I love Cornwall! On holiday with the family for a week and sneaking in a bit of fishing when I can - it's all about the bass for me on this trip.
Started Sunday at Whitsand Bay, up before dawn and down to a rocky promontory. Howling easterlies all night and still blowing hard but some shelter from Rame Head. Didn't feel confident with the rest of the coast so choppy and bassy and my little patch almost flat calm - thought the fish would be elsewhere but I was wrong! Started off with a small savage gear sandeel to check for weed and tangles. After a few casts with no snags I switched to my brand new lure: a Tackle House Feed Shallow - been in its box since Christmas waiting for the right opportunity. Third cast and I was in. Felt like a small fish and I was winding forever until I realised I hadn't tightened up my drag! Tightened it and felt the weight of the fish, which by now had swum inshore and seemed to be behind some jagged rocks. Expecting my line to ping at any moment, I hauled round the rod and the fish swam back into safer water and before long I had it in the net. Not huge: 41 cm, but a beautiful bass, my first of the year, and I was well pleased!
Once it was safely back in the water I was eager to go again but my lure was firmly embedded in the netting of my landing net. It took a frustrating half an hour to work it loose; I really needed some pliers to crush the barbs of my new lure but I didn't have any on me. Just as I was ready to go again I got the call that the family was up and eating breakfast and I was needed back at the van. Just a couple more casts! Sure enough I was soon into another bass, a bit smaller and this one flicked off the hook just as it was getting close - I know if I had crushed the barbs I'd have been cursing them!
Two fish hooked and a couple of missed lunges made for an exhilarating first short session.
Later that morning a 10 minute taster session on one of the beaches saw me hook and loose another schoolie - something with those trebles?
Next opportunity was Monday afternoon on Portwrinkle beach in the rain. The tide was pushing in and I tried zipping some surface lures over the rocks, though the water was churning - perhaps the fish were seeking shelter elsewhere.
That evening we arrived at Mother Ivy's Bay and I tried casting a few lures into the surf off the beach as the light faded, but I don't have waders, didn't want too wander onto unfamiliar rocks in the dark, and there were no hits on my lures.
Today (tuesday) I had another dawn session, plugging off the Cattecawl(?) rocks. It was a beautiful morning after all the heavy rain last night, but not a sniff of anything fishy. Still that first fish is my only fish.
Now I'm at Trevone Beach and planning another dawn raid in the morning. Tides aren't ideal though (mid ebb at dawn and dusk, and neaps) and with the wind easing and switching to gentler southerlies I'm wondering if I should have stayed on the south coast. Still a few days of holiday though and I'm hoping there are a few more bass with my name on!
Started Sunday at Whitsand Bay, up before dawn and down to a rocky promontory. Howling easterlies all night and still blowing hard but some shelter from Rame Head. Didn't feel confident with the rest of the coast so choppy and bassy and my little patch almost flat calm - thought the fish would be elsewhere but I was wrong! Started off with a small savage gear sandeel to check for weed and tangles. After a few casts with no snags I switched to my brand new lure: a Tackle House Feed Shallow - been in its box since Christmas waiting for the right opportunity. Third cast and I was in. Felt like a small fish and I was winding forever until I realised I hadn't tightened up my drag! Tightened it and felt the weight of the fish, which by now had swum inshore and seemed to be behind some jagged rocks. Expecting my line to ping at any moment, I hauled round the rod and the fish swam back into safer water and before long I had it in the net. Not huge: 41 cm, but a beautiful bass, my first of the year, and I was well pleased!
Once it was safely back in the water I was eager to go again but my lure was firmly embedded in the netting of my landing net. It took a frustrating half an hour to work it loose; I really needed some pliers to crush the barbs of my new lure but I didn't have any on me. Just as I was ready to go again I got the call that the family was up and eating breakfast and I was needed back at the van. Just a couple more casts! Sure enough I was soon into another bass, a bit smaller and this one flicked off the hook just as it was getting close - I know if I had crushed the barbs I'd have been cursing them!
Two fish hooked and a couple of missed lunges made for an exhilarating first short session.
Later that morning a 10 minute taster session on one of the beaches saw me hook and loose another schoolie - something with those trebles?
Next opportunity was Monday afternoon on Portwrinkle beach in the rain. The tide was pushing in and I tried zipping some surface lures over the rocks, though the water was churning - perhaps the fish were seeking shelter elsewhere.
That evening we arrived at Mother Ivy's Bay and I tried casting a few lures into the surf off the beach as the light faded, but I don't have waders, didn't want too wander onto unfamiliar rocks in the dark, and there were no hits on my lures.
Today (tuesday) I had another dawn session, plugging off the Cattecawl(?) rocks. It was a beautiful morning after all the heavy rain last night, but not a sniff of anything fishy. Still that first fish is my only fish.
Now I'm at Trevone Beach and planning another dawn raid in the morning. Tides aren't ideal though (mid ebb at dawn and dusk, and neaps) and with the wind easing and switching to gentler southerlies I'm wondering if I should have stayed on the south coast. Still a few days of holiday though and I'm hoping there are a few more bass with my name on!
