Conditions, conditions, conditions - first proper bit of bounce for ages and it was alive with bass

Like with you I am sure, fishing makes me so happy in so many ways, and right up there has got to be computing where to go, making that call - and then catching fish. I was watching the forecast all last week and hoping what was predicted did start coming in on Saturday - it did - so three of us were on the beach for 5.30am on Sunday morning with what looked like the most beautiful sea rolling in in the half-light. My eldest girl had her 18th birthday party here at home on Saturday night so sleep didn’t exactly happen with all the noise going on, but it’s amazing how that first bit of autumn bounce gets you going…………

Andy recently bought the APIA Grandage 93MH 9'3'' 10-45g lure rod from the Art of Fishing, it’s one of THE most effortless fishing rods I can recall fishing with. Help!

And damn right I smiled when Andy hooked a bass on his first cast of the morning. I always think that if you make a call and at least a fish is landed then you have made at least a half-decent decision, and over the next few hours we all landed a fair few bass in some truly stunning green and bouncy water. It was one of those times when the wind direction and strength and tide size/time all came together to the point that if we hadn’t caught something I’d have been pretty gutted. I haven’t done any surf fishing for a while with the amazing summer we have all had, but damn that felt good to get the metals out there and get banged by those angry bass which I guess had come in overnight on whatever bait had been driven in by the winds (sprat?).

Andy kept his 35g Surf Seeker in the Black Pearl colour on for the whole session and I reckon he caught the most bass, with the biggest around 4lbs. No monsters, but I stand by my mantra that any bass in the surf is worth double with how well they scrap in all that oxygenated water. I chopped and changed a bit between the Black Pearl and White Pearl 35g Surf Seekers, and the 40g Savage Gear 3D Jig Minnow which a lad I know does really on for bass at long range where he fishes. The wind was smack in our faces yesterday morning so I was able to fish it with a sink and draw action without a big belly of braid which I reckon completely kills the feel you need to fish like this. On my second cast with the 40g Savage Gear 3D Jig Minnow I felt that unmistakable bang as the lure started to drop - bass on!

I think we all spent all of yesterday morning smiling and giggling and loving every single second of the coastline suddenly feeling alive again. I can’t remember such an amazing August and I’ll take all the lovely weather we get, but damn it feels good to get those onshore winds again and wade out into tables of tumbling surf. Every time I go bass fishing and catch fish I convince myself that whatever way I am fishing is the most enjoyable way to catch bass, and every time I got walloped yesterday morning I felt exactly that. Fizzed up fish in fizzed up conditions, not sure it gets much better. Roll on autumn and into winter…………

Life would be a little easier if this new Penn Authority 3500 spinning reel wasn’t so bloody nice! Early days, but wow it’s impressive so far…………….

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