Graham Hill Modern Bass Fishing

Shimano Stella STL-4000FD

2012-01-22T09:41:00.000Z

Well i said i was going to get one and Taking advice of anglers that have one swung it for me!!,, ,the Shimano Stella 4000 FD has a 4.8:1 gear ratio which is a perfect retrieve rate for my type fishing ,Line capacity on the FD deeper spool is 200yds of 12lb mono ,,i backed up the spool with a larger Braid 50lbs then 150yds of 20lbs yamamoto braid,setting up the spool i placed one supplied washer behind the spool to slightly cone forward the line lay this suits Braid,line lay and Casting ,,

For some reason Stella came right handed ,normally on delivery the Stella will be delivered Left handed changing from left to right is a simple operation make sure you have the correct size screwdriver for the handle grub screw undo and the assembly will come apart then change for the Left hand shaft handle that is supplied with the reel, Reassemble and fix in reverse order ,,,simple

DUO TERRIF DC-11 TYPE II-J

Again i found in japan a jointed minnow type lure price delivered £13.00 price comparison with the UK dealers at £19.95 for the standard DC12 Bullet,of which is not at the top of my list ,so you ask yourself why the DC11 TYPEII-J First it was the colour Dark Back silver Flanks Red Belly shallow diver that caught my attention and a smaller lure that is jointed!!!all this adds up fishing a very active lure, fishing it slower (what the joint gives it) in running water that is cloudy like the Blackwater in Essex perfect for sunny days

The silver flanks give that flash on a sunny day and the dark back/red belly gives silhoutte in dark esturine water

Fitted with Singles just looks the part ,

Just a bit of time out from the Fishing just let me thank all of you out there that bother to read my ramblings and have made the effort to join my site a big thanks from Me!!

More winter Bass

2012-01-16T12:08:00.001Z

I have so much respect for fishermen expecially lure fishemen that get out in the middle of January and with this year been so mild there are Bass still around with reports coming from all over the place and of course the mighty Chesil; Beach my mate Adrian who has had just a amazing start to 2012 bagged a few more bass up to 4lb on Friday of course the Megabass Zonk and Gataride have played there parts,have a look here some great january prices,

Mark with a January Bass off the top!!!!!great stuff mate no doubt on the old faithfull gunfish keep up the fine fishing mate and thanks for sharing...

I got a new lure over the weekend too a Duo Tide Minnow SLD-S 125 sinking you can get Duo lures from a lot of outlets in the UK and Ireland i personally go to a friend of mine Henry Linem Henrys Tackle in Dublin fantastic choice of Duo lures,,but i have checked all over the UK and the SDLS-S 125 is unavailable at the outlets i have checked in the UK that includes Mr Fish ,,

This little sinking beauty came direct from Japan £14.39 delivered and i have simply fallen for it,,,a super lure to have in your box,,,,a slow sinking long casting minnow,a killer in the right hands,,

Double Trouble in the UK

2012-01-03T15:55:00.001Z

New years day evening on tramore strand Ireland looking for that stray bass in the dark surf bait fishing is the only way i have fished this beach for years now and i always say its a long casters beach you need to get out there beyond that last established wave for the cod ,coalfish and chance of a Bass after dark i had a schoolie a couple of days back and was brimming when setting up my bait gear ,,

a clip down with a 2/0 pennel and half a live black making a small bait greys triplex 16ft tapered leader to 10lb main line ,,wade out into them surf tables then hit the cast as hard as you can beyond those waves if you can,this is the skill of Tramore ,,like the picture below and you will be in business

i have won a few gold medal competitions off tramore beach and similar Munster beaches in the past with fish like this coalfish ,below,the first of the night the coalies were coming thick and fast at distance and i was enjoying myself ,, then

a slack liner gave notice to the first codling of the session Tramore can produce some super fishing in the correct conditions but the Angler has to be switched on too ,,at the end of my new years day eve session i walked off the beach quite content with a bag full of coalies and 4 codling and a couple of prime storm beach flounders and a couple of monster bites missed ,some really tidy fishing i must say i felt very content as the memories of this beach came flooding back ,,

JOE! JOE!JOE!!!!!!!!! Getting back to my Jeep the phone had been banging ,,and no wonder,,, take a look at this Double Figure Bass Joe nailed on a 120 Megabass Zonk pearl rainbow what a fantastic angling achievement caught on New Years Day and to back this up !!!!!!!!!

a 6lber next cast ,,,well done Adrian fantastic fishing ,,made my Irish cod and coalies look a Little like bait fish,,,,

Anyway let me wish a Happy new year to one and all,, these images have made my year and thanks to Adrian and Mark for showing the world your talents this is special for UK shore caught lure Bass,,,,,
what a way to End ???? start a year,,,,,,,,,

Winter Bass

2011-12-30T16:08:00.002Z

The weather for coming up to the new year up to arriving in Ireland at one of my favourite spots Tramore was poor to say the least so fork at the ready and off to dig a few worms bait fishing looks order of the day,,this is just a small update of a few days fishing,,

A Small December Bass on bait but hey any bass in December is a bonus,also had a few storm beach Flounder which were in fantastic condition a decents evenings sport ,,then !!!!!

Off to the Pub for a few well earned pints of the Black stuff,,we are staying at O,Sheas hotel right on the beach in tramore very nice place Take a look HERE

Bait digging is actually one of my favourite pastimes in sea angling and if the lures are not working theres still a few Winter Bass to be had of that classic Irish surf Beach Tramore Strand,,

Black lug ,,just the job!!!!got this little lot for a night session tonight the weather seems to be calming too so there may be a small chance of a lure caught bass up the estuary,,,

Winter Bass off To Ireland

2011-12-23T13:00:00.000Z

The last trip over to Ireland was a little rough to say the least Adrian and myself, even came back to the UK a day early the weather just was not playing ball at all we met up and had some great craic with anglers like us were chomping at the bit to get out there but with the coloured water even in Ireland ,,forget it really ,fish can be caught in coloured water on lures but that's another story for another day Cian and the Lads from absolute fishing kept us entertained with tea and biscuits with all those Irish fishy stories,talk eventually went back a to when Cian and i fished together through the winter months of previous years with a few years where Bass were captured all year round on lures so if the weather plays ball the posibilities for catching Bass are endless

Above a Tidy bass was nailed the second week in March 2009 on a plastic shad the last couple of years have been severe with the weather this year is a lot warmer some 20 degrees on this note i remember winter 2007/8 when the Bass ran through all year on the wexford waterford coast ,,Kerry does seem to be place on a regular basis for winter Bass,,

A fiesty Christmas ,New Year Bass one of a dozen Bass nailed on X Slayers in the festive period of 2008 so these fish are around taking lures when the conditions prevail,

Carol ,Arron and Myself are getting the ferry over to Ireland on the 27th December for a winter fish,, in last year Temps were minus15 this year is a different ball game fingers crossed the weather looks OK have a look at magicseaweed i know you all have your own weather stuff but i find this the most accurate guide we have to the winds swells and tides,

So,I have had a great year and to all of you out there that have looked in on my Blog ,joined ,fished, fell out ,loved and lost have a great and peacefull Christmas with your Family and loved ones,i am packing and off to Ireland soon so my thoughts are not on Santa bringing me that st criox down the chimmey, find them here dorsetfishingrods

Delalande Shad time again

2011-11-17T18:37:00.000Z

Long Trotting for Bass in Estuaries with soft plastic lures i have spoken about before but what a lethal way of Fishing when presented correct,a method that cannot be ignored by any Bass Angler,

Here's a few tips to help you on your way,

Pick your water my personal favourites are the fast moving deep water channels and the slower back eddies of Clearwater lagoons and estuaries moving even further up estuaries into Fresh water ,Bass do lurk in these areas too,,

The choice of rigs and plastics are endless in the world of fishing today, Paddle Tail shads are my personal favourites best when the sea trout are running the estuaries and the and worm type with the sand eel are around both very effective on their day.

For this description I am relating to the paddle tail shad.

Find your area and work out the normally ebbing tide where the most likely place for Bass are going to lie ,on sandy underwater dunes , weed strewn margins, back eddy bait gathering areas, this will come with experience and developing your watercraft and this bit is the fun part,, working it all out,

The approach to trotting is exactly the same as trotting an Avon float for Chub and Barbel species in freshwater a skill I worked out in my younger days that terminal gear is all important which then relates to the natural presentation of the plastic lure to the Bass.

Cast your lure at one o’clock keeping your line as high as possible out of the water by raising your rod tip check and mend your line getting all your line behind the lure keeping as much line out of the water as possible, feel for the paddle tail working, then you are in business, keeping your bail arm disengaged and letting line off between your thumb and forefinger of your left hand giving you controlled trotting your swim with the odd time checking the line feeling for the shad tail working in the current this will tell you the angler that the bait is working weed free and in the zone.

Stopping the Trot will have the effect of lifting the bait off the bottom and restarting will have the effect of dead sticking the bait to the bottom and keeping the line slack, strikes are common in this phase

An upstream wind is ideal for this method, keeping your lure in the Bass zone for a considerable amount of time holding your tackle and lure back in the current, water moving faster than the lure will make your paddle tail work even faster for you with a natural presentation over trots as much as 120yds long and covering vast amounts of ground obviously increasing your chances of a Bass Nailing you with that well presented lure.

