bass fishing

[fishface]

need advice on spinning for bass around the wicklow to arklow coastline, where to go ,when to go , what to use, have not done this type of fishing before so any info would be welcome, have bought a grauvelle rod and reel for same so am looking forward to you guys of experience to help me out :lol: :lol:

[kieran]

Hi fishface

If you are bait fishing, remember to fish relatively close in. Look at using a flyer rig, it catches lots of bass and peeler crab is probably the no 1 bait although most baits will work.

Use the search facility (below main title) to look for the various marks in the area in the shore angling reports. This will give you some indication of what peopel catch and how.

Lure fishing for bass is an early morning or dusk job in the main.

Standard lures include metal lures like German sprats (good for mackerel, pollack and sea trout as it imitates a sand eel), shads which have the advantage of the hook being up out of the top meaning that you snag less on weeds and rocks as you retrieve it but I find them better for pollack than anything else especially with a spinner attachment and a whole range of usually expenive plugs, which vary in terms of the depth they swim at - some are floaters, some fish no more than one metre below the surface, some are designed to go far deeper.

If you search the site, Jim Hendrick has written some very fine pieces on lure fishing, specifically for bass,

Hope this helps...

[eric]

spot on from kieran, running ledger with size 1's is my preferred rig,peeler is deadly in the autumn and spring and ive also had great success with rag and sandeel during the summer months.

my favorite lures for bass has to be the rapala j-11 in blue, the husky jerk and skitter pop , on windy days when you cant cast a plug the necessary distance a bass bullet or German sprat is very effective.

[teacher]

I would definitely invest in a small selection of diving lures and perhaps one or two surface lures. Go for a selection that lets you work different depths, e.g. ones that dive 1-1.5m, ones that work just below the surface and ones that work on the surface.

As eric suggested, the Rapala J11 is a good diving lure for just below the surface. Although I prefer the J13 as it gives you more options, particularly casting into stronger wind and dives a little deeper.

For surface lures, the Lucky Craft Sammy is populalr at the moment. Look also at something like the Smith ZipSea Pen and Smith ZipSea Pop. These lures can be used walk-the-dog style on the surface, making them irresistable to bass!!

There are lots of lures out there to choose from. Some manufacturers to look for are Lucky Craft, Rapala, Smith, Maria and Yo-Zuri. Although they may seem expensive, if used with care, you will loose very few if any. Remember, a €20 lure costs about the same as 80 lug.

These lures are best used with a light spinning rod, ideally something rated from 10g or lower to somewhere between 25g and 60g. I'm using a 10-35 rod at the moment. Also, consider using braid as it makes it easier to impart action into the lures (e.g. twitching them along).

As for location, on the east coast I like to look for rocky/weedy reefs of rock that stretch out into the sea. Fish in the gullies and channels or to either side of the reefs, working the lures between rocks and features if you can.

Although, as Kieran said, dawn and dusk are often the best times of day, don't be afraid to go for it in the middle of the day.

It's still a little early in the year and lure fishing for bass on the east coast is going to be patchy at best. Give it a go, but don't expect the real action to start until we get well into April.

Good luck!!

[teacher]

Also, check out our Lure Fishing forum

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... m.php?f=28

and Jim Hendrick's website

http://www.bassfishing.ie/

for some more pointers.

[eric]

as for ground type, bass frequent everywhere, from estuaries to shingle beaches to piers to surf beaches to rock marks to sand bars, flooded rockpools can be very productive too, bass are not scared of shallow water

[kieran]

bass are not scared of shallow water

The irish record bass was reputedly taken on a miscast on a receding ebb tide on doughmore beach, which is for anyone who knows it is as flat as a pancake... I think he was using sandeel as bait, another good option.

HTH

[fishface]

thanks to one and all. j13 rings a bell were you on brittas last sat

[teacher]

j13 rings a bell were you on brittas last sat

Me? Nope. I was looking for (and not finding) bass on the South coast :D Maybe eric was ...

[GrahamHill]

I would definitely invest in a small selection of diving lures and perhaps one or two surface lures. Go for a selection that lets you work different depths, e.g. ones that dive 1-1.5m, ones that work just below the surface and ones that work on the surface.

As eric suggested, the Rapala J11 is a good diving lure for just below the surface. Although I prefer the J13 as it gives you more options, particularly casting into stronger wind and dives a little deeper.

For surface lures, the Lucky Craft Sammy is populalr at the moment. Look also at something like the Smith ZipSea Pen and Smith ZipSea Pop. These lures can be used walk-the-dog style on the surface, making them irresistable to bass!!

There are lots of lures out there to choose from. Some manufacturers to look for are Lucky Craft, Rapala, Smith, Maria and Yo-Zuri. Although they may seem expensive, if used with care, you will loose very few if any. Remember, a €20 lure costs about the same as 80 lug.

These lures are best used with a light spinning rod, ideally something rated from 10g or lower to somewhere between 25g and 60g. I'm using a 10-35 rod at the moment. Also, consider using braid as it makes it easier to impart action into the lures (e.g. twitching them along).

As for location, on the east coast I like to look for rocky/weedy reefs of rock that stretch out into the sea. Fish in the gullies and channels or to either side of the reefs, working the lures between rocks and features if you can.

Although, as Kieran said, dawn and dusk are often the best times of day, don't be afraid to go for it in the middle of the day.

It's still a little early in the year and lure fishing for bass on the east coast is going to be patchy at best. Give it a go, but don't expect the real action to start until we get well into April.

Good luck!!

check out catch reports thats the way to go with the Bass,,,,got to be in it to win it teach!! 8) 8) 8)

gee

[Danny M.]

j13 rings a bell were you on brittas last sat

Me? Nope. I was looking for (and not finding) bass on the South coast :D Maybe eric was ...

I put in alot (just ask herself / the fishing widow !) of hours last year ( and the previous 10 :P ) for bass on both south and east coast.

And for the first time that I can remember I got much better results on the East Coast !

[teacher]

And for the first time that I can remember I got much better results on the East Coast !

I'd consider anywhere south of the Raven to be the South Coast :lol:

[Danny M.]

And for the first time that I can remember I got much better results on the East Coast !

I'd consider anywhere south of the Raven to be the South Coast :lol:

Right so ,

Less said the better :lol:

[teacher]

Jim Hendrick has informed me that a series of 25 short articles on lure fishing techniques will appear on his blog throughout April. Might be worth keeping an eye out for the articles here:

http://sfdiaries.blogspot.com/search/la ... %20fishing

p.s. Think I'll move this to the Lure Fishing section, since that was what the question was about ...