Step one foot outside today and in my part of the world you’ll be greeted with a biting easterly wind and a temperature barely above freezing… conditions which are rarely good for fishing along my part of the South Coast. What it has got me thinking about though is what is ahead fishing-wise in 2012 and in particular I’m thinking about my quest for bass on the lure fishing front.
One longer trip will hopefully be back to Cornwall to give some more marks a go that were explored in the August 2011 foray. I’ll also get a fair bit of Purbeck fishing in as well at weekends if I’m lucky but one place I’m definitely keen to explore that is pretty much on my doorstep is the Isle of Wight. In particular I’m thinking the southern coast line between Freshwater Bay at the western end of the Island through to Culver at the more eastern end. Research on the internet and reading various publications suggest that there are bass there to be had and when you look at some of the satellite images and photos on the likes of Google Maps you can see there are some places which, on the face of it, look juicy spots for bass fishing! In conjunction with this, the other thing I’ll be looking at are the ‘blue’ charts for the area to see if there are any interesting features which might prove fruitful such as drop offs, gullies, freshwater outlets, etc. all of which are worthy of consideration in my opinion.
Another reason for me wanting to give the Island a go with the lures is in days gone by I’ve bait fished for bass successfully from the Solent side of the Island so I know they are present. Also, last year on the charter trip I took in July on the south side of the Island there were plenty of bass caught albeit slightly off shore. Undoubtedly though, the bass would be moving in close to the shore as well where the likes of baitfish, crabs, etc. would be present in numbers and easy pickings for hungry bass. It encourages me to give it a go that’s for sure!
Perhaps the biggest reason for wanting to give the Island a go though is because it’s somewhere different to wet a line compared to where I usually fish. Half the fun I find is working out the right places to fish, what tide fishes best, what weather conditions work, what lure is successful, etc. and the south side of the Island I believe looks an interesting prospect to try my luck with. Obviously, I’m not going to disregard any sound local knowledge that comes my way – I would be stupid to do that – but I find if you can work something out for yourself it tends to be that little bit more satisfying.
So, the Isle of Wight is definitely on my list of places to try this year whether that be over a weekend or maybe slightly longer I’m not sure yet but I’m very keen to give it a whirl. Would be great to catch my first lure caught Isle of Wight bass from the shore… I have a definite hunch there are a few there!!
Thinking about this, I should really be taking the kayak into consideration as well shouldn’t I?!
Until next time…
Hooks, Lines & Sinkers 