BAAAAASSSSSS!!

Early morning success later…. And new mark fish 13th\14th August A work hiatus and fishing less family trip to the South Hams saw me returning solo for an evening session followed by a full day. The fits evening saw me fishing the south west facing rocks opposite the bay we had visited as a family together at the weekend. I will never cease to be amazed by how much the sea conditions can change the whole coastal environment so quickly. The northern winds of only two days previously had swung round to more normal brisk south westerlies which meant that the rocks were difficult to fish from with regular large waves rushing up the rock faces. This made fly fishing nigh in impossible and the lures I cycled through brought no success on the dropping tide. A fairly restless night (I usually sleep like a kid before Christmas day before dawn trips) saw me awake before my 5am alarm. It seems odd to see this as relatively more civilised than the 3.30 start required for a high summer trip. I fairly trotted down to the normal point excited by the prospect of the fishing dawn trip can bring. As a child my pre-breakfast trips often brought success and all the bass blogs and websites speak glowingly of the bass and baitfish an early morning trip can bring. I had resolved to keep mobile on this neap tide so after forty minute so fly and lure I moved round the point I the bassy hole that often forms my second option here. I soon found myself drifting a Wave Stick around in the light current appreciating the slowed down feeling and the sensitivity required to concentrate on the soft bait. I still haven’t had a bass on this method but will persevere as I quite enjoy the change of approach. Lots of hard lure fisherman seem to like the feedback and speed of cranking hard lures and whilst I can appreciate this view and enjoy this method I also like the variety of drifting weightless baits.

By now with high water at 4.45 A.M. the tide had dropped and I was back on the floating shooting head closer in to the bay fishing above the head of the weed revealing itself. I had been trying to vary the retrieve and keep my confidence high by telling myself a bass could come along at any moment. In truth I had drifted in to a spacey reverie accompanied by the by now fairly standard quick strip-strip-strip I fall n to by default when fishing Livebaits or Clousers. Ten bang fish on and I was awakened with a powerful hit and heavy head shaking weight which quadrupled then gain doubled my pulse as the unseen fish slammed in to my fly. I was in no doubt this was a bass due to the sheer ferocity and power of its take and early fight but was still relieved and delighted to see the silvery grey the white flank of the fish and then its dark eye as it first showed itself. Soon enough it had taken all the stripped line and at long last I was playing a sizeable a bass off my sexy Danielsson reel. I immediately found, myself palming the rim before clumsily adjusting the drag too tightly which saw the fish unable to take line and thrashing on the surface. Fearful of losing the fish I quickly more finely adjusted the drag and listened to it purring keenly as the bass again took line. I had been waiting for this moment since February when I took delivery of the beautiful and extravagant piece of Swedish engineering. Despite the early power and runs I was still soon able to bring the fish in to close by the rocks and after some initial trouble in finding a suitable landing point (I still don’t carry a landing net) I was soon able to use a wave to land the fish. What a beauty! 51cm of plump healthy bass. Yes! I even let out a few little whoops! of excitement and pleasure. The fish had taken a very sparsely dressed but large Livebait Clouser tied in gunmetal grey and ash with red yes on a size 2 hook. It was also good to feel that I could catch here in quite shallow water towards a neap low tide.

After some brunch and midmorning campsite beer (odd looks from fellow campers) and brief hot snooze I made my way through the National Trust sheep down the exposed cliffs and rocks beyond the cove we had visited together. This was truly wild and big sea coast with huge rock faces sloping down in to deep looking sea. The sea state had calmed since the day before but still required some caution to negotiate safely. It looked great with clear fizzing water and a multitude of likely looking areas with drop off ledges and gullies all visible. All a bit deeper than ideal but still with that excitement of dipping in the unknown and fishing new ground. I guess it’s not a “mark” until you have caught fish from it and perhaps not even until you have unlocked its code a bit. With the deep water in mind I put on the sinking Rudra jerk bait I had bought for Chesil Beach bassing. Soon it was attacked by a schoolie at the end of the retrieve, which was almost immediately landed at my feet by the large wave which swept the fish up almost as soon as it had been hooked. Only a small fish but great to catch on not just a new lure but a new style of lure. Chuffed. I fished a couple of likely looking spots just further along and took almost countless Pollack- some up top about 1.5lb on a variety of lures from Savage Gear Sandeels to Livebait flies and in particular a chartreuse back and white belly Deceiver patter. I also lost two smallish bass – one on a Livebait and another on an olive SGS before finally landing another smallish bass of 43cm this time on a gun metal grey and red eye Livebait fly. I also landed quite a few smallish mackerel that look like they were herding brit in to the bay formed at high tide; it also looked like the south west wind might be helping the bait fish gather in this areas as many of the Pollack were regurgitating an almost jelly like see through mass of fry with distinctive eyes as they were landed. It was easy to see how the smaller Livebait flies made an excellent representation. On the way back I fished on the rocks right above the family cove and was greeted by the sight of a bay absolutely full of a massive shoal of mackerel cashing unseen prey right on the surface. For a while it was difficult to avoid them but soon enough I managed to get the Rudra to avoid them by casting parallel to the shore right through the white water close in. Jerking the Rudra I soon felt a bag bang followed by a full take. Stupidly I was convinced this was a Pollack and in checking for identity left a slackish line which combined with the bass thrashing on the surface lead to its escape. Damn. Damn. Bad angling. It was now time to beg nth trip home and reflect upon a fish filled day and new mark which deserved respect and is probably really only fishable in calming weather conditions.