[vale]

Hi guys, I'm new to lure fishing. I've brought myself some soft lures plus floating plugs. Anyway, I thought about trying the river Orwell, near Wherestead. Found myself there the other day and thought it may be a good place to try wading out into the water. Any tips please, ie; time of day, state of tide. Or am I wasting my time there. Was thinking about Bass.
Thanks

 

[fudgecat]

Hiya i was thinking the same thing as you, Was going to try the river Crouch at weekend with some lures. I never used lures before for Bass, but have used lures to catch mackerel. Not sure if lure has got to sink someway down first in the water with some kind of weight. Or just let in float on top and reel in.

 

[Kerrdiff Lad]

River mouths are great places to fish for bass with lures...
May be a bit early.. but no harm in trying ..............and at least checking out the lures actions and get to know the water there...current patterns, eddies.water depths...... sandbanks...any features/structure that might hold fish waiting in ambush
As has been said elsewhere on here ..smaller lures early season (75's -100mm) and then go larger as year progresses 120-128mm
Z-Claws and Komomo II's get mentioned by people on here who fish your area. Also I've seen pics on here from your area of anglers using shallow diving minnows and suspending lures.
Others use softbaits rigged weightless or weighted /jigheaded and bumped back along the bottom (have a look at the Softbait 'Sticky' above for good advice info on rigging etc.
Good Hunting
Hope to see a catch report as and when the fish start showing!?!

 

[vale]

Thank you for your advice. I'll keep you posted on how I get on throughout the summer. I also plan on walking out on the mud flats at Southend I've heard that can be good. Casting soft baits in the shallows.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Thank you for your advice. I'll keep you posted on how I get on throughout the summer. I also plan on walking out on the mud flats at Southend I've heard that can be good. Casting soft baits in the shallows.

MUD FLATS!!! they scare the life out of me, they are ok if you know exactly what you are doing, but dodgy as hell if you don't.

There was a guy stuck in the mud flats I think it was at Langstone in Portsmouth last year, I am not sure how far he had sunk, but by the time rescue crews got to him the water was up to his chin, much longer and he would have been gone, I hate sinking mud, I do fish a couple of places with sinking mud and you have to keep moving all the time, but anything more than a foot or two deep and I am out of there quick.

 

[leakyboots]

I don't know what the Orwell is like, but I fish a couple of local estuaries for bass, even this early in the year. My spots are pretty shallow -- one foot to three feet deep at low tide. I do best fishing the last hour of the ebb and the first hour of the flow. Topwater lures serve me well, but not splashy poppers. IMA Salt-Skimmer is a favourite. Also soft plastics, fished weightless and weedless. If you use soft plastics, don't be tempted to try to make them do too much in the water. Most of my fish take while the lure is sinking, or just drifting through the current. At this time of the year, there also is a chance of a seatrout.
Have fun. Whe you lure fish, it's amazing what you see. Because you tend to be watching the water all the time, you notice things that otherwise you would miss.

 

[vale]

It's ok at Southend. Lots of people dig bait there. Not so soft that one would sink. However tides can creep around you. There are still some constructed walkways one can use that take you out along way. These date back many years. If you stick to these you always have a safe route. But thanks for your concern.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

I have not been to Southend for a few years now, but the thing that amazed me was the male public toilets, so much so that I actually took a photograph of them, are they still there?

 

[tompakes]

I have not been to Southend for a few years now, but the thing that amazed me was the male public toilets, so much so that I actually took a photograph of them, are they still there?

Lol must be a nice place of an evening! I think it was Newquay we went to that had toilets that emerged from the ground at night.

 

[tompakes]

Lol must be a nice place of an evening! I think it was Newquay we went to that had toilets that emerged from the ground at night.

Yep, definetly Newquay. The Japanese put bicycles under the street. Us, toilets typical!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=saM8mY9uVQA

 

[Batenberg]

I've dug bait in the Orwell be very careful in some parts the mud be nearly waste deep, many people have had to be rescued after getting stuck, the Orwell (ecept at high tide) isn't a very good place for lure fishing, from a boat its a different story.

 

[vale]

There's a few toilets along the seafront. The underground ones East of the pier are still there.
Plenty of Soft Baits there )