The thrill that never, ever diminishes - catching the first bass from a new mark
It’s not a monster and it didn’t rip yards of line from my spinning reel, but this sea lice covered beauty of a bass gave me that delightful thrill which for me is always about as good as fishing gets. The first bass from a mark or location that you have thought about, taken a calculated punt on, suffered a blank on, then caught a fish from. I bloody love it. I have no idea if anybody has ever lure fished for bass from this particular spot, but with it being so out of the way and not what you’d think of a “bass mark”, I’d be somewhat surprised to see any other anglers there. Which to me is another thrill, and especially with this style of bass fishing which I believe really benefits from a lack of people moving around……….
A few days ago a mate and I took our carefully calculated punt on this spot and we blanked. What I did do though was spook the hell out of a decent looking bass which quietly moved into the shallows. Good old Henry here gets a dose of the shakes of excitement and manages to land his cheb-rigged creature bait literally right on the fish’s head and spooks the living daylights out of it. Honestly, you could have made the perfect fishing video of how NOT to sight-fish to a bass in an estuary if you’d been filming it. But bass were obviously around and what was also interesting to note was that it was a miserably small neap tide as well.
I had plans to go and try another new area because this type of estuary fishing is throwing up so many interesting itches that need scratching, but Mark cunningly suggested that we head back to this spot and see if a slight jump in the tide and therefore more coverage of the shallow ground might produce something. After an hour or so of seeing exactly squat though, I was starting to question such a cunning plan. But as ever it seems, when that water started to move we began to see signs of fish moving around. Mostly mullet I am sure, but where there’s mullet in an estuary I tend to fancy there being a bass or two.
10% off everything at Veals Mail Order, use the code MAY10 at checkout
I do rather like this not very expensive medium size Seadra Terminal Bits Box to hold the bits and pieces I might typically use for this type of bass fishing
You know how much I am prepared to experiment with lures and rigging and so on, but when I’m on a mark that is new to me and I am trying to ascertain whether there is the potential to persist, I do feel that it’s sensible to fish with a setup I know and trust because it’s caught me bass in similar situations before. My go-to if you like with this creature bait stuff tends to be the Nikko Craw 3.2inch soft plastic, a 5g or 7g Berkley cheb weight, and that perfect Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp L12 Weedless hook with keeper (eternal thanks Dave for putting me onto this hook, it’s so bloody good with how it “holds” the lures in place for cast after cast). I am also really coming around to using a leader that is somewhat lighter than I ever really envisaged bass fishing with, the 10lb/0.260mm or 12lb/0.285mm Varivas Hard Top fluorocarbon. As per this recent blog post I am back and forth with trying and not trying longer leaders, and I still feel very comfortable with a dark coloured braid and a regular short bit of leader so that my FG knot sits outside the guides when I cast. This was my setup here.
I know it’s easy to argue that £8.99 for four soft plastic creature baits could be considered expensive, but with how long these TPE-type lures from the likes of Z-Man, Savage Gear and Nikko Fishing can last if you don’t snag them up? I shot the photo above of the Nikko Craw lure in August 2025, and it’s this exact same lure I cast along the edge of some bladderwrack as the current began to move on this new mark the other day. I have obviously used and caught on different Nikko Craw colours as well as various Z-Man etc. creature baits and that lethal Savage Gear Dragon Tail since August of last year, but the specific lure above has been fished for hours on end on one of those 3/0 Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp L12 Weedless hooks with keeper, it’s landed plenty of bass, and it’s still going strong. I reckon that’s pretty good!
So I’m fishing with a lure I trust in an area that’s looking really good with a bit of movement. I suddenly feel a sharp tap then that immediate sensation of the lure being literally inhaled or picked up and the fish moves towards me. I go with it, I feel just enough tension, and I set the hook. Within a couple of seconds the bass you can see above - look closely, it’s covered with sea lice which I believe means it’s fresh in from the ocean - was to hand amongst the bladderwrack and I was giggling away like a child. We obviously fished on for a while and we both saw a few bass mooching around but which wouldn’t turn on to our lures. Seeing bass moving around will never cease to amaze me, and that one single fish from a brand new area gives me so much food for thought. The more you learn the more you realise how much you don’t know?
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.