The following steps are essential for successful soft plastic lure fishing in estuaries

• Always use the minimum weight (g) that you can possibly get away with 5 to 10g on a worm or paddle tail shad

• Articulated jig heads are a must with the use of short shank hooks for a more natural set up for the plastic lure and will give a natural roll and action to the soft plastic you are using, its all about keeping it real

• In a sensitive environment of clear ,shallow water a fluro carbon leader of 15lbs BS optimum length of around 5 ft Longer leaders with floating greased line are a advanced option

• Concentrate on the presentation of your lure the use of longer light rods will assist with the presentation

• In the shallows of estuaries sight fishing can be so exiting and a pair of top quality Polaroid’s are a must

I have used this method for a long time now and is successful Bass do go for the shads find them here i have got a few on the burner as we are off shadding in Ireland next week and with the picture above taken on our last trip the excitement is beginning to build,
i have with others probably had more success for larger Bass with the delalande shad with the articulated head than any other lure i own ,for me it is a no1 soft plastic lure,,,

Megabass ,IMA and a trip to Ireland

2011-11-10T10:41:00.000Z

For years i always looked at the original Megabass vision 110 as a viable Bass lure ,,
just could not get on with it at all ,casting,action just certain things that didn't suit my style
i know there are you out there screaming at the screen and yes i agree to a point a great lure but sadly not one in my box ,, i got a few lures sent out from bass lures and the 130 ONE TEN MAGNUM was in there amongst them and certainly builds on the success of the vision 110,,i really fancy this lure for bass i am sure as a shallow diver to a depth of around 2ft will do the business i cannot wait to try this lure on a few marks i know,,

A suspending lure that works in fresh water

,just upgrade the trebles and it will suspend in the salt water balancing is crucial for success in the salt i also love the colour of flashing wagasagi colour,,, looks like the Legend of the vision just got bigger,,

Another lure that has caught my attention is the Nabarone 125 slim ,
below in Sand Bora this lure has worked all over the place for me in the old model ,,but what i like about this slim is the 2 trebles instead of the three and that helps with the landing and hookup of the Bass and about time we got back to two trebles on a Bass Lure ,makes the hook up a lot more sensible with two trebles
a brilliant price of £16.99 here

Anyhow ,,

,got the pass out to SE Ireland from the FPO and our Saga will continue into deep November weather permitting, and boy i cannot wait, this time of year can and regularly does produce some really tidy Bass ,,I will be traveling to Ireland on the 23rd November with a couple of mates for another Crack at those Bass the weather can be fickle though , in the picture below courtesy of Henry Gilbey was a fantastic day we had on a very Frosty November morning a few years back,

Ireland toppers (part 3)

2011-10-23T18:17:00.000+01:00

Would you believe a lure that i picked up in a Tackle shop on a recent visit to Gochec in Turkey would turn out to be a killer lure off the top up the quiet estuaries on our recent trip to Ireland ,the River2Sea Rover 98 flashing plate Ghost turned out to be a revelation for me fished so slow it turned the Bass on so much the balmy calm back water of the estuary would explode with the ferocity of the strike i cannot find anyone who stocks the rover 98 lure in the UK but take it from me this is a really nice bit of kit to have in your Lure box,,

The Rover 98 was loved by the Irish Bass

Looks so innocent but a killer in the correct conditions

The Lucky craft gunnish is a tried and tested lure that has been around since time began and is probably the best topper out there and has certainly stood the test of time catching Bass in every scenario from crashing Beach waves holding the troughs between monster waves to fished so slow up a estuary in the flat calm,such a versatile lure ,and it catches Bass, this lucky craft lure has it all on our trip to Ireland the Gunnish accounted for a dozen fish between 4 and 7lb off the top for Mark and Adrian both are very accomplished anglers with the gunnish you will find them here

6LB Bass off the top

Below a really tidy 7lb Bass off the top for Adrian

7lb Bass off the top for Adrian on the Gunnish

The other lure that really opened my eyes was the small sammy 100 a stealth lure that Mark used as a master i have not witnessed a angler for a long time pull Bass to 5.8oz out of nothing,on a rising tide in a estuary where the mullet were running most normal lure anglers would walk away but not this guy ,he had tried other lures that evening ,the bass had shown an interest but would shy away at the death so out came the sammy 100 he fished this at a snails pace nailing 4 bass off the far sand bar that just seem to suck the lure in ,it was a masterclass to watch

Mark Padfield caught Bass on the pearl white 100 sammy

the 100 sammy does it again for Mark

The Look says it all ,,you wont beat me!!!!

so,, we had a great few days smashing a few Bass in Ireland Thanks for your great company Lads we had a Blast,

Must do it again soon,,

Ireland the lures(part 2)

2011-10-19T20:26:00.004+01:00

Of course the megabass gataride yoyo is a killer lure here Adrian nailed this corker of a Bass on the Hama isitsu sandeel colour with a ghost effect a lure that will work have a look here a superb shallow diver in the bright sunlight that accounted for 4 Bass from 3 to 9lbs that first morning in Ireland

a stonking 6lb+ Bass off the top on the gunfish by mark Padfield ,,,he nailed this Bass in flat calm conditions keeping the lure nice and slow in the early morning light and what a whack these Irish Bass will give the ever young Lucky Craft Gunfish,,,

The wonderful Megabass XSlayer ayu a tried and tested lure from the past,,
There has been a lot of talk of late that this lure is not what it was and yes the old slayer was a fantastic groundbreaking lure but after getting into a few Bass with the new slightly larger slayer i am not convinced that there is any real problems the Bass still love them ,,

My personal favourite the Delalande GT Shad a really wonder full big bass catcher i have developed the trotting method in the estuaries and faster moving water, the method has really not caught on but just look in the picture from a couple of days ago the Bass just love them and you will always have the chance of nailing that biggy on the articulated jig head 10g have a look here a fantastic reduced price of £3.49 for this October and November shad time,,Happy Days!!

Looking back the soft lures are really good but there are only the special few that work time after time in my book develop your methods read the water and conditions and apply your ideas and it will come together soon enough,,
tomorrow i will blog like myself a couple of old timers that worked in Ireland last week that still work and have stood the test of time,,,

till then,,,,tight lines

Irish Bass (part 1) first 2 days

2011-10-18T21:47:00.000+01:00

A overnight drive from Essex picking up Adrian in Kent and a visit on the way in wales just over the welsh border to have a cuppa with Steve Hound dog thanks for the Tea and cheese sandwich mate ,,then look what turns up Mark Padfield ,he was on and off for the trip but with a few yelps from all of us it was great to have him along for the ride,,all was now set with the weather looking good for a very interesting trip to Ireland,as usual the with them two on board on this trip the Craic will be mighty!!

Early Start off the ferry on to the amazing wexford coast

Arrived at one of my old marks with my Mates and set them loose ,,fill your boots boys this is Bass Heaven Adrian and Mark were off like a shot and boy was it worth it these lads make my life real easy for me the old man they can work it out for themselves the sun came up with a sunrise i will never forget and within the hour Adrian had bagged this 74.3cm Bass a nice 9lb and returned to scrap another day well done mate,,,,

74.3cm Bass for Adrian

Double Trouble ,,just great when the Lads nail a pair together not big but what a happy picture two mates with a pair of bass ,,no arguments when the Bass are coming thick and fast,

Double trouble love the reflections

Yours truly with a Bass taken off the top ,my next post will be showing the lures we have used on this trip ,some surprises in store and thats a cert,,and some more rather tidy Bass

4lb Bass off the top at high tide up the estuary brilliant early morning fishing with your mates

Mark with a fine 6lb Bass off the top hit the lure ar 100mph this guy is a master of the art of topping second to none in my book some realy large bass will come to some of Marks topping methods in Ireland ,simply off the scale,

Mark looks pleased with this Bass Next cast after the Photo shoot i felt so sorry for the guy a potential double lost off the top but hey theres another day ,,

Another fine 6lb fish for Adrian and again off the top ,Adrian and Mark have opened my eyes to fishing off the top in Ireland god after all those years !!! well i will have to put up another report as i have said with more fish and Methods,,

Bye for now ,,and more to come soon,,,,,,,,,

The Gathering ,,, Tiemco Night Raid140 slim

2011-10-08T11:46:00.001+01:00

Got this rather smart lure sent from Japan first impressions of the Tiemco was the similarities to the IMA SF-125 a fish catcher over the years for me and a lot of others out there the Tiemco has subtle differences though this is one that is going to be tried out in Ireland from Thursday morning another new lure but the pedigree looks good you must agree

A Bibless floating minnow that dives to 60cm with a stabilisation feature for rougher water,The Night Raid will wobble and roll, so the wide and flat side flashes. The SCS (Stream Control Stabilizer) will provide a great lure movement with from dead-slow to fast retrieving. Most effective is dead slow for this lure,,

The Tiemco 140 slim is a handsome looking lure long casting with the standard weight transfer system

The 140 slim comes in a smaller version 80mm HERE and all the colours in the world,so this lure will be tested on the Bass in Ireland soon should be interesting i have also got some soft plastics to try out Andy at Jacks LRF kindly sent some super weightless worms and shads for me to try and with the weather looking good i simply cant wait to get stuck in,,

Weight less ,well not quite but after some great reports will try these out ,,thanks Andy

Off Fishing

2011-10-06T13:53:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite marks fishing with a great friend Mick Boland will hopefully be meeting up with Him next week for the first of a few trips to Ireland before the year is out so roll on Wednesday 12th

Adrian Rodgers here with a nice Bass around 8lbs on the XSlayer,,this fish fell for the trotting method last October on a Ireland Trip hopefully we may get a few like this one next week,,we are thinking of a short stay in Wexford then Down to county cork but it all depends on the weather,,

Night Fishing a few years back with Henry Gilbey thanks for the Photograph that night Henry i was on bait with a light bass rod a great way of fishing, Rolling a 2oz lead at 80yds down a estuary with that stunning crab bait,,

Pumping for a Cod on the Green bank in Waterford hopefully with my trips in November and December a a few Cod may show up in the Estuary

Here again is Mick with a fine Bass again on the Xslayer the fish took in bright sunlight under his rod tip!!!

So back to my home place in November and December/January and i cannot wait for a bit of Fishing its been a while but to the latter of this year a few decent Bass should show,,,,,,

Tiemco sprat 130 simply the best,,,

2011-09-19T21:35:00.005+01:00

Mackeral red / pink belly Tiemco sprat great looking well made Bass catcher

I got one of these little gems in Sand Bora colour quite a while ago and i have been impressed ever since so when i had the chance of a few more i just could not resist the superb shape and colours of theses handsome and well made Bass catchers below is the silver Bait ,,,black back red belly this lure is not the best caster out there has the weight transfer to assist ,the rolling action is simply the best with the unbreakable bib ..

Below the Pink Tiemco Sprat a colour that in any lure is one of my favourites well made and a joy to fish with a lure that grabs the roughest of water ,rolls and dives between 60cm and 90cm makes life a little easier,,

I cannot believe with all the Hype with lure in the world of lure fishing today that this sure fish catcher has not been picked up by a distributer or tackle shop owner,,,,
obviously,with no reports of this fantastic lure and because you cannot get this lure in the uk today in all the new products available it seems a shame that tiemco take a back seat ,,,or the tried and tested only !!!the lures to go with,,,,

this lure is,,
one of my go to lures in my box and thats for sure,,in September and October and the back end one of the best,,,

I got three of these great additions to my lure box for less than £40,00 delivered from europe now that is what i call value for money for a proven fish catching lure,iam not selling these lures but if you want more info catch up with me at cazgee@gmail.com

Putter to Popper

2011-09-05T21:36:00.004+01:00

Sorry have not been on for a while been away to Turkey for a week and my sons golf has rather taken over my life of late i would just like to share a little of this with you,,
Arron is a member of the Warren Golf Club in Essex and his form this year has improved so much,,
The Warrens under 18s club championships Arron finished 3rd overall for the season a brilliant result he is now Playing a handicap of 20 from 30 at the end of last year,,
his latest escapades in the golf world include 3rd overall at the Lincoln under 18s open championship at Carholm golf club in front of family and friends what a brilliant day out and Carol and i thank all that attended,,

Great result for Arron net 66 for third place and a few bob for his troubles

Following this came the Essex Essex Golf Union under 14s championships at mayland golf club i took two days off work for day one practice and the day itself for this premier Essex U14 Golf competition,and wow!! did Arron make them clubs sizzle powering drives in excess of 240yds, his approach play and putting were simply a joy to watch,finishing 2nd overall with a fantastic 65nett was more than Carol and myself could handle on the day with Arron winning the much coverted Fred Stillwell silver medal below.

