I’m still only in my 3rd year so I’m definitely still on the “ I’m getting better at it “ upward curve . I’m fishing lots more days , averaging at least twice a week . On my Estuary I would say I have not caught less fish this year but the average fish is def smaller , plenty of time for improvement yet though . Hope we can have a beer soon Greig if we get a meet sorted .

 

Thanks for your input Ian.
I’m sure a Meet will be set up before the Summer passes and looking forward to catching up over a pint or two.

 

An interesting discussion Greig.
The past 3/4 of what we would call “season’s” experienced down here are long gone,totally blown away, along with our supposed preconceived notions of the winter lull into spring.
My best landings to date currently coincide around the cooler temps - Dec, through till March. Strange times my friend.

 

An interesting discussion Greig.
The past 3/4 of what we would call “season’s” experienced down here are long gone,totally blown away, along with our supposed preconceived notions of the winter lull into spring.
My best landings to date currently coincide around the cooler temps - Dec, through till March. Strange times my friend.

Strange times indeed and thanks for the feedback Elliott.
So, over the course of each year are your numbers a bit up and down (generally decreasing) like mine?

 

To be clear, I don’t mean your angling skills.
I’m talking about a lack of fish showing at what WERE traditionally productive marks.
Even after eleven years of targeting ONLY Bass on lures, I still consider myself to be a relative newcomer to this form of angling.
The first five years was a massive learning curve and my fishing trips fewer and far between compared to now so, it’s not surprising that I wasn’t catching lots of fish.
But, in the last six years my learning and angling skills have grown considerably and my fishing effort ramped up dramatically from about 12 days per year up to as many as 48 days in 2019.
Keeping all that in mind, you would think that I should be catching more and more bass year on year but, NO!!
Here’s a basic snap shot of my fishing return/effort over the last 4 years.
View attachment 1390710

As you can see, 2020 was dire, with only 40
Bass coming from 35 days of fishing effort.
Seeing my figures laid bare like this makes me feel pretty sick to be quite honest.

Considering all the travelling I’ve done for my fishing in those four years, not to mention the £1000’s I’ve spent on fishing gear, plus the money I’ve spent while visiting the various coastal areas, I think there should be more a lot more Bass around to be caught than there currently is but, in my experience they often just aren’t there to be caught.
Or, am I just becoming worse at lure fishing for Bass? I suspect not!

But remember, where anglers go, Gill Netters, often follow, especially after marks are getting blown on social media.
I’ve also noticed that even a certain South Devon Bass guide sometimes gives away enough clues for all and sundry to take advantage of.

Also, I should mention that after cutting my teeth schoolie bashing for the first 5 years, the last 6 years have largely been spent avoiding the known schoolie spots in order to target a better stamp of Bass.
Anyone can hit the schoolie marks to rack up big totals if the want to but, what’s the point in that, unless you are using Lrfing gear! Plus the little uns need to be protected and not fed Patch 135’s with 3 big trebles.
I had about five fish of 60cm plus last year and maybe the same the year before.
Is that all I’ve got to look forward to next year or, maybe less the year after that?

I want more Big fish but, there just don’t seem to be that many around.

Would be interesting to hear which way other anglers Bass fishing is going!

I wouldn't say the bass getting worst but another factor you need to take into account is the condition of the sea on the day you go fishing. I have been to marks one session I caught at least 10 but the next session when to the same place and caught zero. Having said that I have known some people trying for bass almost at least few days a week because they live near to sea. These people really contributed to the fishing stock in the UK but you cannot stop them.

 

Thanks Martin.
I get what you’re saying re: conditions but, living in Bristol, I’ve learned to be quite selective about conditions when I shoot off for some fishing as I have a 2 hour minimum drive to my nearest marks.
I know conditions can never be guaranteed but, I’ve had a good education from some far more experienced anglers than me and thanks to that and my own learning I mostly get it right these days.
After a lot of wasted journeys in the early years I’d often arrive at a mark to find the water chocolate brown or, blown out and unfishable.

 

OTT has been crap for me this year and only good at the end of last year. When I have hit schoolies they are smaller this year I don't target them I try to target larger solitary fish. I don't know if they learn the lures we throw so I try to mix it up nowadays with different lures doing different things and I know I don't always go when the conditions are great so it doesn't help with catches, but when conditions have been really good and I have managed to get out I have still managed to find fish. I'm going this evening just because I want to get out but the conditions are crap so I am not expecting much. Good thread will interesting to see what people are experiencing.

 

I try to target larger solitary fish

Larger fish are not solitary, granted not big shoals but definitely not solitary

 

I'm out at the moment, 8 days trip and struggling.
Had 4 last night but only one even semi decent. The take was awesome off the top but the size was only around 50cm.
The others were micro sized.

