question on bass
Moderator: donal domeney
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lee daykin
question on bass
I'm relitively new to fishing, five sessions in total.on only my second trip i was fortunate enough to catch a 9lb bass,much to the disgust of my work colleages.i caught the fish in a small cove with rock on either side,anyway since then i have fished this bay three times,without so much as a nibble.i read somewhere that bass are territorial,and another fish may not appear in that cove for many years,does anyone know is this correct or is just my bad fishing attempts.
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kieran
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9 lb bass
Hi Lee
It could be a long time before you see a fish of that quality again, that fish could be 25 years old! Fantastic catch... so keep the cove to yourself!
Bass are territorial which is why catch and release is so important. The bigger fish are the better spawners and so should always be put back.
Since there are lots of bass in Waterford, most anglers there will take a far smaller fish, above the legal limit but around the 4 lb mark, if they want one for the table.
In terms of the cove, if you put it back, it will probably still be there. If you did not it may take some time for a new bass or several smaller fish to locate the mark and take up residence. Bass fishing is like that - you can hit a mark ten times, blank on seven, have a lone fish twice, and think you have found a piece of heaven on the tenth day.
My record for a single day is 11 fish, in Kerry, lost as many as well on that one day, around this time of year too, but I have had so many blanks they are beyond counting. The next month is peeler crab moult time in most areas, so bass will be in feeding heavily in advance of the winter months.
If you have caught a 9 lber, you are well ahead of most people here.
Bass are notoriously difficult, part of the attraction, so just keep at it and try lots of different marks, at different stages of the tide / weather and try different tactics all the time. A diary becomes invaluable over time.
FWIW
It could be a long time before you see a fish of that quality again, that fish could be 25 years old! Fantastic catch... so keep the cove to yourself!
Bass are territorial which is why catch and release is so important. The bigger fish are the better spawners and so should always be put back.
Since there are lots of bass in Waterford, most anglers there will take a far smaller fish, above the legal limit but around the 4 lb mark, if they want one for the table.
In terms of the cove, if you put it back, it will probably still be there. If you did not it may take some time for a new bass or several smaller fish to locate the mark and take up residence. Bass fishing is like that - you can hit a mark ten times, blank on seven, have a lone fish twice, and think you have found a piece of heaven on the tenth day.
My record for a single day is 11 fish, in Kerry, lost as many as well on that one day, around this time of year too, but I have had so many blanks they are beyond counting. The next month is peeler crab moult time in most areas, so bass will be in feeding heavily in advance of the winter months.
If you have caught a 9 lber, you are well ahead of most people here.
Bass are notoriously difficult, part of the attraction, so just keep at it and try lots of different marks, at different stages of the tide / weather and try different tactics all the time. A diary becomes invaluable over time.
FWIW
Kieran Hanrahan
Time spent fishing is never time wasted...
2015 targets - a triggerfish, a specimen bass, a three bearded rockling to complete the set and something big and toothy from certain north Mayo deep water marks
Time spent fishing is never time wasted...
2015 targets - a triggerfish, a specimen bass, a three bearded rockling to complete the set and something big and toothy from certain north Mayo deep water marks
