I'm not usually an angler that like's to set myself a target but this year i decided to try and catch Bass every month of the year. We are now obviously most of the way through that year and i am happy to report that, up until now, i have landed several Bass every month. February and March were the 2 months that i was most worried about but both passed without issue. It was just a case of being in the right place at the right time.
In this blog i'll be trying to offer a few pointers to those that wish to have a go at catching Bass from the rocks.
Mark selection:
Without doubt my favorite time of the year to be out Bassing is from now until early December. As much as i like the space and flexibility of being on a beach i am yet to come close to anything that surpasses the adrenaline rush of being out fishing on rock mark in an Autumn storm. The fish tend to drop into deeper water in bigger swell's as it is just too messy for the fish to be inside.
As a rule you are looking for rock marks that on either side of a beach and behind the swell. It is also going to need to be high enough to offer protection from the swell but also low enough to be able to land and return fish.
The main thing's that we are looking for at this time of year are pounding sea's, that not only can you hear and see but you can actually feel and strong Southwest winds. The kind of winds that would make most pleasure angler's think more of being tucked up indoor rather then being out Bassing. But yet another blessing of our Cornish coast is that in effect we have 3 coastlines to choose from: North, South and west, so no matter where the wind is blowing from we are able to shelter from it.
Safety is by far and away the most important thing to think of if you looking at going out rock mark Bassing. You will already know the sea can be a savage, unpredictable and unforgiving thing so it's just not worth taking any risk's. No fish is worth risking your life for. Year's of experience usually dictate where we go, in what conditions and at what state of tide but those of you without that knowledge really need to going with someone that does. Even now we spend a good 10 minutes surveying the mark we intend to fish from high above to ensure it's going to be safe. This is not really the type of angling for an inexperienced angler.
Tackle:
The gear you are using is also going to be very important. When your casting a lead and bait into 8ft+ sea's a light beach rod is never going to cut the mustard. I use 7oz long tail gemini grip leads (I'll save the details on why for another blog) as anything smaller risk's popping out and being washed onto the rocks in minutes. When this is coupled with a whole squid bait your looking at a good 8oz so a good rod capable of casting that weight is essential. Another point to bear in mind is that you are going to have to lift the fish, usually 20 - 30 ft, so a bit of backbone is required as well.
My preference on the rod's front are my trusty AWB'S. They have a sensitive enough tip to pick up a fish fart but more then enough grunt to haul a 6lb'er straight up. I then couple these with a pair of Torium 14's. These are tough old reel's and although they dont have the out and out casting ability of a TSR they have a vastly superior drag and much more winching power. I have winched 5lb Bass straight up without stopping many a time. You just couldn't do that with a 6500. Penn 525's are what my fishing buddy uses and these are equally capable. These are loaded up with 20lb Ultima F1 and a 40ft 60lb leader.
Terminal tackle wises i prefer to use pulley rig's. I like the ability to clip down bait's. It not only adds distance but it help you stay tangle free. I use 60lb rig body and 40lb amnesia for the trace. I'm a big fan of breakaway imps too (now that they have returned back to the original design) as opposed to using leads with inbuilt clips-they just don't give you the versatility and imp does. A pair of Sakuma 540 manta's in a 5/0 then complete my rig. These are strong, wide gaped hook's that have never let me down.
Bait:
Bigger bait's = bigger Bass. It's as simple as that. The mainstay of my fishing is unwashed squid. It's big and it's smelly but it certainly does pick the bigger fish out. There are of course situations where you just cant use fish bait....When the dreaded dog's turn up. My favorite haunt has been plagued with dog fish of late and any fish bait has resulted in a dog within minutes. I never begrudge catching any fish but when your out there targeting bass it can get extremely frustrating. So we have had to switch to lug worm which seems to be the only bait the dog's will leave alone. This has resulted in lots more bites, an awful lot them missed. This is due to the smaller fish being able to take the smaller baits but at least using 5/0's tends to stop the hooking up.
Then it's just down to time. Like any other form of fishing, the more time you have to put into it the better result's you likely to get.
Thanks for looking and keep an eye out of my future blog's. I'll try and differ from the usual fishing blog's just giving reports and general advice in that i'll be going into more finite details about tackle and bait that most blog's wouldn't cover.
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