BASSTASTIC....
So a couple of weeks back i had some time of work to do some more work on the house but decided that i needed to have a little dabble for some bass on my local River Crouch as rumours were they had been showing in good numbers. So armed with a couple score of ragworm and a pack of squid i made the long walk to a mark i,d fancied fishing for quite a while now.
On the way to my chosen spot i stopped at a nice creek which i have seen fish topping in before when i have been waking the dogs along there. Out went a 2 hook flapper to see if there was anything lower down as well as another rod fishing a ragworm 3ft or so below a float. I've been wanting to try catching a bass by float fishing for a while but just hadn,t gotten around to it. I only gave the area an hour, as i wanted to get to my main spot, but didn't have so much as a tip dip.
Another 1.5 mile walk and i was at my chosen mark, a point in the river where it bends, and also alongside a nice inlet/outlet for a wildlife pool behind. This spot has water at all states of the tide and is a lot deeper than i thought it was. I,d arrived just about high tide so the tide was proper pushing through, as it does on the Crouch, but it was still fishable as to my right a lovely crease had formed as the tide ran out which created a nice big slack area close in to my bank which screamed 'fish me'. First rod out was my flapper rig, which i cast just to the inside of the crease where i thought the bass might be patrolling, and before i had picked up my other rod the tip was rattling away, unfortunately i missed that bite but it was good sign that something fishy was about.
As the tide was still pretty strong i changed the float rig for another flapper, as the float was shooting off with the current at such a rate that i thought it would be too quick for a bass to notice, and dropped this rig in 10 yards out just past what i thought would be the rock/weedline. Just past the rocks and weed is one of my favourite spots to fish for all species of saltwater fish and is usually my banker spot. It does produce smaller fish most of the time but does throw up an unexpected lump now and then. Anyways this rod had not been in the water for no more than a few minutes when the tip whacked round and i was attached to a fiesty little bass. Result, target achieved, and expectations were high for a couple more fish.
More bass of the same stamp took a liking to my ragworm and squid cocktail as the tide was on the way and gradually easing up in strength. Bites were quite even between the close in rod and the one along the crease. I was actually hoping to catch a flounder or possibly a dab but didn't manage any, just basslet after basslet. At one point i had a huge slow pull down on the crease rod and upon lifting into the it stayed deep, heavy and slow moving for a minute or so before it got snagged and my hook link parted, bollix. I reckon it was probably a thornback due to way it was moving, but seeing as i was only using a lightweight bass rod it would of been a struggle to get in to the rocks in the heavy flow.
It wasn't long before the current slow started to slow down so i changed rigs on one rod to float fished ragworm as i did earlier in the day. I started to fish this along the crease but after a half dozen or so fruitless trots i opted to fish it just out past the rocks slightly to my left where the inlet/outlet from the wildfowl pool behind had left a channel in the visible mud. First couple of tries and nothing then the a couple of quick dips on the float got my heart racing, this was then followed by no action for 10 minutes. I was still getting bites and landed a couple of bass on the flapper rig whilst i was watching the float. A recast just a little further out with the float saw it slowly trotting down stream on the inside of crease when all of a sudden the float was gone. Shocked it took me a couple of seconds to realise what had happened before i struck and was met with a sold resistant and a head thump. Game on i thought as the fish gave me a good battle on my old carp rod until up she popped a few feet from the rocks. Carefully i guided her to a nice spot in-between a few rocks where i would be able to reach down for her and with a couple of final thrashes i beached it on some seaweed before stumbling down the rocks to grab my prize before it escaped back into its watery home. I was over the moon as i really wanted to catch a bass on a float again, i hadn,t caught one on a float for over 20 years, and weighing 3-3.5lb it was the biggest of the day.
After that fish i had a couple more small basslets before calling it a day wit a total of over 15 small bass and the bigger one, which i took home for the 'other half's' dinner. All in all i had a great few hours fishing, best sea fishing i,ve had for quite a while now, and Sharon got the pleasure of eating fresh sea bass steamed in foil with spring onions and lemons. She was impressed....
On the way to my chosen spot i stopped at a nice creek which i have seen fish topping in before when i have been waking the dogs along there. Out went a 2 hook flapper to see if there was anything lower down as well as another rod fishing a ragworm 3ft or so below a float. I've been wanting to try catching a bass by float fishing for a while but just hadn,t gotten around to it. I only gave the area an hour, as i wanted to get to my main spot, but didn't have so much as a tip dip.
As the tide was still pretty strong i changed the float rig for another flapper, as the float was shooting off with the current at such a rate that i thought it would be too quick for a bass to notice, and dropped this rig in 10 yards out just past what i thought would be the rock/weedline. Just past the rocks and weed is one of my favourite spots to fish for all species of saltwater fish and is usually my banker spot. It does produce smaller fish most of the time but does throw up an unexpected lump now and then. Anyways this rod had not been in the water for no more than a few minutes when the tip whacked round and i was attached to a fiesty little bass. Result, target achieved, and expectations were high for a couple more fish.
More bass of the same stamp took a liking to my ragworm and squid cocktail as the tide was on the way and gradually easing up in strength. Bites were quite even between the close in rod and the one along the crease. I was actually hoping to catch a flounder or possibly a dab but didn't manage any, just basslet after basslet. At one point i had a huge slow pull down on the crease rod and upon lifting into the it stayed deep, heavy and slow moving for a minute or so before it got snagged and my hook link parted, bollix. I reckon it was probably a thornback due to way it was moving, but seeing as i was only using a lightweight bass rod it would of been a struggle to get in to the rocks in the heavy flow.
After that fish i had a couple more small basslets before calling it a day wit a total of over 15 small bass and the bigger one, which i took home for the 'other half's' dinner. All in all i had a great few hours fishing, best sea fishing i,ve had for quite a while now, and Sharon got the pleasure of eating fresh sea bass steamed in foil with spring onions and lemons. She was impressed....
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