Bass Lure Basics

 

 

 

 

 

I recently got hold of some Costa del Mar Man ‘O War polarised sunglasses. I had heard various people on forums highly rating a good pair of polarised glasses and describing how they had helped their fishing. I was keen to try them for myself and see what difference they would make.

After a couple of trips out I can give some early impressions of the Man O War glasses I have, and try to explain a little of how they have helped so far.

I had previously owned a cheap pair of polarised glasses that were useful, but suffered from a strange flickering when looking at the water.  This would eventually give me a headache so I rarely tried to use them.

I am glad to say that the Costas do not give me any problem at all and my vision through the lenses actually seems better than when not wearing them. Everything looks more defined in the copper lenses and more vibrant in colour. It feels a little strange at first but it’s like someone has given everything a bit of touching up in Photoshop.

The frames themselves are comfortable to wear and fit snugly, but are not tight on my quite large head. I will pick up a cord to attach to the legs of the glasses to save them if they do fall off, but they already stay in place without problem when leaning forwards or moving my head about.

After reading a lot of comments from others, I was keen to see how well they glasses let you see into the water. Polarised glasses work by blocking the light reflecting off the water’s surface, reducing glare, and allowing you to see more clearly into the water. This is obviously helpful when fishing as you can have a look for the structure that Bass like to hide amongst and ambush their prey.

The 580p lenses block 100% UV which will protect your eyes, block some blue light to eliminate haze, plus block some yellow light which apparently is what makes the colours more vibrant.

When looking into water they do not give you x-ray vision, but they do definitely make things much more visible. I was fishing a mark recently where when not wearing the glasses, all I could see was the greyish surface of the water, with plenty of bright sun reflecting off the surface. After putting the glasses on I could then see the dark patches of weed and rock around the mark and obviously the glare had gone.

This directly helped my fishing by making sure I was casting my lure to the right places, and allowing the lure to work over the likely fish holding areas. It wasn’t like I could make out every rock and bit of weed, but I could definitely see that shape of the structures mixed in with where the sand patches were. Again, when not wearing the glasses I could see nothing of the structure below. This obviously helps you when actually fishing, but will also help when scanning about for marks where you haven’t had the chance to check out at low tide. The water clarity on this occasion was fair, so it will be interesting to have a look in some really clear water.

I was lucky enough to hook my first Bass of the year on this mark when trying out the glasses and what was particularly helpful was that I could see the fish’s profile for most of the fight, giving me a much better idea of where it was trying to head and allowing me to steer it in a bit more assuredly.

What was also really noticeable was when wading about on the shallow, weedy rocky ground, I could make out where I was walking much more clearly. When not wearing the glasses I could make things out somewhat, but I was often misplacing steps into little holes or getting the angle of a submerged rock wrong. When I had them on I could get a much better idea of perspective with underwater objects, allowing me to move a bit quicker and do a few less ‘Bambi on ice’ impressions.

I also definitely found that at the end of the sessions when wearing the glasses that my eyes were not as tired, as I am not squinting at the bright reflections on the water and not straining to make things out as much.

So far I am really liking them. I can see some real benefits to my fishing straight away. After I have put a bit more time in with them I will put up a full review.

 

Get involved with helping protect the UK Bass stocks

http://www.ukbass.com/let-our-bass-breed-2/

The Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society or B.A.S.S. has been campaigning for an increase in the minimum landing size (MLS) of Bass for many years. The belief is that allowing Bass to grow more before they can be legally caught will mean an improvement in Bass stocks and the sustainability of the species.

A female Bass will not likley spawn until it is 40-45 cms in length. Currently the minimum landing size (MLS) is 36cms. B.A.S.S. are campaigning to increase the MLS and let our Bass breed.

 

 

The Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society have just launched their new websitre and blog. You can check out the site here:

http://www.ukbass.com/

I particlularly like the new blog post here:

http://www.ukbass.com/so-it-begins/

About Bass

The Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society (BASS) is both a fishing club and an organisation dedicated to the conservation of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). The Society believes that its members have the ability to encourage the conservation, research and protection of the European sea bass, as well as, to improve and educate others in the techniques of angling for this premier sporting fish.

