Tough fishing with our first group, but we got a few, second group starts fishing today

Sometimes the bass fishing is on, and sometimes it isn’t. If we had all the answers we’d all be catching a lot more and bigger bass all the time, but we don’t and we aren’t! Only a while ago the bass fishing out here was really good, but it’s been a tough few days and the lads have fished their socks off for not a lot of reward. A few bass have been caught though, including a stunning 67cms fish you can see below for Piers, and then another good fish came off right at Mathew’s feet on this group’s last afternoon before we headed back for supper and what I believe might have been a couple of drinks after I headed off to edit a whole heap of photos!

It’s human nature to look for answers when the fishing’s a bit quiet. There seems to be plenty of food around because we are consistently seeing gannets working and terns making their happy sound - SO good to see the gannets around after seeing so few later last year with the tragic bird flu thing - but what is very noticeable to all of us is such a change in the weather. From arguably too warm for ages to more “typical” UK summer weather feels like a big change, and one thing I have always noticed with bass fishing is a certain lack of consistency when the weather is quite literally all over the place. There’s me looking for answers without really having a clue why the bass fishing is tough out here at the moment. There are fish around though and John and I work our socks off to try and find them.

And you know as well as I do that with the good tides and sea conditions we have got that the fishing can change just like that. We will be fishing and moving and fishing and moving for the next four days with our next group of anglers and it’s going to be really interesting to see what we find. The tides and weather forecast opens up a few different spots which we haven’t been able to fish with the last group, and I will do what I can to find a bit of spare time and report back on here.

Piers’s 67cm bass came on the Axia Assure surface lure which is a “tribute” to the Xorus Asturie. I have heard so much good stuff about the Asturie over the years, but it’s one surface lure I have never owned. Personally I will always go for the originals when possible, but the unavoidable fact is that life is getting more bloody expensive by the day. If a considerably cheaper “tribute” lure works well and catches a cracking bass like it did for Piers then so be it. John was with Piers when the fish was hooked and apparently there was no messing at all - bang off the top and fish on.

I was further away with a really nice lad called David who is from the UK but who now lives along the Copper Coast on the south coast of Ireland - lucky bloke! We had four separate swirls on the 12.5cm/20g SG Slap Walker surface lure and then a really big splash on the SG Surf Walker 2.0 15.5cm F17g surface lure, but for whatever reason the fish weren’t quite committing. David did so well with varying his retrieves when I asked him to, and then I got a radio call from John to come and quickly photograph the 67cm bass. David did manage to land and release a bass on the Slap Walker while I was shooting the photos so I am pretty sure that not having me effing and blinding at the bass refusals had to have helped David do exactly the right thing!

Mathew hooked his good bass on the last session on a surface lure which surely has to go down as an all time classic - the IMA Salt Skimmer. I remember a morning session from many years ago on the Copper Coast when four of us were fishing and catching good bass. When we got back to my car we all put our lure rods on my rod racks and I noticed that all four of us had been fishing with and catching on the Salt Skimmer. They just work. With how hard the lads fished I feel absolutely gutted that Mathew’s good fish came off right as John was about to grab it, but that’s fishing I guess. I happened to be shooting some photos of the lads fishing at the 600mm end of the incredible Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens so I saw the whole thing happen - cast, hook up and elation, then hook came out and immediate despair! Fishing can be such a cruel mistress.

It’s going to be another hectic few days so I will report back when time allows. We obviously want the fishing to be firing all the time out here, but you know how much I mean it when I say that getting to do what I do out here in Kerry is frigging awesome as it is. Our trips are a blast however good or tough the fishing might be, and I really mean that. John and I will do all we can to find bass for our lads, so let’s see what happens the next few days. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the fishing suddenly switched back on because we have all seen it happen many times before. Bring it on…………………….

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.