Andy Phillips

A Bit Hit and Miss…

Had another go at it for a few hours yesterday but it was a bit hit and miss with only a couple of bass and a handful of mackerel. I couldn’t get an early enough start which may have had something to do with it?!

That said, I was encouraged when I first got there with overcast skies, a bit of drizzle in the air, a decent swell coming in and nice water colour – it looked promising, especially off the back of a couple of days of a strong westerly airflow.

The one thing that possibly didn’t help at this venue was the big tides – I’ve noticed I’ve never done that great here when there is a big tidal range and so it proved.

Tried surface lures, divers and soft plastics to entice a bass but the only one the bass went for was the faithful Zonk – both taking the one pictured. The mackerel on the other hand had a go at anything…

Maybe the bass were preoccupied with the mackerel or had gorged themselves after the bigger seas during the week? Either way it was not the most productive session.

Anyhow, here’s a few more pictures I snapped…

It’s been a bit disappointing on the bass front this year so far but maybe that will change in the coming weeks – here’s hoping!

Until next time…

A Bit Better…

Managed to work myself an opening today for a few hours so, with all bases covered, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands! The weather forecast looked okay with some cloud cover and, with the westerly air flow of the last couple of days continuing, I was hopeful of something resembling fair conditions. The venue was the same spot as my previous trip last week when I picked up mackies and garfish.

It wasn’t an early start as on previous trips… I didn’t arrive until mid morning. Conditions were okay but not quite as good as I had hoped – it was bright overhead, the sea state had only a slight chop and was still very clear. I met a couple of fellow lure anglers on their way back – one had caught, one hadn’t! I was surprised there were not more people about to be honest what with it being a weekend but make no mistake I was delighted to have a good stretch of the shore all to myself!

I was fishing the ebbing tide and it was pretty slow for the first couple of hours with nothing to show for it apart from a couple of knocks which seemed typical of mackerel – certainly nothing connected.

My luck was about to change though and on reflection I think there might have been a bit of ‘good karma’ about it! I was looking along the shore and noticed something in the tide line… when I reached it, it was a decent sized ballan wrasse that had some how beached itself but was still alive! It must have been there a while because it took me a quarter of an hour or so to reach it from when I first spotted it! I picked it up and took it to the waters edge and gradually revived it…. I’m not a fan of wrasse but it was satisfying to see it swim off strongly! This is where the ‘good karma’ bit comes in as the very next cast, right at low water, I had a take on the Megabass Zonk and my first bass of the day was safely landed!

A beautifully conditioned, if small, fish but it fought well in the improving conditions…. the wind had picked up and there was a lot more white water now.

I thought where there was one there might be more in the vicinity…… however, if they were there they weren’t showing so I kept on the move and about half an hour later it paid off with two in quick succession.

You could be forgiven if you thought it was the same fish in these pictures above as they were almost identical! Nothing big but good takes by both fish once again.

That was as good as it got on the fish front despite my best efforts and so it was time to head back to the car and home. Nice to be connecting with the bass and certainly better than my last outing!

Here are a few more pictures from the day…

A storm a brewing….

Bass no.1…

Improving conditions…

Close up…

Beach art??

So, a bit of an improvement than of late – I have my fingers crossed for a decent Autumn on the lures… just need to manufacturer some more time to get out there!

Until next time…

Mackies & Gars

Managed a quick morning session yesterday but conditions were not great with clear, flat water and bright conditions to contend with. Nevertheless, it was the end of a two week holiday period for me so I had to fish given the opportunity!

All in all it was tough going with not a sniff in the first couple of hours but then a few mackies started to hit the lures. Managed to shake the couple off that I did connect with thus avoiding actually handling them. No sign of the bass though at this stage which I guess wasn’t surprising given the benign conditions.

I then must of hit a shoal of garfish as I had four in quick succession all on the good old Megabass Zonk. The biggest of which was nearly 70cm in length….

Would have been nice to have landed a bass that length but they were not playing ball although I did have two follows later on from schoolies which unfortunately seemed to get spooked in the clear calm water and made off.

Typically, as I was leaving the wind swung round and there was a nice chop starting to develop but alas my time was done.

To finish, here a couple more photos from yesterday…

Another of the biggest garfish with the Zonk lure

Benign conditions

Looking forward to the autumn bass fishing now – hopefully we’ll get some nice south westerly blows here on the South Coast to stir things up a bit and make for a good end to the year.

Until next time…

Bass at last!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and indeed a long while since I’ve actually been fishing but yesterday I managed the first trip in what seems an age! My enforced lay off was my own fault… a 40+ year old man should know his limits on the football pitch and a torn calf muscle is testament to that! He should also know not to push the recovery too quickly but alas it was another mistake I made and it all added up to a whole lot of fishing being missed!

