If you own my 3rd book (Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective Volume 2) then you will know that there is a 121 page chapter devoted entirely to overcoming or circumnavigating ‘tricky’ conditions, so that you can keep on extracting (and returning) bass on lures.
Adversity
Please find below the types of conditions I am referring to:
- Bright, sunny overhead conditions
- Water that is highly transparent (in daylight).
- Water that is exceptionally murky (in daylight and darkness).
- Atypical wind directions and strengths.
- Bright/High and/or Full-Moon.
- Cold weather conditions (in winter).
- The Small Neap Tide mindset.
- Floating and suspending weed.
As professional guides, alongside teaching our clients about the techniques and methods associated to catching bass, for all the pre-planning in the world, clearly we will often be required to accept the cards we are dealt, meaning an element of ‘relative adversity’ is often required to be overcome to get the best possible outcome for our clients.
So, the heading at the top of the list is precisely what what Joe (my 2nd Guide at South Devon Bass Guide Ltd) was faced with just recently: bright sunshine, as well as crystal-clear water – both of which are very common in the summer you would hope!
The solution
Notwithstanding searching for more coloured-up sea states, there are three or four ways that I/we have personally found to overcome such a dilemma. The first and second involves fishing within an area, be it the open coast or within an estuary where a great deal of natural ‘cover’ is present – exceedingly weedy and rocky areas, where the bass can remain concealed until a prey item moves too close for example, with attempting to target zones where a shadow is cast across the water being an added advantage to the angler also.
The third way leans towards the utilisation of an extremely realistic lure (in terms of appearance and movement) – primary a soft plastic such as the famed OSP Dolive Stick. However, in my experience, the final, and most successful and consistent way to combat a high sun and clear water is to use a surface sliding (and ‘flicking’ such as mentioned here) lure in order to mimic bait fish/fry scattering or being harassed – so to garner a more intrinsically ferocious reaction out of our quarry.
The pause (again!)
I keep mentioning it, be it in the Podcast I completed with The Lure Fishing Podcast) or in the post I recently wrote for my Marc Cowling – Bass Lure Fishing Blog (in which I reveal how I caught a 68cm bass here). But yet, again, it was that ‘pause’ to the retrieve of a Patchinko125, that Joe had asked his client (Sam) to administer, that made all the difference.
Give it a try – especially while the Sun is shining!!
2nd Guide Joe’s Remaining 2025 Availability
If you would like to enquire and/or to book a professionally guided bass lure fishing session with Joe, or for further information please complete the Contact Form at the bottom of the page. You can also you can email us directly at: southdevonbassguide@yahoo.com.
8 Hour Guided Sessions
1. 8 Hour Guided Sessions for between 1 and 3 anglers completed in January, March, April and December will be at a priced at £150 for 1 angler. If the person booking wants to add a 2nd angler the price is £250, with the total for a 3rd angler being £300.
(A deposit of £50 is required to secure each position).
2. 8 Hour Guided Sessions for between 1 and 3 anglers completed between May and November will be at priced at £175 for 1 angler. If the person booking wants to add a 2nd angler the price is £270, with the total for a 3rd angler being £300.
(A deposit of £50 is required to secure each position)
The dates that Joe has available on all of the above are as follows:
November – 19th, 20th
December – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 17th, 21st
3 Day Package Dates
The South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 3 Day Packages are for 3 people (you do not need to know one another, and you can come as a singleton to join the other two anglers). They incorporate 6x 4 hour guided sessions, over 3 days/nights of fishing, and includes 3 nights BB (Double en-suite room per person) at the excellent Chillington House – South Devon Bed and Breakfast Hotel).
The price is £529 per person
A deposit of £200 is required to secure each position.
All places are Fully Booked for 2025 however, please complete the Contact Form below to be kept informed of Joe’s 2026 Dates
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 