All your Mum and I can say is well done Arron We are so proud and keep up the great work with the golf you have a lifetime in front of you a brilliant achievment for a guy who is only 11 years old.

a great day at maylands golf course

In the meantime i was itching as you do when you have that fishing bug in you so heres a few pictures of our last trip to Chesil and yes it did the trick the fishing was not too hot but the pictures came out great,,
Nikon 3000 ,,

Dave with a feisty 2 pounder

one man and his fish a bass about to be returned i thought adrian was taking this one for a walk

a real beauty around 4lbs for Adrian

So after some heartrending Golf sessions had the pleasure of Chesil beach and had a brilliant day with Adrian and Dave cheers lads must do it again some time,,,,,,,,,and Arron best of luck for the next Compertition ,,,

Essex Megabass

2011-08-13T20:27:00.001+01:00

Had a brilliant day down the black water estuary yesterday when it all came together,no wind clear water and the Bass were playing Ball for a change 14 bass in all and all returned safely to the estuary my favourite kind of Bass fishing is Estuary fishing for Bass and in my experience the hardest to work out and in the county of Essex a part of the world where there are thousands of bait fishermen but lure fishing in the area seems to come a lowly second best to most anglers due to the harsh conditions and poor water clarity,,
But,,
When the conditions are staking up in your favor and you are capable of working out the conditions even in the not so lure friendly county of Essex the sky is the limit the fish are there for the catching,,heres a few snaps of my day to remember in Essex,,,

clear conditions were the order of the day a rare occurrence in the blackwater

edome lazer edonis X92 we call it the alien eye and certainly worked in Essex

some nice bass started to show

well fed too plump hard fighting blackwater Bass

one off the top the lure is bigger than this little scrapper but next cast a 4lber,,,

An Essex scrapper on the way in ,,,

at the end of the day i had a great session on the calm waters of the blackwater and for some moments in that evening i was back in my home place of SE Ireland the bass on lures and fishing was that good, all i can say is dear Blackwater and Essex Thankyou for sharing your bass fishing it is superb

Reflections of Chesil

2011-08-08T17:07:00.000+01:00

Left home at 12.30am to pick up Adrian and fly down to the mighty Chesil Beach meeting up with Graham hk fresh in from the East, sadly the Master of Chesil Mark Pad couldn't join us on this occasion was away with the family but with some great advice from him we went on for a Bass Trip on one of the most untamed beaches in the world ,

Chesil is a Daunting and dangerous place and certainly not a beach for the unwary and inexperienced ,make sure when you ever go down there that you are prepared with water and the essentials for a long trip also physical fitness is paramount,the picture below shows the intense heat that can roast you on the beach Graham has scarf face protection and of course reflective blue Costa de mar sunglasses just the job for bright conditions

On a long stint over on the beach we will take kettle ,water and mashing facilities,plenty of fire wood over there a frying pan ,tin foil wont go amiss either

Camp Bastian2 we hung around for the weather to darken off bright conditions and calm were not working ,the Bass were not playing Ball at all so we decided to hang around for the tide there will be a chance with the cloud gathering,wind picking up from the south on the gathering tide,,

In the mean time, i went Rubbish spotting i cannot think of a place on this earth that gathers so much rubbish from drift wood to computer hard drives ,,Brilliant there are loads of flotsam to explore i found fishing floats,bungi rod straps,crocs,torches,nets,highlighter pens,ballpoints and much much more its an education

Eventually we made a move from our temporary camp and managed a few fish off the beach, well Adrian and Graham hk had a couple Each off the Top here's Adrian with a 4lb fish on a Lucky Craft gunnish the Bass were moving but the water conditions were crystal and Bass tendered to just sniff at the lure and turn away,,the guys did well to catch at all ,

On reflection we had a great day out even though the fishing was not on song,,We know Chesil Beach but if you want to Lure fish around this area the man to get hold of is Mark Pad he is the Master off of this unpredictable,daunting most beautiful part of the world you will have the time of your life with Mark Guiding you but remember Mark Operation is 100% catch and release,,,
some would say Chesil is the 8th wonder of the World,,i know i would,,

Wexford Bassing (the old magic called love again)

2011-07-17T22:40:00.004+01:00

Just got back from a trip to Ireland with Carol we were out at the house ,shady nook ,yet again working and sorting a few things and checking the place out got to keep on top of things while we are building the M25 enabling works for the 2012 Olympic Games only a year to go now!!,,
well the fishing decided to call for us so down to a old Mark of mine and Bingo the old magic called wexford hit again on a secret place of mine,,
Brilliant and yes you have got it we just love this place but at the moment Finacial issues wont allow me and my family to return to the shores we love so much,,,YET!!!!!!!!

The Z Claw get them from Cian at Absolute fishing what a lure off the top first cast this lure will defiantly improve your topping

Carol with a nice 5lb fish on the K2 Brilliant just love fishing my home place and she does too she was expecting a night out ,,check out the manicure,,,ha ha took her fishing instead ,,now thats my type of woman!!!

The Bass kept coming for a couple of Hours with fish off the top (z claw) middle(K2) and Bottom the plastics just love trotting the shads down the weed strewn shallows

what a superb lure the anasago bora flashing plate is accounted for a few this Target them from a great lure outlet topwater lures uk

Plastics came in as the water got lower this is what estuarie fishing is all about ,reading the condition of the ebbing water total of a dozen or more fish up to 5lbs from bass marks that i have fished for the past 10yrs and i still dont see anybody around,,, simply Magic

Thanks for reading my blog

Cornwall Lure Compertition Report(its the little things)

2011-07-04T13:04:00.002+01:00

Well we arrived at Ben Fields Art of fishing in deepest Cornwall after the long drive from the east of England its a long way but the company of Mark and Adrian seems to make the long journey a breeze talking fishing and all that,

What a polite and knowledgeable guys and girls Ben and his staff areThe Art of Fishing it was a pleasure to meet them,

So from here we set of to a mark i had been discussing all week with Joel Bass Guide From Devon he knows the North coast of Cornwall very well this was my chosen area to fish in the Festival as the weather was looking good for the North side Joels Advice was Priceless and i would recommend his services to anyone who fancies some Bass Fishing

Mark,Adrian and myself got down to our chosen spot around 8 am the Tide was just on High and the start of the Ebb the ground was as rough as rats massive crags and scars littered with boulders and deep water gullies all over was shallow Bassing ,,looked perfect for the odd bigger bass as this is what we were targeting size not quantity which Mark found hard to Digest

First Bass of the Evening session just under size

The tactics i opted for was to follow the crags and scars as the tide ebbed as the ground suited this the bass will hold up waiting in Ambush areas the scene was set i got myself on station and started working the water with the shallow diver Tiemco sprat within 5 casts down a deep gully with boulders just tipping the surface
i got hit by a large Bass in the area of the boulders ,stripping around 20yds of line and really getting dirty around the rocks i knew this was going to be a challenge i could hear the Braid creaking but it held after guiding the very spirited bass around the hazards what a sight as she broke surface a fish of 7lbs in the evening sunlight looking superb,i guided the beaten Bass into a calm back water gully for landing but you know whats next she gave one last lunge i brought her back to the surface and with one vicious shake of her head she was off the hook and suspended in the gully just looking back at me,i did think do i jump!!that idea went away as the Bass gave a flick of her tail and sloped off into the depths,i felt that sick feeling sinking in my gut, Adrian looking over could see the despair and sheer frustration of me loosing a tidy fish that wont happen again i thought,,
The tide was ebbing nice by now exposing more great looking ground as it went its so hard chasing across deep gullies and odd shaped Boulders getting out to a station eventually i got on station where i wanted to be the Tiemco flew and with a steady retrieve the lure was again Nailed at 3 rod lenghts out this fish again stripped 20/30 yds of line and was going like the devil in the shallow water ,,again after what seemed like a age the fish came to the surface 10yds out around 6lbs and this time she was mine ,Arian was on hand to help,everything was looking good I clocked a small V in the rocks and on the surge of a small wave the fish came easy ,then again that Head shake the hook came out again ,the fish was on dry land and i discarded my rod and grabbed the fish but sadly to no avail the fish thrashed and again was gone in a instant,my feelings were certainly heard by Adrian as that sick feeling came over me ,,

Tiemco Sprat 130

2 nice Bass in 30 mins lost ,potential winners of the comp i was fishing but hey that's fishing ,i just had to get to the bottom of what went wrong on that evening and on further inspection the hooks on the straight out of the box Tiemco were rubbish ,worse than the gataride they were like bending copper wire,so all that planning buying new gear ,working out new marks,tides , fishing times and effort put in to a event like the festival can be undone by Three sub standard treble hooks,,Lessons Learned,,
The Tiemco as a lure is simply stunning especially in the Sand Bora Colour ,,,,

The Tiemco Sprat (with changed hooks)

So the weekend was eventful and it was brilliant to meet Ben and have a weekend out with Mark and Adrian over the weekend we had a fair few fish the one above was from Kimmerage 54 cm on Sunday but nothing made up for the two fish that got away,,,

Bass on the Blackwater

2011-06-26T21:21:00.000+01:00

This Weekend has just been brilliant Arron and his golf ,such a player i cannot describe,Brilliant , but more of him in the future, all i want to talk about is the Bass Estuary fishing in Essex ,
Its been a long time coming and has taken a couple of years to work out , up at the crack of dawn and down to the estuary for 1 hr after High Tide ,,ebbing on a neap tide all i met up with was a gold digger with a detector ,,any good i asked ,,No came the reply ,just like fishing he said ,,i did glance at the water and thought the man is correct!!!it was awful,,,, the colour was all the way out,,
i didn't want to go back to Maldon yet so testing a few lures and getting a bit of practice for Cornwall at the weekend,as the Tide ebbed it started to clear and the gravel spits were giving access to the clear water channels ,,the estuary suddenly started to look very Fishy,,

You can see the segregated water of dirt and clear the Bass were lurking just in the dirty water waiting to pounce,wading out up to my chest and positioning myself on the Tangent,casting my lure up the run off interface,, Bang every time ,,

what a super lure the the matsuki 130 Hokkaido from Italian fishing accounted for 15 Bass today nothing in size to break any records but working out how to fish the Black water is just a treat that i have worked out today working the shore on the ebb down to low fishing the spits of sand and separating the coloured water from the clear,,and fishing the matsuki as slow as possible to Give the Bass a chance in the coloured water

I knew this lure would be a winner when i saw it brilliant and works in the dark water

nothing big but hey what a fantastic days fishing and when you work it out for yourself when the conditions,tides and colour are against you its even better 15 Bass and loads of bangs and lost fish ,,all in 3 hrs ,simply a brilliant end to a perfect weekend

What are Friends for!!

