Bass or bust for these two. Not ideal with January being just next week, and sea temps already into single figures in the edges. And yet, really, they were just happy to be out. Fish a bonus. Some winters bass linger in numbers. This winter is already strange. My colleague Kurt who runs "Yellowfin" showed me video of bass ejaculating on his boat from an early December trip. That it is not something that happens in December. And yet, here it was.
I tried a bit of ground I didn't fish for a long while, and although the bass were not there, the whiting were thick on the ground feeding hard on sprat. Whiting are a bit like bass in that they tend to shoal together. If you are lucky to find a shoal of 1lb plus fish, you have fast and furious lure fishing with a tasty feed at the end of it. We were less lucky. I also attached some feathers to see if any mackerel or herring were about. A single herring among more whiting.
The bass which had been there yesterday had vanished on the first visit. But out of desperation, and with just thirty minutes to run, I had another look. This time, it was clear from bird activity something was again happening. And so it was. Five bass was the final tally. Biggest only 40cm. But inshore, on 30gm gear, with January next week, its a triumph.
Next sailing Jeffrey and Tim came out to play. The sea remained very flat and very fishable. The tide, already small, dying. At first this worked in our favour as I returned to the scene of the bass, and we could spend longer in the hot zone. Snag was, as the tide died, the zone was less hot. Four bass landed, with happily one for the table for Tim. Other than that, further whiting. Many many whiting. Some approaching legal minimum. None really worth eating. What was very worth absorbing, was the delightful mix of fog, distant sunbeams, and pure winter tranquillity. A lovely session.
Comments