Andy 1965
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2020
- Messages
- 373
- Reaction score
- 3,411
- Points
- 93
- Location
- North Wales
- Favourite Fishing
- Lure
After managing to catch a few bass the previous week on poor tides, and in less than favourable conditions, I was feeling super confident with this week’s better tides, and the forecast of calm weather. When reports of bumper catches started to filter through last weekend, my hopes of a better week only increased further.
As usual, I started my hunt for silver on Tuesday night, when I planned to fish the same mark as last week, but on the flood to high water instead of the ebb. I arrived to find perfect conditions with calm water and just a very light breeze, so things were looking good. Though I expected sport to really kick off after dark, I was still hopeful of a fish or two in daylight but it just wasn’t to be and I didn’t get a touch for the first 3 hours
.
Once it got properly dark though things really got going. It started off when the guy fishing to my right caught the first bass of the evening, soon followed by another lost fish, before I finally had my first hit of the session. The culprit was only 42cm, but I was just glad to get off the mark
.
After such a long period of inactivity, it was as if someone had flicked a switch now
. The next 80 minutes was absolutely manic, with countless hits resulting in another 9 bass, all on the Primus, the biggest of which was a fraction under 58cm 
.
I was beginning to wonder where this would all end, but then just as suddenly as it had started, this feeding frenzy ended and over the next 15 minutes I only had 2 small taps, both of which I missed. I gave it another hour in the hope that the bass would be back, but despite the occasional slurp out in the darkness, I didn’t get any more hits.
Next up was Thursday night and though I could just have returned to the same mark to do it all again, I decided instead on a change of venue, where I hoped for something a little bigger.
Once more I arrived to find ideal conditions, and as I waded out into the calm, clear water just after low water, I was hopeful of a few more fish.
The first cast with the Asturie was uneventful, but on only the second cast something lashed out at my lure. Sadly it missed, but it was a massive boost to my confidence. When nothing happened for the next few casts, I decided on an early switch to a lure which I caught on at this mark in daylight last year, so I clipped on a Ruf Manic 115 in Bay White. This paid off immediately with a hit on the very first cast, and thankfully this one connected with my hooks. The attacker was only a schoolie, but I was chuffed to beat the blank within minutes rather than hours this time
.
The next 20 minutes were absolutely crazy, with multiple hits on every cast and though I caught another 5 bass, I lost count of the number of hits I missed. If things carried on in this manner then I could easily beat my best total of 15 bass in a session, but then without warning the bites dried up completely. I gave it another 10 minutes, but when no more hits came I set off along the shore to try and find out where the bass had gone.
The next couple of hours were quiet but as darkness finally fell, I began to see signs of life again. First off, a fish lunged at my Ruf Manic a couple of rod lengths out, and sadly missed it, then 20 minutes later I successfully landed bass number 7 of the night
.
Of course I was hoping for another feeding frenzy like on Tuesday night, but this mark was a lot quieter after dark. Over the next hour I didn’t land another couple of fish, including the best of the night at 55cm
,
but the numbers of the other night just weren’t there.
I eventually called it a night just after midnight, and though I hadn’t found anything of any size, I was still happy with 19 bass in a week
.
As usual, I started my hunt for silver on Tuesday night, when I planned to fish the same mark as last week, but on the flood to high water instead of the ebb. I arrived to find perfect conditions with calm water and just a very light breeze, so things were looking good. Though I expected sport to really kick off after dark, I was still hopeful of a fish or two in daylight but it just wasn’t to be and I didn’t get a touch for the first 3 hours
.Once it got properly dark though things really got going. It started off when the guy fishing to my right caught the first bass of the evening, soon followed by another lost fish, before I finally had my first hit of the session. The culprit was only 42cm, but I was just glad to get off the mark
.After such a long period of inactivity, it was as if someone had flicked a switch now
. The next 80 minutes was absolutely manic, with countless hits resulting in another 9 bass, all on the Primus, the biggest of which was a fraction under 58cm .I was beginning to wonder where this would all end, but then just as suddenly as it had started, this feeding frenzy ended and over the next 15 minutes I only had 2 small taps, both of which I missed. I gave it another hour in the hope that the bass would be back, but despite the occasional slurp out in the darkness, I didn’t get any more hits.
Next up was Thursday night and though I could just have returned to the same mark to do it all again, I decided instead on a change of venue, where I hoped for something a little bigger.
Once more I arrived to find ideal conditions, and as I waded out into the calm, clear water just after low water, I was hopeful of a few more fish.
The first cast with the Asturie was uneventful, but on only the second cast something lashed out at my lure. Sadly it missed, but it was a massive boost to my confidence. When nothing happened for the next few casts, I decided on an early switch to a lure which I caught on at this mark in daylight last year, so I clipped on a Ruf Manic 115 in Bay White. This paid off immediately with a hit on the very first cast, and thankfully this one connected with my hooks. The attacker was only a schoolie, but I was chuffed to beat the blank within minutes rather than hours this time
.The next 20 minutes were absolutely crazy, with multiple hits on every cast and though I caught another 5 bass, I lost count of the number of hits I missed. If things carried on in this manner then I could easily beat my best total of 15 bass in a session, but then without warning the bites dried up completely. I gave it another 10 minutes, but when no more hits came I set off along the shore to try and find out where the bass had gone.
The next couple of hours were quiet but as darkness finally fell, I began to see signs of life again. First off, a fish lunged at my Ruf Manic a couple of rod lengths out, and sadly missed it, then 20 minutes later I successfully landed bass number 7 of the night
.Of course I was hoping for another feeding frenzy like on Tuesday night, but this mark was a lot quieter after dark. Over the next hour I didn’t land another couple of fish, including the best of the night at 55cm
,but the numbers of the other night just weren’t there.
I eventually called it a night just after midnight, and though I hadn’t found anything of any size, I was still happy with 19 bass in a week
.
.
