Pretty sure that was my first, purely sight-fished bass in an estuary, what a buzz!

You have probably worked out by now that this fishing thing rather excites me, but yesterday morning I caught a modest bass of about 3lbs and I was literally shaking I was that buzzed up. I didn’t go out with the intention of sight fishing for bass, but I was very deliberately trying a different state of tide at a spot which feels really interesting but has not produced the goods yet……………

Credit to my mate Mark who suggested we try the early flood tide as opposed to how I would usually target estuary waters on the ebb, but yesterday morning Mark couldn’t make it so it was just me and Storm. I was trying to time it so the water was just starting to flood back into the system, but I got the timing wrong and ended up walking around looking at different features until I could actually see the water nudging in. I had tied (and deliberately not clipped) a MegaBass Sleeper Craw to the end of my 0.330mm/17lb Sufix Advance fluoro leader because with water this shallow I reckon that if a bass is moving in, it’s on the hunt for crabs and prawns until there is more water to support baitfish. I don’t know this for a fact I might add, it’s just what I was thinking.

So it felt like the time was right to give it a go. I walked out across some mud and shingle and tried my best to not be a great big horizon-breaker and spook the life out of any fish which could be moving around. As I got nearer the water I couldn’t frigging believe it - there was a bass, as plain as day, moving on up with the tide in some very shallow water. We’re talking about the edge of a typical estuary if that’s any help, very early in the flood tide, just as that “new” water starts to creep in on a small tide.

I saw the bass suddenly turn on its side and hit something on the bottom. I saw the gills flare out and whatever food source it was I presume got munched. Obviously I thought about chucking my lure all of about five yards to see if the bass was interested, but the sensible side of me - yes, it’s in there somewhere! - said to the other side “don’t be daft, that bass is either going to spook straight away, or else there’s no way it would contemplate chowing what is not that small a lure in such shallow water” (the Sleeper Craw). But I obviously had to have a cast!

Bear in mind that by now I have got the shakes because it’s so exciting to see a bass so clearly right in front of me. Somehow I managed to underhand cast my lure so that it plopped down a couple of yards in front of the line the bass was now moving on after eating whatever it had grabbed a couple of seconds ago. The Sleeper Craw hits the water and almost instantly hits the bottom because the water is so shallow. I fully expect the bass to spook the hell out of there and flick two fingers at me on the way past. But it doesn’t. The lure hits the bottom and I give it a gentle twitch. Lo and effing behold the bass very suddenly rushes in, almost circles around the Sleeper Craw, and pounces. I can see the fish hit the lure and in an instant I can feel that hit on my rod tip. I set the hook but to be honest the bass can’t really go anywhere in such shallow water and in a second or two it’s at my feet.

Doing all I can not to fall over with excitement I manage to get my iPhone out of my front wader pocket and grab a few very average shots. I was a good distance from my rucksack and I was fishing on my own. I wasn’t about to leave the bass high and dry to go and grab my proper camera, not when I am going to release the fish. I grabbed the iPhone shots you can see here, then slipped the barbless hook out of the fish’s mouth and let it continue its journey. I was able to watch the bass for a while and it seemed to be completely unstressed by what had just happened. I meanwhile was a gibbering wreck! SO much food for thought, with this being near the top of the list for me - I am pretty sure that’s the first bass I have ever truly sight-fished to in an estuary, and it absolutely nailed my lure at very close range. Check out the video above for example which comes from somewhere in France - what is possible if I can find more individual bass to actually cast to? Wow I love these amazing fish!

Disclosure - If you buy anything using links found around my website, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you anymore to buy via these affiliate links - and please feel entirely free not to do so of course - but it will help me to continue producing content. Thank you.