DO BATTLE WITH BASS

Estuaries are great places to start and offer you the easiest learning ground for saltwater fly-fishing

Learn the saltwater fly-fishing skills.

WITH THE increase in temperature, the urge to get out and fish for bass is at almost boiling point. It’s usual to fish for them with bait or lure gear, but because we know that these bars of silver can hunt close to shore, it is worth considering fly-fishing to embrace their sporting prowess. Estuaries are just the place to try it.

Check out your nearest estuary and find out when and where the water is clear. For example, a couple of days of calm or offshore winds maybe necessary for decent fly-fishing conditions. As most flies do not ‘vibrate’ side to side like some lures, the right conditions are essential to success. The bass, ideally, needs to see the fly unless you are fortunate to place it in front of it in dark conditions.

The best tides are generally mid-size, building up to a spring. However, exceptions to that rule can be neap tides, which can help keep bass focussed in a target location for a longer period.

Though local knowledge is important, you can start to review potential locations using Google Maps or similar. It’s amazing how much detail can be found by zooming in on marks. When you do so, check if the water is muddy – it could be a no-go area for fly-fishing purely based on water clarity.

I look for a couple of other key areas, including sand bars and rocks, preferably

Review the structures in front of you at low tide close in or close to the low-tide line. Fishing immediately before and after low water can be just as productive as at high tide in certain locations.

Once you have a planned location in mind, get down there and try to review the structures in front of you at low tide. Work out a few spots to move on to should there be no activity. Have a keen eye out for

Check out your nearest estuary and find out when and where the water is clear drop-offs, gullies and reefs. At low tide, check out if there are rich food sources present, such as crabs, gobies, sandeels and shrimps.

Ideally, there will be tell-tale signs of activity at certain states of the tide. A classic example being gathering seagulls shrieking their delight at a free-for-all snack of baitfish driven into panic by bass shoaling them into submission.

TACKLE AND FLY CHOICES

A light set-up is ideal for targeting bass in estuaries. I typically use a 9ft long, seven-weight fly-rod with a matching weight-forward floating line. I attach a 9ft tapered fluorocarbon leader and am almost good to go.

Fly choice can be simple. Start with a size 2 or 4 Clouser Minnow tied to the point of the leader. Many retailers, including Selectafly, Angling Active, Fulling Mill and Orvis, all sell bass fly selections. Fishing early season tends to require smaller flies, but this is location and baitfish-type dependant.

As you become a more confident fly-caster, the leader can accommodate a dropper to add a second fly, which increases your hook-up chances. There are a couple of ways to make a suitable leader. One method is to add around one metre of additional tippet to your 9ft tapered leader. For example, if a leader tapers to 12lb at the end, extend it with at least a metre of 12lb tippet via a surgeon’s knot, ensuring that around six inches of excess original leader tippet is available for the dropper.

An alternative is to use approximately 16ft of the same strength fluorocarbon throughout and form a loop knot about 2ft before the point fly end. Cut the formed loop on one side to form a fourinch dropper. The leader is completed by manually forming a loop at the opposite end, which then attaches to the fly-line. A great starting duo is a Diawl Bach on the dropper and Clouser Minnow on the point.

Favoured flies for bass in shallow estuaries are size 12 shrimp and bloodworm patterns. Typically, a shrimp pattern is attached to the dropper and the bloodworm on the point. Cast upstream, allow the flies to drift, with occasional twitching of the line, and hold on for action.

My favourite duo combinations are Diawl Bach (dropper) and Apps Bloodworm (point) and red-tagged Rommy’s sand shrimp (dropper) with Bead Shrimp (point fly). These are available from Selectafly, Fulling Mill and Orvis. examples of shrimp and worm flies

Start With A Clouser minnow tied to a 9ft tapered flourocarbon leader

A selection of Clouser minnows

A Diawl Bach dropper and Apps Bloodworm point

The beginnings of a Surgeon’s knot for a dropper

Clouser point fly with Diawl Bach dropper

Estauary bass caught on a bloodworm

AT THE WATER

With bass often swimming near to the water’s edge, it’s a good idea to begin by casting close to the shore before wading. You can then carefully venture out further with safe wading, increasing your distance with each cast.

If the tide is running left to right, cast to the left, or vice versa. By the time you are ready to start stripping the fly back, your line

Practice catch and release and always observe legal size limits

LEARN MORE

will be straighter in front of you and offering better control. It’s often the case that a bass will take a fly on the drop, making it a big advantage to have direct contact with the fly.

Always have safety in mind. Never wade in soft, muddy areas or those where you will be cut off by the tide, particularly if you are not aware of your surroundings and state of tide.

A stripping basket will also help if the tide flow, wind or weed presence are strong enough to gain the upper hand on your line by your side.

In tougher fishing conditions, sometimes corresponding with a rapid decrease in temperature or pressure, consider a change of tactics. For example, use a sink tip line with a dark fly pattern. Similarly, if you are casting to spooky fish in gin-clear water, consider using a longer leader with as fine a tippet as you feel confident with.

Bites can range from

If you want to learn more about fly-fishing for bass, join Neville Broad who will be one of the guides at this year’s Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival in Chichester, taking place from September 1-4.

To find out more, visit the orvis.co.uk website or on Facebook via @OrvisUKSWFFF. Alternatively, for further enquiries, email: emma@zambuni.com

Neville will also be guiding at the St Mawes Festival from October 1-4. Visit: www.facebook.com/ events/791676701342219/ gentle taps to savage takes, at times swinging the line away from you. In the most aggressive occasions, typically corresponding to competitive feeding, simply lift the rod swiftly. However, chances of a successful hook set are increased by pointing the rod to the water, in the direction of your fly, and rapidly sweeping the fly-line back behind you a couple of times (this is known as strip striking). Once you feel the weight of the fish, gently lift the rod up to play it. Remember to use either left or right-side strain when appropriate to control the bass.

Playing a bass on a fly-rod is awesome, with a decent fish easily capable of pulling your line down to the backing. Don’t make the error of setting your drag too tight or too loose. I have seen some cracking bass lost at the net due to lack of give with a drag set too tight. Similarly, a fly-reel with a drag setting that is too light can overrun just like a multiplier, which leads to line jam and lost bass.

For the ultimate conservation, practice catch and release and always observe legal size limits. Try not to overpower a school bass and play it to exhaustion because these beautiful fish do need more time to recuperate the harder they are played.