bass tips (i need them)

[YoungRod]

Hi

Being young, quite new to fishing, and depressingly unsuccesful, i was wondering if anyone on here can help me out. can anyone share with me some fishing tips, mostly bass fishing (but other stuff is fine too), so that i can enjoy catching something. I regulary fish in the Essex area (near Southend) and barly catch a thing! It's slightly upsetting, listening (or reading) to everyone discuss their catches, and me with nothing but a cold!

Thanks

YR

[FishingGuernsey]

The best help on Bass fishing is local knowledge which I don't have on that area. I know here that Bass can turn up on pretty much every single location on the island but you need to know where and when they feed and on what.

 

The baits I have found best here (generally speaking) are fresh razorfish (still alive, none of that frozen rubbish), Verm, Big snake whites or live eel.

 

My favorite method though is plugging. Find a surf beach with rocks to one side/middle or wherever and get a shallow diver or surface popper into the surf. This can be deadly. (Both for you and the Bass so take care )

 

Andy

[Steve B]

Why dont you join B.A.S.S, Bass anglers Sportfishing Society

£18 a year. Well worth the money.

 

Steve Butler

[DJMCJERICO]

Ignore Southend if i was you and stick to Canvey, unless your going on the pier.

[Sharkbyte]

I'd say look for some features whether it be rocks, groins, slipways etc. and your best bet for bait would be to go out and collect some nice fresh peelers. Don't forget to try casting short, very short if need be on some marks. Bass will often patrol along stretches of shoreline just where the waves are breaking. Try fishing low water especially at night if you've been in the habit of going around hw with no joy.

[RichardB]

Hi Youngrod.

 

I don't know your area either and as Fishing Guernsey says, one of the biggest factors in bass fishing (or any other) is local knowledge. If you don't have access to this - try gathering your own - it's half the fascination of it.

 

Walk along your chosen beach at low tide and study it. Look for 'features'. Even on a beach consisting of mainly clean ground spy out any bolders or patches of rocks, weed beds, worm/shelfish beds, maybe groins jutting out into the tide. Make a note of where they are.

 

All these places represent food and shelter for crabs, worms, prawns, smaller fish etc. which will hopefully attract predators - like bass.

 

Once you have chosen some spots to try, fish them on a variety of different sizes of tides, and different periods of the flood or ebb. Try during the day or after dark, or around dawn or dusk. Again keep notes ! You can begin to build up a picture of when they are present and feeding - often this will be at quite specific times during certain tides and might only be for short spells.

 

Be prepared to experiment with different baits - often bass will be pre-occupied with certain things i.e. crabs in spring/early summer with the onset of molting their old shells, or fish baits like mackeral or squid later in the season.

 

Fish as light as you can if ledgering - most of the time bass are never far out so heavy beachcasters are rarely necessary and light tackle allows bait to be taken with the least resistance felt by the fish. Also a light rod can held for long periods - often neccessary to feel the initial take and strike successfully.

 

There are many other methods to try as you go along - spinning and plugging, float fishing, live-baiting etc. and fly fishing - something I've yet to try !

 

 

 

Hope this helps. Good luck !

 

oops ! looks like I've covered the same things as Sharkbyte here ! ... ah well.

Edited March 15, 2006 by RichardB

[mahoo]

Hi Young rod,

One thing to add if you are Bass fishing is to never stray too far from your rod, so that when you do get that thumper of a bite you can strike it very quickly, I am sure that i have lost many more Bass than I have hooked by not being quick enough on the strike

[spuds]

The beaches at Southend are good for Flounder and the occasional plaice .Try the river crouch for Bass in a couple of months time.I've had Bass to 5-6lb at South Fambridge using peeler or rag worm on flowing trace.When you get to the sea wall turn right and past the old pill box.There is a small bay a couple of hundred yards further on and a good spot for the occasional Bass on the incoming tide.Don't cast out too far as they are often only10-20 yards out.Be careful of the sea wall as it is slippery with weed though so you may want someone with you for safety.

I would recommend that you join any of the clubs in Southend as they will have a wealth of local knowledge.Don't lose heart as the area in which you live has some great fishing.Try talking to any of the guys in the local Angling centres who can offer up to date advice on marks and metods or will put you in touch with good clubs.

[gannet]

Hi YoungRod, when I was your age I joined a local sea angling club and never looked back. Most members there have a wealth of knowledge which they are only too happy to share with you. I used to work on Foulness Island near you, where there was some good bass fishing but I believe you may need a local to take you fishing there as it was then controlled by the Ministry of Defence. Good Luck with your fishing.

[sam-cox]

Hi young rod, there are plenty of bass in your area in the summer, you will need to get hold of some rag worms or even better learn how to collect peeler and soft crabs.

I dont know what you have in the way of tacke, but you would do best to keep things very simple, for example a decent mid priced light beach, pier or uptideing out fit, a fixed spool reel would be the easyest thing for you to start off with. Load your reel with 15lb line and get your self an asortment of leads starting at 2oz to 5oz hooks should be from 1/0 to 4/0.

There are masses of bass on the pier from mid april these fish are mostly small and should be handled with care and returned.

 

If you would like I will be having a bash from the pier at the begining of April and your welcom to meet me there. I can show you more in ten minutes from the pier than by typing ten pages on hear.