2011-06-22T12:55:00.002+01:00

What a brilliant week Carol ,Arron and myself had at our Home in SE Ireland in our house at Shady Nook the weather was simply stunning the only thing was ,we have had loads of work to do on our house DIY got loads of stuff done more than expected,,
in the mean time my old Buddie and bass convert turned up to see us ,,Carol and I were laid out in the Garden when a old mate of mine turned up Mick Boland we fished Bass Alley many moons ago we talked for ages in the Irish sunshine about all them memories and double figure Bass and of course the ones that got away,the memories were so vivid we had a brilliant time just chatting away and catching up on the lawn at shady nook,,
Mick and i swapped lures and ideas it must have been getting on 4yrs since we fished together since then he has become a rather tasty lure angler,,,,

Mick with a half tidy Bass some of mick marks are off the scale ,,here's another pic to wet your appetite

Superb on the AYU Xslayer on to a articulated head and 2/0 vaviras wide mouth hook

above is the Metsuki Floating 150mm seems to be a cross between a tide minnow and a Daiwa Shoreliner brilliant casting and a strong bib i was very impressed with this lure as it comes in a sinking version too and the best bit is all for around £10 pounds delivered i paid £32 for three ands here's the other one 130mm sinker with Owner Trebles

get them from here
italiafishing
why pay silly prices when these nice lures are around

Off to cornwall over the weekend with Mark and Adrian on the 1st 2nd and 3rd of July to fish the cornish lure festival cant wait for this one if you fancy having a go get your ticket on line from Ben at the art of fishing LURE FESTIVAL

Heres Joel a Devon Bass Guide and a realy good one at that been speaking to him lately as he has been bagging up down that neck of the woods The Bass above was 9lb 8oz he has had fish to 11lb 8oz this season and its a long one down there,,
,he also knows a thing or two about the Cornwall Coast and thats handy for us in July,,
catch up with Joel at joelsoul68@live.com
you will have some fun with this guy he realy knows his stuff,,,,,,,,

Nearly forgot a flying visit to Ireland at the weekend is on the Cards,,,,,

Ireland going home

2011-05-26T22:24:00.000+01:00

Off to Ireland tommorrow evening on the night ferry from Fishguard arriving in Rosslare early saturday morning ,,
Carol and i are going to do some DIY on our Home in Wexford cutting grass gardening if the weather permits ,fixing cookers ,painting,tiling,fixing showers ,Arron has packed his Golf clubs and i have left the fishing gear in England NOT,,well it is the close season for Bass over there,,
I know there are many that have a view but for me i will stick to wrasse and pollock there are loads of them in Ireland and Bass will be just a by catch that will not be targeted but released if caught,,,

Photo Henry Gilbey

One of my favorite pictures my son Arron with Shaun Fenton on the Wrasse great sport on a light rod shaun was Henrys director of his Wild Fishing series ,But having a wild time in Ireland this night with Arron on the Wrasse great sport ,try here this guy knows about wrasse fishing and much more here Keith white

I will be trying a few Crab next week males are just ending and females are just starting to peel a brilliant bait for Wrasse and Silver Pollock and SE Ireland has the best Crab around,,,i will be meeting up with Cian too ,,cant wait to have a look round his shop at Absolute Fishing Waterford ,,
but i must not get too carried away i have loads of DIY to do,,,,

Cool Turkey! on a Gataride

2011-04-24T21:45:00.001+01:00

At 4000m the snow and sub zero Temperatures were blasting the Toros Mountains on west seaboard of Turkey ,a wild country this certainly is with the pine forests and deep blue lagoons truly a gem of our earth and the people are so welcoming and traditional ,,,

Packing my anyfish anywhere 8 ft travel rod and all the usual suspects Carol ,Arron and Myself set off to the shores of this wonderfull enchanting Country Gateway to the East ,,

The Gataride Edomi Lazer was the lure of the moment on this trip the Gataride just seems to do the buisness anywhere in the world the perfect Lure get them here at topwater lures

Heres Umut Beckar with a double figure Amberjack nailed on a Megabass Gataride,, My guide on the last part of our trip catch up with him here he will sort you out accomodation and some of the best fishing plugging marks in Europe,,

The Gataride will get them any where heres one of my Jacks pushing double figure These fish are mental and what a srap ,the AFAW Plugger 8ft travel just handled the Fish Brilliant even when the lure slipped into the Back of the fish the rod handled Amberjack with relative ease a superb travel rod by Anyfish ,,,
my advice if you do any amount of travel go and get one of these little crackers,,,have a look at Veals

The small Barracuda loved the Gataride too, great sport and verocious preditor

To Sum this trip up all i can say it was Fantastic with some stunning Fish an all round Place for serious Pluggers,,,,,

I Have just touched the surface of this Magical country with some of the best lure fishing in the world no less than 4 hours away and with people like Umut around to show you the way forward and make your trip very special and memorable find him here ,,,,,The Bass are around in the winter months up to 5kg been Common sadly we were a little late but hey,,,
Those Amberjack Realy pull your string!!!!!!!!!!!! ,,,

Bass Pictures and have a great season to all

2011-03-05T00:10:00.001Z

Heres a few pictures from Henry and Friends thanks to all ,, good times for 2011 its getting close

Bait fishing can be great in early season

On a loney strand the fishing on lures was out of this world

OOOPS One of Henrys,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a great fish on the Feed shallow mullet on a back tide,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

My Mate Mike Boland,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Gataride!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gee,,,,eyelash extentions in green

The Bridlington Open with AFAW

2011-02-23T19:47:00.003Z

We are travelling up to Bridlington on Friday morning to meet up with the Julian shambrooke of Any Fish Anywhere Fishing Tackle distributors joining him and a few others on his stall at Makis HQ for the Bridlington Open hopefully to have a chat to anglers about our growing sport of Bass Lure Fishing and showing the shore matchmen a few lure rods over the long weekend and giving them an heads up, AFAW have a fantastic selection of lure Rods at a reasonable prices there are 7,8,9 and 10ft 2 piece pluggers and 8 ft and 9 ft 4 piece travel rods these i took on a recent trip to Spain and were excellent my opinion the best Modern Plugging Bass Travel Rod available today on the market ,as a shore matchman myself this could be some interaction with the Lads in Yorkshire

The European Open Beach Championship is now established as the biggest three-day fishing festival in Europe, attracting stars of shore angling from all over the UK and Europe.

Now in it’s 18th year, the Bridlington based bash has long been number one with the British sea anglers, with the 2011 event having an even more exciting flavour due to the overseas contingency which is far greater than ever before!
Besides rubbing shoulders with anglers from Ireland, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany, each angler will be able to pick up valuable information, tactics, skills and new techniques.
The 2011 event will also include the extremely popular Bridlington Flattie Bash, a measure and return event that will be held on Friday 25th February. This will be a chance for anglers to get together before the main event at the weekend for a fun and enjoyable competition. The Bridlington Flattie Bash will be held on Wilsthorpe beach from the new boat compound and will be a great opportunity to win fantastic cash and tackle prizes.
The whole three day event is a superb way of networking with sea angling friends and is an opportunity simply not to be missed!

Hope to see you there,,,,,,,,

Masters of the surf

2011-02-22T14:28:00.001Z

Adrian Rodgers is about to get wiped out things look pretty bad!!!!,well not that bad Adrian did make it back from our recent trip to Asturias in Spain with a 6lb plus fish under his belt ,not bad for mid February on a lure a fantastic achievement in anybodies book check out his Fantastic Blog here Adrian he has some great pictures of our trip too,,you will notice on the picture below that the wave in the distance around 120 yds out breaking on the reef is way beyond the casting distance of our lure rods and gear we took to Spain with us The Bass are in that zone how the hell do you get out there ?? Manel and Dario our Spanish Lubena Anglers showed us just how with their 12 /16ft spinning rods 5000 size reels and 2oz lures this was poetry in motion we all just sat, watched and learned how these Spanish Masters of the Surf ply their trade,,we are all stuffed in the UK with Finesse this 7ft that 8ft is the ideal length of a plugging rod i don't want to get into this much contested debate but one thing i do know i saw guys using these longer rods very very effectively in adverse conditions and now i am totally convinced after all the debate that the long plugging rod has a place in our sport,

The Ground in Asturias and the North Coast of Spain is so rugged,,,not only heavier rods reels are required a level of physical fitness and awareness of your enviroment are very important Manel and Dario are fit and slick and do you have to be on these areas of coast line the seas are that big that the whole coast is Rock Based very little sand and the secluded bays are all pebbles,this adds up to clear water in rough conditions and the Bass are there in it,,,

Manel Below sporting his 12 ft Plugger,the target zone in the picture below is just to the right hand side of the big rock pinnacle about 100yds he hit the target every cast and he is stood up at high level out of the unpredictable swell ,,to us short rodders in this picture it looks great, but a 15 foot roller could hit you out of the blue at any time,

This picture seems to just show the scale of things out there in spain the two anglers below the cliffs are dots

I For one will be back in Spain it touched a part of me and i would recomend it to anyone but touch base with Manel first he will help to put you on to some stunning marks,, the locals are so helpfull in these trying times its great to know that our sport is alive and well off of distant shores been practiced by Manel and co thanks for your company and thanks to Adrain ,Tom , Stu and the other Bloke,,for a fantastic time on the Northern Shore of Asturias

The Forlorn Hope

2011-02-14T21:15:00.001Z

Funny How things work out ,,Below is a truly fantastic picture taken in Ireland a couple of years ago messing about but it looks so professional just waiting ,nerves on the edge , a Bass in Pursuit about to strike!!!
Not Really its just me messing about playing to the camera but could be misinterpreted as a Great Bass Picture with the anticipation of action ,,
having said all that a bass picture extraordinaire and i like it,,,

Photo courtesy of Henry Gilbey

Heres another Picture a Total action shot where i was far from posing for the camera a recent trip again to Ireland in October Last found me fingers and thumbs with a Bass From the Back Stand again a great Bass picture totally opposite to the one above but again i like it,,

Photo courtesy of Adrian Rodgers

Hopefully we will get some shots in Spain like these from this weeks trip and i am really looking forward to it ,we have made some connections over there and our licences are in order flights booked,car hire and accomodation ,,on the sea front all for less than £350 a great deal and well worked out by all,,anyone who has travelled for fishing will know it is not easy and takes some organising so well done to all concerned that are going on our trip,,
the weather is not good to start with and have a look here wind guru great for your own forcasts as well but is easing towards the weekend(hopefully) we have worked out back up plans as well so here goes,,
into the breach you forlorn hope,,,
i will keep an update going if i can and remember we need only one,,,

Viva Espania Asturias

2011-01-27T19:53:00.002Z

In these cold months of winter my mind often wanders off to the days of catching a few Bass on Lures of last and previous years in the warm early morning ,,this blog has a bit of a following from Spain so this is where the our Idea of looking at the fishing for bass in our winter climate came from obviously not the first to try it but will break the barren winter months up with a chance of some superb bass fishing,,

Here's a few landscape pictures i have selected part of superb coastline of Asturias Northern Spain It is situated on the Spanish north coast (Bay of Biscay) facing the Cantabrian Sea.

