Just a Quick One

A very quick write up from a quick session after work on Friday. I took the lures out to a rock mark and despite the clear water and bright sunshine I was reasonably confident of getting into a bass.

Got down to the mark and there was only 2-3ft of water but I knew within an hour there would be 5-6ft at least as the water was moving pretty quickly. About 3rd cast in, I stuck the lure as close to the rocks as I dared and set about the fast retrieve. Halfway in I felt a tell tale bump on the lure of a fish having a go. As the lure came into view I could see a small schoolie not much bigger than the lure itself turn away but I was pretty optimistic of catching now, even if it was a tiddler.

This theme continued for 20 mins with fish following or bumping the lure, a fish even had a go at a chug bug on the surface but somehow missed the lure. Eventually it happened though, a few turns into a retrieve the line goes tight and the rod is thumping - fish on! While not big it was a lively one and eager to take line so I took my time before landing. Around 2lb it was bigger than all the fish I'd seen so far throughout the session. I had a few more casts and another take, unfortunately it seemed to run into some weed and dropped the lure.


Given the supposed less than ideal condition I had just caught in, I decided to try out the night potential at the same mark on Sunday after a potential smoothound session bit the dust. I rolled up just as the light completely faded. Keeping my torch of the water for as long as possible I started fanning the casts in all directions and making regular lure changes. Nothing encouraged a take so I retrieved with my torch on to see if any fish were following the lure. Turns out not! I made a short move to a different ledge but wasn't overly optimistic and after a few casts made a short drive to a spot I thought would have potential over high tide. Unfortunately the size of tide meant my planned standing ledge was inaccessible. As I was there I sent out a few casts but no signs of any fish I was back home probably a bit earlier than I expected.

What could have caused the lack of fish I'm not sure, either the sudden easterly wind, or at the first mark the tide was higher than any point I've caught fish out here before may have been influencing factors. Still, all useful information when planning future sessions.

22/5/17 - Business as usual

After the success last week I was itching to get back out with the lures, however work, weather and tides conspired to be a bit awkward to get out at potentially the most productive time (from my limited experience).

I decided to have a few casts this morning at a mark I looked at a couple of weeks ago. At low tide it certainly looks inviting, with plenty of pools, gulleys and pinnacles for bass to use to ambush any prey. I fish for about 90 minutes from just before high water down, mostly used my only proven fish catcher - the Maria Chase Sandeel, along with a Nabarone ima X duo and had a few casts with a Flash Arrow minnow weedless soft plastic.

Unfortunately despite conditions looking spot on, 4ft or more visibility, cloudy skies and a slight chop on the water I couldn't tempt a take or follow. One retrieve I felt a bump on the lure. Initially I thought I had bounced it over a rock but after repeatedly casting to the same area and retrieving the same way it got nowhere near the rocks, which left me thinking it could have been a fish. That was as close to any excitement as I got.

So its back to the drawing board here, but I still believe this is a promising mark, and one I'll be putting a bit more effort into.

18/5/17 - Persistence Pays

So if you read, or have been reading my recent posts you'll be fully aware that I've covered so serious miles recently chucking bits of plastic at the sea in the hope that a fish will mistake it for food. Everything came together eventually last night and made it all the hours spent worthwhile.

It started as I was plugging a hole in my waders about 15 minutes before I planned to leave. Not sure of the quality of fix I packed spare socks just in case. Arrived at my chosen mark with a little bit of day light left to check the water visibility and have a rummage for some crab as a back up. With a couple in the bag I set up and started working the lures from a bank that stuck out into a bit of a channel. I thought I had the tides right but the current was already running. Being stood out in the water I had a better sense of the tide, and was relieved that the water didn't come any higher up my waders, meaning I had timed it right.

Previous trips here suggested that the fish should be showing on the surface now, but as the light faded there was no signs. I thought it might be due to the limited visibility so made a move to another point further along the shore, picking up a couple more crab on the way. 

I started fanning casts out covering as much water as possible, but with the current now increasing beyond comfortable my optimism was fading away. I was thinking about changing to a crab bait as I cast out a little wayward. Expecting to have a wind knot in the line I retrieved slowly waiting for the knot to appear at the rod tip, when the line suddenly went right. Something was pulling back, there was a fish on and it was taking line! I shone the headtorch out and could see a big splash on the surface, followed by several short sharp runs. I could see it was clearly a bass and as it tired I was able to ease it into the shallows and slide it safely up the seaweed. Success! Biggest bass of the year and biggest on the lures was at my feet. A couple of photos and a self shot and it was gently ushered back out to sea.

Without hesitation I raced back down to my fishing platform casting the same lure out. Third cast I decided to let the lure just drift again and almost exactly the same place I had another take. After an identical fight, and almost identical fish was landed. This one I measured at 53cm which according to the BASS website is nearly 4lb. 

Back down to the water again I thrashed the lures around even more but unfortunately the fish seemed to have moved on. The flood must have pushed water over the top of the bank, losing the nice eddy the fish had to sit and wait to ambush prey in. A hat trick would have been a very nice bonus, but I was well chuffed at finally getting a big success on the lures! Till next time.

