TACKLE AND RIGS

The appropriate choice is a lightweight 12ft bass rod. Such a rod can be held for prolonged periods of time when shortrange fishing with big baits in lively seas. I like one rated 3-5oz due to its versatility. Not only is there enough backbone to make a short cast with a big bait and your lead weight, but also it has the power to deal with large fish and rough conditions.

There is a good selection of specialist bass rods available these days, with versions for multipliers and others for fixed-spool reels. I pair mine with a fixed spool, because I find it more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. I also like to hold the line over my trigger finger to feel for twitches and knocks.

A 6000-size reel loaded with 20lb monofilament is more than sufficient for this kind of fishing. A leader of 50lb is a

good idea to provide abrasion resistance and to ensure you have a strong connection between you and any hooked fish.

I travel very light . Other than my rod and reel, I have only a bucket containing my bait, small chopping board, knife, bait elastic, small tea-towel, spare weights, rig wallet, pliers, camera, head torch, some drink and a snack.

For fishing a big, smelly bait, then touch legering with a simple running paternoster rig (below) is the way to go. This gives excellent bite indication and allows a bass to take the bait and feel no resistance. The bass is a cautious fish and if it feels resistance when picking up a bait it will often drop it. Bites can be few and far between at times and you want to convert as many as you can into hooked fish. You must hold the rod at all times and set the hook when you feel the fish take the bait.

Another advantage of the running paternoster is it can be constructed with a weak link between the lead weight and swivel for fishing over rough ground. The weak link breaks if the lead weight snags, meaning it is only this part that needs reconstructing rather than losing the whole rig. This rig is also quick and easy to tie with a minimal number of components and tends to be tangle-free.

I like to finish the rig with a two-hook Pennell arrangement, the upper (smaller) of these hooks is purely to hold the bait in position and gives a great presentation.

For a livebait, if you wish to anchor the bait in position, use the same running paternoster, but replace the Pennell with a single hook. Otherwise, if conditions allow, the livebait is fished freeline using a single circle hook or a treble. Livebaits are best hooked through the nose.