Lure fishing for Bass In winter

Lure fishing for Bass In winter

Although the cold, wet and windy conditions of the british winter are now in full swing, this doesn't mean that the salt water lure fishing around the UK has come to a halt. Over the last few winters, the lure fishing along the Welsh coast and the UK as a whole has proven to be extremely productive for not just bass but also wrasse, mackerel and big pollock. The purpose of this blog is to provide you with all the information needed for you to enjoy some successful lure fishing sessions for the rest of the winter.

 

 

 

Location

Bass and other lure caught specimens can be targeted along most of the UK's shoreline and especially where the water clarity is relatively good, with the Pembrokeshire coastline being one of the best places to start. With endless beaches and rock marks to fish from, Pembrokeshire provides the perfect venue to lure fish throughout the winter months.

Popular beaches such as Newgale and Whitesands are amongst the best lure fishing beaches around and thanks to their natural placement, there is almost always a guarenteed surf. Wearing a set of waders will allow you to get further into the surf so that your lures are well amongst the waves, the perfect hunting ground for hungry bass or mullet! With the surf churning up the sea bed, predators like bass move in to feed on whatever bait may have been disrupted thanks to the swell.

Waders such as the Kinetic X5's are a popular set amongst sea anglers thanks to their lightweight, breathable design. Heavier duty waders such as the Vass 700's or the Ocean Deluxe will also do the job.

Rock marks will often allow you to fish into deeper water, the perfect areas for fishing a variety of different lures up to a heavier casting weight, but these marks also have the potential to throw up not just bass, but a host of other species such as wrasse, pollock, mackerel or even garfish. There are endless marks to fish from that fit this description, especially along the rugged Pembrokeshire coast. Lloyd P from our Cardiff store has spent lots of time targeting these areas in recent weeks, with some fantastic result. Here's an insight into one of Lloyd's sessions:

“I arrived at a new mark in Ceredigion around 1.5 hours before high water, on a rocky reef off a point between two bays, where I hoped the big tides would funnel baitfish past me. It was clear from the off that there were fish about, and in the hour up to high water I landed 16 bass, with a 52cm being the best of the bunch. I returned 10 hours later, hoping for the same action, and was rewarded with 14 more, with a 55 and a 53cm amongst them. Both times the fish showed 1.5hrs before HW, then dissapearing when the tide turned, showing the importance of timing and location when bass fishing."

Cardiff Bay, believe it or not also holds a good stock of Bass that make their way in through the Barrage locks in the hunt for food. The Bay is rich with wild life, including a long list of fish species including various small bait sized fish that make for a perfect meal for hungry bass. Glamorgan Anglers club own the rights to a long stretch of bank that is known to throw up big bass, which you can fish on a day ticket or a season ticket. This ticket covers you to fish the grass bank on the Barrage side of the Bay, where staff members Lloyd Thomas and Lloyd Prytherch  have both had success in the past using lures.

The guys have found that the bass tend to feed well in the Bay after a blow, as the conditions are settling and the water clarity is starting to improve. In the photo pictured below (left) a Silver 28g Abu Garcia Toby  was enough to attract the Bass, whilst Lloyd was actually fishing for Pike and Perch. White soft plastics will also work for the Bass in Cardiff Bay, just like Lloyd P found a few years back during an autumn campaign. As you can see in the photo below (right) the conditions are grey and blustery which are the perfect spot on!

If you would like to learn more about fishing in Cardiff Bay, don't hesitate to get in touch with us over the phone, on our email or you can visit us in store for a chat.

Lure selection

When it comes to lure, there is an endless selection to choose from, but Savage Gear's ISP Seekers are a great place to start. The blade like design of the ISP Seeker allows for superb casting distance even when you're facing into heavy winds, meaning you can cover as much water as possible. On the retreive, the lively flash from the metal lure creates a life-like imitation of a bait fish that you often find in the surf, which bass can't resist! The size of the lure you choose will depend on the casting range of your rod, but generally these lures range between 12g - 40g for surf fishing. Our staff have found that the 23g and 28g seekers are the most popular weights.

Choice of colour/pattern is also extremely important. For instance, until mid november the weather has been relatively dry, meaning that the water clarity has been extremely clear. With this in mind, we have found that dark colours such as blacks, browns and dark reds stand out more in these particular conditions, making them irresistable at times, if the fish are on the feed. Our Cardiff store manager Rich has proved that this approach can work, even in the Bristol Channel at locations such as the Ogmore Estuary.

When the conditions are less favourable, which is often the case during the British winter, brighter patterns will stand out more when fishing through merkier water. Silver Toby's or dexter wedges have often been an old faithful lure for many bass anglers, but there are plenty of different spoons to choose from with white patterns. For instance, the Westin F360 ‘UV pickled sardine’ is an extremely popular pattern for fishing in murky water, as well as the ‘White pearl’ ISP Seeker from Savage Gear, as used by Richard Cox at Ogmore in the photo below.