 

 

 

 

It is easy with once you have got over the very basics of fishing to stand still and become complacent. One of the really appealing things about fishing for me is there is always something to learn and nobody will ever truly master the sport. Fish are living creatures and as a result will never be fully predictable. This is what makes fishing challenging and interesting to me.

To help improve your fishing there are a number of things to consider.

Open Mind

It definitely helps to fish with an open mind. Many people seem to get stuck in their ways and will not listen to others with different ideas to themselves. Many people see their way as the only way and think anyone doing any different is either lying or stupid.

In my experience keeping an open mind is one of the very best ways to improve your fishing. Even if you really hate the idea of a certain style of fishing, or presentation, there can still be small details that you can take away into your fishing. Whether that be a certain technique, lure, approach or whatever.

Listen

There is an amazing amount of information available to you. You can go on the internet, pop in a tackle shop, speak to other anglers out on the coast. Anyone can help your fishing if you are prepared to listen.

Someone you may consider to be less experienced, or less skilled than you can offer up real gems. Likewise, the really great anglers might not be the ones shouting the loudest or sporting the latest gear. I think it is very important to realise that nobody is greater than anyone else when it comes to fishing and that everyone still has things to learn. There is however something to be said in being able to syphon out the good information from the noise.

Master Something

Picking one area to concentrate on and master can help you greatly. Pick something like top water lures, or soft plastic lures and fish them exclusively. Read as much as you can on the subject and talk to other anglers who fish that way. Keeping trying until you get results with it and then look to refine what you have learned.

You do not have to pick a discipline and then only fish that 24 / 7. Do it for 1 hour every session, or one day every week, or whatever suits you. Then, when you feel like you have gained enough confidence in using it, pick something new to focus on. By doing this over and over again you can build a good solid skill set to apply at any time.

Memory

When something does go well and is a success for you, make a note of it in as much detail as possible. Use a diary if possible as you never remember all the details. Keeping this information and then using it again can work wonders. Bass are reasonably predictable most of the time, so something that works on a certain time of tide, time of day, weather conditions, lure choice and technique, will often work again when placed in a similar situation.

Take Chances

It is easy though to keep doing the same things over and over again, fish a certain mark in certain conditions. This is what I have just said to do in the previous point, but it does pay to try something new every now and then. Fish the same mark at a completely different state of tide, or a totally different wind direction. I personally found somewhere amazing this year that I would have completely ignored if I hadn’t gone against what I had previously learned.

Get out there

Finally, the most important key to learning and developing. This is actually getting out there and fishing. It is very easy to sit on websites and forums, picking up bits of information from other anglers, but none of that information is any use to you sitting at home. Getting out there and trying things for yourself is the only way to learn and master the techniques, the lures and your marks. You need to put the hours in to get any reward. This can be disheartening at the beginning, but eventually it will pay off in kind. There is nothing more rewarding than working something out for yourself, through hard work and dedication.

The Shimano Rarenium in a mid-priced reel that is very popular with lure fishermen in the UK and Ireland. I have owned one for the last three years and thought it would be helpful to give some feedback on it.

The reel is made from a fancy material known as C14 which is a reinforced carbon fibre material. This material is lightweight and as it is not metal, will not rust when it comes in contact with saltwater. I would imagine it would not be a tough as a metal casing, but I have been very clumsy over the years and my Rarenium has been dropped a fair few times without issue. I am not by any means saying they are bombproof, and every time I did drop it I winced, but so far so good.

When I originally bought the reel I noticed a couple of things straight away. Firstly the reel is very light. This will be down to the C14 material I would expect. It is so light in fact though it felt a little weird on my rod at the time. It is definitely something to think about when buying one as it may not balance as you expect on the rod you are using. Currently I am using a Nories Rough Surf 88 though which itself is quite a light rod and the Rarenium feels really nice on it.

The other thing I noticed is how smooth the reel was to turn. After using the previous reel until it was on its last legs the Rarenium felt amazing to use. What I am really happy to say after three years is that the reel still feels very smooth after plenty of use. I have tried to look after the reel to keep it smooth though.