All on my traditional marks, sometimes it's as if the water is empty of fish, even brown fish, no wrasse chasing lures anymore either.

Strange days definitely.

 

I'm out at the moment, 8 days trip and struggling.
Had 4 last night but only one even semi decent. The take was awesome off the top but the size was only around 50cm.
The others were micro sized.

All on my traditional marks, sometimes it's as if the water is empty of fish, even brown fish, no wrasse chasing lures anymore either.

Strange days definitely.

Thanks for your input Nick.
At the recent Pembrokeshire tournament there were a fair number of anglers out of the 105 that blanked.
Also some catches of numerous small fish by some and a good number like me that only caught a couple or, so.
I reckon there should be far more fish and more widely dispersed all over the uk coast at this time of year.
Also noticeable is the lack of Sand eel showing up in numbers and widespread these days.
No doubt they’re being fished out for animal feed/fish meal . Meanwhile Puffins and other bird life is dying off as a result.
There’s an imbalance in the marine ecosystem, as a result I reckon.
Somethings not right there!!

 

Hi Grieg
I have been lure fishing for probably 10 years , there are far less bass around especially on the coast around Plymouth, hardly any wrasse or pollack as a by catch , mackerel scarce . I have struggled this year up to now , with only about 6 caught , dispite going 2-3 times a week . As usual we suspect netters , but looking back at records etc it’s always slow this time of year , the better times with 50cm plus fish come in the autumn. When I first started with Shane the fish , we used to catch bass just about every time or did we , the bait fishing used to be a lot better , roll on autumn
Cheers John

 

Hi Grieg
I have been lure fishing for probably 10 years , there are far less bass around especially on the coast around Plymouth, hardly any wrasse or pollack as a by catch , mackerel scarce . I have struggled this year up to now , with only about 6 caught , dispite going 2-3 times a week . As usual we suspect netters , but looking back at records etc it’s always slow this time of year , the better times with 50cm plus fish come in the autumn. When I first started with Shane the fish , we used to catch bass just about every time or did we , the bait fishing used to be a lot better , roll on autumn
Cheers John

John, I only fished in Devon twice last year and blanked both times on a Sand eel dependant mark, but there were no sand eels.
I kept bugging a mate who lives down that way as to whether the sand eels have turned up yet. Kept being told no, so I kept going to Dorset instead.
The year before that, I caught 67 & 70cm bass in one night and a 59 and 62cm bass on two other separate occasions at the same mark, same tide and conditions, same time of year.
Only difference was there were lots of sand eels present.
I’d be interested to know if it was slow this time of year (June/July) 20 years ago, or even 12 years ago ?

 

Lots of big fish aggregating off Cornwall coast every autumn and all being illegally targeted by netters then claiming it’s by catch ffs.
Good luck to Cornish bass anglers looking for specimen fish in five years time.
They’re gonna need it.

 

so far, I will not complain,
the more I practice and the more I learn, I fish less than twenty sessions from mid-May to November 1, with an effective duration of 6 to 12 or even 15 hours maximum (it still took me 2 seasons to draw my conclusions)
as far as I'm concerned, the conditions must be very specific to make a success of my outings, but I still manage to make pretty fish on "bad days" (sun, no wind, calm sea, little current...), I do everything in my power to capture them (material side, nothing is left to chance),
I walk on the beach (in the same direction as the current, until I meet them) and go from post to post (five different over more than 2.5 km): they are never twice on the same spot
I do not rely on luck although it certainly exists but with a very small percentage.

it's true that many fishermen complain about bad sessions: fewer fish, smaller... but when I meet them, I always notice the same thing: they haven't changed anything in their habits/approach/technique and it's the same on the river !

I have already seen trawlers less than 200 m from the beach ! it should be forbidden ! they kill everything with their nets ,it's not good for the future...

 

so far, I will not complain,
the more I practice and the more I learn, I fish less than twenty sessions from mid-May to November 1, with an effective duration of 6 to 12 or even 15 hours maximum (it still took me 2 seasons to draw my conclusions)
as far as I'm concerned, the conditions must be very specific to make a success of my outings, but I still manage to make pretty fish on "bad days" (sun, no wind, calm sea, little current...), I do everything in my power to capture them (material side, nothing is left to chance),
I walk on the beach (in the same direction as the current, until I meet them) and go from post to post (five different over more than 2.5 km): they are never twice on the same spot
I do not rely on luck although it certainly exists but with a very small percentage.

it's true that many fishermen complain about bad sessions: fewer fish, smaller... but when I meet them, I always notice the same thing: they haven't changed anything in their habits/approach/technique and it's the same on the river !

