Brilliant Bass Blitz

Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:41 pm

Popped down to a local mark for a few evening casts, hopeing to see some Mullet. No ghosts around but witnessed a massive bait blitz about 4oom off shore, hundreds of gulls bombing the water with loud splashes. I tried to wade out but couldn't get within 200m of the mayhem. Very frustrating and thoughts of 'must get a kayak'.
Slowly, however, the birds came closer, the splashes became louder and Bass were breaking the surface behind me. Within seconds I was surrounded by chaos, diving terns oblivious to my presence hitting the water hard beside me. Despite the propensity of fish, pickings were not easy and the correct colour of fly matched to the required retreival rate was neccessary for 'fish a cast' fun. The blitz lasted for ninety, wonderful minutes before slipping out of casting range oncemore.

Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:17 pm

If your going to get that close to the action Colin, for goodness sake get a crash helmet, I'd hate to see you on Bizzare ER with a Tern sticking out the top of your head!! rolling on the floor

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:40 am

Surely you mean the top of his 'heed'.

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:26 am

Sorry Col, I had such a vivid picture in my mind from your description!

Seriously though I know what you mean about getting them to take your offering when they're blitzing like that, it can be quite frustrating. Trouble is the degree of preoccupation with the specific food item that they are feeding on, anything not resemblant both in size and colour is ignored, and if not fished at the right depth or retrieved in the right way the problem is compounded even more, especially when in that situation, your anticipating getting a hit every cast, but it's just not working out that way!

Another time it seems you just cant go wrong and it's a fish a cast of course!

Exciting stuff anyway Colin, wish i'd been there to experience it, must have been quite something!

Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:27 pm

You've obviously had a similar experience Chris big grin

.
Regards the 'selectiveness', I think that Bass can be a bit like trout during a hatch of insects in that respect. I stuck a Gurgler on for 10 minutes and had about 20 savage hits but no hook ups. The fly had to be presented from slightly deeper, rising to the surface to get a confident take. Not easy to keep a cool head with all that commotion going on!
Hope we get plenty of the same at Hayling tomorrow.

Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:52 pm

I certainly have Colin, and there is no doubt that 'Matching the Hatch' is as crucial in this game as it can be in other areas of the sport too.

Funnily enough I went out last evening to check on the Get Together venue, and arrived at low tide to find literally thousands of fish all in small groups chasing fry in water no more than about three feet deep! a Clouser just wasn't going to cut it in that depth and so out came My little white and pink Glass Minnows for the first time this year. Having watched a shoal of the Fry the Bass were chasing swim past me, I was very pleased with the imitation i'd picked, it was spot on!
Anyway after three hours and a lot of fish I was knackered but happy although none of them were more than about half a pound it was great fun and I was glad of the Minnows, because I couldn't get a touch on anything else. If there were any bigger fish around last night they were out numbered by the thousands of little hoodlums chasing around!

Did you do any good at Hayling?

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:21 am

We had a good day at Hayling, finding Bass shoals at the usual marks. Like yourself, good fun with fish up to 3/4 lb. Again fly choice was crucial for consistant sport. Lucky I had some in my wallet winking