As you would have read from the ‘Our Guiding Year in Review 2025‘ post from late December, 2025 was the best season I have experienced, both as a Professional Guide, and as an avid bass lure angler. Between my 2nd Guide Joe and I we assisted our clients to catch and successfully release:
- 5x bass over 70cm
- A further 26x bass over 60cm.
- At 74cm (above) the largest achieved by a client at South Devon Bass Guide.
Alongside what I am sure you’ll agree are some impressive numbers, my 2nd Guide Joe and I have also instructed and guided our clients onto numerous Personal Bests, their first ever bass, their first on a lure, or perhaps their first ever on a particular lure type, or within a specific type of environment.
But it isn’t just about the actual captures of course. As even though we achieved around a 95% success rate across 255 days of combined guiding in 2025, it is the LEARNING PROCESS that the vast majority of our clients (around 95% also as it happens) have made the journey down to south Devon to attain, fulfil and realise. Happily, these are objectives that, as you’ll discover from a selection of the very kind reviews written by our clients, we have accomplished.
The Testimonials from 2025
To read the hundreds of Testimonials that our clients have very kindly submitted over the years (many of which you’ll also find on our South Devon Bass Guide Facebook Business Page) you can visit the Client Testimonials Page. Moreover, in case you’ve missed it, there is a Client Catches Gallery on the Home Page that displays the more significant captures of each respective season, year-by-year (see the image above).
“I can highly recommend a day fishing with Marc. He is the ultimate professional, and his knowledge and enthusiasm is endless !
The great thing with Marc is that he will get you fishing outside your “comfort zone” so to speak – this could be using a different colour SP lure at night, or trying a different way to work a top water lure- thanks to Marc, he had me using a popper (not a lure that I have used before), and this led to my personal best bass of 70 cm !
Fishing with Marc has given me the confidence to try new methods, and also a desire to search out new grounds to fish in my own area, as Marc’s knowledge around what constitutes good bass grounds is transferable to my own marks.
Fishing with Marc has also shown me that you can catch bass when the conditions are saying that you should only be out at night!
Last summer we were out in 28 degrees of heat (probably the hottest day of the year), with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, and still managed to catch 4 miles up an estuary in 3 foot of water a good bass on my go to top water lure (Spittin Wire).
Spending time with Marc has definitely made me a better bass lure angler and I cannot wait to fish with Marc again in 2027.”
T Coe (Cornwall)
“The sessions with Joe were eye opening, as he was so clear in his method of explaining the what, the why, the how and the when, as well as the where – all questions that I had carried with me on my own search for ‘how to’ when bassing, such as areas to target, tides to fish and methods to use. He got me thinking about how I need to approach my own areas and develop my watercraft.
Joe was humorous, calm and positive and very encouraging – we caught some lovely fish, and he celebrated as much as we did! It was a truly enjoyable and educational trip, and those 3 days will stay with me and help me ‘guide’ myself as I keep learning about these wondrous creatures. Highly recommended – we had a fun time, and Marc even came along as we dinner and a refreshment before an evening session!
Stunning locations; superb tuition and guiding!
I’ve booked again for October!”
G. Weston (Edinburgh)
“Ive had 3 different trips with Marc. my biggest “take homes” from fishing with Marc is the confidence he gives in the place and tactics / lure he recommends. Each trip built on the previous one with consolidation of material learnt previously.
I think it is fair to say that Marc has been one of the foremost proponents of extending the bass season into and through the winter months; In particular by increasing awareness and popularity estuary fishing with creature baits.
The most interesting part of Marc’s sessions is the strategy and tactics in choosing and tackling marks. It is all logical when explained but not something that you would necessarily think out yourself.
This is probably as much of a learning outcome to take away as the actual fishing. This was epitomised by my last two day session in November 2025 was based around almost exclusively estuary fishing the Megabass Sleeper Craw. This ultimately resulted in three 66cm bass to two of us.
The location choices probably wouldn’t have been chosen by me through lack of experience but fish were caught exactly as Marc predicted in terms of location and tactics. eg a 66cm fish caught in 12-18 inches of coloured water a rod length out from the bank.
This ultimately is what you get with Marc and his partner Joe; the experience, dedication and hard miles put in over many years to gain unique knowledge which will fast track your own experience and ability. Combining this with Marc’s books and his unique online mark assessment app provides a first class angling experience.”
J. Harris (Cornwall)
I’ve now completed three fantastic 3‑day trips with South Devon Bass Guide, and each one has been an absolute blast. The first two were with Marc and the third with Joe, and both guides were superb—knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and seemingly gifted with a sixth sense for where the bass are hiding.
