Client Catches – A Classic Culmination…
I doubt it’ll come as a surprise to you to learn that over the past six years I have guided anglers from across the entire spectrum pertaining to angling experience and expertise. Complete novices, and I really do mean people who have never picked up a fishing rod before, are rare visitors to my operation, but they have visited me – and they have caught too, after being placed onto what is a very, very steep learning curve!
At the other end of the sportfishing sphere, I have guided international level coarse and fly anglers, many bass lure anglers who were already highly skilled, but who just wanted to ‘fish’ an entirely different coastline as a means to enhance their overall skill set, in addition to fellow guides from the freshwater fishing fraternity.
The ‘ideal’ client…?
Do I have an ‘ideal or a model client’ or a type that I enjoy teaching and guiding the most? Kind of, is the honest answer, as I especially enjoy guiding anglers who are already highly adept at another discipline, but who have no idea how to catch bass. That said, allow me to expand on this a little more…
The whole reason that I conceived the ‘South Devon Bass Guide’ business is because I remember all too well how difficult I found it to catch a bass on a lure in my late teens. Wrasse, pollack, ray (on bait) and most other things common around my local shores were fairly forthcoming, but bass, these were a different proposition altogether…
Fast forward a further 15 years into my early thirties , and as I started to consider becoming a professional bass lure fishing guide, as well attaining ‘the marks’, the mantra that motivated me was to ensure that whoever I guided, I wanted to assist them ‘a few rungs up the bass lure fishing ladder’ as it were. Sure, I want people to catch, and I am extremely proud to write that I am currently operating on a 91-94% success rate in this respect.
Without a doubt though, there is overall theme to people requiring my services – no matter what their experience. It ties in very nicely with my wholehearted approach to wanting my clients to learn and get as much as is practicably possible out of the sessions too they travel to south Devon to see me too. Yep, there are four main questions/conundrums and it is my pleasure to be in a position to provide the answers – these queries are:
- Am I fishing in the right place?
- Am I fishing it at the right time?
- Am I utilising the correct lure(s) for the conditions and venue?
- Am I utilising these lures in the correct way or manner?
The bond
So, every so often a client or a group comes along who you really bond with, be it because they are a right old laugh, you enjoy their company, or just as likely in conjunction with this, I just massively enjoy and get a great deal out of ‘helping’ them realise their dreams of actually being able to consistently catch a species of fish that will very rarely ‘give themselves up easily’…
This was case with Richard, and indeed his brother Simon – about which I won’t say too much about their brilliant personalities on these pages as I devote an entire story to them via Simon’s stupendous 72cm ‘bass-zilla’ in my latest book ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective Volume 2‘. But let’s just say that memories and exploits are something I genuinely treasure, and that I very much look forward to supplementing each season when they enjoy a double dose of my 3 Day Packages.
Consolidated
A culmination and a consolidation of so many factors: that is exactly what lead to Richard landing the intimating, yet stunning 60cm specimen in the featured image, and is what made this capture so damn satisfying – as from the very first time I met Richard over three summers ago now, he has been on a personal mission to improve as an angler – and improve he certainly has!
Fundamentals: such as holding the rod correctly, tying the knots, amending his stance and working the lures far, far better than he had during those first sessions with me have seen him come on leaps and bounds. But the two most significant facets to Richard’s improvement have been the way he now ‘battles’ the bass (which I’ll talk about shortly) alongside the huge strides he has made, due to his own effort and commitment, in regard to his casting capabilities. Indeed, he would spend hour upon hour practising his technique in the River Thames after watching videos he’d filmed of me (although I’m not sure that was wise!).
Booooooom!
Directing Rich to the outer-most section of the weedy ‘point’ he, Si, and the third angler (Barry) partaking in one of my 3 Day Packages a few weeks ago were now fishing on, as is very often the case, the only decent fish of this session struck within the first thirty minutes of the afternoon – and a hot and sunny one it was too. Phew!.
Booooooooom! I heard the take, and l almost gave myself whiplash as I snapped my head around to witness the remnants of the ‘swirl’ the bass had created on the surface as it followed his Patchinko 125 out of the current, and ‘whacked’ the lure only 8m from his stance. And this is where Richard’s now inbuilt, inherent, innate or whatever you want to call it, instinct, that I’d drummed into him obver multiple sessions (in the nicest possible sense of course) came to the fore.
And it needed to believe me! As between him and my wating waiting net (once I’d splashed my way into the water like a dog chasing a ball) was a rather angry bass glistening and heaving in the high afternoon Sun, absolutely hell-bent on reaching some of the thickest wrack imaginable, oh, and there was as a seriously strong segment of current that was whistling through the growth too!
In she goes!
With his Major Craft Seabass Custom 7-35g 88M (which is the ideal weapon if you’re to tame these amazing fish in within these circumstances quickly) bent to ‘the max’ without tearing the hook-hold, and with the whole blank now vertical but for the alarming curve, Richard did a brilliant job of not allowing her to get her head into the wrack as I fumbled to get her body over the rim of the gigantic Adavanta Predator Folding Mesh Net I carry (here). But in she went thank goodness!
I said to Richard straight away, and before we’d even officially measured what is his new PB at 60cm that “this was a culmination of everything you’ve learnt with me mate, and that you’ve gone away and worked on yourself – bloody well done mate, this fish is richly deserved!”
I know that Richard will not mind me writing that if he’d hooked this beautiful bass earlier in his edification he probably wouldn’t have landed her. The power she possessed, and the way that she was trying to ‘reach’ both the current and the weed, at close quarters, where it would also have been easy to see the lure rip out of her mouth and over our heads, speaks volumes for his calmness under pressure, and the way in which he was able to apply what he’d been taught under the greatest levels of pressure. Great job mate, and congratulations on the new personal best – it meant a lot to me too as it was a pleasure to witness and be part of it all.
My Books
(including my most recent release)
My new title ‘Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 2)’ is IN STOCK and available to purchase. Details of the contents within each respective book in the image above can be found in the blog post that I wrote recently here, in addition to the various PayPal payment options applicable to each book at the bottom of this 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.
Thanks for reading.
Marc Cowling
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 