Lure Fishing for Bass
How to go from... BLANKING TO A YEARLY 6LBER
I used to spend season after season only catching a few school Bass on Plugs. However over the Past 6 Years I have caught Bigger Bass and for the Past 6 Years something over 7lb every single year on Lures. Im not the Best Lure angler out there In fact i’m often out-fished by friends and have so much to learn still However If I can do it, anyone can ! I’m confident if you apply these tips will enable you to catch decent sized Bass every Year on Lure. I do hope you can take action on the following tips because I genuinely believe these have made the difference for me. Together i’m sure we can learn how to consistently catch decent size Bass
1 Move This won’t be a popular tip. I think one of the main reasons to be able to catch Bigger Bass every year is the ability to fish at the drop of a hat. Sorry ! But moving to the coast was probably the reason my Lure fishing catch consistency took an up turn (not instantly , more of this later). Clear water Off shore breeze Well oxygenated water- Get fishing ! The Angler that lives near the sea can watch conditions like water clarity and wind direction more closely and fish accordingly. Sometimes I would travel two hours to fish a venue that had cloudy water and too much weed. So the hard truth is it’s easy for those folks that can fish at the drop of a hat and live near the Sea. There are ways to improve your chances if you live further from your chosen fishing spot though and they will be addressed in the next points.
2. Matching the Hatch We’ve spoken about this many times on the Saltwater Angler Youtube Channel I know but its so important to know .Bigger fish won’t expend too much energy chasing everything. Ive found the Bigger fish Like those 5lb Plus are more selective than smaller schoolies. This is where the confusion around the Question “Does it really matter what lure you use” can be answered Id say Yes if it’s the Bigger Bass you want. I snorkelled around a big Structure Last summer , The small school Bass were inquisitive and actually formed a shoal around me, Fish of 1lb or so. Then id catch a glimpse of Bigger Fish just out in the open sea. However Deeper inside the Structure was a double figure Bass. It was like a different species. Dead still and not darting around like the smaller fish. Its giant eye keeping a watch over me.It was eerily dead still. That fish will only be coming out for the right Food at the right time. So how can we match the Hatch ?
Can I see fry breaking the surface (Are Bass chasing Baitfish) Can I see Prawns surface skipping (bass May be chasing them) Are seagulls in numbers ,noisy and picking sand-eels off the sea especially if the gulls are higher in the air If you or others keep and gut fish what have the bass been digesting alongside the crabs?- Be quick they could be on another type of food on the very next tide! Are the Bass low down picking off small whiting ? Are they picking off Mackerel? Where are the Bass working ? A shallow reef- If so what fish live on that reef ? Are they just eating recently dead fish from the surface ? Are they feeding in Murky water
3. FRIENDS Talking, or rather listening to other anglers is a great way to catch more Bass in 2022. There is a mine of information out there and many people miss out by not asking the right questions. Take an interest in other peoples Bass fishing success and failure. A top Bass Angler is unlikely to give away a successful mark and method in a particular area but you can always see how someone is fishing a mark. Just ask someone how they are getting on in their fishing is a great start, this isn’t about annoying someones peaceful fishing session of course but generally most anglers love to talk about their sport. Always be willing to Share your wins and losses too. What’sapp groups and Facebook are excellent ways to communicate up to date information. Its not just copying someones recent mark or catch. That said some of the most important information for me recently has been Lure colour and depth and at what state of the tide. A bit of a cheat that one caught me last years 7lb fish! Here is some of the info I share with friends: • Lure colour and depth • How the fish hit the lure- Plucking or smashing ! • Water clarity throughout the tide • What was inside the Bass if gutted • Other fish / wildlife Any seals mate ? • What state of the tide did fish come on the hunt • Where (roughly) • Other Anglers around ? And did anyone see you catch Never Ask or share your exact Mark a decent Bass was caught ! Its better to learn the Conditions at the time, Height of the tide for the example will give you a much better standing as a lure Angler in the long run if you want 6lb Bass every year
4. Confidence If there’s fish there I will catch them! It’s easy to say but I’ve seen this in the most successful Anglers. They always think they could catch at any moment. This makes us more prepared and ready for the run of a bigger fish and also ensures we check knots, Is that Drag set and have our net ready, small details. Confidence to adapt and think it’s down to us as an Angler to change things up. Im writing this just as much as a reminder for my self. Get through the blanks, learn through the blanks but always think its going to happen. I can count to numerous examples where one of the best fish of the year came as I was about to give up, go home but decide to persevere. This tip fits well with ONLY fishing when conditions are known to be perfect. Ive found that be doing my best to get down to that spot when the water is well oxygenated, we’ve had rougher weather and now the waters clearing on a certain top tide. Going fishing the fishing it hard only when conditions are optimal has helped me catch better Bass
5. BUY THE FOLLOWING LURES TO LEARN A VARIETY OF METHODS Flashy Lures won’t make you a better angler but These will encourage you to think about water craft and where and how the lure acts in the water table 2 Statically the Megabass Zonk catches my Bigger fish. How much is this lures Success down to the Lures design? how much is confidence and how much is simply down to it simply being a sinking lure finding its way to bigger fish at the bottom of a shoal I don’t know, but I do put some of my luck to this excellent lure. If you don’t choose this ZONK then still get a sinking hard plastic lure in your tackle box. 1. J13 - This Rapala Lure is considered old fashioned but it will force you to keep track of where it is in terms of Distance and depth. It floats to the surface so use this to your advantage by retrieving faster to deepen the retrieve. Also when the lure is over shallower wreck let it rise to the top to avoid the snag. Its a great way to think like a fish and Get that lure in to
3 A handful of Unweighted Soft Plastics, like the Dolive stick or SLUGO - These will give you the opportunity to fish weedy and snaggy shallow water. You do very little to these Lures in terms of a retrieve. The reason I mention them here is because it will encourage you to understand the flow and current of the water on a micro level. You can feel these lures speed up or slow down as they move past obstructions and pinch points and that is a great ability to help you seek those bigger fish that use the current to their advantage. It’s a subtle for of fishing but ultimately its helped me understand why and where the bass arena certain states of the tide. Turning the focus to the differences between School and Bigger Bass (over5lb) behaviour is the key I think and as always please let me know how your fishing goes as we head in to the 2022 Season. There are plenty of videos on the saltwater Angler for you to watch and comment on. Tight Lines Matt
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