One of the highlights was landing my personal best: a cracking 65cm bass on a weighted 6-inch Savage Gear Pulse Tail. I was buzzing! And just when I thought the excitement had peaked, something even bigger decided to have a go… only for my leader to snap. I’m convinced it was a monster—possibly record‑breaking, definitely life‑changing—and I’ll be telling the story for years. (The fish, of course, will be telling all its mates how it outsmarted me.)
Every trip has been brilliantly organised, great fun, and packed with action, laughs, and proper adrenaline. Whether you want to learn, chase a PB, or just enjoy a few days on the water with top-class guides, I can’t recommend South Devon Bass Guide highly enough. I’m already planning the next one—unfinished business and all that!
J. Ashford (Cornwall)
“I’ve had the good fortune of completing a 3-day package with Marc, as well as multiple 8-hour sessions with both Marc and Joe. The experience has been faultless every time. The 3-day package is brilliant and the B&B Marc books is superb. Being able to fish successive sessions with Marc allowed me to draw on his endless knowledge, helping me understand conditions and tweak my technique in a way that was truly priceless.
Joe is equally outstanding. He possesses all the qualities you’d hope for in a guide; every session with him has resulted in a sizeable Bass. Most recently, he helped me dial in my creature bait fishing by brilliantly explaining areas to target, which has subsequently significantly increased my catch rate.
Whether you book with Marc or Joe, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They are both top tier guides who know how to put clients on fish while instilling the knowledge you need to catch more Bass on your own. I have left each session full of confidence and fresh with knowledge that has helped me no end”
R. Cake (Somerset)
“I’ve got a lot to learn about bass fishing but Marc and Joe know the local waters and the bass which inhabit them well. Aside from the beautiful scenery, I was thrilled to land my personal best bass and Marc taught me how to handle the fish confidently and safely. The B&B is good value and perfect for a fishing trip too. Highly recommended and I’ll be back again.'”
J. Greenwood (London)
“Having read Marc’s excellent books, we decided to make the trip over from Ireland to fish with South Devon Bass Guide. We were booked in with Joe for a 3-Day Package and were very keen to learn as much as possible, especially about how to fish Creature Baits.
Joe really delivered for us, with a number of lovely bass up to 60cm! We picked up so much from Joe over the three days and he always went that extra little bit to put us onto fish in estuaries, creeks and on the open Devon coast. We are already looking forward to traveling over for another 3-day package later this year.”
Sean & John (Ireland)
“I am a highly experienced angler, having fished around the globe for many, many, many predatory species. I am from NZ originally. I also used to guide around NZ.
One species I just couldn’t get my head around, was Bass in the UK, specifically. I know what I am doing, I just didn’t know how to apply my knowledge to Bass!
I therefore read a number of Marc’s books, which certainly helped me ‘join the dots.’ The books also helped me gain confidence, which as we all know, is highly important in any fishing. I then bit the bullet and went out with Marc for a couple of days, to actually experience how he fishes, first hand.
I learnt even more, especially in areas of water craft, and how to ‘properly’ work certain lures like Surface and creatures for example.
The extra knowledge gained had an immediate impact on my fishing in my local area, allowing me to catch, not just one December Bass, but 9, and all over 55cms”
E. Bishop (Sussex)
“Just wanted to say what a cracking 3 days myself and my fishing buddy Marc had with yourself, we learned so much! It’s totally opened our eyes to potential bass marks closer to home that we’ve definitely overlooked!
Session 1
Arriving at the estuary mark at dusk with the tide ripping out was a completely new type of fishing for us that required accurate casting between the boats and buoys into fast flowing water definitely kept us on our toes. As the tide began to ease and proper darkness set in I downsized to the 11cm Slender Scoop Shad while keeping the 6/0 hook (on your advice) i don’t mind admitting i wasnt sure about it as it dwarfed the lure but it clearly paid off resulting in the 63cm bass that came out of nowhere. An amazing moment for me!
I found it fascinating that the smaller lure size did the trick, particularly at night when I’d normally expect a bigger lure to work better. A cracking bit of advice from yourself i have to say!
On a side note, the sight of you trying to sprint over to net the fish while pulling your waders up after a quick pee will stay with me for a long time!!
Session 2
The location was a shelving sandy shore giving way to a reef with rocky outcrops either side… lovely conditions with gentle waves rolling in, and crystal-clear water.
Dusk was quiet but again when proper darkness kicked in the bass switched on!