Check this guy out Robalo Spin He nails some really Nice Bass from the area

Some of these marks look the top drawer similar to the copper coast in Ireland a mass of rocky peninsula's and sandy ,shingle coves,,

I know a mark not dissimilar to this in Co Wexford

Rugged or what

This Trip has been Simple and cheap to get organised with a flight from Stanstead straight into the local airport on the coast,, a bunch of us are coming over on the 17th of February to the 21st February we are staying at La Cass Apartments will let you know what they are like after the trip as all the other details flights connections and costs

Heres a few lures coming along for the ride

Nabarone 150 Cotton Candy

Robox shad with articulated storm 50g Fish Head

Nabarone 150 Sand Bora

Finally the Sazuke 140 Cotton Candy

This coastline looks a large minnow Heaven and cannot wait to get to grips with it will keep thing on the blog and wish us all luck!!!!

Last Year

2011-01-01T12:51:00.004Z

Well That's 2010 over and done with and in some ways its a relief i would like to take this chance to wish all that are following and have a little look now and again at my blog a very Happy New Year and get stuck in to a few fish in 2011if the pair Trawlers don't get them all this winter,,,,

Some memories from 2010
Here is piccy of yours truly with one of Adrian's Bass on our recent October Ireland Trip not a monster but fight like the devil in fast flowing waters taken off the Top,,,,

Here's the man himself below my Friend and Fishing Partner Adrian sitting behind a 6,8lb bass he had a really good year this year with the Bass Fishing including some Bang Tidy Bass up to 8lbs and my personal favourite The Sea Trout caught in the sea off the Kent Coast back in April ,,,Its My Header Picture ,,Take a look

Mark below on our recent trip to Ireland in October with a tidy Bass Again don't take any notice of the silly face this guy is in my top ten of the most talented Bass anglers in the UK

My favourite lure of 2010 and the one that worked for me was the Megabass Zonk 120 SINGISU IWASHI

In the Correct situation a Killer a slow sinking lure that can be used in a sink and draw method and with the solid lip more adaptable to tough situations than its Sister Lure the Gataride it was a Tough one to decide between the two but the pure bred Zonk 120 Came out on top due to its toughness

My favourite soft Plastic is the DeLeLande Paddle tail Buster Shad 110mm Below,, i know i go on about these lures but i think anyone would if you had caught the amount of fish i have seen caught and caught myself a very underrated soft plastic lure and certainly one i will be banging out in 2011 without a doubt

So anyone looking for some fishing in 2011 would not go far wrong to visit THIS PLACE its a new Forum that has opened with the very Talented Brothers Keith And Kevin White from Jersey who Brought the Concept of LRF and HRF to British soil there are no Fakers on this site,,
Keith and Kevin are running the Forum and there are great new ideas coming up for 2011and the Energy of these guys speaks volumes so if interested get over there or be square,,,

I Enjoy the very well established WSF forums too a great place to get advice on lure fishing and all types you can meet allsorts of boyant characters that makes up for some great discussions ,,,

I will also be running a few Trips over to Ireland This Year i know there Has been a lot of interest for bookings over 2010 so to get things in order for 2011 i will be sending reminders out to those who have enquired and if you are interested in a trip of a lifetime give me a shout at grahamhill@seabassfishingonline.com or cazgee@gmail.com

and Last a massive thankyou to all of you who has purchased lures in 2010 from Megabass Lures Ltd and i hope to see you back in 2011 we are still here beating the VAT rise keeping down the price of lures and Rods

Happy New Year and all the best to one and all for 2011
Tight Lines

IRELAND FOR CHRISTMAS

2010-12-10T14:59:00.009Z

Well it may be getting back end and things may be winding down for Christmas but not me this time next week i will be on my way home to Ireland For Christmas at Shady Nook ,obviously will catch up with Cian at absolute fishing will be looking for Bass down Tramore on the plastics hope the weather plays ball because this area of Ireland can Produce Bass all year round if it does,,best stay out of the shop though with all that shiny plastic and that in there having said that fish like in the pictures below frequent very close to Cians shop especially this time of year when the water temps stay up

all the photographs in this Blog Post are with Courtesy of Henry Gilbey

This morning was arount minus 4C Air temprature you can see the frost lying on the fields in the distance superb for Bass ,the cold can turn them on below a nice fish of around 5lb that nailed the old faithfull Delalande GT Shad on the Trotting Method the bass just cannot resist it,,,

Above returning Fish is one of my great satisfactions of Bass Fishing

Here below an old mate of mine Tom Holyhock from Germany with a superb bass of 9lb8oz again nailed on a soft plastic this was the first time Tom and i had fished together and with a little assistance from me had 27lb of Bass in Three fish in the same Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Courtesy of Henry gilbey

we became good friends after that day and with the fantastic pictures from Henry Gilbey it made a day never to be forgotten ,,,,anyone looking for great Bassing in 2011 contact me on grahamhill@seabassfishingonline.com

To finish up this post there is a brand new forum opened up here at jersey bass guides a forward thinking Forum that thinks outside the box and is run by Anglers so when you get a chance get over there and have a look sign up and join the modern lure angling scene Tom and i are over there and just look at the pic above it says it all

The only way is Maldon Essex

2010-12-02T20:24:00.001Z

certainly not a picture from the only way is essex a few snowey pics from around the place i live in Maldon Essex

This is the prom with the Thames Barges great place for a pint and a chat we live in the estuary and its a great place to live ,,near the sea and the wild life of the bay

The local church in Maldon this place is very old and they say that George Washingtons GRANDAD!!
is buried in the Grounds ,,,now thats History dating back to the 13th century

Love this a great picture of the river in maldon ,,the Blackwater holds Bass and massive mullet including masses of bird life,,,

i am getting used to living around here

Its Shad Time,,,,,,as long as the weather holds

2010-11-15T19:10:00.007Z

From now on up to Christmas and beyond ignore the paddle tails at your Peril

below is the highly successful combination of a 20g articulated jig head paired with a Holderness twin point carried by a 130mm delalande GT shad Pearl this set up in the later months can be lethal in the right hands

Below ,,,,Here's a great shot where the angler is fishing typical shad ground a fast run off over weed and rough ground ,typical Bass ambush area with back eddies and fast flowing run offs containing sand bars and the character of many underwater holding features,,,

The new Delalande buster and GT shads are now coming along too encountered a few fish in 2011 on this mover the thing i have found with these shads on the ground i fish the are very successful for the latter end Nov/Dec and the very beginning from march/April small windows you say but you only need an hour on the fish with these things

Long Trotting for Bass in Estuaries with soft plastic lures you must try

THE METHOD

The Method as I call it is my personal favourite way of fishing the fast moving deep water channels and the slower back eddies of Clearwater lagoons and estuaries for Bass,

The choice of rigs and plastics are endless in the world of fishing today, Paddle Tail shads are my personal favourites best when the sea trout are running the estuaries and the worm type plastics when the sand eel are around both very effective on their day.

For this description of method fishing for Bass I am relating to the paddle tail shad.

Find your estuary and work out the fish holding areas on both rising and ebbing tides and times,, first light coinciding with high water if at all possible is a magic time.

Look hard for where the most likely place for the Bass are going to lie ,on sandy underwater dunes , weed strewn margins, back eddy bait gathering areas and natural ambush points , especially on the ebb tide, this will come with experience and developing your watercraft and this bit is the fun part,, working it all out,
The approach to trotting is exactly the same as trotting an Avon float for Chub and Barbel species in freshwater a skill I worked out in my younger days that terminal gear is all important which then relates to the natural presentation of the plastic lure to the Bass.
Cast your lure at one o’clock keeping your line as high as possible out of the water by raising your rod tip check and mend your line getting all your line behind the lure keeping as much line out of the water as possible, feel for the paddle tail working, then you are in business, keeping your bail arm disengaged and letting line off between your thumb and forefinger of your left hand giving you controlled trotting of your swim with the odd time checking the line feeling for the shad tail working in the current this will tell you the angler that the bait is working weed free and in the zone.

Stopping the Trot will have the effect of lifting the bait off the bottom and restarting will have the effect of dead sticking the bait to the bottom and keeping the line slack, strikes are common in this phase

An upstream wind is ideal for this method, keeping your lure in the Bass zone for a considerable amount of time holding back your lure in an underwater balancing act in the current,
Water moving faster than the lure will make your paddle tail work even faster for you with a natural presentation,
Trotting as much as 120yds long down your swim and covering vast amounts of ground with your lure obviously increases your chances of a Bass Nailing your well presented lure.

TIGHT LINES

Next Move Bass Match Angling

2010-11-08T18:06:00.000Z

This is a question that is killing me,,,,,

A lonely Strand Tramore CoWaterford waiting for that first bite
Cod or Bass Match Angling at its best

Well i keep asking myself the question and thinking about has Bass got its place in the match fishing world

As a matchman and always aspiring to a challenge any body who goes Lure fishing for Bass or any other species for that matter, to have half a idea must have a competitive streak its part of the job description
i think ,
Bass Lure compertitions organised in the correct way this could be a reality, there are a couple of Bass driven shore comps in the country at the moment they are not on the scale of proper open shore competitions that happen every weekend week in and week out in the sea angling world in the UK today ,,

The problem i have with these Bass competitions for example the weymouth one at the moment ,is that the organisers seem to think it is OK to stop certain People from competing in that event,,

this is a mind boggeling attitude banning anglers and local anglers to the area at that when realy the sport is in its infancy in the UK,,who do these people think they are and what damage are they incuring to compertition fishing and the future credibility of Bass Fishing,,

is this a good image for Bass Lure Fishing? to portray to the outside world to stop locals fishing a open comp in their local area?

