Firstly, I need to apologise to both Henry and Green Umbrella (the DVD producers) for not turning around this review quicker. In actual fact I’ve had two DVDs (Bass Fishing and Wild Fishing) for a few months now, with a hectic work schedule, I’ve only just managed to sit down and give them a thorough watch!
When it comes to angling on the box, especially sea angling, Henry Gilbey needs little introduction. Having first appeared on Discovery Home and Leisure (now Real Time) with Fishing with Henry, he has since become a TV regular staring in three more angling series for Discovery Real Time as well as being a regular guest on Sky Sports angling program, Tight Lines. Regular readers of Sea Angler magazine will also be familiar with Henry’s work, and if you take a keen interest in fly fishing or read international magazines with any regularity, you have no doubt seen his photographic work too!

The Bass Fishing DVD is split up into 2 parts, one for Bait Fishing the other for Lure Fishing. Each part is divided into chapters; this makes it easier for you to go back to a specific section if you want to watch it again.

Give me the bait!
I started "propper" bass fishing with bait at the tender age of 5 (20 years ago eek!), so natural curiosity steered me to watch the Bait Fishing section first. I’ve travelled around Ireland quite a bit over the last decade and it was surprising to find that this DVD was shot in an area of South East Ireland I know quite well. If you watch any program involving Henry he makes constant points about the benefits of local knowledge, and this DVD is no exception. Henry is joined by top bass angler (and WSF Forum member), Graham Hill. Henry’s dog, Jess, is also part of the team, although I’m not sure if Jess frequents the forum or not!

The section begins with Henry describing the tackle he is going to use as well as describing what, to his mind, is the perfect type of rod for bass fishing. No I’m not going to tell you what it is, buy the DVD! Once Henry has run through the rods, he describes his terminal tackle and then his bait. He has chosen Peeler Crab for this trip and explains to the viewers how it should be prepared and presented. It is all pretty straight forward information if you are a regular bass angler but extremely useful if you have little or no experience bass fishing.

There is plenty of action in the DVD and some lovely fish are landed by both anglers. The first fish landed is by Henry, a beauty around 5lbs and as we have come to expect the whole fight and landing sequences are complimented by Henry’s excellent, enthusiastic commentary.

For me, one of the best parts of the entire DVD is Henry explaining about fish care. There is quite a lot of rubbish talked about fish care and in particular about the problems caused by journalists taking photographs of fish. If you don’t understand how it should be done properly, then watch this DVD. It shows you exactly how to use proper fish care to create some spectacular looking photographs, ending in the release of a strong fish.

As an angler who loves touch ledgering for bass it was nice to see Henry being so enthusiastic about the method. It makes me cringe when I see bass anglers fishing some of the best surf beaches available with their rods in the rod rest. For me, to fish for bass properly you have to get in amongst the surf, feel the spray on your face and take a wellie full if necessary. This method gives you more ability to keep in touch with what’s happening at the business end and when combined with effective watercraft, it will increase your chances of catching. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated in the DVD as both Henry and Graham have good hook ups, with Henry’s fish approaching 7lbs.

Lure Lobbing...
Once again this section begins with some descriptions of the type of tackle used, including what makes a perfect lure rod for Henry.

The tackle descriptions in the DVD are great for the newcomer to bass lure fishing, they are not heavily technical or complex and are presented in a style that is both easy for the newcomer to understand, and enjoyable for more experienced anglers too. His advice on how to work lures further on in the section is well worth remembering for any newbie Plug angler.

For those of you who don’t really understand what colouration or type of lure is most effective for the areas and times you fish, there is a brief description and some example plugs shown on the DVD. Henry also describes the differences between the various plug styles, concentrating on Poppers and Shallow Divers and how they work. Henry also describes how to work the rod properly to give the plugs a desired action. If you’ve ever wanted a visual explanation of “walking the dog”, then you’ll get it here. I love the part where Graham explains to Henry the value of “Running in a lure, a bit like running in a car engine”, just because it’s so true!

Further on, we are greeted by a thoroughly wet and miserable looking Jess, but an interesting bass fishing technique! One of Graham’s techniques is to use a weighted shad or spinner from the beach using reels loaded with braid to bump the lure along the bottom of the channels (a bit like pirk fishing from the shore at distance I suppose!). Henry is using a shad and Graham has chosen to use a spinner. The interesting thing about the way Graham sets up is that he uses a small Sabiki type lure set back from the spinner by a foot or so. This mimics a bigger fish chasing a smaller fish with the theory being that it will whip the bass into a predatory frenzy. The method certainly seems to work well as Graham is soon into a nice schoolie.

Towards the end of the DVD Henry loses it for a brief moment when a bass he’s been chasing doesn’t quite play by the script, but like Henry says, nothing concentrates the mind quite like a good rant! He is soon rewarded with a nice bass taken on his favourite Maria Chase Lure. It is a fitting end to the DVD that both Henry and Graham have simultaneous hook ups. Unfortunately Graham loses his as he is about to land it, but much to Henry’s delight his is beached, followed by the trade mark Henry commentary, you can’t help but love it!

Other DVD snippets
At the end of the bait and lure sections is a short section which details the recommended tackle for each discipline in a written and audio format. This summarises everything you heard during each of the 25 minute sections into a short list that is easy to pause and jot down if you need to. The DVD also features an Outtakes reel showing some quite amusing moments captured during filming, watch out for the heavy use of the bleeps though!

Conclusion
You could argue it is a little short at an hour, but it puts across all of the main points anybody needs to know to start bass fishing, without getting too technical. The compact sections are great if you are a newcomer as it make it easier for you to go back and check a section if you didn’t quite understand it. The other advantage of having 2 short 30 minute sections is that you can watch a section when you are short on time.

If you are an experienced bass angler then the DVD has enough entertaining fish action and excitement to keep you amused. For the newbie angler the DVD has the right blend of technical information whilst capturing and communicating the excitement and exhilaration of shore bass fishing. With the style, commentary and direction similar to all Henry Gilbey programmes, this is bound to be a fan favourite too.

WSF Recommended: Rating: 8/10

Bass Fishing with Henry Gilbey can be purchased from a variety of different online dvd and tackle stores. It is usually priced at around £16.99.

Buy via WSF from Amazon UK: Bass Fishing With Henry Gilbey