Duration: 11pm to 3.00 am
Tide: LW at 2.10 am
Weather: Moderate east/southeasterly breeze, dry
Bait: Lug
Rigs: 4/0 pennel, two hook flapper (4/0)
Results: 3 bass, 1 dogfish
Report: Bass have managed to elude me since the 16th despite a lot of effort to catch them over the last week using lures and some bait fishing. With the wind picking up on Tuesday morning I decided that this would be a good time to try some beach fishing. I got set up on the beach by 11 pm. There was a nice surf rolling in so I was hopeful of picking up a few bass but I ran into weed problems straight away. Several times it only took a few seconds after casting for the rods to buckle over under the weight of weed
I spent more time cleaning fine weed off the tackle than I did fishing for the first two hours I came very close to packing up at midnight but decided to perservere for a while hoping that it would clear. This beach is typically like that with easterly winds; as the tide ebbs below a rock promontory and the weed that built up on the eastern side of the rocks starts to migrate down the beach but then it clears. I resorted to using just one rod with the 4/0 pennel.Sure enough by 1 am it was almost weed free. As soon as the weed cleared I spotted a timid bite. I was unsure if it was a fish or just a clump of weed on the line and held the rod until I felt a stronger bite. I struck hooking into a fish that was putting up a strong fight and eventually hauled a 55 cm bass through the surf - my first post-ban bass
Unfortunately the fish was very deeply hooked into the gut. So that was one for dinner.Only a few minutes later I had another subtle knock - again the fish seem to be taking the bait very timidly. When I felt a stronger pull I struck. This time it was a 56 cm bass
About 15 minutes later I had another timid bite. I waited and the fish returned but was still timidly biting on the bait. I struck and hooked into another bass, this one was about 50 cm
This was also quite deeply hooked but the hook was easier to remove.At about 2 am I had another bite but this time it was a dogfish.
I stuck it out for another hour and had one missed bite. This time there was quite a strong knock on the rod but I struck too weakly and the fish came off after a few seconds.
So I eventually managed to get a few post-ban bass - I was beginning to think I had forgotten how to catch them
