Client Catches – Particularly Precise (Part 2 of 3)
Picking up where I left off in Part 1 (here) of this ‘Particularly Precise’ series, and the next type of venue I am going to describe encapsulates one of the numerous and highly productive ‘Templates For Success’ that I dedicate 71 pages to in my latest book ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective Volume 2‘.
But before I describe exactly what this particular template is and provide an example, you’ll recall how in Part 1 I wrote how 70-80% of the time when I am fishing or guiding my clients I will be stood in one position, whilst effectively waiting for the bass to come to me ‘on the tide’ as it were. Well, this was precisely the scenario in which my client (Mark) found himself in under my stewardship on a wet and ‘blimmin cold’ late-April evening…
Again, and again
As is very often the case, upon showing Mark a Google Maps image of the area he’d be targeting on my phone, in addition to a photograph I had taken at low tide, it really was a case of casting at a specific section of now underwater seabed, and retrieving the lure along the same trajectory, again and again and again, until our quarry put in an appearance…
The lure type on this occasion will not surprise you. Yep, the exceedingly reliable Savage Gear Gravity Stick Pulse Tail, rigged onto the Savage 6/0 3g weighted hook and with the 1.8g spike weight inserted in the tail section formed our approach. This not only enabled Mark to reach the required distance, but it also meant that he could accurately control the sink ‘rate and style’ of the lure, again, as per the very detailed information and diagrams that can be found in my most recent book.
Ridge of riches!
Estuary Mouths… I love em! Especially the sandy versions, where deep channels are gorged out and are manipulated by the fierce tides and current. But it is along the edges of these channels, the drop offs or ridges where the riches in the bass sense can be claimed!
Below is screenshot of the type of venue/mark I am describing here (the image is an excerpt from A Guide’s Perspective Volume 2 incidentally), whereby you can clearly see the contrast between the darker area of deeper water, and the distinct line where this occurs in conjunction with the shallower section of the foreshore.
In case you are in any doubt, it is the periphery or edge of the ridge that the bass will routinely swim and feed along that is of the greatest interest to me. Although not absolutely essential (as we have caught numerous big bass just by casting out at right angles to these ridges and bringing the lure out of the deeper water and in over the ridge itself and then the shallows) the capability to retrieve the lure along the same angle or trajectory of where the seabed drops away markedly does offer a distinct advantage I find.
Back pocket…
It was a horrible night to be out fishing if I’m completely honest: it was pouring with rain, and it was very cold for the time of year (woolly hats were required as you’ll see below) with a wicked wind exacerbating the coldness that just would not relent, despite being forecast to decrease markedly into the late evening. In my back pocket however, were a number of components that I knew could see this session change dramatically from a frustrating mission, into a highly successful event…
The fact it would soon be dark was the number one contributary factor here. But coupled with this exceptionally reliable Natural Trigger Point (yes those!) would be the second most ‘pertinent determinant’ that is the turn of the tide – with the first hour of the ebb a firm favourite of mine based on six years of night-time record keeping in this respect.
Furthermore, with the wind still determined to blow as the band of rain eased away from the South Hams on the Net Weather website I use (here), the direction of the ebbing tide would also facilitate our move to a slightly different location only 50m along the shoreline much more sheltered from the wind’s effects…
Apologies in advance
I don’t want to sound like a broken record or continually cover old ground here, however, I can only report on the ‘why’s and wherefores’ of how we are extracting these marvellous fish in the conditions we are faced with – which hadn’t been overly conducive to catching up until this juncture, both in the season and the session it has to be said!
Yep, it was, yet again, the level-sinking virtues of the Gravity Stick Pulse Tail (rigged in the manner described above), in tandem with the seemingly savage nature of a bass hunting in what was still cold water for the time of year to investigate the initial ‘splash’ of the lure entering the water that saved the session.
In the exact same way as the ‘Absolute Affirmation’ blog post I wrote (here) in which my client hit into bass of 54cm and 57cm during the very first guided session I conducted of the 2023 season back in late-March, what I have to say was an expected ‘shout’ from Mark that he’d experienced a hit within a couple of seconds of impact was the forerunner to a flurry of activity.
Four hits were registered and two bass were landed, including the gorgeously silvery specimen being gleefully gripped by Mark below and in the featured image, with all of the takes occurring within a few seconds of the ‘plop’ and a very tight line being administered as the lure descended into vertically the deep, with the bass hitching a ride on the tide along ‘the ridge’ showing zero interest in anything that was moving in a straight, horizontal line…
Method mastered…
In essence, it was this retrieve style that Mark had read about within my ‘One Lure: Many Moments blog post (here), as well as inside the new book (sorry to keep labouring its existence!) that he’d really wanted to get to grips with on his own marks within darkness that had sent him my way, again, as a valued returning client.
Job done Mark! You smashed it! And I’m so, so glad that we remained on that mark that night, and the plan I hatched in accordance with all of the variables described eventually came to fruition. See you soon in Part 3, where I will depict a classic zone in which to pitch those lures within an inner estuarine environment, and one that suits both the ‘Interception and Hunter Mode’ approaches I/we utilise…
My Books
My new title ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 2)’ is IN STOCK and available to purchase. Details of the contents of each respective book in the image above can be found in the blog post I wrote recently here, in addition to the various PayPal payment options applicable to each book at the bottom of that post. Alternatively, if you would prefer to pay by Bank Transfer or you just have a query, you can contact me via the Contact Form below or directly at southdevonbassguide@yahoo.com and I will answer as quickly as I possibly can. Thank you.
Thank you for reading and supporting the blog.
Marc Cowling
South Devon Bass Guide 