Andy 1965
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2020
- Messages
- 368
- Reaction score
- 3,380
- Points
- 93
- Location
- North Wales
- Favourite Fishing
- Lure
Though the tides were a bit on the small side this week, there were still bass out there to be caught, so I planned 2 sessions to a mark I know which fishes well on the ebb, particularly after dark.
The only potential fly in the ointment was when I heard from a friend, that the strong winds and heavy rain of last weekend had played havoc with the water clarity, and on Monday conditions there were pretty poor
. Tuesday looked drier and more settled though and I hoped that 24 hours of lighter, offshore winds and a couple more tides to freshen up the water, would clear the murk. Thankfully I was right, and I arrived to find that the water clarity was much better, then as I waded out to begin fishing, I saw a shoal of baitfish and a half decent flattie darting out into deeper water.
As I expected, sport was a bit quiet in daylight but after about 50 minutes something actually had a go at my Salt Skimmer
. It was only small, but it really boosted my confidence to know that there were at least some fish out there. For the next few casts I kept covering the area where the fish had been and eventually my tactics paid off, when my lure was hit again. Thankfully this time the fish found the hook and the blank was beaten with a small but perfectly formed schoolie 
.
Buoyed by my relatively early success, I fished on hoping for more, but the daylight was still unkind to me, and despite 2 more hits I couldn’t add to my tally.
Thankfully, the nights are drawing in now and so I didn’t have to wait long for the sun to set and the light to fade, but strangely the bass didn’t come on the feed just yet
. I preserved though and about an hour after sunset, bass number 2 of the evening fell for the charms of the mighty Mishna 
.
Now that they had started feeding I had a steady stream of takes, but they were still very timid and I missed more than I connected with. I did hit a few though and over the next 80 minutes or so I caught another 4 bass
.
Including one particularly greedy fish which swallowed my Mishna completely!
By about 00:15 the bass were still feeding, but with the flood picking up pace my time on my mark was limited, so happy with my efforts, I called it a night and headed home to conserve my energy for my second session on Thursday
.
When I arrived back at the mark on Thursday, the wind was lighter than it had been two days earlier and conditions looked really fishy, so I was hopeful of a decent night’s sport. Once again things were very quiet in daylight, but I wasn’t too concerned, I was confident that once I could get onto my favoured spot, and it got dark, then I would be back into the bass again. I fished on for a couple of hours, then as soon as the tide had receded enough, I waded across to bass central, just as the sun was setting.
As soon as I was in place, I hoped the bass would switch on immediately but again I had to wait for complete darkness. Eventually I had the first sign of interest, when my Ruf Manic was hit, but regrettably the attacker failed to connect properly
. It was still relatively early so I tried a variety of different lures, until eventually the duck was broken with a chunky fish of 43cm, the Mishna doing the business again 
.
Now that I was off the mark, I fully expected the floodgates to open, but as often happens when you think you have them sussed out, the bass have other ideas and they throw you a curve ball
. Instead of a bass a chuck, they were conspicuous by their absence, and over the next couple of hours I only managed one more.
As midnight passed I’d had enough, so I decided to give it 10 more chucks before I called it a night. The first 8 of these passed without incident, but then on the 9th cast something plucked at the tail of my lure
. Again it failed to connect but on the 10th and supposedly last cast there was no mistake, as my Mishna was nailed. After a brief scrap bass number 3 of the evening was landed 
.
Of course I couldn’t leave after that
, so I decided to give it another 10 casts. It looked like the bass might finally be on the feed now, and on the very next chuck my lure was hit again, and promptly let go of 
, but things were definitely looking up. Unfortunately I was mistaken yet again and that was the last action of the evening, as the last 9 casts failed to attract any interest, before I called it quits for another week.
So after 9 fish in a week, this is now officially my second best lure season, and with 4 months to go I need another 21 to beat my best ever, so things are looking very promising
.
The only potential fly in the ointment was when I heard from a friend, that the strong winds and heavy rain of last weekend had played havoc with the water clarity, and on Monday conditions there were pretty poor
. Tuesday looked drier and more settled though and I hoped that 24 hours of lighter, offshore winds and a couple more tides to freshen up the water, would clear the murk. Thankfully I was right, and I arrived to find that the water clarity was much better, then as I waded out to begin fishing, I saw a shoal of baitfish and a half decent flattie darting out into deeper water.As I expected, sport was a bit quiet in daylight but after about 50 minutes something actually had a go at my Salt Skimmer
. It was only small, but it really boosted my confidence to know that there were at least some fish out there. For the next few casts I kept covering the area where the fish had been and eventually my tactics paid off, when my lure was hit again. Thankfully this time the fish found the hook and the blank was beaten with a small but perfectly formed schoolie .Buoyed by my relatively early success, I fished on hoping for more, but the daylight was still unkind to me, and despite 2 more hits I couldn’t add to my tally.
Thankfully, the nights are drawing in now and so I didn’t have to wait long for the sun to set and the light to fade, but strangely the bass didn’t come on the feed just yet
. I preserved though and about an hour after sunset, bass number 2 of the evening fell for the charms of the mighty Mishna .Now that they had started feeding I had a steady stream of takes, but they were still very timid and I missed more than I connected with. I did hit a few though and over the next 80 minutes or so I caught another 4 bass
.Including one particularly greedy fish which swallowed my Mishna completely!
By about 00:15 the bass were still feeding, but with the flood picking up pace my time on my mark was limited, so happy with my efforts, I called it a night and headed home to conserve my energy for my second session on Thursday
.When I arrived back at the mark on Thursday, the wind was lighter than it had been two days earlier and conditions looked really fishy, so I was hopeful of a decent night’s sport. Once again things were very quiet in daylight, but I wasn’t too concerned, I was confident that once I could get onto my favoured spot, and it got dark, then I would be back into the bass again. I fished on for a couple of hours, then as soon as the tide had receded enough, I waded across to bass central, just as the sun was setting
.As soon as I was in place, I hoped the bass would switch on immediately but again I had to wait for complete darkness. Eventually I had the first sign of interest, when my Ruf Manic was hit, but regrettably the attacker failed to connect properly
. It was still relatively early so I tried a variety of different lures, until eventually the duck was broken with a chunky fish of 43cm, the Mishna doing the business again .Now that I was off the mark, I fully expected the floodgates to open, but as often happens when you think you have them sussed out, the bass have other ideas and they throw you a curve ball
. Instead of a bass a chuck, they were conspicuous by their absence, and over the next couple of hours I only managed one more.As midnight passed I’d had enough, so I decided to give it 10 more chucks before I called it a night. The first 8 of these passed without incident, but then on the 9th cast something plucked at the tail of my lure
. Again it failed to connect but on the 10th and supposedly last cast there was no mistake, as my Mishna was nailed. After a brief scrap bass number 3 of the evening was landed .Of course I couldn’t leave after that
, so I decided to give it another 10 casts. It looked like the bass might finally be on the feed now, and on the very next chuck my lure was hit again, and promptly let go of , but things were definitely looking up. Unfortunately I was mistaken yet again and that was the last action of the evening, as the last 9 casts failed to attract any interest, before I called it quits for another week.So after 9 fish in a week, this is now officially my second best lure season, and with 4 months to go I need another 21 to beat my best ever, so things are looking very promising
.