Your tuition on the Needlefish lure made all the difference on the night. Fishing the white version of the marc cowling needlefish with that constant tight line, 5 quick turns then a steady half-turn-per-second retrieve really worked a treat. Six bass landed in the end, fantastic fishing thanks to excellent guidance.”
P Staunton (Lancashire)
“Hooking up with Joe at South Devon Bass Guide was the best bass fishing decision I ever made. I have fished for 53 years now and caught a few random bass despite trying hard, but I was missing a number of crucial elements and using the wrong tackle. My first outing with Joe hooked me a 60cm on a creature claw lure in what I thought was the most unlikely lie for a fish. I am now well and truly hooked.
If you want to catch bass with great knowledgeable people, stay in some lovely accommodation, see some spectacular scenery then get booked in.”
S. Taylor (London)
“Marc introduced our group to different habitats, different conditions, different tides and different lures. I feel that we got a broad experience that we can transfer to our fishing back home. Marc tailored each session to how we as individuals like to fish and I managed a PB on my favourite style of bass fishing: creature baits.
As we learnt new methods and presentations Marc would add in the next tweak or advancement and I found this highly engaging. I would absolutely recommend any of Marc’s sessions. The learning was so much faster and the fish really felt like a bonus.”
D. Losh (Isle of Man)
“Had a three day package with South Devon Bass Guide Ltd. Excellent bass guiding service. Marc is very professional and taught me lots of watercraft even down to tweaking my casting and retrieving lures. Caught my PB bass and my PB night caught bass. Would highly recommend booking if your in to lure fishing. I would recommend reading Marc’s books too. Very well written and informative.”
R. Smith (Devon)
“Being based in land locked Hertfordshire I don’t have easy access to the salt water but always fantasised about lure fishing for Bass. After researching, I felt a bit overwhelmed with where to start and so after a quick google I found Marc offered guided lure fishing.
So I booked a 3 day package with Marc before even trying on my own and caught my first bass within the first hour and went on to catch other Bass up to 55cm+…. Marc was literally standing next to me talking me through how to work the lures properly and that’s when I got the hits… It would of taken me several life times to work out the subtleties of making the lures work properly to be that effective .
I then came back for a second 3 day package last September and Marc armed with a completely different tactic managed to guide me to successfully catch a 70cm and 63cm brace within an hour of each other!!! As you can guess I’m booked up for a third 3 day package already!!!!”
N. Murphy (Herts)
“In mid January we went out with guide Joe for an open coast session. The expertise, knowledge and amazing fishing skills of Joe let to a very successful winter bass lure fishing day. Thank you!!”
M. Roberts & B van Djyk
“Wanting to expand my knowledge of catching Bass with lures I decided to book a session with Marc Cowling at South Devon Bass Guide Ltd with the view of learning how to retrieve a soft plastic in the dark with respect to the water conditions, where to cast, time spent and when to move. Marc explained all in great detail about cast and move down a reef system that had a ridge that had interlinking channels which he suggested that on the turn of the tide the Bass would be patrolling waiting for prey. If I caught a good one the signal was to turn my light on indicating fish on. So as instructed I did exactly that, using a white Bass stick I cast to the gullies/channels with a steady slow retrieve.
Half way down the beach I felt a thump, then the rod was pulled over. Light was straight on as I retrieved the fish , once the fish was safely landed Marc got the photos and the fish was safely released. What I learnt was 1- reading where to put a lure on the state of tide. 2- how to locate where the fish are with the cast and move technique. 3- speed retrieval of the lure.
After learning this I took the knowledge away with me and applied it to one of my marks and had great success, catching 2 decent Bass within the space of 15 minutes 5 metres apart, a 48cm & 66cm. Without leaning this knowledge I would have completely missed catching these fish. To sum it all up the knowledge/tactics learnt enabled me to improve my Bass fishing experience immensely and give me the confidence to use these skills to further build & better my lure fishing.”
To Book a Session in 2026 or 2027
The reviews above are just a selection of those we gratefully received at the end of the 2025 season, but I hope that they provide a snapshot of our professionalism, and the levels of success that Joe and I work extremely hard to facilitate and achieve. It would be a pleasure to assist, teach, instruct, advise, and ultimately guide you onto that bass of your dreams.
I (Marc Cowling) am fully booked for 2026, however, I can add you to my ‘Reserve List’. Furthermore, to enquire about my soon to be officially released 2027 Availability, please do complete the Contact Form at the bottom of the page.
My 2nd Guide Joe’s Remaining 2026 Prices and Availability can be found at the 2026/27 Availability tab on the Homepage.
Thanks for reading
Marc Cowling
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 