NOTE: A list of Joe’s 2026 Availability and Prices/Information can be found at the end of this post.
It was almost a year ago that I released a blog post highlighting my 2nd Guide Joe’s assembly of 2024 Client Catches here whilst operating on a weekend only basis. Therefore, in conjunction with the release of his 2026 Availability I wanted to write a similar post that underlines just what a magnificent job he has done in 2025, as he embarks on what is now his full-time occupation.
Teach, Instruct, and Guide
In the course of spending time with our clients, not only are we attempting to hoodwink a wild and wily adversary within a multitude of environments, but we also have to take the wind, weather, and sea state into account. Then there is the human aspect to what we do – the clients’ previous experience (or lack of potentially) in addition to their ability and capabilities.
Different people learn in different ways, and this is something that Joe and I are acutely aware of from our previous roles in the Armed Forces. We do not merely take people to a fishing spot, we explain what it is that makes it a ‘good bass mark’ and then how to approach these often very specific environments so that they can replicate it on their local patch.
At the start of the session we will explain precisely ‘why’ we are there at that time. Then, if or when the conditions alter or we feel a change of venue or lure is required, not only do we we explain that decision, we also teach the client(s) how to decide what to attach, in addition to how to retrieve it correctly and effectively.
Taking the above into account, what has really stood out this season is the broad spectrum of locations, situations, and conditions we have encountered and succeeded upon and within, in addition to the wide variety of lure types, patterns, and colours we have utilised to place a bar of silver into our clients’ arms, before safely releasing them to feed and breed. The bass swim away, but the memories remain.
All-Year Round Guiding in south Devon
Commencing in January, Joe expertly placed his client (Adam) onto South Devon Bass Guide’s first ever ‘guided January bass’ courtesy of a session into darkness whilst armed with a Savage Gear Slender Scoop Shad. Then, he followed this success on another frosty night by assisting Pirate Lures owner (Dave Major) onto his first ever night time ‘creature bait capture’ – both of which you can read about here.
Clumps, Clarity, and Quick Thinking
Although it was a very settled, dry, and sunny April here in south Devon, something that it most certainly wasn’t was warm! The wind ‘howled in’ incessantly from the east or north-east, creating a a chill to the air and countering any notion that we were in for a bumper start to the new season.
We don’t believe in the saying that “the fish bite the least when the wind’s in the east” here at South Devon Bass Guide! But while sheltering from it’s chill wasn’t an issue, in doing so it created a secondary dilemma that is difficult to overcome when the bait fish aren’t overly prevalent, and the metabolism of the bass hasn’t quite kicked into gear due to the cold water – exceptionally clear water…
With the bass seemingly fixated on hunting with their heads down until the air and sea temperatures increased, Joe had armed his client (Stephen) with a creature bait (the Megabass Sleeper Craw). But it was precisely ‘where’ he asked him to place it that accounted for the 60cm bass in the image above…
This was a finite zone measuring around 4m2 of very shallow water (18″) that was being stirred into a turbid state by the wind that was flowing down a narrow valley between the trees. It was this, in conjunction with a singular clump of weed that Joe had surmised a bass could be concealed within that worked a treat! You can read the full story of this capture in the ‘2nd Guide Client Catches – Lurking in the Murk‘ post.
The following weekend, and with it still feeling like winter whenever the Sun was obscured or set for the night, some lateral thinking by Joe and some accurate casting by his client Jud brought about Jud’s first by the creature bait method.
Pleasingly, it was a slender sub channel that Joe knew would appear given the size of the tide on that day within which the bass entered and ultimately struck the lure. But as Jud had never used this lure or method before, it was Joe’s quick thinking to suggest that Jud commenced the retrieve the very moment the lure splashed in the ridiculously shallow (6-8″) water that did the trick. The blog post and embedded Audio Clip describe the events here: 2nd Guide Client Catches – Another to The Craw.
A regular request…
If you are unable to effectively ‘Walk the Dog’ with a surface sliding lure, then having a Professional Guide stood by your side to explain each component part will see your skill set increase exponentially. Indeed, alongside assisting our clients with elements to their casting technique, working a top water lure is the primary request on the ‘what would you specifically like to learn’ section of the Client Booking Form.
The gallery above forms a snapshot of the captures that Joe guided his clients onto on a surface lure from, as you can see, a variety of environments including a sandy estuary mouth, a muddy creek, and also the open coastal rock marks that have really come back on form this year – especially around the May/June period.
Poppers
I have written many times about the virtues of a surface popping lure due, in part, because they provide the angler with a greater than average chance of hooking into a big bass. Fast flowing water within an estuary, or indeed a segment of aerated fizz around the open coastal rocks is where a medium-size popper can yield serious results.
The capture above for Joe’s client Stu was a great example of Joe’s burgeoning conviction at the tine, in that he had the confidence to assess the conditions swiftly and then send Stu out onto a rocky promontory surrounded by some delicious water.
With the instructions to ‘pop and pause’ the Tacklehouse Feed Popper 100 over an intersection of submerged gullies understood and implemented while Joe positioned the two other clients that evening, a shout from 50m away saw him quickly scrambling over the rocks to photograph Stu’s prize – a magnificent 60cm bass.
