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Dwindling bass quality?

Thames fished well for bass in the 3-6lb range last year. Not many schoolies or proper sized one although I did manage one 7 and a couple of 8's. Normally we see a fair few doubles but not for the last few years. Looking forward to what's is store for us this year. Boats just back in so will start by looking for a few of these spring run codling.
 
I thought the opposite last year but maybe that was just round here I had around 12 off the east Devon beach’s but to be fair I did target them and sussed them out a bit only had one at chesil as by catch when hounding but there were loads off the boats all in the3 lb bracket great fun on slow jigs mate did have a 10 lber while hitting a bait ball they hit 16 in a short space of time all decent fish biggest shore bass I saw was a 7 lber my biggest was around 5 lber but I know there where a lot about off here saw a huge shoal come thru on one of my marks in the early evening last year thought they were macs but all bass never seen it before but it happend the other times I went there as well whouldnt take a bait tho until arfter dark then you chould get em . So in answer to your question for me it felt like there were a lot more around last year or maybe I just took more notice and there always about this year will tell 🤔
 
Tatunka joe said:
I thought the opposite last year but maybe that was just round here I had around 12 off the east Devon beach’s but to be fair I did target them and sussed them out a bit only had one at chesil as by catch when hounding but there were loads off the boats all in the3 lb bracket great fun on slow jigs mate did have a 10 lber while hitting a bait ball they hit 16 in a short space of time all decent fish biggest shore bass I saw was a 7 lber my biggest was around 5 lber but I know there where a lot about off here saw a huge shoal come thru on one of my marks in the early evening last year thought they were macs but all bass never seen it before but it happend the other times I went there as well whouldnt take a bait tho until arfter dark then you chould get em . So in answer to your question for me it felt like there were a lot more around last year or maybe I just took more notice and there always about this year will tell 🤔
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Yep, no idea if it was a ‘bad’ year here or I just had a bad year, just coincidence as you can’t catch all the time.

See what this year brings!
 
Mr Fish said:
Did anyone notice if the past year was a bit poor for quality bass?
Was wading through one of the endless threads elsewhere about bass stocks, commercials and angling returns and it got me to thinking my past season was pretty poor.

So I know all this is anecdotal and just one person’s experience, but I must have had 8-10 good surf beaches bass sessions last summer/autumn, which is about normal numbers.
I think my biggest bass was about 2lb 8, plus a fair few schoolies.
Usually I’d get at least one 4lb plus bass every other trip and the previous year it was pretty much every trip.
Normally I’ll keep two or three a season and anything over about 4lb 8 goes back, unless it’s so badly hooked I have no choice but to keep it.

This is all bait fishing, btw. I realise there’s nothing scientific in that as it could simply be coincidence that last year was poor, just bad luck, not quite the right spot, missing bites that would have resulted in better fish etc etc, there’s so many variables.
I must admit I didn’t feel the tide times were the best when I went last year and bright moons were an issue a few times, so that could have compounded things.

Just wondered if anyone else who does similar fishing found last year was poor, or good?
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From a boat fishing perspective (mainly on the wrecks) there were slightly less Bass then the year before (which was excellent), but the fish were bigger, I guess the average size was about 5lb.

Normally I try and get out onto the wrecks in the mid to late autumn for the Bass, when they are there in numbers and getting ready to migrate to the spawning grounds, however, last autumn was a washout with continual wind and rain. By the time I got out there, the Bass had already moved on.

At one point during the year (the actual timing varies), we also get invited to fish a private part of an estuary in the South Hams. This year the fishing was excellent and between two of us (my son and myself) we caught in excess of 100 bass on 3 tides. The biggest went 6lb.

However, I do feel that the size of the average Bass is improving, so may the Bass regulations has helped (who knows)
 
GPSguru said:
From a boat fishing perspective (mainly on the wrecks) there were slightly less Bass then the year before (which was excellent), but the fish were bigger, I guess the average size was about 5lb.

Normally I try and get out onto the wrecks in the mid to late autumn for the Bass, when they are there in numbers and getting ready to migrate to the spawning grounds, however, last autumn was a washout with continual wind and rain. By the time I got out there, the Bass had already moved on.

At one point during the year (the actual timing varies), we also get invited to fish a private part of an estuary in the South Hams. This year the fishing was excellent and between two of us (my son and myself) we caught in excess of 100 bass on 3 tides. The biggest went 6lb.

However, I do feel that the size of the average Bass is improving, so may the Bass regulations has helped (who knows)
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I really struggled to get anything of size last year and I did hit the surf beaches a fair bit.
Some of the conditions ie bright moon didn’t fee me with confidence but had a few sessions in good conditions too.

I don’t think that ‘proves’ anything, we all have bad sessions but it set me to thinking whether that was just me and what other experiences people had.

Just from the responses on here, it certainly doesn’t look like there was a huge dearth of bass.
 

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