North Wales And the season goes on.

[Andy 1965]

After last Thursday’s successful session, my confidence was high for more of the same this week ?. Once again the weather was the deciding factor in my choice of nights to fish, and the first of these nights was Wednesday. The venue chosen was the one where I did well a few weeks ago, but which seems to have gone off the boil recently. With high tide at around 11:30 though and the forecast of offshore winds, I decided that it was worth another go.

I arrived an hour after low to find perfect conditions, but with one fly in the ointment in the form of a great big and bright full moon. To begin with its light was subdued by a layer of low cloud on the horizon, but as it rose higher in the sky its full glare hit the water .

Now I’m not a fan of fishing under a full moon and it seemed that the bass agreed with me, as the next 4 hours passed by with no signs of life whatsoever. Eventually, as high water passed and the current eased to nothing, I called it a night on yet another blank ?.



24 hours later and for my second session of the week, I headed back to the mark I tried to fish the previous Thursday. The place was overrun with cockle pickers on that occasion but I hoped that was a one off, and that I would have the place to myself this time. As it happened, the pickers were still hammering the place but with low tide having passed, the majority were just leaving as I arrived and I passed a dozen or so cars and vans on the lane to the coast. The remaining stragglers left as I was getting suited and booted, and by the time I was ready to start fishing, I was completely alone.

The forecast was for another dry evening, but with more cloud cover than on Wednesday, so I hoped this would cover the moon and encourage the bass to feed ?. As I waded out into the dark, calm waters I was feeling very confident and even when it started raining, once again with no mention whatsoever of it in the forecast ?, I wasn’t put off.

As usual, the first lure out of the box was the mighty Mishna ? and I cast it diagonally uptide before allowing it to drift around in an arc. The current was running perfectly for this type of fishing, not to fast or slow, and minutes later I got off to a dream start, when after only half a dozen casts or so my lure was stopped dead in its tracks before ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ a bass set off across the flow! Judging by its initial run, this seemed like something half decent but just like last week the fight was over quicker than I expected. At 46cm though, it was still a nice fish and I was happy to get off the mark so quickly ?.


After a quick pic, followed by an adjustment of my drag ?, I got straight back into the game, hoping for more of the same.

Sadly it wasn’t to be and soon after this, the cloud cleared just like on Wednesday, and the area was lit up as bright as day by the moon. Though spectacular to see, it signalled the death knell on my fishing for the night, and the next 4 hours passed by without so much as another sniff ?.

So sport definitely seems to be slowing down, but at least the bass are still around. The weather is also deteriorating now, but I’m still hopeful of a few more sessions yet and to be able to add to my second best years tally before I return to my long-running hunt for that elusive 20lb conger ?.

 

[flappy]

Weird innit..the one and only bass I have ever caught was on a bright moonlit night in Cornwall.

 

[Warby72]

Weird innit..the one and only bass I have ever caught was on a bright moonlit night in Cornwall.

All of mine have been in daylight.

 

[Warby72]

After last Thursday’s successful session, my confidence was high for more of the same this week ?. Once again the weather was the deciding factor in my choice of nights to fish, and the first of these nights was Wednesday. The venue chosen was the one where I did well a few weeks ago, but which seems to have gone off the boil recently. With high tide at around 11:30 though and the forecast of offshore winds, I decided that it was worth another go.

I arrived an hour after low to find perfect conditions, but with one fly in the ointment in the form of a great big and bright full moon. To begin with its light was subdued by a layer of low cloud on the horizon, but as it rose higher in the sky its full glare hit the water .

Now I’m not a fan of fishing under a full moon and it seemed that the bass agreed with me, as the next 4 hours passed by with no signs of life whatsoever. Eventually, as high water passed and the current eased to nothing, I called it a night on yet another blank ?.



24 hours later and for my second session of the week, I headed back to the mark I tried to fish the previous Thursday. The place was overrun with cockle pickers on that occasion but I hoped that was a one off, and that I would have the place to myself this time. As it happened, the pickers were still hammering the place but with low tide having passed, the majority were just leaving as I arrived and I passed a dozen or so cars and vans on the lane to the coast. The remaining stragglers left as I was getting suited and booted, and by the time I was ready to start fishing, I was completely alone.

The forecast was for another dry evening, but with more cloud cover than on Wednesday, so I hoped this would cover the moon and encourage the bass to feed ?. As I waded out into the dark, calm waters I was feeling very confident and even when it started raining, once again with no mention whatsoever of it in the forecast ?, I wasn’t put off.

As usual, the first lure out of the box was the mighty Mishna ? and I cast it diagonally uptide before allowing it to drift around in an arc. The current was running perfectly for this type of fishing, not to fast or slow, and minutes later I got off to a dream start, when after only half a dozen casts or so my lure was stopped dead in its tracks before ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ a bass set off across the flow! Judging by its initial run, this seemed like something half decent but just like last week the fight was over quicker than I expected. At 46cm though, it was still a nice fish and I was happy to get off the mark so quickly ?.
View attachment 16943

After a quick pic, followed by an adjustment of my drag ?, I got straight back into the game, hoping for more of the same.

Sadly it wasn’t to be and soon after this, the cloud cleared just like on Wednesday, and the area was lit up as bright as day by the moon. Though spectacular to see, it signalled the death knell on my fishing for the night, and the next 4 hours passed by without so much as another sniff ?.

So sport definitely seems to be slowing down, but at least the bass are still around. The weather is also deteriorating now, but I’m still hopeful of a few more sessions yet and to be able to add to my second best years tally before I return to my long-running hunt for that elusive 20lb conger ?.

Great report as usual mate. Not sure that I'd want to encounter a pissed off 20lb conger in the dark. ?

 

[ouchthathurt]

Another cracking report mate, very well done! It’s probably a 50/50 split in numbers caught in daylight/night but I’m more confident just after dusk or just before sunrise.

 

[Timbc2]

Well done Andy, you are still producing the goods. Good luck for this year's eel hunt ??

 

[Wolf]

Great report , good catch well done ????

 

[tdxs133pm]

Nice start to the second session shame it didn't continue along those lines.But well done for getting out there.