Autumn Bass Fishing

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.

Lures

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 rig – the hook point is buried inside a soft plastic lure so it doesn’t snag but easily sets into the mouth of bass when they attack the bait.

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!