Mr Fish
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
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- Location
- North Devon
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
You may or may not get the title reference - if you do, you can win an hour session in the dungeon…
I’ve really really been wanting to get my bass surf beach season under way properly, after a couple of very short trips that came to nothing.
It’s what I love doing in the autumn and the darker evenings mean you can target after dark lows (or highs) without being out at stupid o clock.
Wednesday night was a good tide for my favourite beach, low at 9.30pm and crucially, the golden hour before you get pushed off the beach wasn’t too late.
Due to the terrain the bass really switch on then.
Unfortunately I felt crap Wednesday and it was blowing a SW gale too, so I forced myself out on Thursday instead.
A later low water than I’d like and would mean a late night but I had to go at some point.
No one at the beach and a powerful surf running.
Walking down, I always debate ‘left or right’. I’ve had good fish from both sides but perhaps a few more from the right.
Sod it, right it was, nestled up against some rocks.
First impressions, cracking surf, strong wind. A bastard bright moon.
Usually the kiss of death for shallow bass beaches but there was some cloud cover so it was 50/50.
A double squid bait went one way and half a bluey went the other.
I got the spare traces baited up and settled with a coffee, so after less than 20 minutes it took me by surprise a bit.
A big swooping bite saw the squid rod bend right over. Quite a slow motion and I watched a bit longer thinking maybe a swell surge.
Then it did it again. And again.
Definitely a bite. Whack!
Bang, bang, bang. This fish was having none of it, a powerful fish and for a few seconds we had a stand off.
A few seconds was all I got, because as I set myself and dipped the rod to pump line, it was gone. Shit.
It was either a big double eel, entirely possible, or a BIG bass.
The trace was twisted to hell and back, all wrapped around the leader and the squid bait was a mashed ball with the 6/0 hooks lost in the middle. I don’t think it was even actually hooked.
Bass don’t (usually) twist rigs up like that so I’m leaning towards an eel, but who knows, fishing can sometimes throw you curve balls.
Two other blokes turned up and went left. Far enough away thankfully that their bright headlights didn’t bother me too much, but why people think they’ll catch bass with lighthouses on their heads, I don’t know.
But the moon was that bright I guess it didn’t matter too much…
I was getting small plucks and pull downs on the squid but nothing to really hit.
The baits were coming back mangled and I’d guess small schoolies or dogs.
I decided I’d stop at about 12.30am because I really had plenty of work to do the next day and couldn’t lie in.
But then the other two left and I thought, hmm, I’m here now, be a shame to miss the ‘golden hour’.
So I stuck it out, but sadly no rod rest bending bites to signal the arrival of Mr or Mrs Bass.
Reeling in the last cast, I had a consolation dogfish ?
The curse of the moon had struck again.
Friday I was like death after four hours sleep and didn’t really recover until Saturday.
So… Saturday @Christurner and I decided we’d hit the beach again, either where I went Thursday or another spot, which meant a far harder walk.
Problem was, low was midnight, big tide. On the first beach we’d be chasing it back and it’s usually not so good on the ebb.
The ‘golden hour’ would be 3am and just too late.
So we opted for another beach that has a few rocky bits but is more of a two down, two up spot that I’ve had success on before.
With Chris’s chest infection and my aches and pains, the walk back uphill promised to be fun ?
The moon was even brighter, a lovely night but not conducive to bass.
We had to wait half hour until the first patch of sand was exposed, then the first hour or more was spent moving down and waiting for sandbanks to drain and wading out bloody miles just to put a bait in the surf zone.
Chris can cast that far, I can’t, but also I like to wade out enough until I can see where I want to put it, especially in the dark.
Weed was also proving a pain, on and off.
Around low water, Chris had a schoolie and soon after, another.
So fish about at least.
I brought in a whack of weed, my other rod, and a dogfish ?
After sorting all that out, it turned out the second rod had a schoolie about 1lb 4 on too.
The moon was seriously beating down. I thought we’d end up with ‘moon burn’ ?
You can see a bit of the weird pools and rocks we had to fiddle around all night.
I lost track a bit of who caught what, but I had another dog, I believe Chris had a dog or two and also a huss about 3lb.
We decided to knock it on the head at 2am and in any case, we would have been pushed off the sand soon after.
Reeling in my last cast I discovered a huss about 4lb on there I didn’t know I had.
That was it. The walk back was as brutal as I’d feared. My legs had decided to go and Chris sounded like he needed oxygen, but we got back to the cars in the end.
Reflecting briefly on the session, we agreed the moon had been a killer but we’d probably seen more fish than we would have on the other beach.
And what do you do? Not fish at all? Sometimes you have to take the window you’ve got, even if the conditions aren’t exactly what you want.
