In Part 2 of this three part series I will describe how the wind direction and strength, in addition to fluctuations/extremes in the air or barometric pressure can affect tidal range – which in turn, could affect bass behaviour, and potentially, mark and lure selection.

Wind

Firstly, understanding what constitutes as an ‘onshore’ or ‘offshore’ wind in conjunction with your stretch of coastline, or your own bass marks to be precise, is paramount. Not only will the sea either become turbulent (or rough) when the wind is blowing onshore, but it can also delay the tide ebbing, or indeed, force it in slightly quicker when it is flooding. Clearly this needs to be taken into consideration when deciding on the actual mark to be fished for safety reasons, as if the tide is filling a gully behind you, you may need to cross it earlier than you may have originally anticipated.

Very shallow venues such as the one above are easily affected by fluctuations in air pressure and the wind direction and strength in conjunction with the tidal range. Sometimes it is enough to alter bass behaviour.

If the wind is blowing offshore, and therefore calming or flattening out the sea, then it is also possible (more so if the wind is especially strong) that it can impede the progress of a flooding tide to a degree,yet actually serve to expedite the speed at which it ebbs. Again, if you’re following the tide ‘down’ as it were when the wind is blowing hard against your back, and you are lure fishing on a shallow reef for instance, then you may need to consider that the window in which the bass are expected to be present could be shortened by such a process. As a brief aside however, I have witnessed occasions when this occurrence has led to small fish (gobies/blennies/fry) almost scrambling off of the reef or be left stranded, whereby the bass will be lying in wait – forever the opportunist!

Air or Barometric pressure

Incidents in relation to tidal range, and that can be less distinguishable than those created by the strength and direction of the wind, are those created by the air or barometric pressure. Tidal predictions (found in tide table books etc.) are calculated using a standard pressure of 1013 millibars (Mb), however, if the air pressure is significantly higher or lower than this figure then these tidal predication can cause the depth of water to fluctuate by approximately 1cm for every 1Mb difference.

Bear in mind that this is a generic principle that can be reduced, tempered or exacerbated by the shape of the coastline and, as discussed, the wind. Two examples are as follows: Imagine a horseshoe-shaped bay or cove on a beautiful calm summer’s day with no apparent wind and when the air pressure reading is high at 1033 Mb. Looking at the tide table for the area, the expected height of high water on this day is 4.6m. The sea is flooding in over an expanse of flat rock where the depth of water would be 1m if the air pressure was the ‘standard’ 1013 Mb. Yet because the air is effectively being pushing down on the water (by 1cm for every 1Mb remember) then the actual depth of the water over that same area on this particular may only be 80cm. Conversely, the same bay/cove on a day when the predicted height of high water is also 4.6, but when the air pressure is low (993Mb in instance) could in theory cause the depth of water over the exact same area to be 1.2m

Approach

So what does all of the above mean then, and how can it assist you catch more bass? Well, when you consider that bass love to venture and hunt in extremely shallow water at times, most certainly within that 10cm to 1m range then you can start to see how the tidal range, and the factors that can influence it can really make a difference to where you fish, and the approach you should take.

In Part 3 of this series I will explain some of my experiences (from personal and guided sessions) where a change in lure choice, based on the depth of the water on a neap tide, a moderately high tide and a very high spring tide (a multitude of tidal ranges) has, I believe, made the difference between a blank and a memorable session.

Once again, I’ll leave you with another snippet until next time... There is a mark that fish in darkness here in south Devon that has only produced bass (and only fish of between 4½ - 7lb) to a particular lure - the spectacularly consistent Albie Snax. But what is truly exceptional about this mark is that(so far) the bass have only been present on a big spring tide above 5.2m and only during a very, very brief window (ten minutes to be precise) during the middle section of the ebbing tide. Furthermore, the water covering the flat and pretty much barren reef at this stage in the tide is only around 12” deep.

Without a doubt, bass are creatures of habit, and will traverse along the coastline to a certain timetable, but with a caveat. I believe it doesn’t take much to cause them to deviate from certain patterns – maybe that have a ‘set route’ for certain weather, wind, tidal, water clarity conditions?! This is one that I caught from the venue mentioned above.

An unweighted senko gets dragged along too quickly in the current here and the water is too shallow even for the shallowest diving hard minnows, hence the use of the slightly denser Albie Snax. Surface lures could be an option, or indeed, one of the larger senkos I have been using recently (the Insane Creations Bass Slayer) so I’ll be attempting this during the coming season!

Marc Cowling is a highly respected shore based guide who specialises in catching bass from the shore on lures.

Read part 1.