The reel is supplied with a little bottle of oil and the manual recommends using a drop of this after every few trips out.  This is really easy to do as the reel has a small screw oil port on the back making this a thirty second job. I also tried to give the Rarenium a quick rinse under the tap after every use.

Although I could have probably got away without doing so, I have also sent the reel off to be services at the end of every season. I used the guys at Shimano Felindre which cost about £20 to do with the postage.

I mostly use 8 strand braids on the reel and have had no problems at all with either line lay or wind knots. I always spool new braid on under tension and make sure to slightly under fill the spool. After casting I always give the line a little tug away from the spool to make sure there is a bit of tension before starting a retrieve.

As a result, no tangles so far. This is helped by the reel being mechanically sound, the line roller has never stuck, the bail arm always closes properly and the line lay is always nice and tidy.

The drag on the reel is really smooth. You never get that feeling of the spool sticking and then giving way, it just smoothly starts to spin. The drag is also quick to adjust, with a fairly small turn needed to tighten right up or loosen off completely.

The handle folds away nicely by turning it clockwise while holding the rotor still. This means it can fold up without having to remove any end caps which can be annoying to lose.

The knob on the handle is really nice to use. It is a reasonably chunky shape with firm foam covering. It looks like some of the custom handles that people import from the Far East but is supplied as standard.

You also get two spools supplied as standard which is not always the case, even with very expensive reels.

Overall I absolutely love my Rarenium, and I would definitely recommend it to others. . It has lots of high quality features at a fairly reasonable price. It has certainly lasted me well.

At this time of year you mind starts to think about the season ahead. Holidays start to be put in at work and you start dreaming of warm sessions with plenty of fish. Often these plans are to head to new places in search of fish.

As Bass fishing gets more popular, we are seeing more and more of it in the angling press and online. Often there are articles focusing on particular areas in the UK and Ireland, generating a buzz. These places look far more exciting than your home marks, the terrain looks much more varied and ‘fishy’ and the catches are bigger and more abundant than you can manage on your home turf. As a result, more and more anglers are travelling far and wide in search of great fishing.

Be very aware though, that a lot of these photos you see in magazines and online are taken by people being shown around the very best marks, at exactly the right times, by the very best local fishermen. When you are there, you may well struggle to hit the right places in the right way and you will be very lucky to match the catches you are seeing.

There is a certain amount of glamour needed in these articles to make them interesting, although some may be true, get your expectations in check before you go. You will be fishing areas that are completely new, in waters that may have very different characteristics than you are used to. Travelling is not a fast ticket to big fish, it is actually much more difficult than fishing your local marks that you are familiar with. However you may well strike it lucky and manage to catch something unachievable in your local area.

What I enjoy most about traveling, is the chance to fish new and different areas. My local coast has a quite particular set of features and many of the styles of fishing you see elsewhere, just are not possible locally. Going away lets you try different things, new techniques, as well as taking what you have in your locker and trying to make it work somewhere new. It can be extremely rewarding taking something you have learned at home and applying it somewhere different but familiar.

I myself have done plenty of travelling in search of fish and my experiences have taught me a few things that can be useful. Firstly, before you go, you need to do as much research as possible to make the most out of your trip. The best possible help you can get is a local angler to take you out and show you a few marks and how to fish them. The likelihood of this happening is pretty slim. Imagine the roles reversed, and would you show a stranger around your best marks? However some people can be very generous and their information is worth its weight in gold. Make sure you listen very carefully to these people, they have often had a great deal of experience and there is always something to learn.

If you are lucky enough to get some assistance from local, be sure to respect the help you are given. Treat all information in confidence, keep it that way. Be careful with the photos that you are taking and be careful where you show them. When you come home, remember to keep what you have been given quiet and don’t go freely posting that information all over the internet. If you manage a fish that you want to tell the world about, take a photo with the camera facing out to sea, where no features can be seen.

