A Window of Good Weather
The persistent rain over the last number of weeks and the resulting improvement in salmon fishing has made it difficult to drag myself away from the rivers in the west of the country. Compared to last year, reports of bass catches don’t seem to be quite as good. I think much of this has been down to the weather and conditions making angling difficult, rather than a decrease in bass numbers.
There was a rare high-pressure over Ireland last week so I decided to pack the jeep and head south. There was a fresh south-easterly blowing but luckily the mark I had chosen was fairly sheltered. As the tide fell I managed a couple of small schoolies, and also missed a few more fish. As the tide began to flood, fishing became near impossible with the weed that followed. I was just about to pack up when I had a take from a much better fish – it turned out to be just shy of 5lb.
A better fish – shaped like a barrel and weighing almost 5lb
After this I decided to give another nearby mark a try. Conditions here were much better with no weed. The shallow water was crystal clear, and I could see shoals of sandeels hugging the edge. There was a reason they were in so close and this reason soon became clear.
Every so often some of the sandeels at the back of the shoal would drift out to the deeper water. This was then followed by either (a) panic, and a sheet of flashing silver under the water as the sandeels tried to escape being eaten, or (b) lots of splashing as hundreds of sandeels jumped simultaneously looking for an escape.
Needless to say it wasn’t long before I was into another fish.
Another solid fish is beached
I was using a 90mm Smith Jib which was perfect for this venue. It didn’t sink too fast or too slow, or didn’t require a retrieve that was inappropriate. It allowed me to work the lure as I wanted, imparting an action that was just right. Obviously, the fish agreed! (Check out the Youtube video of the lure’s action below)
90mm Smith Jib
I managed another seven or eight fish up to around 4.5lb before the light started to fade. I know there are bigger fish here, and hopefully i’ll get another few chances at them before the summer is out.
One of the smaller fish about to go back
3 comments on “A Window of Good Weather”
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Irish Sport Fishing 
What county was this in?
I’m based in the northeast and new to bass fishing.
There’s a lack of rocky marks locally but expanses of sandy beaches and the odd estuary.
Would plugging be as worthwhile for bass?? Were the fish pictured above caught in estuarine waters????
Hi Pat, they were from the south-east coast.
There are bass to be caught in the north-east, but as always they may not come easy! You mention there are lots of sandy beaches and the odd estuary where you are – i suspect you may be around the Drogheda/Dundalk area? If so then i would look for some fishy-looking spots around the Laytown/Clogherhead/Dundalk coastline. (I’ve heard of fish being caught from all around this area in the past). Early morning tides will be best. Plugging will of course work – If the water is shallow there’s no need for a lure that dives too deep. Bass fishing on the east coast is all about persistence so be prepared to put in the hours for results!
Brilliant as always thanks for sharing!