So, it was really really good to blow a few cobwebs away yesterday morning although on arrival at the venue you could be forgiven if nothing would be blown away – there was not a breath of wind and the sea state calm and clear… these were not good signs for a bit of bass fishing and early results as the sun came up seemed to support that theory. Before I really got going I met another lure angler, a nice old boy, and spent a few minutes having a chin wag with him about his fishing trip to the Azores which was a smashing tale! He was on his way back and hadn’t had a sniff so I feared the worse.

That said, I could see there were mackerel around and it was soon after I moved along the shore a bit that the Zonk lure began to get hit by the mackies. I managed to shake half a dozen off the end treble in quick succession on the way out. Mackerel weren’t the intended quarry but the bass were just not showing… until a change of Zonk colour paid a small dividend when out of nowhere, and close in, this schoolie decided to go for it!

With the bass blank avoided and with renewed hope I continued to plug away but this solitary bass was all I had to show on the way out aside from the mackerel. I chopped and changed lures from those suitable for surface to those right through the water column but it was hard going in the bright conditions. In the end I settled on the Zonk I had caught the bass on earlier and on the way back it bagged me another schoolie – again taken close in.

That was the end of it on the bass front….I had just the two small fish to show for my morning’s work which wasn’t great but probably not unexpected given the conditions.

There was still the odd mackerel showing and the one below, which I caught as I left the beach, had pretty much engulfed the Zonk so he came home for tea!

Despite the lack of anything decent it was nice to get out and finally fish after a frustrating few months for me one way and another. Off to Cornwall with the family this weekend so will pack the rod in the hope I can wet a line but failing that will be eager to get out again on my return and I am certainly looking forward to the autumn fishing!

To finish, here are a few more pictures taken yesterday…

Early doors

Megabass Zonk

Bright, clear and relatively calm – not ideal!

The second small bass

Dinner!

I’ve missed fishing!!!

Until next time!

Well, it was nice to see a bass at least!

A late start to work on Friday meant a small window of opportunity to fish and with Nobby free as well we thought we’d chance our arm early doors. Conditions didn’t look ideal with northerly winds but nothing ventured, nothing gained and with reports of a few fish starting to show we headed off to Dorset.

Arrived a bit later than hoped with the light already upon us so we rigged up and marched off at military pace! Soon enough we were at the shore and keeping an eye on the water for signs of fish we headed west – it was calm and very clear though there were patches of water that had a bit of colour to them which was more encouraging than the aquarium like clarity I’ve experienced on my last couple of trips. It was currently low water and there were plenty of exposed rocks to fish from on the way but alas there were no takers for our early offerings of Komomo’s, Sammy’s or Salt Skimmers. On we trudged and eventually found some nice colour in fairly shallow water and after switching to his trusty Feed Shallow Nobby was in! A nice hit and scrap resulting in the biggest fish of the day around the 3.5lb mark.

I moved on round the coast to look at some ground I’d never reached before but with low water it was even shallower – literally ankle deep for way, way out. Took a couple of pictures for reference though as I’m sure on the flood it would produce…. picture shows how benign the conditions were as well.

I headed back round the corner to where Nobby was fishing – he’d only gone and had another one on the Feed Shallow! This one was only a small fish though. Next cast for him disaster struck when this trusty Feed Shallow snagged and with a ping and much cursing it was consigned to Davy Jones Locker. Unperturbed, a new Feed Shallow was deployed and he was fishing again….. only for five minutes later that one to get snagged as well with the same inevitable ping and more profanities from Nobby! That was the end of that…. or so we thought as within a couple of casts yours truly fishing a Maria Fake Bait NL got his lure snagged and this time it was my turn to be snapped off….. but I noticed the lure pop up to the surface very quickly so waders were put to good use and I managed to walk out and pick it up and in the process, by complete fluke, also found one of Nobby’s Feed Shallows as well!

We started our move back along the shore and fished a nice channel of deeper, cloudier water. We were both fishing Zonk’s now but my offerings were definitely giving out bad vibes as Nobby picked up a further three small fish with no reply from myself! That’s how it goes some days I guess?!

Time ticked on and despite fishing our way all the way back there was nothing further to report. The long trudge up the hill saw us back on top of the cliffs looking down… I’m probably fitter this year than last but those climbs don’t get any easier – whole lot of hurt by the time you reach the top!

So, a big fat blank for me and I’m still to break my bass duck for the year while Nobby bagged the lot on this trip out…. but as the title of the post says it was nice to see a bass at least and as always with great company and banter!