From personal experience, our staff members have also discovered that by fishing metal jigs throughout the winter months, you have a really good chance of catching other species such as pollack and wrasse. Last winter, Lloyd Thomas and Lloyd Prytherch from our Cardiff store had a handful of lure fishing trips on the Pembrokeshire coast, where thye spent most of their time fishing rocky marks around St Davids, Solva and Fishguard. With some expert advice from a local guide, both Lloyd's decided to put some faith in a selection metal Jigs from HTO. The YoYo's and HTO Shore jigs have proven to be deadly, especially when fished slowly with a big tweak to bring the lure up every few turns. You will often find that hungry predators such as Pollack, wrasse and Bass will hit these metals on the drop as they flutter down through the water column. In the video below, both Lloyd's and Ceri Thomas met up with a good friend and expert Pembrokeshire guide Joe Shaw for an epic day's fishing. Throughout the video, the lads showcased just how effective this approach can be.

The Lloyd's and Ceri have continued to use these lures since Joe's recomendation, finding that the most popular patterns have proven to be Cotton Candy, pouting and Pink sardine, which you can take a look at in our lure section. Just click on the photo below! it may take you a few sessions to find what lures and patterns work for you, so try and vary your approach.

Lure fishing is all about having confidence in the lures you are using, which is why many anglers may choose to fish with soft plastics more often than the metals that we mentioned previously. Soft plastics offer life like movement that no other lures get close to, often making it impossible for predators such as bass to say no! Lot's of these lures also include a weedless hook design, which allows you to fish through kelp and over snags without snagging up. Black minnows and Savage gear Weedless minnows are up their with the most popular lures on the market, advertised by some of the best anglers across the UK such as Henry Gilbey. However, we have found that there are a handful of different soft plastics that have been just as productive as the names we just mentioned. 

Ceri Thomas from our Cardiff store has found the Sakura Sodium Eels to be a deadly soft plastic. The long slim profile of the Sodium eel creates the ideal imitation of a sandeel, in either the 110cm 7g version or the bigger 140cm 14g version. The Pearl white pattern is ideal for coloured water conditions, whereas the ayu or sandeel patterns create a silhouette in clearer conditions.

You may want to opt for a heavier lure when fishing into deeper water, to make sure you are covering as much water as possible. The Savage Gear V2 weedless Sandeel is perfect for this, with a handful of different patterns and casting weights up to 22g. Lee Harrison (pictured below) is an extremely experienced lure angler along the welsh coast, landing multiple double figure bass this year alone. Lee's believes that some of his go to lures just like the Savage Gear V2 sandeel are best fished in wet, windy conditions in the bright patterns. This quality fish from a Welsh beach fell for the lemon back pattern, punched out past the waves and brought back through the surf. 

 

Rod & Reel set up

Rod, reel and line selection is crucial for maximising your casting distance, bite detection and overall performance when playing a fish as well. For general lure fishing use across soft plastics, plugs and metal jigs we suggest a rod around the 10-40g mark. However, this can vary depending on the model, prefered lures and the budget you have in mind. 9' is the ideal length to look for, however some surf anglers may opt for a 9' 6" or 10' model. When it comes to reels, this will also depend on the model as the size and weight will vary. 3,000 or 4,000 size reels tend to be the go to size's. Monofilament is suitable for lure fishing, however a braided mainline is often the superior choice. Although braid can be volatile to use for beginners due to it's occassional wind knots, the low diameter allows you to choose a higher breaking strain than you would do for a monofilament. As there is no stretch, braid will also give you a much better bite indication than you would get from a monafilament line. 

Fluorocarbon leaders are a must have as well, which will act as a rubbing leader, protectijg you from potential cuts to the much more delicate braided mainline. When fishing over clear ground such as sandy beaches, 15lb flourocarbon from the likes of Westin W6 or Seaguar Ace hard will be more than ample. On the other hand, it may be wise to up the strength of your leader to a 25lb strain or higher if you are looking to fish over rocky, snaggy marks. This will give you more protection when constantly running over sharp objects and surface, which would often cut through braid fairly quickly. 

You can kit yourself out with a very reasonable rod, reel and line outfit for less than £100, but we highly recommend purchasing a reel with salt water Proofing, also known as an IPX rating if you are going to be fishing regularly. Reels without any protection or seels will break within a matter of months if they are being used on a regular basis. 

With this in mind, we have listed some lure set ups to take a look at for varying price ranges:

Abu Garcia Pro Max Spinning rod & Reel outfit - £99.99

Savage Gear SGS6 Rod & Penn Spinfisher VII 3500 - £349.99 (Includes Lures, braid and leader)

Click on the outfits above to take a closer look. These are just 2 outfits that we have put together out of endless rod and reel options. Please feel free to email or call us if you have any queries regarding price, products or any other information.

 

At this stage in the blog, we hope that we have provided you with some valuable information about lure fishing during the winter months. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us via social media, over the phone or you can visit us in store - We will be more than happy to help!

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Comments(2)

Helpful and interesting informative read

Thanks

I fish a harbour most of time and find it hard in the winter. Would the Bass be found in deeper channels or shallows. I'm going t0 try the deeper channels tomorrow

Looking forward to your advice on catching in the harbour in winter