2005 Bass Season

[sam-cox]

Some of the you may have noticed that my posts of late have turned jovial. There is a reason for this and this post may help explain.

Since 1996 (when my farther packed up chartering)I have been regually fishing the shores of my three local rivers, the Blackwater, Crouch and the Thames from Southend Pier.

In these years I have established many markes, times, tides and conditions to catch sizable bass from the shore. Up until November I had a small boat on the Crouch and also worked out many marks to catch bass this way.

This year the only boats I have are being worked on(slowly)in my garden so although I go out on my friends boat most of my fishing has been restricted to the shore.

In the spring I was very optermistic about the season and caught some bass to around 3.5lb from the shore and 4.5 from the pier.

Now the season is well underway and my catches are far from even moderate I find myself at a loss on posertive things to post about the bass fishing, hence my jovail posts.

I dont know whats happened this season, I dont think theres more local commercial pressure in fact I think there is a bit less.

My minds been serching for reasons, maybe the fish are there but the feeding patturns have changed.Maybe the food they feed on and the times they feed have changed.

My commercial fisherman friend has caught less this year, 20 sizable bass a day is a good day this year working inshore. One thing he has said thats got me thinking is that he has had lots of anchovies in his gear a few hundred a day at times. This is supriseing as he uses 90mil gear so small fish swim through the meshes, so in order to catch a few hundred there must be millions there. Now if the bass react to anchovies as cod do to sprats this could explain why my bass aint in the areas I fish in the numbers they were.Also there have been vast mackeral shoals offshore the last couple of years, maybe the bass could be following them, I know last season I heard of over 15 double figure bass being caught off shore by the end of June, but this year the charter boats were hampered by strong winds most days stopping them getting offshore.

Anouther hypothersis I have is to do with the crab moult, it started late hear this year and bothe the males and female moults didnt last as long as is normal, so if the bass food sorse isnt there then the bass will look elsewhere.

I have been concerntrateing mainly on mullet for the past few weeks(not hooking many but they are there) only fishing for bass maybe once a week, Ive also been faily bizy with family and work comitments so havnt put as much time in as is the norm, this stuff should slow down a bit soon so I will be bassing a bit more, also next season the boat will be ready so on the nice days I will be going off shore to the sand bars and shallow wrecks that hold bass. On the windy days I will be fishing my favorite marks on the Crouch.

I just hope this year isnt the start of a paturne, and the bass management plan can be brought put into action to save the seververal years of good spawning the bass have enjoyed.

[five bellies]

Has been a bit hard this season sam,one of the bass that I landed the other day should have wieghed in at about 4lb if the length was any thing to go by. But it just made over 2lb it also had a heavy infestation of lice on it I do not know If this was the cause of it being out of condition or as a result of it. But genraly hard work all round

[Snatcher]

Best of luck Sam with your bass fishery. Wish me the same with mine (Mull of Galloway}

[Dan]

Hi Sam

Ive been thinking the same, the fish arent here in the same numbers as last year, my sounder shows that. remember that many bass move out into the channel in the winter where they are being swept up by the pair trawlers, i think that pressure is taking its toll. Lets hope its jusyt a blip and they are hiding some where, but i'm not optimistic.

Dan

[ourwullie80]

the bass i caught today was very thin and belly was empty just one small crab in it, i have noticed the bass caught lately have been very thin and the size of the fish i thought should have weighed more, not sure wot this means but there is loads of sand eels where i am fishing but none found in the the bass i am catching , normaly the fish i catch in these area's are bigger this time of year but it just an't happening does anybody have any reason for this

[MJB]

I have to say after a slow start, I have now caught more or less the same number of Bass as last year. Lots of folks are complaining there are many small Bass about, but I would imagine at least 50% of my fish have been 2lb+ and I have had two of 6lb+. I think the strange weather patterns have screwed up the baitfish migrations. I'll reserve judgement on whether it's been a bad year once we get past the prime time of Oct/Nov.

[A Norfolk Boy]

In a strange way, it's nice to hear this as I'm beginning to wonder if there's any out there at all. Been very slow up here this season. A handful of fish to 8lb but overall numbers have been low.

[A Norfolk Boy]

Just picked this up from another forum though:

 

Big Bass again

 

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Hi All

 

Carrying on to the thread below,

 

I caught and landed seven thursday evening on Sheppey.

 

Again the sizes varied from 2.5lb to 12.8lb.

 

3 fish were double figure 10lb 4oz, 11lb 3oz and 12lb 8oz.

 

All taken on micro squid.

 

It seems that the Bass are around in large numbers again this year.

 

Optimum time is top of tide to 1 hour after.

[Snatcher]

3 double figure bass in one session

[A Norfolk Boy]

The man known as the reel doctor no less.