OK, not really, but when it’s nearly May and the wind has finally swung around to the west, there’s a touch more warmth in the air, and the conditions are increasingly bouncing, yesterday afternoon was one of those sessions when I had said to myself that something was going to get flung in the tide if at least a single sodding bass had not been caught. Lures in the tide? Rod? Camera gear? Mark? Storm? Whatever the case, confidence was high that we might at least see something impaling itself on one of our lures……….
Are we all slightly guilty of basing our expectations on when the bass fishing might kick on the previous season, almost regardless of the actual conditions? Well they were here at so and so time last year, so they are damn well going to be here at the same time this year! When we’re well into the bass season as such I reckon you stand a far greater chance of catching a few fish when conditions are less than ideal, but as we have had recently with a lot of E/NE winds and then this recent winter blast, let’s just say that early season conditions have been less than ideal. But then the forecast was saying the wind was going to shift from NW round to W/SW through yesterday and freshen right up come the afternoon.
We wanted to run down to the spot but we couldn’t because what passes for a path is so bloody overgrown, and if you take a wrong step you end up neck deep in gorse. Be gone you bad person, of course I would not laugh if this happened to Mark! Storm did a hell of an impression of a gazelle when the tried to pounce on a pheasant, but she just about managed to extricate herself and stay with us. On the one hand this pathetic excuse for a path hides how to get down to this particular rock platform rather nicely, but wow do you not want to be wearing a nice pair of waders that you care deeply about. Not much of a worry for Mark because, how shall I put it, his waders receive that much care and attention that at times they could walk down to the spot on their own! Conditions are pretty stunning and there’s also a decent drop of light bouncing around which always helps to stop me fishing too much and instead rattling off photos because quite simply I can’t not, but fishing and photography are one and the same to me so it’s par for the course.
So only the one small bass was landed, but just before Mark went and hooked it I was about to say that line “if we don’t catch a fish today I’m giving up”. He caught it on a very battered DUO Tide Minnow Slim 140 that had been rigged with those very good Seaspin Gamu SW single hooks, and I know Mark was made up both to catch the bass and also because hooking the fish in such bouncy conditions helped to give him another confidence boost with using single hooks on hard lures. Isn’t it amazing how a shift in the weather and one small bass can do so much to one’s mental state? We spoke about how there had to have been more fish there, but with a rapidly freshening westerly wind that was coming side on to us, how effectively were our lures really fishing when that belly of braid catches the wind so much and seems to really affect how the lures swim?
Yesterday aside, I wanted to draw your attention to the filth above. I am struggling to control my mature self with this brand new custom colour Fiiish Black Minnow that is exclusive to the UK and will be in shops sometime soon I believe. The photo doesn’t actually do enough justice to the body colour of the lure, and what is really messing with my head is how the back of the lure glows in the dark. Yes, I know, I understand. Lie down and be calm. Rest assured I have been lurking in a dark corner of my house looking at this lure and thinking about what I might do with it. My girls think their dad is even dafter than before. And to save me from having to answer emails and messages about this new custom colour Black Minnow, if you’re in the trade and want to stock Fiiish in the UK or Ireland then contact Top Water Lures. As for us lure-weak individuals, keep an eye on your local Fiiish stockist or various lure websites. I have the one sample here and I have kissed it all over. Have a good weekend and may the conditions come properly right for you.