Soft Plastics, Colours, and Darkness
Much like working a surface slider or popper, gaining confidence in the use of soft plastic lures for bass is often high up our clients’ wish list. But in addition to teaching them ‘how’ and ‘when’ to utilise lures such as the subtle Wave Worm Bamboo Sticks, Albie Snax, and Evobass Launce as well as the more conspicuous Savage Gear Gravity Stick Pulse and Paddle Tails, a recurring theme throughout the summer was choosing the appropriate colour also…
As a guide, to convince someone to clip on a dark or black lure as the lights go out, or indeed when it is properly dark albeit with the Moon potentially shining is a feat that only be performed when the client has the utmost respect for the person advising them.
Out on the open coastal beaches and coves, Joe used all of his previous experience as a highly accomplished bass lure angler to place his exceptionally receptive clients onto some fantastic bass – many of which were the first they’d caught at night, or were their new personal best. The client catches above are covered in more detail here: 2nd Guide Client Catches – A Veritable Variety and The Silhouette Sleight.
Associated with the slideshow of images above, when Joe recommended the pink Evobass Launce to his client (Ben) there was a definite ‘Errr OK’ moment. However, Joe based this decision not only on the reality that the white lures just weren’t receiving any interest that night, but also on the fact he’d personally landed a number of bass from that remote cove on pink lures in the past.
A number of Joe’s clients have enjoyed his 3 Day Packages this year, with these sessions really serving to hone the skills of both teacher and student. Very often, it is those words of encouragement or a suggestion to tweak a component to the retrieve style that will make all the difference, as it did for Mark (above) and Dan (below) respectively.
The Creature Craze
Following Joe’s sabbatical over the late-summer and early-autumn period so that he could enjoy a holiday, since his return the bass lure fishing world has gone ‘Creature Crazy’ a good couple of months ahead of schedule! To elaborate, following on from the success we have enjoyed both personally and professionally with the Megabass Sleeper Craw in particular over the past 10 months, when the weather momentarily turned nasty in early-September the bass suddenly started acting differently…
Above is a selection of the better bass that Joe’s clients achieved via the use of the creature baits during one of Joe’s 3 Day Packages. Of note, is that two of the gentlemen (John and Sean) had made the trip over from the Republic of Ireland to enjoy what the beautiful south Devon coast and her estuaries had to offer.
As I mentioned earlier in the post, when anglers join us for a guided session at South Devon Bass Guide they either have a number specific objectives or details that they’d like to be taught or tweaked, or they will be arriving with open minds and with limited bass lure fishing expertise.
Many would have mastered other disciplines of the sport, such as Carp, Coarse, Bait, or Fly Fishing. But attaining the tools to locate potentially productive bass marks on their own section of coast, and understand how then to approach them with a lure is what we do in a nutshell. Essentially, we act as a ‘fast track’ service – even more so on our popular 3 Day Packages that encompass 6x 4 hour sessions that are completed in contrasting locations and conditions so to enhance the learning process.
More to come!
In the course of writing this post over the past few days, Joe’s clients have enjoyed some wonderful sport, again while using a variety of lure types within a multitude of differing environments and conditions ranging from bright sunshine to October’s ‘Super Moon’. What’s more, there have been a further two 60cm+ specimens landed by his clients this past week, in addition to a very special 70cm+… Look out for that beast!!!
Joe’s Prices, Information, and Availability in 2026
Joe’s 8 Hour sessions in January, February, March, April and December are priced as follows:
- 1 angler – £150.
- 2 anglers – £250
- 3 anglers – £300.
NOTE: A deposit of £50 is required to secure each position.
Joe’s 8 Hour sessions between May and November are priced as follows:
- 1 angler – £180
- 2 anglers – £270
- 3 anglers – £300
NOTE: A deposit of £50 is required to secure each position.
Our popular 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 (and nights) of fishing. The price includes 3 nights BB (Double en-suite room per person) at the excellent Chillington House – Bed and Breakfast Hotel.
The price for Joe’s 3 Day Packages are as follows:
The price is £549 per person
NOTE: A deposit of £200 is required to secure each position.
8 Hour Sessions
- January – 5, 6, 19, 20
- February – 2, 3, 16, 17
- March – 1, 2, 3, 19, 20, 21
- April – 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 29, 30
- May – 6, 7, 19, 20, 28, 29
- June – 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30
- July – 15, 16, 17, 18, 28, 29, 30
- August – 29, 31
- September – Fully Booked – see 3 Day Package Dates
- October – 2, 22, 26, 27, 30, 31
- November – 3, 4, 5, 9, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
- December – 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
3 Day Packages
NOTE: 3x places are available unless otherwise stated:
- 3 – 5 May – Fully Booked
- 14 – 16 May – 1x place remaining
- 14 – 16 June – 2x places available
- 17 – 19 June – Fully Booked
- 2 – 4 July
- 12 – 14 July
- 3 – 5 August
- 6 – 7 August
- 2 – 4 September
- 9 – 11 September – Fully Booked
- 13 – 15 September – Fully Booked
- 24 – 26 September – Fully Booked
- 8 – 10 October – Fully Booked
- 12 – 14 October – Fully Booked
- 18 – 20 October – 2x places available
- 10 – 12 November
To Book a Session or 3 Day Package
To reserve your position or to enquire, please complete the Contact Form below and I will reply as quickly as I possibly can amongst my/our guiding commitments. Alternatively, we can be contacted via the following means:
Phone: 07787 844332
Email: southdevonbassguide@yahoo.com
Thanks for reading.
Marc Cowling
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 