The poor results of the weymouth comp this year Nice fish that won it around 9lb i hear But nothing of note to back it up just shows the inexperience and short sightedness of the organisers picking the tide and times ,, i am sure if you organise a compertition its for all to compete not a select few,
because of this and other issues,,, i have been contacted personally by quite a few disgruntled anglers who were fishing the so called Bass comp in weymouth this year,,, they all said that they wont be there next year , to me as a Match Angler and Bass Angler this is so dissapointing,,so is the rot setting in already??

The Daiwa Open
I am fishing a proper compertition up in Yorkshire on the 21st Nov the Daiwa Open with Carol entering the Ladies and yes i cannot wait realy looking forward to meeting some of the possible1000 entrants of anglers that compete every year,,i just hope they dont ask about any questions about Bass Match Angling that would be quite embarrasing ,with the sorry state of affairs at the moment,
You should try this site out these lads fish shore comps more or less every week of the year and a bit of a hot bed for lure fishing too,

they asked me to do a QA Session have a look whitby sea anglers a realy great forum and web site and i enjoyed doing this for a very knoweldgable bunch of anglers,,

MEGABASS EDONIS,MIYABI,GATARIDE,ZONK, Thanks to Singapore Airways

2010-10-17T13:43:00.002+01:00

Well Carol and her mom have just got back from a trip to the far east for a couple of weeks having a bit of women time i just fell into work and looking after Arron while she was away ,but hey it was worth the wait with a few goodies brought home for me to sell on the open market in the UK is she a absolute diamond bringing theses little gems back for US!!,,,,
just feast your eyes on these Gems now in stock at megabass lures ltd heres a sample of pictures of the new lures available

The aka kin Miyabi vision 100 sw

Zonk 120 Hama Iwashi

Megabass Edonis x-92 SW Bass Lure

Megabass Zonk 120 Ringo Starr my personal favourite

THE RINGO STARR!!!!!!!!!!!!!a collectors item

THE MIYABI Vision 100 SW Crusing Blue

EDONIS MISSILE 17g pure muscle GG Iwashi

Megabass Gataride Yoro Yoro singetsu Iwashi

Megabass Edonis X-92 aka kin

Megabass Zonk 120 Teaser

If you want to get a full description ,views and Prices have a look here at seabassfishing online.com

Dont forget its the Opening of Absolute fishing on sunday the 24th of October I will be calling in and Carol my lure smuggler will be there with me and Henry will be along too,,,i hear there is certainly a great prize up for grabs in a raffle

Grand Opening

2010-10-11T22:39:00.001+01:00

Well got back from Ireland safe and sound after a great trip with my mate Adrian and what a great time we had straight off the ferry and within 1/2 an hour i was into a 8lb fish that i had beat at the rock face and with one serious head shake it was gone but what a fish and a sight ,the lure was the Zonk Gataride pearl Rainbow the No1 Bass Lure in 2010 in my humble opinion,but yet another flaw it was the hook that gave out and not the bib this time,,Adrian promptly nailed a Pollock then a bass of around 4lbs having some great sport between us for a couple of hours on the rising tide,,,
i had to leave early and go to my house Shady Nook to handover from my sitting tenant,, i did not want to leave the fishing but business elsewhere was calling,,,

The few days i had in Ireland at my home were quite inspiring and a calm came over me if anyone out there has had to leave their house not to mention your country you may have an idea of how i have felt for the past 18months but hey another week is beckoning at the end of this month with Carol, Arron and a couple of mystery guests with us at the end of October,,so now my all new adventure can begin,,,,the first job i have to do is go and visit my mate Cian o Halloran at Absolute fishing in Tramore on Sunday the 24th October its His grand opening of his shop ,so if you are around come on down i know Cian will make all of you guys out there wanting to come very welcome,,

Cian Has always got a bass in his hands

Cian and i go back quite a few years and is a great guy even though he was so busy last week he found time to come fishing with his old mate and i must say,,, i did him again with a 7lb fish on plastic that he did not have in his shop!!!!just to show him i have not lost my touch while i have been away,, only joking mate best of luck with the shop and i will see you on the 24th Oct at Absolute Fishing

Not the one but a nice Bass on a De La Lande GT Shad

Crabbing part 2 will be coming soon just a little busy at the moment re/building the M25

Big Bass on Crab( Part 1)

2010-09-28T21:51:00.000+01:00

Bait fishing has always and will always be my first love for bass fishing light tackle fishing can be achieved with bait in certain locations 3oz lead simple running ledger rig ,,watercraft needs to be good and is all important reading the tides conditions and of course refreshing the bait,,

Her es me pumping a peeler crab into Bannow Looking for the big one

Below you will see a prime condition peeler crab ,male peeler crab, the ultimate bait for bass nothing else can compare from September to Christmas for Irish Bass In estuary's I Have a few traps in the Estuary for this wonder bait and love collecting them it make you one with nature and boy takes some getting right

Male Peeler even in the moult are so aggressive

But make a fantastic bait for Big Bass

First the smaller Bass appeared

then 12lb stunners like this can appear to crab baits for this angler that was staying with us at shady nook Ireland

Crab baits are simply the best way of catching bass out there,but the dark secrets of catching the prime peeler crab take it from me it is very difficult to work out,,, tides ,times ,sizes,where and when to set traps,weather systems ,crabs have been around since before the dinosaurs so i would imagine they can predict a storm coming and when they do its deep water order of the day,,
bait fishing is so good especially when the bait is the best and bass will become plentiful to the distinct musky smell of the male peeler,,,
In part 2 i will explain in detail how and where to set crab traps for best results for the best prime crab for your bass fishing,,,,
Iam off to Ireland on thursday so cant wait and have missed the old bait fishing,,bring it on!!!

Simply IMA

2010-09-24T18:22:00.009+01:00

SASUKE 140 SAND BORA

Back in stock at megabass lures after a long summer this lure is simply stunning a bass anglers perfect lure will be great coming up the the back end of the season for the larger Bass that frequent our shores,have a look here

Komomo SF -125

below is the stunning Komomo sf-125 in chart gold a super lure now in stock at megabass lures ltd here

a early morning ,eve low light Bass Catcher

Komomo 2 Bora Mullet

A stunning lure from IMA in 2010 this lure is far from a twist and go lure but the a versatile topper and subsurface lure that that has been proven all over the UK and Ireland in 2010 have a look here and get a eyefull

Anchovy Popkey

Well what can i say about this fantastic topping lure cast like a bullet even with its odd shape but thats what so attractive about this Bass Catcher ,,the action is so walk the dog but not a strange,, but i have confidence feeling in this lure,, i would say one of the best topping lures in the Bass world Today,,this little babe can certainly fool em! have a look here

Heres a lure that i have been waiting for for a long time the aka kin princess komomo2 a first timer for me but i am sure this one will work

last but not least a lure that megabass lures was passed on from our suppliers at the beginning of 2010 the anasago bora flashing plate below looks rather dullish but when a few of my customers took the plunge and purchased this lure ,,WELL they never looked back a realy great find for the lure lads in 2010 smashing Bass at all angles,,have a look here and join in the fun

you can also get a selection of these great IMA lures from Cian in Waterford Ireland here they have been smashing a few fish over there this week ,,which is all good news for my Trip home to Shady Nook next week,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,for all enquiries for lures you can call me on 07590353352

Simply Shady

2010-09-13T19:09:00.004+01:00

Shady Nook is where the Bass Revolution sort of Began in SE Ireland ,
My Family home and Guest house for the last 10yrs a five/six bedrooms accommodation that will accommodate families and single anglers alike ,,, also 1 acre of land that will also accomodate Tents,Caravans and campers if you like the outdoor life in a secure environment,,,,,

shady nook guest house Co Wexford

Well its been a long time coming my Family have been away from Ireland now and it seems like 2 lifetimes since march 2009 don't get me wrong on this i have had a great time in the UK and met up with some great people that will be lifelong friends totally trustworthy and honest to our sport of bass fishing and you know who you are,,, and some not so great and we all know who they are,,
I am returning to our Guest House Shady Nook on the 30th of September to Finalise a hand over from Our Tenant of the last 20 Months,,and Believe me it feels so good and we just cannot wait,,,,,, Of course i am still under contract to my employer in the UK but as from next year Carol and I will be Opening up our business again with set dates throughout 2011 for fishing trips for anglers ,and general Guest house accommodation enquires ,,This year we have 2 dates available that's October and Christmas and New Year For Proper Big Bass Fishing,,,,,

Here's a small insight into the life and times of Carol ,Arron and Myself at Shady Nook Ireland take a look at some of these pictures pure magic my memories are endless from Ireland....,,

Arron the Golfer when he was 3 yrs old at Shady Nook Looking stressed out but i think its just his way of saying cheese

Cod Fishing from Tramore Beach Co Waterford with the Odd Bass thrown in for good measure ,the Cod Fishing off this Flat Beach can be at times in the winter months be simply awesome fished crab and worm at distance god the matches are great from this beach and i have missed the lads from Rhinnishark Sea angling club

Great fishing on the Plugging front from all around wexford and beyond this was some night plugging in 2002 i think its been re invented in 2010 @Jersey

an early morning down the local estuary the steam rising on a frosty morning the gulfstream at work

The Crabby Pattie Strikes again i just love Bait Fishing For Bass Especially with Wexford Peeler Crab

Bring your caravan,camper van or tent,, toilet block ,showers and washer dryer are available to all our camping guests

Dining Room including a superb handcrafted oak bar

Full Irish Breakfast or something lighter if you wish

2 Course dinner with local fresh produce

Excellent choice of Menu , Vegetarian catered for,

Early riser Breakfast or Packed lunch

All menus available to all Guests including campers.

