Cock clams.

[Dutchman]

If you had to pick one bait only ( not that you would out of choice) for decent bass what would you limit self to in your neck of the woods.?

Depends on time of year.
Crab now
Live sand eel later.

 

[Mr Fish]

If you had to pick one bait only ( not that you would out of choice) for decent bass what would you limit self to in your neck of the woods.?

Bluey

 

[Topwater]

Never fished an area where Bluey (Pacific Saoury) have ever been considered a bass bait. To me its a newcomer to areas where fish baits can work for cod and other non targeted ('nuisance') fish. I know I've said this before but the Fylde is completely lug obsessed. Because it just works. That despite numbers of spoots, blood razor, cockles, shrimps etc

 

[Valleyboy]

If you had to pick one bait only ( not that you would out of choice) for decent bass what would you limit self to in your neck of the woods.?

Tough one. Depends on time of year. Crab now , lures once the sandeels start shoaling, late summer blood fresh mackerel or big bluey bait. For sheer numbers worm baits although tends to get a lot of nuisance and small fish

 

[Mr Fish]

Never fished an area where Bluey (Pacific Saoury) have ever been considered a bass bait. To me its a newcomer to areas where fish baits can work for cod and other non targeted ('nuisance') fish. I know I've said this before but the Fylde is completely lug obsessed. Because it just works. That despite numbers of spoots, blood razor, cockles, shrimps etc

Yes it might seem surprising but I’ve probably had more larger bass and more bites on whole or half bluey here than other baits put together.
That’s on our surf beaches, other marks I may use something else depending on season.
Ray will also take it a fair bit too.

Fresh worm can and does catch a lot of fish here, but also a lot of small stuff. Overwhelmingly so in my experience.
I’ve got no interest in unhooking schoolies all night so would rather use a bigger bait but have less action - if you do get a take it’s quite often a better fish.

 

[Tatunka joe]

If you had to pick one bait only ( not that you would out of choice) for decent bass what would you limit self to in your neck of the woods.?

Fresh Mac fillet of head an guts killer down Devon frozen works as well but not aswell

 

[Tatunka joe]

Yes it might seem surprising but I’ve probably had more larger bass and more bites on whole or half bluey here than other baits put together.
That’s on our surf beaches, other marks I may use something else depending on season.
Ray will also take it a fair bit too.

Fresh worm can and does catch a lot of fish here, but also a lot of small stuff. Overwhelmingly so in my experience.
I’ve got no interest in unhooking schoolies all night so would rather use a bigger bait but have less action - if you do get a take it’s quite often a better fish.

See I don’t find bluey works all that well on our cost yes I’ve had fish on it but compared to Mac an anchovie I don’t really rate it aswell thst said I does seem to work better if fishing dirty water and there’s a bit of a blow

 

[Mr Fish]

See I don’t find bluey works all that well on our cost yes I’ve had fish on it but compared to Mac an anchovie I don’t really rate it aswell thst said I does seem to work better if fishing dirty water and there’s a bit of a blow

Given the choice I would prefer fresh mackerel over bluey, but I find frozen bluey way out fishes frozen mac for bass.
Unfortunately the mackies are more sporadic on this coast and we don’t have the deeper water beaches with little tide movement where mackie are likely to show up at some point during the session, so it’s not quite as readily available.
Typically here you’d need to make a special trip to a rock mark if you wanted a few and obviously then it’s the time thing as it’s rare that I could go mackerelling in the day and then take fresh bait out to fish the surf beach after dark.

 

[Cwab]

As from north east say thirty plus years ago bass pretty much a rarity on rod but a few turning up in salmon nets, but now can go fish for and catch and many like to lure fish or bottom fish with rag.
Seen a good double and knew of other pulled from exactly same spot but a few years apart in feb whilst looking for late season codling, bait was quote “frozen shite from bottom of freezer”.
Bluey for cod in winter some folk would not leave house without it and the better fish caught involving bluey but who knows may have caught using something different but very popular, available and cheap and makes good cocktails.
Seen folks fishing (long story) on a certain Norfolk pier/ jetty using beach rods 30 lb mono with rods tied to rail and dropped down among the legs using large mackerel as live bait and I mean large catching and loosing some big bass, and all went back.
Interesting thing was they reckoned once bait fish dead ( fifteen/ twenty mins game over).

 

[Mr Fish]

As from north east say thirty plus years ago bass pretty much a rarity on rod but a few turning up in salmon nets, but now can go fish for and catch and many like to lure fish or bottom fish with rag.
Seen a good double and knew of other pulled from exactly same spot but a few years apart in feb whilst looking for late season codling, bait was quote “frozen shite from bottom of freezer”.
Bluey for cod in winter some folk would not leave house without it and the better fish caught involving bluey but who knows may have caught using something different but very popular, available and cheap and makes good cocktails.
Seen folks fishing (long story) on a certain Norfolk pier/ jetty using beach rods 30 lb mono with rods tied to rail and dropped down among the legs using large mackerel as live bait and I mean large catching and loosing some big bass, and all went back.
Interesting thing was they reckoned once bait fish dead ( fifteen/ twenty mins game over).

From what I understand, bass are pretty opportunist feeders and will take any old crap at times.
I’ve had a fair few on manky pink squid tbh.

Definitely live mackie when they’re feeding on them is a top bait though.

 

[Cwab]

From what I understand, bass are pretty opportunist feeders and will take any old crap at times.
I’ve had a fair few on manky pink squid tbh.

Definitely live mackie when they’re feeding on them is a top bait though.

The live Mackie was the key to their game and conditions and they put a lot of time in, loosing more to structure but having to let fish hook itself and not run far, thought it interesting that once fish dead worthless which was another hurdle for them.

 

[Beach]

Sandeels just drift them in the tide, either from a boat or shore minimum weight works.

 

[Dutchman]

Fresh Mac fillet of head an guts killer down Devon frozen works as well but not aswell

Fished the other day with frozen mackerel , not a bite, person at same mark had loads of bass with crab.

 

[Dutchman]

Beach where we got caravan is flat and even, not a thing showing, no casts showing anywhere but rag worm will catch bass.

 

[Tatunka joe]

The live Mackie was the key to their game and conditions and they put a lot of time in, loosing more to structure but having to let fish hook itself and not run far, thought it interesting that once fish dead worthless which was another hurdle for them.

Live scad is killer for bass last a dam site longer than macs aswell