Until next time…

Slow start continues…

Second trip of the Spring down to Dorset yesterday – more, as it turned out, for a recce and refresh of what this particular area was looking like after the Winter break. It was a solo trip with my pal Nobby deciding against it after looking at the benign weather and in fairness, in that respect, he was 100% right! Still, I had the opportunity so wasn’t going to waste the chance of having a go and at the very least having a stroll along the coast checking things out.

The first thing to get back used to was the alarm going off early and dragging myself out of my pit at 2:45 am! Once I’m up I’m OK it’s just that initial step of pulling the covers back that’s the hard part – madly I do love being up this time of day and it’s great for getting anywhere quickly with no one else on the road.

Arrived, kitted up and set off just as the light was beginning to change. Unfortunately, the short cut to the place where I would normally have made my way down to the coast had the gate closed off due to land slippage…. luckily I was aware of this before I set off so had already resigned myself to taking the tougher shoreline route round. Only a minor inconvenience and it wasn’t long before I was fishing though the conditions were not encouraging – as forecast it was fairly flat and water was almost aquarium-like in clarity.

Nothing was happening early doors with little sign of life in the water if I’m perfectly honest but nevertheless I continued to walk and fish. What was noticeable was the amount of land slippage and cliff fall there has been over the Winter in this area of Dorset – parts of the cliff do look a lot more precarious in places than I’ve seen before so something I’ll be aware of when fishing here over the rest of the year.

There were some decent, fairly fresh clumps of kelp washed up underneath the cliffs but there were no flies present so no maggots either….

Moved on further round the coast with not a sniff on either the hard or soft plastics I tried ranging from Feed Shallows, Gunfish, Komonos to Sluggos, Wave worms, Flash J Shads or the Black Minnows. One good thing about the clear water on these early season sessions is it gives you an opportunity to see the action of the lures underwater which was great for me with some of the new soft plastics I’ve acquired recently. In particular I like the colour and action of the Flash J Shads – hopefully they’ll be fish catchers – they look like they should be…

I’d almost given up on the fact there were any fish in the sea when I had a knock on the Black Minnow which had the tell tale signs of a wrasse. Next cast out confirmed it with this small fish…

It saved a blank I guess but whilst I always respect them they just don’t give me the buzz that catching a bass does! Returned safely I moved on and cast out again and immediately got hit again by a wrasse…this one could have been the twin brother of the one I’d just caught…

At this point I decided to turn and fish my way back. The tide was turning and the wind had swung around a bit creating a nice chop on the surface but it was still very clear water. This did look slightly better though and encouragingly I started to notice the odd mullet or two cruising around so no doubt there would be a few bass in amongst them I suspect. Alas, there was no further fish action to report though and by lunchtime I was back at the car ready to head home.

We could do with a run of south westerly winds now in this part of the world just to create a bit of swell and fizz the water up a bit… might get those bass moving inshore? Hopefully, after the next set of spring tides they will be there!

Finally, this was a second outing for the Maxpedition Sitka sling bag which you’ll notice I’ve ‘pimped’ with a pouch and Hampshire badge!! I’m liking this bit of kit a lot – plenty of storage, comfortable, doesn’t feel bulky with easy, quick access to everything I need when fishing. Thumbs up so far!

Until next time…

A head banging experience…

Well, the first session of the season did not turn out quite as planned though it had it’s moments even if there were no fish to report… and yes, first session equals first blank!

Nobby and myself had been in a bit of a quandary where to fish but the temptation of Dorset was strong and so we decided to head that way despite not hearing of any bass being taken from the shore there to lures so far this season. It was a lovely morning and place to be come what may so a useful early season recce at the very least was to be had.

Arrived, got our clobber together and marched off to the coastal path which had changed somewhat since the last time we visited this venue with one of the infamous Dorset landslips taking account of an area of the path down. Slight detour required but no other dramas on the way down… what we could see was gin clear water with very little movement which was not ideal. At the shore, after a few minutes deciding which direction to head, we decided on due east towards a prominent headland.

Up close water clarity was as clear as I have ever seen it down here and several shoals of mullet could be seen cruising around…. shame there weren’t any bass amongst them though. Started with the old faithful lure’s like Feed Shallow’s and Zonk’s but not a sniff for either of us… it had the feeling of being an unproductive day so I decided to switch to soft plastics and in particular some new one’s for me. First up was the Wave Bamboo Stick Worm rigged on a hitch hiker hook – this is a weedless and weightless set up so ideal for shallow ground rigged like this – it bounces along nicely in and out of the rocky gullies – liked it and it casts superbly for a soft plastic worm with no weight… think this will be a winner (famous last words!). Next up was The Arrow Flash J shad which again I rigged with the hitchhiker hook and that too had a superb action in the water… I see no reason why that won’t catch over the course of the year either.