If you are not lucky enough to have someone giving you direct help, the next place to look is online. Have a look through local fishing forums. Nearly all areas have a local forum and a lot of very helpful information can be found on what works in the area with regards to location, tackle and technique. Look for fishing reports and look for those pictures where people are not being careful. The odd feature in the background of a photo can very quickly lead you to exactly where the photo was taken with a bit of help from Google maps. It feels unethical and a bit dirty to do this, but it is valuable information.

Even without direct help, a catch report can tell you little bits of information, like this area fishes well with a bit of swell, or it needs flat calm seas and offshore winds, or whatever. There is plenty to get a leg up with before you go.

However, what you can always fall back on is your own knowledge gained from experience. Look at marks in a new area and try to relate them to marks you have on your own turf. Look at a feature and try to imagine something similar back home and try what you would normally. But also remember to take advantage of this new ground and try something new. You might find a deep fast flowing estuary bounce soft plastics in, you might find a deep water mark to fish heavy sinking divers in. Always try to take something away from a trip that you have learned and try to apply that at home.

For me a trip away is not really a chance to catch massive fish after massive fish, it is about applying what I have learned in a new environment and a chance to learn new things to take home. I have also had the chance to meet some great people along the way, who have helped make these trips so much more enjoyable.

For the last year and a half I have been using a Nories Flat Fish Program Rough Surf 88 for pretty much all of my Bass fishing. When looking to buy the rod I was trying to find something that would be an all-round performer. I wanted something that should be able to handle the hard lures I had been using previously but also have the casting range and sensitivity to be able to fish the soft lures I was beginning to become more interested in.

At the time many people were suggesting the Tenryu super mix as a do it all rod. I am sure they are very nice rods to use, but on the brief chance I got to use one I found the rod quite heavy and stiff, with not a great deal of sensitivity in the tip. The smaller Tenryu Injection seemed like it may fit the bill but I was looking for something longer.

I spoke to a few retailers and finally was put onto the Nories flat fish range of rods as something that would fit the bill. The rod is originally designed to target flat fish in the Far East. Flat fish over there must be pretty big as the rod is easily powerful enough to handle all UK species. I am guessing the design brief was to create a rod that would cast a fairly large lure into some fairly harsh conditions (Rough Surf), but still have the sensitivity to be able to feel the lure bouncing along the bottom and pick up on the light takes from flat fish.

What this translates to in our UK fishing is a rod that is perfectly powerful to handle your typical UK conditions, and has a nice tip that lets you feel soft baits being bounced in, on and around structure. The difference in using this rod with soft plastic to what I had previously been used to was incredible. I could finally feel what was going on, and as a result was able to map out and understand the structure I was fishing to a much greater degree.

This is not to say that the rod is suitable for soft plastics only. It is just as suited to hard lures. The tip, although sensitive does not collapse when fishing hard baits and is stiff enough to easily impart action into your plugs. Walking the dog is easy enough although it takes a little bit of adjusting if you have come from using a poker stiff rod more suited to top water fishing.

In my opinion it really can cast all your standard UK bass lures and more importantly can work them properly. I would say the 10-40g casting range is slightly out. I would say something like 5-35g would be more accurate. My regular lures such as 4.5” Megabass Xlayers (7g), 5” Wave Worms Bamboo Sticks (13g) , Xorus Patchinkos (24g),  IMA Komomo IIs 14g() and Megabass Zonks (20g) all cast and work well on the rod.

The blank is exceptionally light in the hand. It feels like you are fishing with a much lighter and shorter rod. As a result it feels really nice to fish with and is easy to cast all day long. The blank though is surprisingly powerful lower down and has easily handled every fish I have had on it. It is a nice mix of getting feedback from the fish you are fighting as well as having the ability to bully the fish when you need to.

The blank really bends nicely in the cast. It has quite a fast, through action, meaning it will bend from a fair way down the blank and is really whippy. It really compresses well allowing you to put lures a good distance. Once the cast is complete though, the blank recovers really quickly. It never feels floppy during the cast, but you really feel it bend a good amount and then settle very quickly.

The components all feel very nice, from the comfortable handle to the titanium guides. The price is outside of what I would consider recommending on the site to people new to the sport, but as something to look at after a few years fishing, it really is something I love to bits.

