with no weed and no depth we were able to grip with 4oz breakways. Then, as the tide flooded relentlesly, and the water deepened, we were on to fixed wires to keep our squid baits anchored. I actually commented to Craig that perhaps it was too much for a bass to want to venture in. Even as the words were still echoing around the rocks, my tip pulled down, and I struck into what was obviously a fish, but with such big swells impossible to tell how big a fish.

In such conditions it is very easy for a swell to put too much pressure on the fish, and the fish and hook part company. You have to use the swells to your advantage, stopping reeling as they back out and the pressure increases, then reeling like crazy on a shorebound surge, to use the swell to bring the fish closer to you. Working the swells like this, the fish was soon up on the shingle, where Craig timed the receding wave to perfection to secure my prize. He has done the same thing on many many shore caught double figure bass, so he is well practiced!! Weighed at 6lb exactly, it was momentarily held for the photo, and then released back to its foaming home, hopefully to give someone else the pleasure it had given me on this wild and stormy night.

A big thankyou to Craig for introducing me to an excellent mark, with huge potential. I will be very interested to check it out with the crab on the late March springs!!