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k BASS ANGLER 35 PAGES OF TACKLE +ACTION O ON OA OAT k BOAT ANGLER TIPS FOR CATCHING AFLOAT
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BASS
ANGLER
T
he surface of the estuary is like glass and the sun has yet to come up over the horizon, then the eerie silence is shattered as a bass slams into the angler’s lure. Fishing with rod and line doesn’t get any better than this. Join us on a new journey as we
explore the exciting world of bass fishing. If you have ever come eye to eye with a bass you will know it is a special species. Part athlete, part opportunist, certainly a terrorist and often little better than a mugger. Now we invite you to come with us by turning to page 57 where
we offer you a new and uplifting experience fishing for a species that is truly the only sport fish swimming in our waters. If you have never caught a bass you are missing out on one of the most exhilarating angling thrills you will ever get in this country.
This is the world of bass fishing! Editor
Exciting new 33-page bass section is here! Turn to page 57
Picture by Mick Rouse
BOAT ANGLER
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Feature Modern bass fishing Words and pictures by Henry Gilbey
Bass fishing:
why I’m loving it
BASS
ANGLER www.seangler.com
Why do we go bass fishing? For many years a dyed-in-the-wool deep-water rock angler, Henry Gilbey is now smitten by bass. Here he explains why and encourages you to think outside the box
Y
ou never get bored if you fish for bass. While you must work to earn cash, bass fishing is a choice and although you don’t have to catch a bass to survive, it certainly lifts your soul! We are all different, but I do know that some of the biggest thrills to be had in fishing come when you try something that isn’t common currency. For me bass fishing was just sea fishing. I didn’t realise it could give you such a rush until I tried it. And I never thought it would become an obsession, for it is nothing like the static shore fishing that was my normal routine. The transition from casting small baits out at long range over clean beaches to suddenly going rough ground fishing in deep water over tackle-grabbing rocks is like stepping into unknown territory. The sport becomes a buzz; new techniques, different methods, a fresh way of thinking, but it’s still fishing. Think about the differences between, say, deftly casting a tiny dry fly on a tumbling West Country stream and power casting a 6oz lead plus bait out there. Think about deepwater wrecking and inshore kayak fishing. Could these be
more different? Fishing as a term covers one of the broadest ranges of activities possible. We get hooked on it because we can find our niche and attain varying degrees of proficiency, but surely enjoying sea angling is also about doing the different stuff? I guess that bass fishing has got to me because it has taken me completely out of my comfort zone, and I thrive the most when I am doing different things, learning along the way. I drive my wife mad at times because I am forever fidgeting. I used to play the drums and I am always tapping out various rhythms when we sit down to eat or drive somewhere. I can’t sit still, and doing the same thing over and over again bores me. I used to specialise in rough ground fishing for all the popular West Country species, and living in my own little world I thought angling couldn’t get any better. Bass used to turn up on my radar from time to time, but usually I caught them by accident while chasing something else. If I am honest, the idea of really going light-tackle lure fishing for bass held little appeal for years. I do remember fishing, photographing and filming with a very talented bass angler over in Jersey some years ago, and what he was doing fascinated me. But I was so into my long
Lure angling keeps you involved in the act of fishing all of the time
Feature Light-tackle bassing
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BASS ANGLER
BASS
ANGLER
The lady goes light Lots of anglers are scared of scaling down their tackle. Here Minehead skipper Dave Roberts shows a young angler how to go light to catch bass on lures
I
n my part of the world the tides run hard. Consequently, it is often difficult to fish for species such as bass with anything less than medium weight tackle. Of course, we can break the rules when the tides are slack or we find a bank that for some reason is sheltered from the full force of the currents.
The obvious choice was braid, which transmits the slightest nibble
BASS ANGLER
Drift fishing a bank with a green lure produced this bass.
This teach-in is aimed at such a scenario because we have found a series of offshore sandbanks that hold bass, and the best way to catch them is on artificial lures drifted along the sea bed. My young pupil today is a familiar face on AlyKat’s deck, and though she is only 13 years old she has proved she can be more than a match for the boys and the bass. Stacey Bayldon has been fishing with her father Malcolm since she could stand and hold a rod, often out-fishing the people around her. Invited to join me for a lesson in lighttackle bass fishing, she arrived at the quay well armed for the job. With the help of her father and West Coast Tackle, which has a shop bang on Minehead harbour, she collected a full set of new gear to help her with her new project. Ready for action With her tackle set up, I now had to work the magic and find a sandbar that held bass and then show her how to present her terminal gear close to the sea bed. We were going to drift the bank with an artificial lure, and with the tide setting at only two knots with a slight cloud in the water a fairly bright lure would be a favourite. Stacey’s choice was a white Sidewinder with a pink head! A brave shout, but who knows what’s going to happen in this sea angling game? The trace line would be around 10ft long and made from 30lb mono; it is what’s known as a flowing trace because it obviously flows out behind the sinker.