Will be avoiding the bright nights next time though.
Bloody moon.
I’ve really really been wanting to get my bass surf beach season under way properly, after a couple of very short trips that came to nothing.
It’s what I love doing in the autumn and the darker evenings mean you can target after dark lows (or highs) without being out at stupid o clock.
Wednesday night was a good tide for my favourite beach, low at 9.30pm and crucially, the golden hour before you get pushed off the beach wasn’t too late.
Due to the terrain the bass really switch on then.
Unfortunately I felt crap Wednesday and it was blowing a SW gale too, so I forced myself out on Thursday instead.
A later low water than I’d like and would mean a late night but I had to go at some point.
No one at the beach and a powerful surf running.
Walking down, I always debate ‘left or right’. I’ve had good fish from both sides but perhaps a few more from the right.
Sod it, right it was, nestled up against some rocks.
First impressions, cracking surf, strong wind. A bastard bright moon.
Usually the kiss of death for shallow bass beaches but there was some cloud cover so it was 50/50.
A double squid bait went one way and half a bluey went the other.
I got the spare traces baited up and settled with a coffee, so after less than 20 minutes it took me by surprise a bit.
A big swooping bite saw the squid rod bend right over. Quite a slow motion and I watched a bit longer thinking maybe a swell surge.
Then it did it again. And again.
Definitely a bite. Whack!
Bang, bang, bang. This fish was having none of it, a powerful fish and for a few seconds we had a stand off.
A few seconds was all I got, because as I set myself and dipped the rod to pump line, it was gone. Shit.
It was either a big double eel, entirely possible, or a BIG bass.
The trace was twisted to hell and back, all wrapped around the leader and the squid bait was a mashed ball with the 6/0 hooks lost in the middle. I don’t think it was even actually hooked.
Bass don’t (usually) twist rigs up like that so I’m leaning towards an eel, but who knows, fishing can sometimes throw you curve balls.
Two other blokes turned up and went left. Far enough away thankfully that their bright headlights didn’t bother me too much, but why people think they’ll catch bass with lighthouses on their heads, I don’t know.
But the moon was that bright I guess it didn’t matter too much…
I was getting small plucks and pull downs on the squid but nothing to really hit.
The baits were coming back mangled and I’d guess small schoolies or dogs.
I decided I’d stop at about 12.30am because I really had plenty of work to do the next day and couldn’t lie in.
But then the other two left and I thought, hmm, I’m here now, be a shame to miss the ‘golden hour’.
So I stuck it out, but sadly no rod rest bending bites to signal the arrival of Mr or Mrs Bass.
Reeling in the last cast, I had a consolation dogfish ?
The curse of the moon had struck again.
Friday I was like death after four hours sleep and didn’t really recover until Saturday.
So… Saturday @Christurner and I decided we’d hit the beach again, either where I went Thursday or another spot, which meant a far harder walk.
Problem was, low was midnight, big tide. On the first beach we’d be chasing it back and it’s usually not so good on the ebb.
The ‘golden hour’ would be 3am and just too late.
So we opted for another beach that has a few rocky bits but is more of a two down, two up spot that I’ve had success on before.
With Chris’s chest infection and my aches and pains, the walk back uphill promised to be fun ?
The moon was even brighter, a lovely night but not conducive to bass.
We had to wait half hour until the first patch of sand was exposed, then the first hour or more was spent moving down and waiting for sandbanks to drain and wading out bloody miles just to put a bait in the surf zone.
Chris can cast that far, I can’t, but also I like to wade out enough until I can see where I want to put it, especially in the dark.
Weed was also proving a pain, on and off.
Around low water, Chris had a schoolie and soon after, another.
So fish about at least.
I brought in a whack of weed, my other rod, and a dogfish ?
After sorting all that out, it turned out the second rod had a schoolie about 1lb 4 on too.
The moon was seriously beating down. I thought we’d end up with ‘moon burn’ ?
You can see a bit of the weird pools and rocks we had to fiddle around all night.
I lost track a bit of who caught what, but I had another dog, I believe Chris had a dog or two and also a huss about 3lb.
We decided to knock it on the head at 2am and in any case, we would have been pushed off the sand soon after.
Reeling in my last cast I discovered a huss about 4lb on there I didn’t know I had.
That was it. The walk back was as brutal as I’d feared. My legs had decided to go and Chris sounded like he needed oxygen, but we got back to the cars in the end.
Reflecting briefly on the session, we agreed the moon had been a killer but we’d probably seen more fish than we would have on the other beach.
And what do you do? Not fish at all? Sometimes you have to take the window you’ve got, even if the conditions aren’t exactly what you want.
Will be avoiding the bright nights next time though.
Bloody moon.