I have already seen trawlers less than 200 m from the beach ! it should be forbidden ! they kill everything with their nets ,it's not good for the future...

It seems like you have similar issues in Belgium with close to shore netting, as we have on the opposite side of the Channel Sergei and I have no doubt that it’s the same in France and possibly Holland?

I also fish long sessions of between 6 and 10 hours to make the most of my trips.
Sometimes I just feel the need to go fishing and try to get away every other week for two days at a time, even if conditions are not exactly as I’d like but the cost of fuel is too much right now so, I will go less often but, for three days each time.

 

If you’re of a depressive disposition I would tend to avoid what follows.

I came back to bass fishing in 2005 after chasing carp for many years. This time I was using lures rather than bait. I liked the idea of travelling light and learning the new skills required to catch them. To start with the average weight of bass I was catching was definitely over 3 pounds. 60 cm fish, while not commonplace were certainly not a rarity. I also managed a couple of lunkers.

Now, 17 years later, although far more experienced, (and I would like to think a much better lure angler), with better equipment, improved technique and fishing more often I am struggling to catch anything above 42 cm. I’ve dropped down to using much lighter gear as a result. Some years I have caught plenty of these small bass but they never seem to come through to maturity. Many are netted before they reach 42 cm, before they become mature and before they get the chance to spawn. I can remember Andrew Pascoe, himself a commercial fisherman, raising this matter at a Cornwall IFCA meeting. Despite high levels of support from both commercials and anglers for Andrew's proposal to extend the range of minimum mesh sizes predictably nothing happened.

The estuaries down here still seem to be full of small fish, possibly because its illegal to net in them in these areas.

The area I fish in South Cornwall was totally decimated by netters in the period 2016-2020. You don't see those netters around now which is a pretty good indicator that there aren't fish about. You don't see seals either. I don’t see the hand-liners or yakkers out here anymore. Guys I know who used to fish the area have moved on. The few who have stayed are catching little or nothing. I know some very accomplished and experienced bass anglers who are struggling to catch anything and that’s on lures and on bait. I've always made a point of talking to divers. They tell me they see little in the way of fish, or shellfish, of any sort. Countywide, bass recorded by CFSA have become fewer and smaller over the years.

I also fish around Newquay on the North coast. My catches there have dropped dramatically. There was one mark which used to fish its socks off later in the year. The last two years my trips haven't resulted in a single bass. My mates there have reported the same.

I'm also friendly with some commercial handliners. They have found their catches dropping off over the last few years and the majority of the fish they catch are reported as being undersized. They tell me that this year, so far, is the worst they have ever experienced. They fish in totally different areas. There's a handliner from down West, St Ives, who posts on social media. He's catching little. Market prices are high because landings are low.

It seems a pretty grim picture. Although I’m not a member of BASS or the Angling Trust I have become interested in conservation of the species. Bass have given me a lot of pleasure over the years and I feel I ought to be giving something back. The current management of the bass fishery is a joke and needs to change. There's a complete lack of enforcement of the bass protective measures. Bass caught in nets are being claimed as being caught on lines. They're being targeted - illegally but the MMO don't take action.

It’s sad but currently the future for the bass fishery looks pretty bleak.

 

It seems a pretty grim picture. Although I’m not a member of BASS or the Angling Trust I have become interested in conservation of the species. Bass have given me a lot of pleasure over the years and I feel I ought to be giving something back. The current management of the bass fishery is a joke and needs to change. There's a complete lack of enforcement of the bass protective measures. Bass caught in nets are being claimed as being caught on lines. They're being targeted - illegally but the MMO don't take action.

It’s sad but currently the future for the bass fishery looks pretty bleak.

You seem a very passionate Bass angler and I find your posts very thought provoking and interesting, I assumed you were a member of one of the angling orgs and somewhat surprised you aren't as you would surely be an asset

 

Grieg you can see 3 fish from 2 sessions this week in the bass lure section they seem chunky enough

 

Bloody hell wish i hadn't read this thread.
Seeing as its my first full on season lure fishing im enjoying myself trying to out wit the little buggers but i am concerned now about the future.
Most of my fishing has been early morning tides up at 2 or 3am and fishing an hour later. I have had limited success but have managed to catch what i would call half decent fish.
I am planning on trying all out lure fishing at night to see if it makes any difference to the catch rate which should be interesting.
I must admit though there has been a few sessions when i have left fishless and wondered why because the conditions have been perfect. I have also managed to winkle a half decent fish when things were completely against me so swings n roundabouts.
I have many theories which i want to put to the test one which i have managed to prove so want to follow that up.
The last thing i can say and this is personal is i have spent a lot if money on top of the range lures which have produced but nothing like some soft plastics i have. So far one sp has got me 5 decent fish and 4 of those have been pbs one after the other.
That lure cost me a £1.
Make of that what you will.
Tight lines all.