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Boat Angler
Offshore action
Why not have a Silver Spray day? As charter angling comes out of the deep freeze and spring sport kicks in, we look at how Andy Cumming, skipper of Silver Spray out of Poole, Dorset, sees his angling year unfold
A 17lb 8oz pollack for Dave Faulkner
T
here is an air of late spring fever aboard Silver Spray, out of Poole. Personal bests are tumbling every tide and, with a promise of more as the season moves into summer, charter fishing out of the Dorset port looks exciting. “The mid-channel wrecks are producing excellent pollack fishing including plenty of doublefigure fish, the best at 17lb 8oz caught by Dave Faulkner on a blue sidewinder lure,” said Silver Spray’s skipper Andy Cumming. “Good size ling are also showing
104
with a 29-pounder, lured by Kelvin Hindmarch from Overton on a mackerel flapper intended for conger, drawing admiring looks around the boat.” Silver Spray’s joint skipper Sam Cumming has found a new wreck and it appears to be snake city. “When we drift away from the wreck,” said Andy, “the eels just keep on coming and coming.” We have no need to tell you, but spring has been cold and this held back the black bream and turbot about three weeks. The first bream are now starting to show and the signs are for a good
summer’s sport. One fish that makes charter anglers sit up and take notice is talk of mid-channel cod, and Silver Spray has found them on the brittle star grounds south of Poole. Fish coming aboard look like winter fish migrating south and they average well into double-figures, with 20-pounders quite common. “We now realise that just as the cod fishing starts to tail off around November it doesn’t mean the end of fishing for them as the offshore banks continue to fish extremely well,” revealed Andy.
These sandbanks are about 20-25 miles offshore and Silver Spray, being a big aluminium catamaran, is ideal for this type of work. In fact the grounds are the same ones that are fished for bass in the summer when drifting with livebaits on spring tides is the method. Tackle comprises a 20lb-class rod fitted with a medium multiplier and 30lb braid. End gear is a 4ft trace of 80lb mono fitted with a size 6/0 hook. An 8oz lead handles slack water, but up to 2lb will be required for the fastest tides. Mackerel is the king of baits,
Sea Angler issue 453
A brace of blondes of 16lb and 10lb for Steve Bullock
This 29lb ling fell to Kevin Hindmarch
FaCt FIle Silver Spray is a Cat Fish 38 aluminium catamaran built to fully comply with all required UK safety standards. Purpose built at Hayling Island in 2005 for charter angling, she is 38ft long by 16ft across the beam. There is an enormous 300 square feet of deck space and 76ft of gunnel length to fish along, which means there is space for the whole crew to fish in comfort. Being a catamaran she is very stable and can comfortably fish in conditions where mono-hulls would have to head for home. She is powered by twin Caterpillar 355hp diesels, which give a cruising speed
of 17 knots when carrying a full crew. Eight anglers can sit in comfort in the wheelhouse, which is heated in winter. There is a flushing toilet. Tea and coffee are provided free of charge. Silver Spray is equipped with radar, triple GPS, plotter, two VHF radios, two fish-finders and all safety equipment to comply with MCA category 2. Contact Silver Spray, joint skippers Andy and Sam Cumming, tel: 01202 733659 or 07787 375386. Email: andy@ silverspraycharters.com Website: www. silverspraycharters.com
ducing “Mid-channel wrecks are pro excellent pollack fishing Silver Spray is 38ft long with a 16ft beam
including double-figure fish” usually half a side but launce and squid can be useful too. St Albans marlin, the local nickname for garfish, is also an excellent bait and will produce some bites when all else fails. Blonde rays and spurdogs, both running into double-figure weights, can be expected. The best ray this winter went to Charlie Mc Dowell from Newbury, who boated a fine fish of 31lb. Steve Bullock from Poole boated two blondes of 16lb and 10lb at once on a two-hook rig. “The spurdogs are truly amazing,” said Andy, “with
Sea angler iSSue 453
almost every fish being over the specimen weight of 12lb. Last winter Dave Lynes from Poole boated a spurdog of 20lb 7oz, a new Wessex record and just 10oz short of the British record. We’ll certainly have a go at cracking it again this year.” Conger eels feed on the sandbanks even through January and February and a handful of eels to 30lb can be expected on most trips. Other popular species include bass to 8lb and small-eyed rays, and the good news is there do not seem to be any dogfish on these marks to steal your bait. SA
Dave Lynes with his big 20lb 7oz spurdog
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The Maria Angel Kiss (115mm) features Maria’s moving weight system for improved casting distance and perfect fishing balance. The lip is designed for extra shallow diving (6in to 12in) and a slow steady retrieve gets the lure working just sub-surface. Extra shallow divers are deadly for bass and this lure fills the gap left by the sadly missed Jointed Thunder Stick. Not only do you get a killer lure but also a spool of Varivas braid manufactured extra tight for a smooth round finish that not only gives additional casting distance but also excellent breaking strain to diameter ratio. Available in green, and ideal for both shore and boat fishing, you get a choice of either 7.5kg (15lb) or 9kg (20lb) breaking strains.
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