A lure-caught, 6lb 14oz Gilthead Bream, in the month of March…! Just let that sink in for a moment…
I was actually on the phone to Joe when this fish struck, and as he didn’t have time to hang up, I listened to the whole event unravelling. The initial “Yep! He’s in!” to the “It’s a Gilt!” and also the “It’s massive!!!” It was almost like I was there…
Yes, there have been a smattering of lure-caught ‘Gilts’ of late which I think is brilliant and exciting, plus I am aware of one very good lure angler who successfully targeted them up to 6lb on the lures down in Cornwall last year. Therefore, it is beginning to gradually become apparent to us avid lure anglers, that there is always the possibility or outside chance of hooking one…
Can we expect to be able to consistently and specifically target them though? My thoughts on this later in the post…
The largest on a lure in the UK?
Although I know very little about them, I and the 62,000 people and counting who kindly viewed, commented, and interacted with my recent Facebook Post regarding this capture appreciate that, whatever the method, even by bait fishing standards, to catch one of these magnificent specimens measuring just shy of 60cm and weighing in at a confirmed 6lb 14oz is something VERY special.
Moreover, add into the equation the revelations that this utter beast was hooked on a lure during one of my 2nd Guide Joe’s Professionally Guided sessions during the first week of March, and it is plain to see why this prehistoric-looking ‘animal’ garnered so much attention!
Is it the largest Gilthead Bream recorded on a lure in the UK? I was asked the question and I haven’t got a clue therefore, I put it to you…
Not ‘that’ lure…
What lure you may well be asking…? Unsurprisingly, it was something that continues to polarise opinion and/or get people rather animated. Some anglers don’t like them, some think they’re too expensive or over-hyped, and some just don’t use them because ‘I do’ amusingly. It is the Megabass Sleeper Craw of course.
If you’re undecided about their effectiveness, all I can say is have a watch, read, and a listen to the media I have written, recorded, photographed, and filmed over the past 18 months in regards to the catches that not only I have achieved on them over this period (here), but also those of our South Devon Bass Guide clients (here).
If this doesn’t convince you then no problem. But before I digress I will say that, like any lure, it is WHERE, WHEN, and HOW you use it that are the critical elements here – elements that I have unselfishly and selflessly provided to help and assist my fellow bass lure anglers.
Specialising
As a Pro-Guide entering my 10th season and as someone who has specialised in catching bass on lures for over 35 years now, I respect ANYONE who has or is able to successfully target a specific species of fish – either with bait or a lure. It takes skill, dedication, and a single-minded approach to learn, adapt, and continually improve, which leads me directly onto the honest truth which is that this capture was, lets be honest, rather fortunate!
These were Joe’s words, following the extensive debrief he gave me after what was a guided session with his client Steve aimed at focusing on what the majority of people he or I have guided over past 6 months have wanted to learn – and that is ‘catch a bass’ on a creature bait.
But I am a ‘thinking angler’ who enjoys scrutinising my/our results as you know! So lets just considering the catches others have made, and indeed the factors that MAY have influenced this mammoth Gilt to grab something that it clearly thought was worth eating!
Factors
Did I believe either I, my 2nd Guide Joe, or one of our clients would land a Gilthead Bream on a lure, or more specifically a creature bait or the disuniting Sleeper Craw? Yes. Considering the type of venues in which we use them, and the known prevalence of this very hard-fighting fish within these regions, it is surprising that we hadn’t already landed one I have to say.
But this offers up the most intriguing questions of all which is why now, in early March, when the sea temperature is hovering at its lowest state? Anomalous or atypical captures of larger than average individual fish do occur very early and very late in the respective seasons of many fish species – with the ‘need to feed’ being an overriding constituent I believe.
From my point of view, based on spending 300 days annually either fishing or guiding around the beautiful south Devon coastline and her waterways, something clearly triggered Steve’s near 7lb Gilt into taking a piece of soft plastic – something that despite the captures I described in the first paragraph, there are not renowned for in UK waters. The possible triggers are:
- This female Gilt may have been feeding especially hard after spawning.
- It may have travelled a long distance to enter the waterway in which it was caught, and was therefore very hungry.
- It may have been in competition with one or more of its tribe/shoal.
- Perhaps it is ‘usual’ food source (pretty much everything it can fit in its mouth from the research I conducted) wasn’t overly prevalent.
- Maybe it was genuinely fooled by the crustacean imitation.
- Did the lure appear VERY quickly by virtue of being ‘trundled’ down in the current?
Trundled
Yep, this is HOW Steve tempted ONE of the fish of his lifetime (he’s had a few including massive Tuna and a 70cm bass while being guided by me) – by allowing it to effectively bounce along the seabed with the direction of the flow/current. Of note, is that this is a method that Joe (more than me admittedly) has been administering during his personal and professional fishing and guiding endeavours over the past 6 months, and it is just one of the half-a-dozen very specific ways in which we use these lures – methods I will reveal quite possibly in my next book: Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 3).
Client Quote
“A capture and a fish that exceeded my wildest dreams!
I had set myself a target to catch a new PB for one of the many species that I fish for this year. But to have landed something that I understand is an astonishing capture and especially on a lure makes it all the more special!
My thanks to Marc for planning and organising the session, and of course to Joe, whose expert guidance continues to reap rewards during what I know is a time of year when things can be quiet! Thank you!”
Steve
2026/2027 Availability
South Devon Bass Guide is the ONLY bass lure fishing/guiding service in the UK that operates for 12 months of the year due to the excellent fishing opportunities at our disposal – this is why Joe was guiding in March. Joe’s Remaining 2026 Availability can be found via the tab: 2026/27 Availability. To enquire, please complete the Contact Form below:
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Thanks for reading.
Marc Cowling
Owner: South Devon Bass Guide Ltd
South Devon Bass Guide Ltd 