THE LATE SHOW
How it’s possible for anglers to increase the chances of a lure-caught bass deep into the winter months
How it’s possible to catch bass in winter.
Stashing your lure rod, reel and lure collection once the central heating is called into action is a difficult thing to do. Does it really need to be this way, or can you realistically catch bass on lures from the shore up to Christmas, or even into the New Year?
A lot depends on your location as, generally speaking, the further south and west you live or are prepared to travel in the UK, the greater your chances are of catching a coldwater bass.
It is then a question of narrowing down your approach to certain types of marks – estuaries, surf beaches and reefs – and, eventually, to precise locations within these places.
ESTUARIES
Bass reside in estuaries all year. Admittedly, they may be the more immature and prespawning stock. However, if experiencing that solid hit, valiant fight and subsequent release of even a sub-1lb bass is something you wish to achieve, it’s worth concentrating your efforts on an estuary or tidal lagoon along the south coast of England.
Due to the numbers of fry, small crabs and shrimps available all year, alongside the likelihood of more sheltered and less changeable sea conditions than around the exposed open coast, there is also the possibility of latching into big fish in more brackish waters.
SURF BEACHES
These are the domain of the smaller bass that shoal up before traversing the shallow, sandy beaches facing the prevailing winds and subsequent surf.
The fish look for clams, razorfish and lugworms being scoured out of the seabed or already been washed on to the shoreline. If a lure is presented to them, their natural reaction is to pursue it and attempt to eat it.
Every season, some huge bass are landed on bait from surf beaches deep into winter, so why not have a go with a lure?
REEFS
Cover, concealment and the element of surprise, particularly in calmer sea conditions that can last for extended periods if a
high-pressure system plonks itself over the UK, mean that bass anglers need to adapt accordingly.
Where there are rocks and seaweed you’ll find crabs and small fish, no matter how cold the water. Critters such as gobies and rockling hiding underneath the rocks and in the rock pools will be high on the menu for a bass, whose metabolism has slowed down from the summer and autumn.
There is also the possibility that large bass will enter secluded shingle coves between rocky outcrops that are essentially cut off from civilisation over the mid-high tide period.
Although I haven’t subscribed to the theory that bass will look for warmer water covering rocks warmed by the sun, an accomplished diver tells me that towards the Christmas period he has seen some enormous bass ‘sun-bathing’ in only a few centimetres of water very close to the some of my local shingle-backed coves. I’ll be putting this to the test this winter.
FOOD GLORIOUS GOOD
Being opportunists, bass go to the easiest available food source, more so if that meal is likely to be a substantial one.
As an example, in late autumn and early winter we get herring shoals just outside casting range. It can be infuriating watching gulls smash into them, especially when you know that the bass are stuffing themselves silly before making their journey to their overwintering grounds. Indeed, it is not uncommon in South Devon for small-boat owners using large surface lures to catch some quality bass within 500 yards of the coastline around the festive period.
Clearly this is a local event, but it highlights that bass are present late in the year and can be caught if something that represents what they are feeding on is put in front of them.
TACTICS AND LURES
When the inshore sea temperature drops below 12°C I have found a correlation between bass being located closer to, if not on, the seabed rather than swimming at midwater level, unless they are preying on sprats, pilchards or herring.
Again, it relates to their metabolism. They become more lethargic and feed less avidly in the cooler seas and are more likely to be looking down, rather than up, for their meal.
This is when paddletail lures with their associated jig-heads come to the fore. Bounced along a clean or sandy seabed in turbulent conditions and in between rocky outcrops or formations, I have found these lures offer the hardy lure angler Metal surface lures will work in winter... an increased chance of winkling out a reticent bass.
Not for one second am I suggesting that you won’t catch a bass on other lure types in winter. A metal (worth using in the surf), surface lures (as previously mentioned), weedless and weightless soft plastics (over very rough ground on a calm day) or diving hard minnows (in clearer but turbulent seas) can all work, depending on the conditions and the situation.
If the situation allows, then slow down the retrieve a few notches in comparison to fishing from June to October. Attempt to target pockets of fish by continually moving, making only half a dozen casts into likely and/ or proven areas before scrambling to the next. You need to hunt for your bass because they won’t be inshore in anywhere near the same numbers that they were only weeks before.
HEDGE YOUR BETS
You might get only one chance during a lateseason session. Concentration is paramount, but difficult to achieve when the hail is stinging your eyes and your woolly hat is in danger of being blown off.
I think short sessions (up to three hours) during choice conditions are the way forward. Always consider your safety, and don’t take any risks where the sea is involved.
Wear a lifejacket, ensure you tell someone your whereabouts and the time you expect to be home, and take a flask containing a hot drink (plus a cold one if lots of walking is involved). You’ll need a torch, too, because it gets dark earlier and quicker.
This might sound sacrilege to devoted lure anglers, but consider fishing a big, smelly squid or mackerel bait impaled on a large circle hook very close in and on a loose drag setting while continuing nearby with the lure rod. I doubt even the most ardent bass lure angler would turn down a shore-caught double tempted by bait.
As a final piece of inspiration, I was finding bass at night last season as the ice formed on the rocks. I remember having to stand in the water (still around 12°C) in order to warm my feet within my neoprene waders because the air was so cold, but one of my clients still caught a bass that evening.
■ Marc Cowling is a shore-based bass lure fishing guide who has recently released his self-published book ‘The Lure of The Bass’. His website/ blog can be found at: https:// southdevonbassguide.com