A superb little Oak built Bar to have them chats about the one that got away over a couple of drinks so maybe some of you guys out there that wants to come and fish and experience a Sea fishing trip of a lifetime come over and visit in 2011and help carol and myself to get shady nook up and running again,,,,
Thats all for now but details of trips and deals will be available soon from us,,
for all enquires email ,,,,,Graham

BASS ATTACK

2010-09-01T21:47:00.002+01:00

Got the Call from mark that there was a few fish moving down Dorset way So picking Joe up in Kent at 5;30 we headed off for Breakfast in Dorset 2easy hrs and we were around not bad with no traffic on the roads,,with that breakfast inside us we were set for any thing,,,even flogging a few lures to the locals,

Within my first three casts i had a Bass of Around 3lbs coming to the IMA Nabarone 125 cotton candy sinking this lure is surprising me ,,Joe said try it as a couple of days previous he had nailed 6/7 Bass on it great advice,,,

There is some Great Fishing to be had in The UK ,,Mark With a Superb lure caught Storm Beach Bass

Mark stuck into a hard fighting Sorm beach Bass On lures at last light what a experiece to behold

This what the Bass were feeding on take a look at this natural wonder right here it was a sight to see this short clip was just a small insight into a great day out fishing with mates ,i can tell you just what the doctor ordered,,,,,,The best lure of the day was the zonk gataride here a classic lure that catches fish

had a Fantastic Days Fishing and having the time of my life with Joe and Mark ,,10 fish in a day for me is not to be sniffed at not even in Ireland,,,Talking of Ireland looks like there mabey movement with Our Bed and Breakfast In Co Wexford and thats all good news for Carol and I,,,,,

My Fishing Shed and Courtyard at Shady Nook Co Wexford Ireland ,is it going to be a new chapter????

Irish Bass off the Kayak

2010-08-23T20:31:00.003+01:00

Here's a few pictures sent for me from my mates Mick Boland and Dave Tilley from Dublin,,
On one of their Kayak adventures,,i have know Mick and Dave over 10yrs now and its great to see these Irish guys Catching and enjoying Bass Fishing from the Kayak ,,
The Irish Republic is going through a Torrid Time at the moment with the Depression so a ray of sunshine like these two nutters catching bass is a breath of fresh air getting away from the tight times that may lay ahead
But mick tells me he gets his Tenru Rods Reels and most of his lures and accessories from Henrys Tackle Dave is the baitman of Ireland you want it he can get it,,,
Below a nice Bass on the Ayu Slayer with a 20g articulated jig head

Below Dave with a superb Irish Bass I love this picture it says it all pose for the camera blue sky calm sea Bass on the Feed what more could a man want
Been a while since i have seen Dave i can tell you all the hat don't do him justice but it did not put the Bass Off

Dave Tilly with a 8LB yak Bass

Mick with a nice Yak caught fish the lads a doing so well off the Kayaks and its good to see some Bass These lads were out and out off the shore fishermen up to last year but as they say the Kayaks have them hooked ,,i would like to thank Mike and Dave for sharing their Photographs and the experience of their day out on the sea

Mike Boland with a Bass off the Yack and the Red Injection

Light Rod Fishing (LRF) Target Mullet

2010-08-17T01:23:00.005+01:00

As i approached Steve i recognised him from yesterday we were both having a mooch on the local estuary looking for signs of life ,,Any good!! i asked got a nice one in the keep net ,whats that then ,,a mullet came his reply ,,nice one too.,,around 10lbs my mate has just gone for the scales,,WHAT!!! 10lbs i stammered,,had my camera too,,
so Steve fished on with tales of monster sea trout ,chub,double figure carp,Bream,Dace and Bass!!! OMG!!! my head was spinning,some learning curve this fishing,just when you think you have it then some other challenge comes along with a dirty estuary in the offering,,

Above a wild Essex very tidal estuary over grown with flora and fauna possibly a place for large mullet and Bass mixed with all manner of Freshwater species,,

I asked Steve if i could have a look at the fish in the net and then before i could see it i got the tale of how long it took to land ,,100yd ripped of my reel on the first run and the fish gave four of these in the 20 minute fight ,,Looking at Steve's gear a roach rod with a 2500 size fixed spool 5lb line float attached bottom only 2BB shot on to a size 14 hook and double red maggot,,can this fish be that big?? and thinking there are certain people that should see this rig up,,

As Steve lifted the Mullet out of the Keep Net I then realised that this fish was certainly the biggest i have ever seen landed on rod and line ,,what a fish it looked like a striper!!

We zero the scales and placed this monster in the weighing sack ,,the scales drew out at 9lb,6oz below,,a result
and what a monster fish by any means

Above the Specimen Scales showing the Mullets weight of 9lb 6oz the present shore record is 14lb 2oz i think caught in the 70s and the boat is 10lb caught in the 50s so this is a half tidy fish and Steve says he has seen bigger on the Estuary

Steve with his 9lb 6oz of pure muscle The Grey Mullet target species what a fish on very very light gear ,,if it did not have that typical head you could mistake it for a Striper

Again a great looking fish and ain't Steve the proud angler a super achievement by a very talented angler who reads the water, tides ,conditions and keeps his gear light and gives his self the best chance of a specimen like this by cutting his odds,,

Well Done Steve on a tremendous Fish the biggest mullet i have seen caught on rod and line 5lbs line at that,,,,,,,,,,

Lure Colour

2010-08-11T19:58:00.005+01:00

Just had a fantastic couple of days Bass Fishing in Dorset with my mate Adrian Rogers and Mark Padfield ,,,
Drove all the way cross country from my Essex home setting off at 1.30am for the 3hr drive down to the Jurassic Dorset coast when Adrian and i arrived it was still dark and led head lights lead the way on the coastal paths ,cliffs and boulder strewn shores to a nice Dorset Bass Mark Lights off i teetered along the reefs to the fishing grounds,,,

In these early morning dark and low light lure fishing situations lure type is key,, so my personal lure choice was the above celebrated Komomo SF-125 a pure bass lure that has been manufactured by IMA Lures Japan since 1998 but more important is the colour and combined with a top Bass Lure first light with the Red /Orange (aka kin) a pure killing machine lure and colour working together for the angler in the early morning session cut your odds is my motto and this combo certainly does,,

First Bass a round 3lb in the black dark ,, fell to this lethal combo the bass love the red and orange in dark conditions at first and last light also overcast during the day that's why keep a aka kin in the lure box for just the situation of fading light

Happy as Larry and don't i look it!!! holding another Bass falling to the man with one lure,,yes a great tip for the new anglers to our sport the colour of the lure is king at first light and i know we all have our favourites but for me the aka kin is a superb colour on any lure,,, up until not so long ago i did not rate at all,,
just shows you what i Know Bass Lure fishing off the shore is hard enough in the UK in todays fast living world,, but with friends like the Komomo sf-125 aka kin they make it a little easier,,,,,,,

Dont Forget The Normal Joe!!!

2010-08-02T15:00:00.008+01:00

Got a E-Mail from Steve Sidebottom couple of months ago,,

who had just purchaced a Caravan right on the sea front ,what a location on a bass beach,,now asking me to come out to Barmouth in West Wales to show him how to catch Bass ,,Steve was saying that he and his family had not caught a Bass in 18Years of fishing and with my web site and stuff that is on TV he made the move to get in touch,,,,NO PRESSURE ON ME THEN!! this was a challenge i just could not resist,,,
so throwing in all the Bait and Plugging Gear i set off with Carol and Arron to a not so sunny Barmouth,,we met up with Steve and Matt his son outside the beachcaster tackleshop in barmouth town a great part of the country ,,but the weather was stinking,,,and set off to do some plugging and chucking a few plastics in the Estuary,,,,,the previous nights weather had been terrible with 2/3inches of rain falling over night ,,spoiling the chances of a fish or two out of the estuary,but i very quickly realised that these guys were not too bothered about catching bass they needed imfomation how to fish Rods,Reels,methods,Lures,Line, extras such as fish grips and waders,,

why should 3 guys want to be taught lures,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i was very humbled to be brought over to wales to teach 3 guys about the ins and outs of Bass fishing and i found out some very astonishing things from them ,these guys are quite experienced anglers but were a little lost in the Plugging and lure side of things ,even to Fishing for Bass off the Flat surf beach ,,,,
The teach in was well into the evening and we agreed the adjacent surf beach from 9 till 11 on a rising tide into darkness 7 bass took our fresh lug Bait the guys were over the moon with the Bass ,nothing big , but great stuff and to see the exitement on their faces when holding the rod when a Bass Takes is Priceless,,,
That bait got me out of Jail and the 18year wait is over,,,,

Below a nice Bass on Black Lug

Below is Steve and Matt after a hards morning plugging session and teach in i am sure they will benefit over this season and the coming years what i taught them over this single weekend

On Reflection,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In todays fast lane plugging with all this hi tech gear around and blogs galore calling for more technical stuff tackle shops giving out buy this buy that!! Elitist Forums and Plug anglers with their Red Rods, Rapala Bags, joined at the hip all looking the same manufactured Peas in a pod i would call them the guys with all the gear and no idea ,

, out there are we forgetting the normal Joe the real salt of the earth fisherman with general fishing experience that wants to get into plugging has the sense and is very wary of what he sees in the plugging world today and fearing the big rip off ,,,

Lure fishing is advancing that is plain to see for all of us but is it going too fast ,,keep it simple i heard a few years ago from famous voices,,its far from simple now a days but you can rest assure that i will keep it simple and its effective i will gaurantee that and i know what works in the world of plugging today and help the undecided for the rest of my days thats for sure ,,,

any how ,,thanks for a great weekend steve and great to meet your family we will do it again soon to see how you have advanced along the Rocky Road of Lure Fishing,,,

Anybody out there with similar conundrums Contact me on grahamhill@seabassfishingonline.com for any guidance any time just as Steve and his family have done it makes sense in the hard sell of todays plugging world,,,,

IMA Lures "Just The Job"

2010-07-16T20:44:00.008+01:00

This Komomo II is so new i dont know the name of the colour and new etching reflective plate on its flanks it is obviously a candy,,and what a colour ,,,new this july to Megabass lures

The now old favourite The Chamereon Flashing Plate below ,,not bad considering was new to Megabass Lures Last May had some fantastic feed back from this lure from devon and expecially cornwall area it is now over in Ireland with my mate Cian at absolute fishing see here

http://absolutefishingireland.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=12

Another may arrival and what a winner it has been the asanago bora has held up to all expectations in the lure fishing for bass world

Megabass Lures is now up to full stock of these superb Bass Lures so dont delay Get these fantastic KomomoII Bass Lures Here
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/ima-lures-2/1138

Nabarone 125f Bora Mullet

Early Morning Delights the Nabarone 125 f designed for low light conditions

IMA Nabarone 125 sinking cotton candy,,,,just love the colour

Get these superb new lures here
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/ima-lures-2/nabarone-125-imaxduo-collaboration