 

Bloody hell wish i hadn't read this thread.
Seeing as its my first full on season lure fishing im enjoying myself trying to out wit the little buggers but i am concerned now about the future.
Most of my fishing has been early morning tides up at 2 or 3am and fishing an hour later. I have had limited success but have managed to catch what i would call half decent fish.
I am planning on trying all out lure fishing at night to see if it makes any difference to the catch rate which should be interesting.
I must admit though there has been a few sessions when i have left fishless and wondered why because the conditions have been perfect. I have also managed to winkle a half decent fish when things were completely against me so swings n roundabouts.
I have many theories which i want to put to the test one which i have managed to prove so want to follow that up.
The last thing i can say and this is personal is i have spent a lot if money on top of the range lures which have produced but nothing like some soft plastics i have. So far one sp has got me 5 decent fish and 4 of those have been pbs one after the other.
That lure cost me a £1.
Make of that what you will.
Tight lines all.

Sorry mate.
I didn’t intend to put a downer on yours or, anyone else’s future Bass fishing prospects but, any blame for that lies squarely at the door of DEFRA and our government.
Although they did promise us a “ World Class Fishery post Brexit” it’s anyone’s guess as to whether they will follow that through in the upcoming BFMP.
I suppose we’ll just have to hope that enough people shout loud enough to be heard above all the usual din about discard’s from the commercial sector!

Don’t give up yet though coz there’s still plenty of little uns to be caught on the schoolie marks and in Bass nurseries, for the time being.

I think you might find a better stamp of fish if your planning to go out at night.

I usually go at night and sometimes get a few half decent bass using the trusty Dolive sticks and Senko’s.
I can’t afford to shell out for plugs these days so, I’ll keep using the ones I already have and save my pennies for any plugs that are proven bass catchers that come well recommended.
As I said in my OP, I’ve already spent a small fortune on gear when I was in a full time job and flush with money.
Just as well I did as those days are behind me now.
SP’s are a lot more affordable and there’s no doubting how effective they can be.

 

So I have just come back from cornwall, I didnt hunt bass coz I can do that in the solent, at any time.

But i chased wrasse , mackie and pollock on lures and a bit of bait for the wrasse.

Wrasse were plenty, every day was filled with them, some bigger line stripers too.

The Mackie where there not in big numbers, but on a small metal, i was getting them right in the rocks in small coves, same with the Pollock. The Mackies were decent in size, and fought really hard.

They were chasing sand eel, huge shoals of them, not big, about 4 to 5 cms long.

This picture was in the morning, the tide was at low, 50 foot away from high tide line , the sand eels were still coming out the sand with no water.

The entire cove was covered with dead and wriggling sand eel. Not sure why it happened, but some sand eels were cut in half, maybe they were ambushed during the night/dawn, I cant be certain.

During the night there was not action at all, same at day time. The Mackie and the Pollock feed and hunted after the sun set, till dusk.

Same at portland, macki bbq, but at the same time as cornwall. Mackies were averaging 25 to 30 cms long, two fish I wont forget, as they fought so hard and pulled line from the reel.

Cant wait to go back......... soon I hope.

Everyday was the same, that magic hour for the pollick and Mackie. Spoke to a spare fisherman, and asked if there was any bass when he came out the water, the answer........yes, there was lots of bass, but not huge sizes, up to the 4 to 5 lb mark. He hadnt seen a really big girl for a long time

 

So I have just come back from cornwall, I didnt hunt bass coz I can do that in the solent, at any time.

But i chased wrasse , mackie and polick on lures and a bit of bait for the wrasse.

Wrasse were plenty, every day was filled with them, some bigger line stripers too. View attachment 1390765

The Mackie where there not in big numbers but on a small metal, i was getting them right in the rocks in small coves, same with the Pollock.
View attachment 1390760
They were chasing sand eel, huge shoals of them, not big, about 4 to 5 cms long.

This picture was in the morning, the tide was at low, 50 foot away from high tide line , the sand eels were still coming out the sand with no water. View attachment 1390768

The entire cove was covered with dead and wriggling sand eel. Not sure why it happened, but some sand eels were cut in half, maybe they were ambushed during the night/dawn, I cant be certain.