14/5/17 - Hard Weekend

So the weekend just gone was pretty hard going. With the weather changing from easterlies and no wind at all to stormy westerlies, my initial plans of getting out for the tope were dashed so plan B was a major effort for some bass, fishing short sessions over the (supposed) most productive times.

I went for four sessions at 3 different marks, using lures but also looking for some peeler crab as well. Unfortunately they were hard to come by, and with the swell picking up  clouding the water making it reasonably pointless using lures, both factors combined made the fishing hard going. I caught a glimpse of a bass in the afternoon, unfortunately it came off the hook on the retrieve. It was Saturday evening before I found a patch of seaweed that held enough softies and peeler crab to be able to bait fish for a few hours.

I had higher hopes no for my Saturday night session, however all baits came back untouched. Past experience here has lead me to believe that the fish would have already passed through here by the time I started fishing and that proved to be the case. Or they simply weren't there. There was one cast when my line ran slightly slack but picking the rod up I couldn't feel anything pulling. This was the only time I found my bait chewed upon retrieving. I cut my loses just after midnight and used up the rest of my bait Sunday morning.

It was going to be another short session in slightly better conditions than the day before. Casting close to the rocks I saw a definite pull and it was fish on. It was soon on the surface and as it wasn't a particularly big bass I swung it straight onto the rocks. Quick photo, then released, a pleasing end to a tough weekend.

9/5/17 - Lure Success!

As I've mentioned in a few previous posts, I've been putting the miles in with the lures, so far without success. My determination to catch is in part that 5 years ago I went for a walk to Llandwyn Island with some non-fishing friends, I threw a rod and handful of lures in as well. First cast that day I landed a bass, next cast I had follow from another bass, I hooked and lost a garfish and had a couple of mackerel, and in general thought that lure fishing was an easy game. That changed with no more success.

However this year I decided to invest heavily both in time and financially, fishing more with just the plastic and updating my rather sparse lure collection. Yesterday morning the hard work brought reward. 5.30am alarm and I was out the door and walking to the mark by 6.30. I stomped up and down the rocks and cliff faces looking for likely bass hang outs, casting a range of lures from soft plastics, surface poppers and shallow divers into the clear water. I stopped at several outcrops and while there were terns diving 200-300 yards out I had no indication of fish activity.

With the prospect of work looming I started to make my way back to the car, stopping one last time on a reasonably promising rock I began slinging out the plastic. After a couple of casts I thought I caught a glimpse of a fish but put it down to the sun now reflecting onto the water. Next cast I was within the last 5 metres of the retrieve when a dark streamlined shape appeared underneath and began tracking the lure, unfortunately I ran out of water to be able to work the lure effectively. Adrenalin well and truly pumping all of a sudden, I flicked the lure out again, this time a bigger fish around 3-4lb charged and bumped the lure but managed to miss the hooks. Another cast, another follow in the last 5 metres, this time no mistake, a small schoolie bolted off with the lure. Only slightly disappointingly I didn't get to enjoy much of a fight because as I lifted the rod the fish came straight out of the water and swung into my hand. Quick photo and it was back in the water. I made a couple more casts but no more activity, either the fish had spooked or just moved on to another feeding area. It didn't matter though, target achieved I made it to work on time, tide time and conditions noted, Happy Days!

Into May Update

So I've been a bit quiet on the blog again for a couple of weeks, partly a reflection on the fishing, and partly due to work.

The last fish I actually caught was way back just after the last blog entry, I took another trip down the Llyn. Weather unfortunately did not play ball, with a strong north/northeasterly wind putting a bit of a swell into the water. Coupled with the strong tidal currents this can make a lot of the ledges here uncomfortable to fish from. The mark I fished a couple of days before was definitely out of bounds so I walked down the coast looking for shelter. I rigged up 2 heavy rods, and also a feather rod. The feathers produced pollack from the off, often getting double hook ups just as the feathers came up to an underwater ledge. They started out at a decent size, around a pound to pound and a half but gradually got smaller and fewer. I also decided to try some larger Isome worms on a flapper rig to tempt a wrasse or two. Despite a couple of small pollack (success at least) nothing else wanted to play ball. With the heavy rods it was all quiet, I did get a few nods but it was probably just doggies and and losing 3 rigs in 5 casts I decided it wasn't worth waiting it out here. Nothing ventured nothing gained though!

Since then I have been hammering sessions on the lures, determined to get into the bass action, as there have been some nice fish coming out. Looking through my notes I've had at least 6 sessions, but I've come away with nothing each time. The closest I feel I've been is fishing a channel maybe 50 metres wide, with fish coming to the surface all around me for about an hour. Changes in lures, direction of casts, method of working the lure were all changed numerous times but unfortunately the fish were not interested. I thought perhaps they might be mullet working the shallows, but apparently if there is mullet the bass are never too far away.

Hopefully the building tides this week will bring a bit of success!