In a year when many areas of the UK have seen a drop in the numbers of bass, I’ve just witnessed some of the best bass fishing I’ve seen in many years.

I was over in Cobh, Co Cork, Ireland working with Mike Hennessey, Angling Information Manager with the Southwest Regional Fisheries Board, also Kevin Murphy owner of the Bella Vista Hotel in Cobh whose facility is fast becoming one of the premier angling destinations for UK, French and Dutch anglers, as well as Irish anglers.

We began by fishing from two of the six Warrior boats that Kevin hires out to incoming anglers and I teamed up with an old friend John Roscoe who’s now out working with Kevin running the boat side of the operation.

We chose to fish along the Oil Jetty, just a ten minute ride from the pontoon, using floating and diving plugs. The idea is to set the boat up about 40yds off the jetty and cast the plugs either along the length of the jetty, or better still drop the plugs tight in under the structure where the bass are using the pylons as ambush points.

John was first in with a plump bass about 4lbs and fighting hard on the light tackle. Kevin and Mike were also catching bass and we crept in close to get a few photos as they were landing bass, again fish sat nicely between 4 and 5lbs.

I’d chosen to fish slightly differently opting for a single handed short 6ft 2in American style baitcaster rod matched with an ABU Revo Inshore multiplier and 15lb braid. The first plug out of the box was a trusted and well used Chug Bug popper.

It wasn’t long before I saw a big splash behind the plug and the next attack the fish got it right and whacked the plug, in fact I saw the bass broach as it swept the plug into its mouth. The fish took line off the light reel powering back towards the jetty then went deep. Spirited these bass to say the least, but it was gratifying to see another fat bass that might have nudged 5lbs settle safely in the net. On release it headed straight back for the seabed and soaked me as its tail sliced through the surface water.

It was fish after fish and between the two boats we had about 20 fish in just the first few hours of fishing into the evening. We had a couple more short sessions on the bass over the next couple of days and each time the fishing was equally consistent.

But I wanted to try for a gilthead bream, but just my luck they’d turned the Power Station warm water outfall off inside the harbour and the consensus was that the gilthead and the golden grey mullet had moved out to pastures new. There was a mark near Roscarberry though that might produce.

The mark had only a few days before produced giltheads but they weren’t there for me. However, while I was fishing for giltheads, Mike Hennessey, Kevin and his son Ralph started fishing the plugs off the beach for bass that were coming in with the tide. They had a succession of bass between 2 and 5lbs, young Ralph getting a 4lber, then, using a bright green plug, Mike hit in to a much bigger fish that fought but not by running just by lunging around. This is a sign of a big bass and I’d already been snapping photos away for some time, but was keeping an eye on Mike as he fought the fish and I saw this big tail, then a head roll on the surface and figured this fish was close to specimen size.

The fish held just out from the beach and rolled and bored for the seabed. Even with my camera in hand I manoeuvred myself behind the bass and as Mike drew the fish in I gilled it for him. It was huge and we were all non committal to avoid potential disappointment, but we all knew this was a clonker! On certified scales the fish weighed 11.05lbs and was well over Irish specimen weight. A truly superb fish caught on a plug and on what was very light tackle.

In maybe just over a half hour the lads had over 10 bass including the biggie! You don’t see bassing like that here in the UK anymore in my experience!

Make a note! There’s been more double figure bass caught in the past year in southern Ireland than for a long time from what seems to be a strong year class. If you want to try for a real monster, then for the next few years you’re in with a real chance!

I get asked all the time by WSF readers where anglers wanting a few days away fishing can go and mix shore and boat fishing and the Bella Vista Hotel inevitably attracts large numbers of anglers because of the high quality of fishing  and species available, plus you can hire one of the self drive Warriors and fish the numerous prolific marks inside Cork Harbour, or alternatively you’re surrounded by superb shore fishing either right on the door step or within easy travelling distance, and bait is plentiful. The Bella Vista could not be better placed! Kevin Murphy will also work out a package unique to your own needs too. If you fancy this amazing bassing then you can get the full details and options by contacting Kevin by e-mail at info@bellavistahotel.ie and check out www.bellavistahotel.ie

The trip produced a lot of other adventures and some cracking fish, but I’ll cover these both here on WSF and in Total Sea Fishing Magazine over the next few months!