Yesterday evening I took the opportunity to make the most of the conditions and go hunting for a Bass on the fly. The wind had dropped over the last couple of days and that’s always Fly O’clock for me!
I decided on a venue I’ve fished a few times on the fly and mostly been lucky there. The venue seems to suit the fly as it is fairly shallow and has some interesting under water features to fish around. My friends and I have had some very good nights on Lures here too in the past.
I arrived at about 6.30 pm which coincided with low tide, but I knew straight away I was probably a couple of hours early looking at where the low tide mark was. Despite this I still wanted to get in the water as I was boiling after a 20 minute walk to the spot in waders!
The evening was bit brighter than I would have liked, it had been a cooler day with some cloud and light rain, but the sky had cleared a bit and the temperature had risen a couple of degrees late afternoon.
I pottered around for the next two and a half hours trying different spots to no avail while the tide advanced. By now conditions had changed yet again and a thick Sea mist had enveloped the area and everything was incredibly still. What was even stranger was there was almost no tidal flow, something I find imperative for catching Bass as they are normally unwilling to chase food, preferring it to come to them on the currents. I returned to the first spot I had tried as it has a track record of producing fish and after a few casts the line tightened and I strip struck into a fish. To say I was taken aback is an understatement and I whispered a ‘yes thank goodness’ under my breath!
Initially I thought it was just a small twinky Bass but after a moment or two it decided to wake up and give me a good fight and I realised it was better than I had first thought!
After a couple of minutes during which time it had practically done a 360 around me in the water I managed to bring the Bass to hand. I let out a whoo hoo! ( as you must when you get a decent fish on the fly! )
The fish was fairly thick set and wasn’t as skinny as most early season fish normally are and I estimated it at a good Three pounds. A fair fish on fly gear in my estimation.
I have been doing well on a Mullet pattern so far this year made with Silver scales Preyfish fibre and this fish took a liking to the same fly. I call it ‘The Maverick Mullet’ At around Three inches I believe this is an optimum size for Bass on the Fly and will catch the attention of even the larger specimens.
I have taken to doing a bit of filming wherever possible this year to record my sessions and captures and to add another dimension to the website for visiting Anglers and customers and you can view a short clip from last nights session below.
Well I hope you enjoyed viewing the video and reading about the session. Hopefully there will be more to come soon.
Until next time
Tight lines.