Andy 1965
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2020
- Messages
- 367
- Reaction score
- 3,376
- Points
- 93
- Location
- North Wales
- Favourite Fishing
- Lure
After last week’s success, I had high hopes for another extended lure season but after yet another storm on Monday, my options for this week’s fishing were very limited. First off, on Tuesday evening I chose a venue which would be completely sheltered from the wind and where the plan was to start off on the beach, before retreating onto the rocks nearer high water. After a wet day, I arrived to find improving weather with clearing skies, but the sea conditions weren’t as nice as I had hoped for. The sea was relatively calm, with just a small swell rolling ashore, but the water clarity left a lot to be desired. Visibility in the murk was approximately 6 to 12 inches, but I hoped this would improve later as the depth of water increased.
When deciding on a lure for such conditions, there could only be one choice and I immediately clipped on the mighty Mishna in Lemon Meringue, which I hoped would stand out both visually and in terms of vibration for the fish to home in on. The next hour was quiet, but as the tide pushed towards the rocks, the water did finally start to clear slightly, and at last my lure was hit. Sadly, the hook failed to find a hold, but I was relieved to know there were at least fish in the area
.
I fished on, hoping for some more action but as the tide pushed up the beach, the waves started to increase in size and the fishing became quite uncomfortable. No matter where I stood, the waves just happened to break in the exact same place
, and I started to get splashed on quite a regular basis. With no more bites forthcoming and the fishing becoming more difficult by the minute, I was just looking forward to when I could get out on the water and up onto the rocks.
A couple of hours after I arrived, the tide finally reached the rocks, and I was able to get out of the way of the breaking waves, but though the depth now started to increase quite quickly, rather than getting smaller, the waves began to rapidly increase in size. Most of them were still only a couple of foot high, but every so often a larger set came through which I estimated at 4 to 5ft from trough to peak
. These surged over the rocks, forcing me to stand a long way back from the water, and so made the fishing very awkward to say the least.
After a while I got quite used to the pattern of the waves, and I gradually got the hang of working the lure in the churning water. Despite the struggles I was confident that there would be some bass hunting in the white water
. Eventually, my hunch was proved correct, when my Mishna was hit a few rod lengths out, but sadly it wasn’t to be and after several headshakes the fish was gone! 
I was absolutely gutted to miss my chance, but the night was still relatively young, so I hoped for another hit soon 
.
Over the next 2 and a half hours, I had several enquiries but none of them resulted in a hook up and I was ultimately forced to admit defeat and to call it a night just after midnight.
On Wednesday night it was time for round two, and my initial idea had been to return to Tuesday’s mark, but given the rough seas there, I decided on a change of plan. Though the tides weren’t great, the conditions should be a lot better, so I decided to head back to the mark where I last caught week. The fish there this year seemed to have been feeding on the ebb, and this time I would be fishing low water up
, but several years back I had also caught there over low water, so I guessed it was worth a go.
Conditions on my arrival were ideal, with calm clear seas and a light offshore breeze, so I wasted no time in getting into the water. Only 10 minutes or so after starting I heard a splosh out in the darkness, and my confidence received a much-needed boost but despite me trying a variety of previously successful lures, I didn’t get any signs of interest in my offerings.
As the tide flooded rapidly, it pushed me steadily backwards until the terrain got steeper, and the water deeper, but despite a decent flow developing, which allowed me to work my lures nicely round in an arc, the bass were still nowhere to be found
.
Ultimately, high tide arrived, and after over 4 and a half hours of fishing I felt the first tap of the evening on my lure, but it was so delicate that I couldn’t be sure it was even a bass. My first thought was a small pollack, but having never caught one at this particular mark before, I couldn’t be sure.
I fished on for another 90 minutes, and had 2 more very small taps, but with this being my second late night in succession, I was seriously flagging by now
. Also, with a 7am alarm set for work in the morning, I just couldn’t stay late enough to fish the state of tide when I expected the bass to come on the feed.
So with the water temperature dropping by the day, and the bass becoming ever more elusive, I can’t help thinking that the end is nigh on another great season of lure fishing. There is however a brief period of more settled weather heading this way later in the week, so I might just get another few sessions in yet, before it's all over for another year 
.
When deciding on a lure for such conditions, there could only be one choice and I immediately clipped on the mighty Mishna in Lemon Meringue, which I hoped would stand out both visually and in terms of vibration for the fish to home in on. The next hour was quiet, but as the tide pushed towards the rocks, the water did finally start to clear slightly, and at last my lure was hit. Sadly, the hook failed to find a hold, but I was relieved to know there were at least fish in the area
.I fished on, hoping for some more action but as the tide pushed up the beach, the waves started to increase in size and the fishing became quite uncomfortable. No matter where I stood, the waves just happened to break in the exact same place
, and I started to get splashed on quite a regular basis. With no more bites forthcoming and the fishing becoming more difficult by the minute, I was just looking forward to when I could get out on the water and up onto the rocks.A couple of hours after I arrived, the tide finally reached the rocks, and I was able to get out of the way of the breaking waves, but though the depth now started to increase quite quickly, rather than getting smaller, the waves began to rapidly increase in size. Most of them were still only a couple of foot high, but every so often a larger set came through which I estimated at 4 to 5ft from trough to peak
. These surged over the rocks, forcing me to stand a long way back from the water, and so made the fishing very awkward to say the least.After a while I got quite used to the pattern of the waves, and I gradually got the hang of working the lure in the churning water. Despite the struggles I was confident that there would be some bass hunting in the white water
. Eventually, my hunch was proved correct, when my Mishna was hit a few rod lengths out, but sadly it wasn’t to be and after several headshakes the fish was gone! I was absolutely gutted to miss my chance, but the night was still relatively young, so I hoped for another hit soon .Over the next 2 and a half hours, I had several enquiries but none of them resulted in a hook up and I was ultimately forced to admit defeat and to call it a night just after midnight.
On Wednesday night it was time for round two, and my initial idea had been to return to Tuesday’s mark, but given the rough seas there, I decided on a change of plan. Though the tides weren’t great, the conditions should be a lot better, so I decided to head back to the mark where I last caught week. The fish there this year seemed to have been feeding on the ebb, and this time I would be fishing low water up
, but several years back I had also caught there over low water, so I guessed it was worth a go.Conditions on my arrival were ideal, with calm clear seas and a light offshore breeze, so I wasted no time in getting into the water. Only 10 minutes or so after starting I heard a splosh out in the darkness, and my confidence received a much-needed boost but despite me trying a variety of previously successful lures, I didn’t get any signs of interest in my offerings.
As the tide flooded rapidly, it pushed me steadily backwards until the terrain got steeper, and the water deeper, but despite a decent flow developing, which allowed me to work my lures nicely round in an arc, the bass were still nowhere to be found
.Ultimately, high tide arrived, and after over 4 and a half hours of fishing I felt the first tap of the evening on my lure, but it was so delicate that I couldn’t be sure it was even a bass. My first thought was a small pollack, but having never caught one at this particular mark before, I couldn’t be sure.
I fished on for another 90 minutes, and had 2 more very small taps, but with this being my second late night in succession, I was seriously flagging by now
. Also, with a 7am alarm set for work in the morning, I just couldn’t stay late enough to fish the state of tide when I expected the bass to come on the feed.So with the water temperature dropping by the day, and the bass becoming ever more elusive, I can’t help thinking that the end is nigh on another great season of lure fishing. There is however a brief period of more settled weather heading this way later in the week, so I might just get another few sessions in yet
, before it's all over for another year .