During the night there was not action at all, same at day time. The Mackie and the Pollock feed ans hunted after the sunset, till dusk. View attachment 1390761 View attachment 1390763

Same at portland, macki bbq, but at the same time as cornwall. Mackies were averaging 25 to 30 cms long, two fish I wont forget, as they fought so hard and pulled line from the reel.

View attachment 1390762 View attachment 1390764

Cant wait to go back......... soon I hope. View attachment 1390766 View attachment 1390767

Everyday was the same, that magic hour for the pollick at Mackie. Spoke to a spare fisherman, and asked if the was bass when came out the water, the answer, yes there was lots of bass, but not huge sizes, up to the 4 to 5 lb mark. He hadnt seen a a really big girl for a long time

Thanks for joining the thread Mucker.
Some great pics there and interesting info from your recent Cornish trip.
Good to learn there’s plenty of fishy action happening somewhere in Kernow at least.

I’m guessing you must have been a good distance away from where Mr @Skegger lives I’ll bet.
What is also interesting is that you found the Mackerel and Sandeel to be mostly very small and I would have thought you should have caught a bass by catch ( even if only one), while targeting Pollock, Wrasse and Mack. Plus no big bass seen for a long time!

Let’s hope lots of the small stuff manages to survive the future commercial fishing pressure they will no doubt encounter.

 

Went out this evening and we had about 8 small schoolies between 2 of us I fish the coast of the IOW if you haven't worked it out and I have got to say 3 years ago my schoolies would of mostly ranged from 40 to low 50s now they are tiny I never use to catch tiny bass where I catch them now.

 

Sounds like it’s a sign of the times.

I have a feeling that the size distribution throughout the uk bass stock has significantly altered due to decades of commercial overfishing, which is why there might be greater numbers of young bass year classes which have managed to escape net meshes and far fewer larger bass, more of which obviously end up on the fishmongers slab.
I can’t quite remember where I heard it but, think It might have been from one of @skegger’s previous posts or possibly on the BASS blog or, website.
Either way, it’s a worrying trend and leaves too few fish of breeding maturity to help replenish the spawning stock.
Now that would be depressing.

 

Every year we always wait for the summer to come, we are now very much in the early summer and people are already talking about cannot wait for Autumn. I bet when Autumn comes people starts to talk about cannot wait for next summer...lol. This is the best time of year, just enjoy, go out and have fun.

 

I will be getting out and enjoying it for sure mate. Just as soon as I scrape enough fuel money together!!
I promised to take my dad on a few sessions again. He’ll be 80 this year to I’d better get on with it!!
I just hope I can put him on some fish again, like a good son should.
Come to think of it, he can pay for the fuel.

 

Ok so having just read the rest of this thread this morning in the oppinion of the more experienced angler what do we need to do?
Im all for trying to get the powers that be to change the ruling to help conservation but from what i can make out we anglers say that every season.
If we lobby MPs to make change they never do anything about it anyway.
Just curious but where do the bigger more mature fish which get caught end up. I mean all i ever see is tiny things in the supermarket which i wont buy purely because i just cant bring myself to. 😭
Licencing the angler wont go down well as we know. There are rules on sizes yes but they sometimes get ignored. Take last weekend i was fishing and upon my return to the car a family of foreigners were busy hiding undersized fish mainly pollock into there bags to take home. There were other fish as well but couldnt quite make them out think they were small pout about 4/6inch long.
Anyway back to the bass im going to have a go tomorrow morning at silly o'clock not hoping for to much as weed might be an issue. So a bag of soft plastics it will be then.

 

Ok so having just read the rest of this thread this morning in the oppinion of the more experienced angler what do we need to do?

Defra are going to produce a Bass Fishery Management Plan over the next year or two. They've brought in a company called Policylab to collect information for them.

There's quite a bit about this on the thread
Bass Fishery Management Plan - Information please. and it includes the links to enable anglers to contact policylab.

I understand that the angling orgs are finally going to get some guidance out to anglers to help them respond. I suggest that we contact Policylab with our (negative), experiences and any ideas that the angling organisations put forward and which you would like to include. There are lots of way that the fishery could be improved and I feel sure they will be included in the guidance.

Will this make any difference?? I would like to think so but I don't know. What I do know is that if we don't get involved we don't stand an earthly chance of improving the fishery and that it will just continue to deteriorate. This really does feel like the last chance saloon.

 

Ok sounds like a plan. Is this policylab completely independent of government do you know by any chance?
Biggest problem we will get is all the while bass is on the menu and customers want it it will just keep getting fished out.
Classic happend last weekend to me i caught a nice little 35 on a beach a few yards out. Nice little fight saved a blank a swimmer was no more than 20ft away she came straight up and said are going to eat it. I said no i return all fish unless gut hooked or in to much stress to survive, incidentally havent kept one this year. The comments i got were i was mad,she just didn't understand when i said if i want fish i will go to a shop.