All said and done though we were not getting any interest from bass, wrasse or even small pollack whatsoever and a quick dunk of the hand in the sea told you all you need to know about reasons why the fish aren’t that active yet…. water temperature is still damn cold!

So, we marched on round the coast and then the main event of the day occurred. Nobby was probably 50 yards ahead of me so I was walking to catch him up when climbing over the rocks I lost my footing and I was over… stupidly using my head to cushion my landing! Yes, there was claret and I’m nursing a nice bruise as I write this for my efforts. Thankfully, I always carry a first aid kit with me so we were able to deal with it easily…. a valuable lesson though and a reminder that it’s probably the most important bit of kit you can take with you. Here’s the cleaned up head this morning – doesn’t look much but the bruise is smarting a bit today… excuse the greying hair!

More disastrously, once we’d sorted the head wound I thought I’d snapped the tip ring off my rod but on closer inspection it had just popped off. Luckily we were able to slide it back on 90% of the way and it was a good snug fit meaning I could carry on fishing – was lucky there! Repair required but nowhere near as bad as it could of been and a quick text conversation with Richard at Dorset Fishing Rods has since pointed me in the right direction.

We carried on fruitlessly along the shore but it was beautiful out there so I wasn’t complaining…. it was just nice to be out and trying out some new lures and other kit.

On that note a quick word on the Maxpedition Sitka sling bag… this was it’s first fishing outing and early impressions are terrific. Was exceptionally comfortable to have on all day and was great not having to take a bag off my shoulder every time I wanted to change lure or such like. It’s spacious and rugged too and all in all I think I may well have found my ideal solution for a fishing lure bag. We’ll see…

That pretty much was it it for the day apart from a steep hike back up the cliff face and a trudge back to the car in the sun. All in all valuable lessons learnt once more and nice to get back in the swing of things after the long Winter lay off….. just need the bass to show up now!

Until next time…

Stocking up…

Until recently I’d only given cursory thought to fishing this year what with the inclement cold weather and other commitments, but gradually things are starting to tick again. At this time of year, for me, that usually means checking over my kit from the end of last year and then thinking about what I might need to kick off the new season and beyond.

I’m pretty good at looking after my kit and all the major things were sound such as rods, reels, waders, etc. along with all the hard plugs which all seem in good shape. I did need to replenish the soft plastics though – I used them more last year and anticipate that trend to continue this season… there’s certainly a lot of variety and methods of rigging them to try out so something I will be endeavouring to do more of for sure. Purchased are some old favourites like Lunker City Sluggo’s, Megabass Xlayers, Savage Gear Sandeels and Fiiish Black Minnows but I’ve also gone for some I’ve yet to try like the reputable Do Live Sticks (below) and the Savage Gear Real Eels which look promising.

Braid is also something I like to replace each year so that has been on my shopping list as well. In the past I’ve been a fan of Stren Sonic just because it casts well into the wind and is pretty good abrasion wise but unfortunately it looks like it is being discontinued which is a shame although, luckily, I have managed to get hold of 300m at a decent price. To compliment it this year I’ve decided to give Sunline Super PE Braid a go on one spool in addition to the Stren Sonic on the other spool. Will be interesting to see how they compare. Aside from that it’s been mainly hooks, clips and a few single lure holders.

So, there you have it, there will be a few new bits of end tackle to try out along with the more major items I have acquired over the Winter months…namely the new 9’ 6” DFR rod and the Maxpedition Sitka bag.

The important thing is that going through the process of preparing for the new season has really whet my appetite to get out there again….. just need the weather and the water to warm up a bit. Really can’t wait though I suspect, until that water temperature does rise, there will be a few early season blanks to report on… but you never know!!

Until next time…

Looking back over 2012…

Thought it would be interesting to choose three good and three bad things I found with fishing last year… all in my own opinion and simply things that have stuck most in my mind. There are always other plus and minus points but these are my choices… I think?!

The three bad first…

In first place… the weather!

(Above) Chesil Beach on a stormy day…

I just can’t remember such a bad year for fishing weather-wise in recent times. Whether it was gales with deluges of rain resulting in coloured water to make lure fishing near on hopeless or northerly and easterly winds putting the fish off completely, it just didn’t seem to click in 2012. There were very few decent summer days where conditions came together with autumn not much better. It has to get better in 2013 surely?

Second has to be – hard lure quality.

