Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 1)

Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 1)

Note: This post was written and released on the 6th March 2021

Yep! This is why I’ve been so quiet over the past couple of months… After commencing the process just over a year ago, I have now completed my second self-published title! Therefore, I have great pleasure in revealing and introducing to you my new book: ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective’ Volume 1.

Learning

As you’d expect or can imagine, it’s been a real labour of love this one, but in all honesty this is a book that I just had to write… Learning – that all important component and something that will never cease in regards to attempting to ‘suss out’ what it takes to ‘lure’ these mesmerising (and yes, I do love that word!) creatures – I just love these fish!

If my first title ‘The Lure of The Bass’ was or is (which is still available directly from me here incidentally and has sold over 2000 copies) a ‘User Manual’ or indeed a ‘Reference Book’ as described by the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society here (which is exceptionally satisfying as that’s precisely what I set out to do) then if there is one sentence that I think best describes ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective’ then I would say that it is: ‘a collection of events that catalogue and chronicle everything that I have learnt in relation to bass lure fishing over the past 4 years, and that I have successfully transferred into my guiding, by virtue of the catches my clients and I have achieved.’

My aim therefore was to write a follow up book that would teach the reader how to catch bass within an all-encompassing array of sea and weather conditions, in addition to an inclusive combination of venues and situations – such as estuaries (where I have spent 40% of my time these past few years), beaches, rocks and of course, something that I have come to specialise in, catching them on lures in the darkness..

The Chapters

Alongside the augmentation of my rock and reef fishing skills (that were prominent within my previous title, as per the information above and with the blurb on the back cover) a further aspiration of mine was that I want this book to be easier to read, understand and digest, and as such, it is more anecdotal whilst providing a series of learning points specific to the planning, strategy, methods, tactics and lure types that were utilised. Above all though, I want to place the reader ‘in the moment’ – just what it is really like to be attached to a beautiful bass whilst being guided on this equally beautiful coastline.

As before, photographer and fellow angling journalist Henry Gilbey has very kindly written the foreword for me, with the subsequent 100,000 words and 304 pages broken down into the following five Chapters – a description of which can be found below:

Chapter One – Consequential Captures

Five stories, with each one representing a massive leap in my own bass lure fishing education. These are the ‘light-bulb moments’ – the outcome of which, I feel, either alerted me to certain possibilities or that, ultimately, changed my approach entirely and for the better:

• Precision Pays – The realisation of just how precise the angler needs to be when targeting bass on rock/reef marks.
• The Game Changer – How my first ever lure-caught bass in darkness came to be.
• Winter Wonderland – How I landed what I consider to be my most significant capture – in late-February.
• Illuminatur Litore – A significant client capture, over pure sand, in 2ft of water under an exceedingly bright full-Moon…
• Old Haunts, New Tricks – My successful return to the estuarine environment – a 7lb winter bass on a surface lure.

Chapter Two – Triggers and Indicators

In this chapter I introduce the concept of Natural and Manual Trigger Points – the naturally occurring environmental phenomena and how to identify and capitalise on them, in addition to the how angler can manually create their own potentially ‘session changing’ moments:

• Moonshine Monster – A client’s 70cm bass that appeared at the same time as the Moon.
• An Old Friend – A 68cm client capture (his first on a lure) on a ‘recovered’ needlefish lure.
• Early Morning Snax – Another client ’70’, landed within a critical window of opportunity…
• Go With The Flow – The back-eddying affect and the depiction of the largest bass a client has caught with me.
• Late Leviathan – Daytime, an estuary, bright sunshine, a white lure and 18″ of water = a 72cm beast!

Chapter Three – Patterns and Anomalies

Enigmatic doesn’t come close to describing this mercurial species, but there are most definitely patterns of behaviour that the bass lure angler can use to their advantage. Alongside the anecdotes, this chapter takes on more of a scientific and conjectural perspective based on my personal experiences:

• Territorial Or Transitory – How to identify and target either resident bass or those passing through.
• Do They Remember? – As ridiculous as this sounds, a number of incidents have really got me thinking…
• A Year In The Life – How Biotic (living) and Abiotic (environmental) factors affect our spiky friend.

Chapter Four – A to B Bass

In conjunction with understanding more and more about lure fishing for bass at night, within estuaries and from those steep shingle or sandy surf beaches, is the realisation of just how far I’ve come in regards to ‘working out’ how they traverse both the intertidal and the inner shoreline – a combination of real-life events and theoretical assumptions are included here:

• In Their Shoes – What makes a bass (and a bass angler) target an invisible underwater estuarine passageway…
• Point To Point – Even without any noticeable subaquatic features, there are still definitely open coast pathways.
• Creepy Creeks – Brackish, almost freshwater environments, plus ‘where and how’ to lure fish within them.
• The Motorway – Estuary mouths are stunning places to fish – in more ways than one!
• Peripheral Positioning – Deeper water estuaries and those channels – this is how I approach them.
• The Day vs Night Phenomenon – Are bass more active at night? This section answers a lot of my own questions!

Chapter Five – Moments – To Treasure and Forget…

Since becoming a professional bass lure fishing guide I have met some amazing people, many of which I now consider as friends. Therefore, this chapter is reserved for my ‘favourite’ fish-catching moments together with the clients who achieved them. Plus, there’s always room for the stories about the ‘ones that got away…’:

• Blinded By Bass – The ‘classic fish that got away’ – noteworthy also by virtue of the wonderful surroundings.
• Playing The Odds – How to take someone out of their comfort zone and onto a brute of a bass!
• The Silver Bullet – A Three Day Package, three brilliant clients, a 70cm bass and an inadvertently ‘magic’ lure…
• The First Of Many – Memorable sessions and fantastic bass – moments that helped me to decide on taking the plunge!
• Two In A Million – The sixth 70cm+ bass depiction and a very special gentleman’s journey.
• Was She The One… – You guessed it – the story of how I lost what I think was potentially my first ‘double’.

Volume 1?

I am sure you would have noticed the relatively inconspicuous reference to ‘Volume 1’ – allow me to explain… If the learning curve continues on the same trajectory then all in seriousness, in tandem with the personal and guided fishing adventures that I hope to conduct in the near future, then I envisage having another book full of learning points and bass related endeavours to tell you about within another 2-3 years… Volume 2 and what I hope will be a series thereafter…

To reserve your copy

To purchase your copy then please complete then I have provided a PayPal link below. Alternatively you can the Contact Form (below) or you can email me directly at: southdevonbassguide@yahoo.com whereby, I will reply asap with the payment details for BANK TRANSFER. The price of the book (including the postage and packaging to a UK/Northern Ireland/IOM/Channel Islands address is: £22.99

*** PLEASE NOTE*** The price to a Republic of Ireland, European or Worldwide address please contact me via the form below so that I can discuss the TRACKED postage options.

Many thanks for reading.

Marc Cowling