 

Ok sounds like a plan. Is this policylab completely independent of government do you know by any chance?
Biggest problem we will get is all the while bass is on the menu and customers want it it will just keep getting fished out.
Classic happend last weekend to me i caught a nice little 35 on a beach a few yards out. Nice little fight saved a blank a swimmer was no more than 20ft away she came straight up and said are going to eat it. I said no i return all fish unless gut hooked or in to much stress to survive, incidentally havent kept one this year. The comments i got were i was mad,she just didn't understand when i said if i want fish i will go to a shop.

I think Policy Lab are independent but, have been brought in by DEFRA to engage with everyone and anyone who is a stakeholder in the Bass fishery including recreational anglers including spear fishers, all types of Commercial fishers, conservation orgs, tackle dealers and suppliers etc, etc.
They’re trying to get as many opinions as possible to help DEFRA draw up a BFMP that is better for ALL stakeholders and more importantly, the long term sustainability of Bass stocks.
It remains to be seen how it’ll pan out but, it’s the best opportunity we’ll get to help shape the future of our Bass fishing for donkeys years.

If it all goes t!ts up and the commercials get their way because they shouted the loudest and many anglers couldn’t be bothered to get involved, as is often the case, then we only have ourselves to blame.
I’m grasping this golden opportunity to have my say in what I’d like to see in the new BFMP.
Which is:
Much more Bass and of a much bigger average stamp than the fry we are coming across at the moment.

Increase of MCRS to at least 48cm minimum but, preferably 50cm.

Better Bass regs that can be properly enforced with big fines and confiscation of gear for anyone breaking the regs.

A complete ban on the barbaric practice of gill netting and a Handlines Only commercial bass fishery.
Extending the Bass closed (no take) season for commercials and RSA’s from November to March to protect pre-spawning AND spawning bass.

I could go on but, my feeling is; Aim high and if we get half of what we ask for in this new BFMP then it will be a good day imho.

So, that’s why I’ve signed up with Policy Lab!

 

Worse year we've had for a long time and we're cheating from a boat ...shore fishing has been the same from my estuary hot spot. I've an old friend who has fished Carrick roads, thats in the Fal, for over 50 years and he's blanking.

 

Watching this thread with interest...
Similar position to Greig, in that I have been seriously bass lure fishing for the last 5 to 6 years, but started luring for them a bit 10 years ago.
IMOPO the Bass have declined alarmingly in size in my area over this time. I cannot profess to have caught loads of big bass in the past, but I used to regularly see them locally....they are just not there any more....
I used to see regular fish of 5 to 6 lbs in small groups of 3 and 4 at a time, with the odd bigger fish, mixed in with singular occasional sightings of doubles. Nowadays, there are plenty of fish about, but of a MUCH smaller stamp.
My records show a 4 year average of a 50 cm fish for around every 50 fish caught...I would say an average stamp of fish is in the low to mid 40 cms...
Now for the controversial bit.
A lot of anglers are under the impression that Bass stocks are OK and cannot fathom what the fuss is all about....
Recent lure anglers coming into the sport are lucky in one way, because they haven't experienced the sad decline, and think catching bass in the 40s is great sport...which it is to be fair, but nowhere near as good as catching 60's.
The downside is these overnight experts aren't helping because they don't see or understand the problem...
Some anglers even blame AT and BASS for the 2 bag limit ffs....
What they don't have us the in depth knowledge of the Bass Fishery and the Bass life cycle...understanding how a slow growing fish with a mls that isn't big enough to ensure they all breed once before being 'harvested' by our commercial fleet, masquerading as custodians of the sea. Add in the fact that bass migrate to spawn and return to haunt their own areas time after time, and it's clear to see that this species can easily be over fished to the point of collapse.
This is why there are plenty of bass, but of a poor size. The spawning stock is getting smaller in both size and mass. Smaller fish produce less and weaker eggs. Big fish, known as bofffs...Big old fat female fecund fish produce loads more bigger eggs that stand a better chance of survival....basically their offspring stands more chance of growing into bigger fish. But there are less and less of these bofffs each year.

So as an Angler, bait or lure, catch and return or catch and kill, it matters not. If you are happy with catching nuisance bass in the 40s and don't want to have the chance of targeting 5lb plus fish in the future then crack on...
If like me and many others though, you want to see more and bigger bass for all, then get informed and see what you can do to help.
Read and digest everything from Skeggar on here and then engage with policylab and have a say in the bass management plan...
Don't leave it to someone else, the AT or BASS, because the bass belongs to you too....
Please do something to help now.....
Mart.

