Autumn Bass Fishing
Many anglers target bass throughout
July and August but come September and October the number of bass anglers
dwindle. I don’t understand why because autumn is still a fantastic time to
catch them, especially with the prolonged warmer weather we've experienced this
year.
Here are some tips to help you do
catch some now!
Neap tides
Lots of sea anglers say that spring
tides are best for catching bass. This is not the case & you will have just
as much, if not more, success catching bass during neap tides. There’s more
depth of water at low tide during neap tides and bass can be found closer to
the shore than during spring tides at this state of the tide. Fish low tide and
the first couple of hours of the flood as this is the time they will be actively
seeking food. Rock marks are best when fishing neap tides, although don’t
ignore other, more open, marks.
Spring tides
During the bigger, spring, tides it
is better to fish the more open sandy/shingle type beaches. Fish the flood tide
and the first couple of hours of the ebb. Look out for any gullies or dips on
the beach at low tide as this is where bass will search for food as the tide
comes in. On shingle beaches a good place to fish your bait at high tide is
where the shingle meets the sand. Surf beaches also tend to be productive
during spring tides and it’s usually best to fish just beyond the third wave.
The right marks
Some marks produce well at low tide
and nothing at all at high, and visa versa. This kind of knowledge is difficult
to obtain as bass anglers closely guard their favourite marks but local tackle
shops should be able to give some general advice. In reality there’s no easy
route to finding bass. It can be a case of fishing different marks at different
states of the tides to find out which ones produce and when. I’d advise that
you fish near rocky marks or beaches that have gullies, surf or any obvious
feature where bass hunt for food.
Best baits
All kinds of different baits for
bass, be it prawns, peeler crabs, sandeel, mackerel, lugworm, ragworm or squid
are all very effective baits. Autumn is a great time to catch the bigger,
solitary, bass and a squid, double squid or a livebait, such as pout, are
brilliant baits.
Don’t ignore lures. Big
double-figure bass can be caught on a lures when fishing over a reef in autumn.
To limit losing too many lures when fishing over reefs or rocky marks, use
surface poppers or shallow diving lures. A great alternative is to use a Texas
Best times of day
Dawn, dusk and darkness are the best
times to be fishing for bass, although some marks can be prolific during the
day. Again, you’ll only find out which marks produce at certain times of the
day by putting in the time fishing.
 |
| Martin Noble |
Tackle and Rigs
You don’t need fancy rigs for bass.
A simple running ledger rig is all that is required. A 2 oz lead running along
the main line, followed by a bead, swivel, a 2 ft 12/15lb hook link and a size
3/0 hook is simple but effective. When fishing rocky marks tie a longer length
of line than the hook link to the lead and to the other end tie on a swivel
which runs along the main line. By doing this it ensures that the lead bounces
on rocks when retrieving, minimising the hook becoming snagged.
A rod with a casting weight of
between 1 and 3 oz with a multiplier but a carp rod and fixed spool rod is also
ideal. Make sure you rinse the reels in freshwater after use to wash all the
salt away.
How far to cast
It really depends on what type of
mark you are fishing. If you know approximately where the gullies and
underwater feature are, then it pays to cast just beyond them and let the tide
roll the lead and bait into them. In general, though, there’s no need to cast
far out. Bass can be caught just a few yards out – most bass can be caught from
the shore within a 40-yard cast.
 |
| Adam Wells |
Luck!
Hopefully some of these tips are
helpful but, as with any type of fishing, there are no guarantees. You could be
fishing the best mark in the country in ideal conditions but still blank for
reasons that are hard to fathom. We all blank from time to time, but when you
do manage to land a bass it is well worth the time and effort.
If you do catch a few, just be
mindful of their sharp gill plates and dorsal fin spikes when hooking them.
 |
| Steve Perry |
Just remember the minimum size to
take a Bass home is now 42cm & only one Bass per day is allowed to be taken
home!
