Duration: 1400 - 2000
Tide: Low at 1830
Weather: Dry bright/overcast, light north-easterly variable
Rigs: Xlayer, Feed Shallow, Blue/Silver Toby
Results: 1 Bass
I decided to go to a stretch of coastline that I have been meaning to explore for some time, to scout it out as the tide dropped and see how it looked bass-wise. I wasn't expecting much to happen in terms of the fishing as it was bright overhead, and coupled with a light north-easterly and dropping tide it wasn't the most promising but brought the spinning rod and a couple of lures with me in any case. Over the course of the next 4 hours I fished along various points finding lots of nice looking gullies and small pebbley/rocky bays which are likely to produce on a flooding tide, but with the slack neap tide on the ebb there was nothing happening for me.
At low tide I tried fishing a large rock shelf which had plenty kelp and coral, using a Xlayer rigged weedless. After some time I got stuck on a rock protruding just above the surface only about 10 yeards out from me - tried getting a bit closer in an effort to free the lure and of course a wave came in and went down the wellies. I started trudging back eastwards towards where I had started and tried a few more points with a feed shallow. Found one spot at low water which was basically a 'crossroads' of gullies and took a mental note for what could be a hotspot when the tide starts to flood that point.
Finally got back to within a hundred yards of where I had begun fishing and tried my last few casts. It was now an hour after low tide, overcast but still bright, and there was a small bit of turbulence in the still very clear water. On about the 3rd cast I had a bang about 25m out, fish on yahooooo
It was the unmistakable hit of a bass, and I saw him surface shortly after doing a bit of head banging. He gave a decent fight but didn't take line or fly off to left/right. I eased him onto the rocks thrilled at my breaking my duck with first bass of 2011, took a quick measurement at 51cm and pic and released him back to sea. I forgot to weigh the fish in my excitement but he wasn't that fat looking I'd say he was around the 3.5lb maybe 4lb mark.I had to leave soon afterwards but of course tried a few more 'last casts' and had one more bang 20 minutes later but I didn't connect that time. Left absolutely chuffed and had totally forgotten about the soggy socks
I must head back there again on for the duration of a flooding tide.
