The sport factor
Float-fishing and slow jigging are great ways to maximise your bass fishing fun
Due to the strong tides that can be found on our piece of the English Channel coastline, Poole is one of the top ports in the UK for targeting bass. A variety of different features and depths provide us with the luxury of being able to target these wonderful fish in many ways.
Over the past few years, boat anglers have changed from fishing mainly with 12lb-class rods and 10oz leads to some more sporting techniques. Perhaps this is something to do with the limits that have been put on the number of bass we can bring home for dinner.
Anglers have been forced to focus their efforts on maximising the sport factor from each fish, and the best ways to do this are float-fishing and slow jigging.
Using large cigar floats with livebaits has become a popular method to target bass from late June onwards, when the fish move on to the shallow rock ledges within reach of Poole.
A quick word of warning here – if you’re going in your private boat, the sea conditions around the ledges can change very quickly, so make sure you know what the tides and weather are doing the day you head out.
Fishing in 30ft of water over a ledge rather than in 120ft gives you a chance to go as light as possible with your gear. A spinning rod rated at 10g and small fixed-spool reel are perfect if you want to get the most sport out of those fish you hook. Being a keen angler, I know there is nothing worse than seeing a big fish simply winched to the side of the boat at breakneck speed and chucked in the net.
Trying this method of fishing on a charter boat brings some complications because there is a real technique to getting eight floats with livebaits spread out away from the boat ready to drift over the desired mark. If just one person lets their line out in the wrong sequence the tangles can be monumental. The general rule is quite simple: if you miss your slot in the sequence then wait for next drift. Sometimes it is the easiest rules that are the hardest to follow.
The set-up for this is basic enough. The ingredients are a large cigar float, ball lead (either two or four ounces), a couple of coloured beads and a 5ft long trace of 20lb line with a size 4/0 circle hook
You’d be surprised at how many people turn up with floats that aren’t big enough. If you are not sure, then test it out in your bath or a bucket before you join the trip. It could save you a lot of bother when you get afloat for the day.
I know I always bang on about circle hooks, but they really are ideal for this; hooking the bass just in the corner of the mouth means any that aren’t meant for the table or over your limit of two fish can be returned. They fight a lot harder than if they have a size 6/0 Kamasan buried halfway down their neck.
When it comes to livebait, you can use anything you think the bass might consider to be prey. Depending on the time of year, it could just be whatever is available. For us, this includes mackerel, scad, pollack, pout, poor cod, wrasse or crabs. If there are not a lot of small fish about then chances are the bass will not be there either – at least that’s how I find it.
SETTING THE DEPTH
One of the most important things to think about is how you will set your gear at the correct depth. Too deep and it will get stuck in the bottom, too shallow and your gear will pass over
the top of the fish. I use two different techniques for this. First is to tie a piece of elastic band or powergum around my line. This will stop the top of the float leaving the hook at the correct depth. This approach has the added benefit of being easily adjustable by sliding the band up or down the line. It comes in handy on those days when the wind comes across the drift and your bait will not sit directly under your float and, as a result, rises in the water. This is caused by the drag created by the wind on the float. It may take a few drifts and a bit of tinkering to get the right depth and get stuck into a fish.
The second method to achieve this is by tying your leader the correct length for the depth you are fishing. Leave slightly longer tags than normal hanging from the knot to ensure it stops the bead on top of the float.
Whichever method you choose, it does not affect the order in which you put the gear on your line – it is always bead, float, lead weight, bead, swivel and hooklength.