B.A.S.S. have given notice of an area that they need some help with. Please read and take the time to respond. Remember you can now join B.A.S.S. online.

In 2010 new legislation was proposed in Northern Ireland to adopt the same protection measures for bass stocks as exist in the Republic of Ireland. This legislation is still in the pipe line.

A loophole has arisen in the proposed legislation which effects the crucial ‘Prohibition of the Sale of Bass’ rule introducing a clause which allows for bass caught accidentally by trawlers to be landed and marketed as allowable bycatch.

This loophole was clearly introduced as an appeasement to commercial fishermen and leaves the door wide open for any wild bass found in the supply chain – fishmonger, restaurant – as being attributed to trawl by-catch irrespective of whether it actually originated from a gill net or commercial rod and line. There is also a thin excuse that allowing landings of trawler caught bass will help in future bass stock assessments.

What makes this clause so bizarre is that only miniscule numbers of bass are caught by NI trawlers, a fact corroborated by the Consultation documents. For example – in 2010 the value of bass landings amounted to just £1,591 which represents a mere 0.004% of total NI fishery landings (£35.25 million) so a complete cessation of commercial bass landings is of no consequence to trawlers, but leaves open the door to commercial fishing none the less.

The BASS Restoration team feel it is time to once again make written representations in the hope that the proposed legislation will be moved forward, with this clause removed, because it really would be a truly significant achievement to have a species effectively designated wholly recreational in any part of the UK.

To assist you, we have provided below two example letters covering the key points. The first is a “key points” version and the second teases out some of the detail more fully.

At the end you will find contact details for the Minister and Review Committee Members.

Ideally, we would like every recipient of this communication to familiarise themselves with all the issues and to write in their own words to all members of the Committee, however, we also appreciate that many will not have the time to do this.

Even a brief letter of one paragraph is better than making no representation at all. Achieving recreational status for a sea fish in UK waters, is a crucially important goal towards changing the existing culture amongst fisheries managers.

PLEASE WRITE A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSALS TO HARMONISE BASS LEGISLATION WITH THAT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, COVERING AS MANY OR AS FEW OF THE POINTS AS YOU ARE ABLE.

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO THE MINISTER AND ALSO SEND COPIES TO AS MANY COMMITTEE MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE [at least three or four selected at random] SO AS TO INCREASE THE CHANCES OF A FULL DISCUSSION AMONGST THE COMMITTEE.

There is also a survey available at: Sea Angling in Northern Ireland  that is not directly related to bass but which you are encouraged to complete.

Key Points Sample Letter

Longer Sample Letter

Minister and Review Committee Contact Details

The critical point to bear in mind is:

Even a brief letter of one paragraph is better than making no representation at all. Achieving recreational status for a sea fish in UK waters, is a crucially important goal towards changing the existing culture amongst fisheries managers.

 

Joining B.A.S.S. is something I would thoroughly recommend, but in the past it could be a pain to do as you had to send a cheque off by post. Now it is much easier to do through their online store here:

http://ukbass.com/join-us/

The organisation is devoted to protecting and developing the Bass fishery for now and the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wading stick

By far the most useful bit of tackle I have been carrying around this year is my home-made wading stick. I have to do some tricky walks over slippery rocks and weed to get on off and around my marks and starting to use a wading stick has been a massive help.

Looking about at branded sticks you can pay silly money. I am sure they are very light and can be folded into nice neat little packages but they were too expensive for me.

Instead I went to a cheap outdoor shop and found some hiking sticks that were two for £5. I then just attached an old telephone cord to the handle of one using  some cheap metal clips, zip ties and super glue and I had a great solution. The stick is adjustable to whatever height you want it and with the cord you and let it hang by your side, out of the way while you are fishing.

When wading, the stick will float when you are not holding on to it which makes it easy to grab when you do need it. It doesn’t seem to get in the way at all but it is still easily accessible.

The stick has saved me from numerous falls this year and also helps you get across the rocks a lot faster, giving you more fishing time. It gives you that little bit extra confidence and help when wading, stopping you from taking a dunking and getting you or your gear wet.

It is by far the most useful thing I have discovered this year and it is also, probably, the cheapest.