 

Watching this thread with interest...
Similar position to Greig, in that I have been seriously bass lure fishing for the last 5 to 6 years, but started luring for them a bit 10 years ago.
IMOPO the Bass have declined alarmingly in size in my area over this time. I cannot profess to have caught loads of big bass in the past, but I used to regularly see them locally....they are just not there any more....
I used to see regular fish of 5 to 6 lbs in small groups of 3 and 4 at a time, with the odd bigger fish, mixed in with singular occasional sightings of doubles. Nowadays, there are plenty of fish about, but of a MUCH smaller stamp.
My records show a 4 year average of a 50 cm fish for around every 50 fish caught...I would say an average stamp of fish is in the low to mid 40 cms...
Now for the controversial bit.
A lot of anglers are under the impression that Bass stocks are OK and cannot fathom what the fuss is all about....
Recent lure anglers coming into the sport are lucky in one way, because they haven't experienced the sad decline, and think catching bass in the 40s is great sport...which it is to be fair, but nowhere near as good as catching 60's.
The downside is these overnight experts aren't helping because they don't see or understand the problem...
Some anglers even blame AT and BASS for the 2 bag limit ffs....
What they don't have us the in depth knowledge of the Bass Fishery and the Bass life cycle...understanding how a slow growing fish with a mls that isn't big enough to ensure they all breed once before being 'harvested' by our commercial fleet, masquerading as custodians of the sea. Add in the fact that bass migrate to spawn and return to haunt their own areas time after time, and it's clear to see that this species can easily be over fished to the point of collapse.
This is why there are plenty of bass, but of a poor size. The spawning stock is getting smaller in both size and mass. Smaller fish produce less and weaker eggs. Big fish, known as bofffs...Big old fat female fecund fish produce loads more bigger eggs that stand a better chance of survival....basically their offspring stands more chance of growing into bigger fish. But there are less and less of these bofffs each year.

So as an Angler, bait or lure, catch and return or catch and kill, it matters not. If you are happy with catching nuisance bass in the 40s and don't want to have the chance of targeting 5lb plus fish in the future then crack on...
If like me and many others though, you want to see more and bigger bass for all, then get informed and see what you can do to help.
Read and digest everything from Skeggar on here and then engage with policylab and have a say in the bass management plan...
Don't leave it to someone else, the AT or BASS, because the bass belongs to you too....
Please do something to help now.....
Mart.

Some really good points you made there, thanks Mart.

Catching only one 3lber for every 50 fish across a four year average must be utterly soul destroying.

That’s why I always go fishing at night.
I’m like Dracula but, with a fishing habit.

I catch a lot less fish but, can mostly avoid all the sub 40cm bass and occasionally land the a few better fish between 50 - 60cm or so.
The only time I’m usually out fishing in daylight is because I’m still there trying to catch a bass after a blanking all night!

In the Chesil Bait n Tackle tide book, it still says that an 8lb bass is regarded as a specimen fish.
Sadly, I think that’s over the top given the lack of decent bass showing up these days and 7lb is probably regarded by many as a very good specimen now.

When you look back at all the Dorset Meets we have fished, with say an average of 25 anglers fishing day and night for three days, there have been VERY few good sized bass over 60cm caught.
That’s what?………..roughly 14 Meets since 2015.
I reckon you could count the 5lb + fish on both hands and still have a couple of spare fingers!

I wish I had discovered lure fishing for bass 30 years ago instead of spending all my spare time and money on night life and the odd charter trip!
At least I found it eventually but, it’s obviously been going downhill hill since before I even started.

 

When shoals of fish become decimated by commercial pressure those fish that are left from those shoals tend to join up and shoal together for protection. The shoals look a similar size to what they've always been but the thing is that there are far fewer shoals. The reality is that the overall biomass is smaller than it used to be.
That's why I don't read a lot into these videos showing massive shoals of schoolies.

 

For me personally, the fishing is definitely getting better.

Like you, it took me 5 years to start getting the hang of lures, but for the last 6 years my catches have really taken off. 2020 was a bit of a hiccup due to Covid, but since then my fishing has improved in leaps and bounds

As for the average size of my catches, I had a great season number wise in 2019, with masses of bass between 0.5 & 1.5lb and since then the size has been creeping up steadily, the average size of my fish this year is between 2.5 & 3lb. If this carries on and these bass can evade the netters, then the fishing in around 5 years time will be fantastic.

2012 = 3 Bass in 20 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.15 per session. (best 6lb 14oz).

2013 = 9 Bass in 27.5 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.33 per session. (best 3lb 13oz).

