Lure fishing for Bass

With a ferry booked from Fishguard at 2.30am Friday morning, destination Ireland’s South East coast of Co. Wexford, Mark and I decided to make the most of Thursday fishing the Dorset coast. I arrived before sun up and we fished most of the day, conditions weren’t ideal and we had only had a few three pounders each. We decided to call it a day, besides with only three hours sleep the night before and a ferry to catch in the early hours it seemed foolish to carry on. As ever though it’s hard to pull yourself away and I was glad we hadn’t when after casting out a Z-Claw and letting it sit I got a savage hit as I made the first twitch. This felt like a bass that would set a size challenge for Graham’s marks in Ireland.

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I cant help but get excited about a trip down to Dorset after a few bass. The problem as ever is getting to sleep the night before, with thoughts of bass hitting surface plugs and wondering if I have everything I’ll need packed and ready to go even counting sheep doesn’t seem to help. Still the plan was to fish first light so I was up at 2.00am and out the door by 20 past, well a least at this time of night you shouldn’t get held up by traffic. You forget how driving can be quite therapeutic with a clear road ahead, the forecast of rain hadn’t materialised, so it was a question of choosing a speed and with the engine fully warmed and singing gunning it to the coast.

With still no sign of dawn Mark and I headed out, we have both found the Zonk to be a great lure when it’s dark, cast it out and let it rest, then a steady slow retrieve and let it rest again the vibration of it’s diving lip and the action it imparts on the lure being enough for any bass within the vicinity to easily locate it and hit it. On my third cast, expectations and hopes where put aside with a great hit and as my rod bent over into what was undoubtably a decent bass, you realise the early start and lack of sleep was worth it and we could be in for a good day.

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What a hook up, I wish all my hook ups where as clean as this. I caught this three pounder in some quite dirty water just after high tide, pushed right up against a chalk cliff, this spot often produces bass and I wasn’t disappointed when this bass flashed at my lure beneath my feet, a little twitch of the lure and he swung around and smashed it right there in front of me, I’m truly in awe of the shear speed and aggression bass will hit a lure.

Anyway much to my annoyance I haven’t been able to go fishing as much as I would like during July, but I can hardly complain because I started the month off with a great session down in Dorset.

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Had a couple of trips out last week, conditions weren’t ideal but I was keen to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I managed the three pounder above, I don’t know why but some bass just seem to have so much fight in them compared to others, this little fellow got top marks for effort a real fighter.

The following day I meet up with my mate Tony and we headed out to a spot we hadn’t fished before, we where on a tip off and we weren’t disappointed, the sea was alive with feeding mullet, we waded out and where completely surrounded by swirls, jumps and splashes. It’s a known fact that bass will swim with mullet and we must of managed 10 bass each, all small but good fun all the same. The bigger fish didn’t turn up that night but I’m sure I’ll be back to check out this spot again.

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