(Above) Bass on a poorly finished Tackle House Feed Shallow

Others have said it in the past and I have noticed it a lot this year. There are an awful lot of lures out there priced in the UK at circa. £20 a go which are really shabbily put together in my opinion. My biggest problem is the finish on the lures – it’s just not durable enough. A prime example is the Tackle House Feed Shallow which to it’s credit is a proven bass catcher but the finish on them is poor and deteriorates quickly unless you take to slapping a coat of clear nail varnish on them for added protection. The trebles for such a pricey lure are not the best either so all in all it would be nice to see some better quality for the price tag some of these lures command in the UK.

Third – not lure fishing the Isle of Wight.

(Above) the Isle of Wight – missed opportunity in 2012?

It was one of the things I promised myself I would do last year but didn’t get round to doing which I’m a bit disappointed with myself about. It will be on my 2013 ‘to do’ list again probably in the form of at least one long weekend – I am confident there are some decent bass to be had on lures from the coast there. It’s on my doorstep – I must do it!

… and the three good are…

No. 1 – the Cornwall trip!

(Above) The Cornish coast – fishing in some stunning scenery

Second year in succession my pal Nobby and I have ventured down to the deepest depths of Cornwall and although we’ve not hit the bigger bass we have had plenty of smaller fish with decent pollack and mackerel to throw into the mix. I just love the place and with stunning backdrops to our fishing, plenty of walking, and great Cornish hospitality what’s not too love?! A real highlight of the fishing year for me.

Second – the Fiiish Black Minnow

(Above) The excellent Fiiish Black Minnow

Been much lauded elsewhere in the lure fishing world over the past twelve months and with good reason in my book. Had my best bass of the year of 6lb+ on one and several other fish on them using the 90, 120 and 160 sizes. Definitely one to stock up on over the winter.

In third place -the Shimano Rarenium 4000

(Above) The Shimano Rarenium 4000 – the middle reel of these three

For a couple of years now I’ve played around with a few spinning reels in the sub £200 bracket and finally in 2012 I got my hands on the Rarenium. I’d been trying to find something a bit different but have now realised why the Rarenium is so popular for lure fishing. For sub £200 in my opinion it is the best lure fishing reel out there. I’ve tried a Daiwa Fuego spinning reel from the US which runs it close but it is just not as smooth on the retrieve, the line lay is not as good and it does not cast quite so well. The Rarenium is a safe bet if you’re in the market for a new spinning reel in this price bracket.

So, there you have it – all a bit of fun but maybe some of you concur or disagree totally?! Will be interesting to look back on 2013 and see what was good and bad…. hopefully not the same things – roll on Summer!!

Until next time…

What Santa brought…

Well, I’ll start by wishing everyone a very happy New Year and let’s pray that the weather Gods are a bit more benevolent in the UK than they were last year. Frustration with the weather was felt by many anglers if articles on the web and across the angling press are anything to go by! Surely, 2013 will be better?

On a more positive note I was lucky enough to get a few bits of kit for Christmas that I’m looking forward to getting out and using this year. Not least was this Maxpedition Sitka sling bag I’d been looking at for a while, largely with fishing in mind.

Last year I was tempted by a 30 litre Overboard rucksack which is great for a long day, when you need to carry more kit and are fishing in rougher conditions – it really is pretty bomb proof and does keep your kit nice and dry. The downside I have found with any rucksacks for fishing is if you are on the move and need to get into it quickly it generally means having to put your rod down and take the rucksack off to get access. A smaller sling bag looked like a good option for fishing on the move where you can move the bag round to your front without having to take the bag off your shoulders.

The Maxpedition Sitka is not the cheapest I grant you but reading reviews it seems to be tough as old boots and could just be an ideal multi-purpose fishing/outdoor bag. It doesn’t have the waterproof qualities of the Overboard rucksack and it does have more zips and strapping to think about but a bit of messing around with it at home suggests it will be a decent addition. For starters, at a squeeze, you can fit two of the large Snowbee lure boxes in the main compartment along with one of the smaller Snowbee boxes in the larger of the front compartments…. though that means little room for anything else! I suspect, to be honest, I’ll be using this bag when I’m taking circa twenty lures with me which should in most cases be enough anyway….. I always take far more than I use! That should leave me plenty of room for other kit. There is also a drink holder and space for a hydration pack which should be useful.

There are a lot of reviews of the Sitka on the web but not many I’ve seen specific to lure fishing so as soon as I get chance to use it a bit I’ll provide a more in depth review.

As for when I can actually get out fishing well I fear it might be a couple of quiet months ahead for any serious bass fishing but it might not stop me trying especially as I need to work off some of that excess festive ballast I seem to have accumulated!

Until next time…