The inspiration for this post is a recent client capture (and indeed another client PB), achieved within some brackish water many miles inland, that occurred during what I would describe as an atypical set of circumstances for me – hence its relevance, and why I think it may be of use to the reader from a learning perspective.
Fundamentals
Although I have been a Full-Time, Professional Bass Lure Fishing Guide now for just over 8 years, I can assure you that I learn something new about this marvellous species pretty much every time I step out onto the shoreline. They never cease to amaze me, both in terms of where they can be located, and more especially, elements to their overall behaviour…
If they are thoroughly ‘in the mood’ then some (not all) of the fundamentals that I tend to adhere by when teaching, instructing, and guiding my clients can, on occasion, go entirely ‘out of the window’ – with retrieving the lure with the direction the water is travelling being one of them…
Taking absolutely nothing away from the client who landed the 60cm bass in the featured image (as well as the 55cm fish below) during this particular session, it was obvious from the second I’d taught him how to retrieve the Patchinko 100 correctly that the bass in this creek were intent on hitting items off the top!
Wind Against Tide – Your Options…
The ‘wind against tide’ phenomenon, especially within an estuarine environment, is a very common occurrence, and is something I have written about in all of my books (that you can find here). Can it be an advantage to the bass lure angler? Is there lure type designed to counter it? Is it simply a hindrance? Can you overcome it? Does it even matter!?
To elaborate, if the top layer of the water is moving in the opposite direction to the overall current that is driving the momentum of the tide, then the angler will be forced to consider just how ‘natural’ their presentation is appearing to the bass beneath…
The first question to ask yourself is: Is the wind stronger than the tide, or vice versa? For example, if you placed something that floats on the surface layer, would it still be carried by the current, held in position, or indeed moved in a divergent direction, dictated by the wind’s strength.
So how does this transfer to lure choice you may ask? In my experience, if the top layer of the water (the waves or chop) is clearly moving in the opposite direction to what you know is the direction the current is flowing in, then I will attach a weighted soft plastic paddle tail or twitch bait, or indeed a hard diving minnow if weed fragments aren’t an issue. In doing this, the lure will be swimming with the current, within the section of water where the flow is unaffected by the wind – thus appearing more natural perhaps…
Mark’s PB
In regard to Mark’s 60cm bass then, and with the gusty wind and the ebbing tide moving all of the water within this creek in the same direction presently, the decision to remain with the skipping, flicking Patch 100 was an easy one to make – especially as one tiny bass after another kept grabbing it with gusto.
“Where there’s lots of little ones, I think a bigger one will be predating on them” I said to Mark, and confidently so given what I have witnessed over the past few seasons in particular (see here). Sure enough, about an hour into the session and with only 30 minutes or so of the ebb to complete a much bigger one at 55cm (the fish further up the page) struck and was landed to his obvious delight.
The Conundrum…
More tiddlers followed down to Low Water as the water level shallowed to only inches and the wind, as expected, momentarily calmed for a period of ten minutes or so. But when the tide turned, and the current began to visibly flow again I had a decision to make: go deeper with a soft plastic as mentioned above and risk it being covered with green salad (that you can see behind Mark’s head in the image above) every time it connected with the seafloor, or continue with the small surface lure ‘just to see’ what would happen…
A further 45 minutes passed with only a couple of tentative strikes at the lure therefore, with another 12″ of water to play with as the depth rose I considered attaching a weightless twitch bait such as an OSP Dolive Stick or a prototype Westin lure that I have designed for them…
The wind had increased further now, and with a noticeable ‘chop’ to the surface layer the use of the Patchinko 100 was now ‘borderline’ for me… However, just as I was literally about to swap it over, another small bass grabbed it properly – a signal perhaps that a new batch of bass was about to swim past our position?
Casting up-tide, if Mark paused the surface lure as I asked him to do, you could just about sense that it was being moved by the flow of the current, and therefore, towards him as he retrieved it, rather than being shunted away from us by the strengthening breeze. But would it appear natural enough to fool a big un!? Given their mood on that tide, and in that moment it seems, it most certainly was!
Submarine rising!
“Oh Yes!!!!!!” Again, just as my head was telling me that the blustery wind and top layer to the water interacting with the lure’s progression was now acting as a deterrent rather than an attractant, a ‘grey submarine’ raced in behind the lure! Breaking the surface and creating a magnificent ‘wake and bow wave’ in the process, it very intently tracked the ‘small collection of bait fish imitation’ until the Westin prototype rod I’d lent Mark hooped over with a fierce splash!
A wonderfully tense battle commenced. But with the drag dialled up to perfection it enabled Mark to use his very extensive Coarse fishing background to gain the upper-hand – enough for me to clamber into the now muddy drink with my massive net! In she went, and the ‘GET IN THERE!!!!’ shouts echoed through the valley.
A great moment, and yet another one that brings a smile to my face, enhanced further by seeing what it meant to its captor, before a swift and successful release that you watch below:
Marc Cowling’s Books
(Including my LATEST RELEASE: The Lure of The Bass – The Revised Edition)
For stock levels, purchasing options (BACS or PayPal) and for more information in regard to the contents of each of my respective publications you can follow the links to my sister website (Marc Cowling – Bass Lure Fishing) below:
The Lure of The Bass – The Revised Edition
Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 1)
Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 2)
Thanks for reading
Marc Cowling
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 