2014 = 18 Bass in 32.5 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.55 per session. (best 6lb 12oz).

2015 = 19 Bass in 31 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.61 per session. (best 74cm unweighed + 8lb & 8lb 6oz).

2016 = 12 Bass in 38 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.32 per session. (best 4lb 9oz).

2017 = 45 Bass in 55 Lure sessions = Ave of 0.82 per session. (best 75cm - 9lb 14oz).

2018 = 50 Bass in 50 Lure sessions = Ave of 1.00 per session. (best 68cm - 7lb 10oz).

2019 = 123 Bass in 59 Lure sessions = Ave of 2.08 per session. (best 60.5cm - 5lb 10oz).

2020 = 56 Bass in 52 Lure sessions = Ave of 1.08 per session. (best 63.5cm - 6lb).

2021 = 106 Bass in 59 Lure sessions = Ave of 1.80 per session. (best - 74cm - 8lb 5oz).

2022 = 87 Bass in 27 Lure sessions = Ave of 3.22 per session. (best - 57cm - 4.5lb).

 

@andy1965 that is a very impressive set of stats and refreshing to learn that your bass fishing is bucking the trend and on the upward curve.
I also notice you have caught, what to me, looks like aa good number of “specimen” bass.
Another really interesting contribution to this thread. Thanks for posting.
What are the house prices like in North Wales by the way, as I’m think of moving up there now?

 

I have to say, I wasn’t really sure how this thread would be received but, the response so far has been fantastic and very insightful so, thanks everyone for the great contributions and keep it up!

 

Interesting stuff. I’d say in Norfolk the population is steady as she goes. Twenty years ago bass were rare here, but there is a big population here now and plenty of decent fish, lots of 70’s so far to the anglers I know. It’s all shallow, and while the commercials and increasing illegals take a lot, it’s hard to net the shore and the Norfolk estuaries all run dry at low. We suffer from a lack of clarity a lot, but the fishing is hot when it’s on! We lack the shore caught doubles, but an 11 to a lure this year, and a couple to bait normally, and I’m sure there are many anglers who keep their catches quiet. Feeling quite lucky!

 

I think it's just seasons,, summer is known for lots small fish,,
We all think we know big bass marks,,, but unless fishing them 1st light, last light, or in the dark,, at totally the right state of tide,, right size tide,, right winds,, right wind speeds, right conditions,,, then add to that,,, THE RIGHT LURE,,,,
Maybe you actually wasted a lot of efforts on what you KNEW., to be not quite right conditions.....

I like early season,, big bass come back,, hit nearly anything from April to end May,,,
Not lover of summer months,, but get August back end,,
Sept Oct Nov,, is what real die hard bass anglers LIVE FOR ,,,,

Rather have one bass over 8 pound,, than a thousand or more schoolies,,

But what can you do,,, can only catch what's in front of you,
And what the tide brings in..........

I go a third of what I used to.. Fuel is killing it,,,, 3 trips be 100 quid now to my favourite marks,,, mental,, used to be 15 quid trip,,,, and 30 plus now,,
Add drink, grub,, lures,, etc,,,,, a hobby is now a expensive past time,,,,

O to live near the sea........
Hard no to be envious of those who do......

 

I think it's just seasons,, summer is known for lots small fish,,
We all think we know big bass marks,,, but unless fishing them 1st light, last light, or in the dark,, at totally the right state of tide,, right size tide,, right winds,, right wind speeds, right conditions,,, then add to that,,, THE RIGHT LURE,,,,
Maybe you actually wasted a lot of efforts on what you KNEW., to be not quite right conditions.....

I like early season,, big bass come back,, hit nearly anything from April to end May,,,
Not lover of summer months,, but get August back end,,
Sept Oct Nov,, is what real die hard bass anglers LIVE FOR ,,,,

Rather have one bass over 8 pound,, than a thousand or more schoolies,,

But what can you do,,, can only catch what's in front of you,
And what the tide brings in..........

I go a third of what I used to.. Fuel is killing it,,,, 3 trips be 100 quid now to my favourite marks,,, mental,, used to be 15 quid trip,,,, and 30 plus now,,
Add drink, grub,, lures,, etc,,,,, a hobby is now a expensive past time,,,,

O to live near the sea........
Hard no to be envious of those who do......

My fishing gang all live five minutes from the marks we fish. I’m and hour and a half away. Because of the distance and expense I normally fish ten hour sessions, and have to suffer them coming down for the two hours when the fish are actually there, then going home Annoying.

 

I agree regarding the fuel. Its not far for me to find fish 40miles 40mins in the car but it is noticeable in the old sky rocket for sure.