Above the outstanding and well proven Sasuke 140 Sand Bora a absolute killer of a lure

and why not give the Graduation Sardine a go the finish and build of IMA Lures are just getting better and better

Last but certainly not least the Gold Chartruse sazuke 140 simply stunning

Find the Sasuke

Herehttp://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/ima-lures-2/sasuke-140-ima-from-japan

METAL-X Megabass Bubble header

2010-07-07T21:04:00.007+01:00

Just managed to get a few of these in my shop at Mega bass lureshttp://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/megabass-lures-japan/metal-x-bubble-header-handcrafted we have been getting a few fish on these hand cut lures and a work of art from Mega bass they are the detail of the cutting engraving of the bubble header is just stunning,,,a sure fired fish catcher for the metal lure angler

These lures are at home rolling down a gravel bar on a fast estuary for Bass or similar for pollock on the rocky shore with assist hooks,,,
Truly a incredible metal flutterbait lure that works for Bass ,,they are available in the 16g and 28g weights a brilliant casting lure that will surley go where you need it

be the first to get yours exclusivley in the UK from

http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/megabass-lures-japan/metal-x-bubble-header-handcrafted

The Copper Coast

2010-06-30T07:34:00.010+01:00

The Copper coast in Co Waterford is a wonderful diverse place that was created over 400million years ago along side and with the very same identical rocks found in Antarctica to this day,, the rock formations are just out of this world this stretch of coast from Dungarvan to the west to Tramore in the East an area of Natural Outstanding Beauty and is just a place made from heaven for today's modern Bass Angler,

a word of warning these areas are very beautiful but must be treated with Respect it can be Daunting and Dangerous for the unsuspecting Angler and always fish in pairs,with high Tides reaching the Base of Cliffs at most venues along the coasts so if you fancy a visit get some one who knows the area would be a great starting point

Below is one of our crew for our week in Waterford Trevor Sagan From Jersey proudly sporting his Red Dragon and Van Stall VS100 in a natural Cave Formation that leads the the Bass Bad Lands and Bandit Country on one of the marks on the Copper coast,,,

A well conditioned hard fighting Superb Waterford Bass

Some of the Bass round These parts just Create so much Damage,,,, tough coast and tough fish
This treble hook on Trevor's Lure the Smith Saruna just gave up on a hard fighting Waterford Bass this area is just so special and tailor made 400 million years ago for Bass Lure fishing Be Prepared for any events on this coast not easy to fish by any means but when it fires it is one of them special places that is made for our sport and the scenery is great too and just watch the jersey master with a Irish Crocadile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1rwjMeJX1M

A Few to Try in Ireland,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

2010-06-21T22:32:00.006+01:00

Below the Megabass Gataride Hi Pitch new to the UK and Ireland next week will be a tester for this superb Bass Lure Have a look here

http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/megabass-lures-japan/zonk-gataride

Megabass X140 cotton candy Its fate awaits ,,i am sure this fantastic looking lure is the real deal

The komomo slim 130 i just dont need another lure with this gem
a certain bass basher

OMG!!!! What am i going to do ,,with lures like this in my box the all new komomo 2 CC Just looks brilliant the stuff coming out of japan is just great have a look here
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/ima-lures-2/1138

The Sebile magic swimmer a utterly stunning soft plastic lure that again i have on trial this week in Ireland and cannot wait to get the situation to use it,,,the action is just incredible for a weedless lure and it casts a mile

Lets just hope a few of these great looking lures will work out
and i am sure they will plus loads of others and there is just one more the fantastic Tackle House Feed Shallow Le Poulet a lure that i had a input to last year regarding the colours with yannik cordier of Ultimate Fishing and he has so kindly let me have a few boxes ,,,these lures will be avalable to megabass lures at the fantastic one off deal in a weeks time so dont delay when the lures are up on sale,,,great stuff and it just shows we can all work together in the lure fishing world and will i be thrashing the water with this feed in Ireland next week so mabey it will work

Have a look Here
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/tackle-house-feed-shallow-le-poulet

Rigging a 5" MegaBass Spindle Worm

2010-06-09T12:19:00.006+01:00

Well after been asked a thousand times i am about to show how to rig up a spindle worm,this is a way i do it ,a way that will work effectively for Bass and other species,,
Selling these these bits of plastic i feel a little responsible for rigging and application of the worm so first step ,,,
The only way in my opinion is to use a articulated head ,here a 15g cannelle head is used and a vmc twin point hook,,,the twin point enters the worm from directly in front of the join on the spindle worm and pushed to the mouth front..........

The hook is then placed into position within the worm and configured

Pull the Head of the worm back with your thumb and forefinger to expose the eye of the twin point hook,,the plastic of the worm will compress on the twinpoins and hold steady in position

Attach the articulated head to the twin point with your left hand and close up
The head of the worm will still be compressed ,,work the rubber slowly up the shank of the hook and over the articulated connector this expands easily and you will find it all fits together very neatly indeed ,a small blob of super glue could be added to attach the worm to the ball lead but there is no real need for it with the twin points retaining the plastic,,,,,
The final Product with the worm sitting nicely against the articulated jig head with the added strength of the lure been retained by the twin point hooks,,,,

This Method of rigging is great and i have been using it for years on its day it will out fish any method out there,rigging this way single hooks up to 3/0size and variable lead heads from 5 to 50 gramme can be utilised,,therefore there becomes hundreds of permitations of hook sizes heads and not to mention all the plastic baits,,,interesting

Unlike a fixed jig head,,the articulation of the lead head gives more movement to the full length of the worm or shad right up to the lead head,,,,in my view a more effective way of presenting a plastic bait on a jig head

Hope this has helped a few lads out there with rigging and application and dont hesitate to contact me for any more help

Absolute Fishing Ireland

2010-05-26T18:55:00.008+01:00

These are the sort of fish that my great friend Cian O Halloran will be wanting to put his clients on who visit his new shop Absolute Fishing in Tramore Co Waterford Ireland ,,

Cian is opening a all new Sea Angling shop and fair play Tramore and the close surrounding areas are at the Epicenter of Bass Stocks in Northern Europe,,

As a accomplished Lure and Bait Angler Cian will be offering advice on marks, tackle,Bait and Lure for fishing for the Bass mecca of Co Waterford and beyond
Stocking Megabass,Delalande,Sebile,Lunker City,Tackle House ,IMA,Lucky Craft and many many more,,

I have fished many times with Cian and have had some fantastic days fishing ,i have always found the Earlie's are the best especially when we all piled back to Cians House for breakfast after bagging a couple of nice Bass,

i can smell them bacon and eggs now,,,,that reminds me ,,

Hows Mrs O Halloran ,,

this is the quality of Bass available on Cians Doorstep in the right conditions every day of the week a superb specimen pushing 8lbs

Personally i wish Cian all the Luck in the world with his new venture and cannot wait to get moved back to Shady Nook next year to help him in any way i can mabey he will take a few peelers,,,a man can only stand so much crap Bass fishing make no mistake Ireland is the place if you want to catch some serious Bass,,so make a point when you are there to visit Cian at Riverstown Buisness Park,Tramore,Waterford,,Opening on or about the12th June 2010,,

well i hope so for when we arrive over for a Bassathon at the end of June,,,,

for initial enquiries you can contact Cian on

00353877540315 or mailto:cianohalloran@ymail.com

Breakaway Gataride Tip Of The Season

2010-05-16T14:14:00.007+01:00

For a couple of Years now i have been fishing with what i think is the Finest Bass lure around the Megabass Zonk Gataride so much so i have now started selling them through my company Megabass Lures UK Ltd,,
Here:::
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures

The decision to sell the Megabass Zonk Gatarides was not taken lightly by me simply because of the fragile diving vane that these lures sport on the yoro yoro or hi pitch versions ,,
to Newer anglers to our sport paying £22.95 or even more in the case of certain Tackle shops out there and we all know who they are,, for a lure then rendering it use less after 2 casts if caught up,,even Tackle Dealers do not mention the bib on these lures with the exeption of veals that state to be carefull in the 2010 mail order catalouge,,
People who know me, do know that i like to think out of the box especially when applying a lure fit for purpose as in my opinion the Gataride is the Best Bass lure around and now for me its just got even better ,,
this is what i do for my Customers at Megabass lures is look into problems and solve them ,,not sit back and claim to use the lures and bank the fat profits ,,,,,,,

step 1,,

Get a feel for the movable bib on your Gataride Zonk

Step 2 ,,

turn the Gataride on its side and inspect the underside of the movable bib and you will see 2no nodes Protruding above the main stopper These make the Gatarides bib a total lock situation

step3,,

File off the nodes flush with plastic stopper

step 4,,

with a steady pressure Press the bib back on itself if it feels too tight file a little more off and try again

step5,,

presto!!!! then with a click the bib will dis-locate ,,this neat little feature as far as i am aware is the first time this has been Talked about in the Lure world Certainly in the UK

A safety feature that will protect the bib and your investment in the Lure
Then Click the bib back into the original engaged position and then the Lure is Tuned For Action

Brilliant,,,,,,,,,,

And Remember you saw it here first on my blog

The Komomo Light show

2010-05-10T20:51:00.008+01:00

This is the new Anchovy Ghost" Colour no 15 "Komomo 2 from IMA The Lure was made in 2009 but this is a 2010 Colour,,,looked nice with a fine finish as always from this japanese high end lure company ,i am realy not a photographer certainly not to the standards of Henry or Joe Stepi but have to be snapping these lures for my site and Blog,,

at times i experiment with flash photography to my mind brings out a inner self or BASS EYE View of refracted light off of the Flanks of the lure the Komomo 2 became at that moment very close to me ,,Take a look at the following refracted light photos ,They Stand out from the crowd without doubt ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
stunning is the only word i can find to describe the Rainbow colours

a Flash Head Shot,,loosing the colour

The Colours start to blend do theses refractions just annoy the Bass

A Transformation of Daytime colours to the flash of refracted light under water simply stunning

I am Realy going to give these superb lures a go this season you can get them here for some great prices
at
http://www.seabassfishingonline.com/lures/ima-lures-2/1138

Am I Too Lates

2010-04-29T22:18:00.007+01:00

Am i too late ???????????????what with this super looking lure from megabass ,,the lates OCHI AYU a strange looking lure with a freshwater look to it,,will it Take Bass ??look very close and you will see a small carp look a like strange that Bass anglers are considering this lure

i have not used this lure yet but Andy and Henry have and are saying that this is a fantastic actioned lure ,,quite special ,, and to look at this baby ,,i agree!!

The make of the Lates is second to none usual megabass
standards and specification the finest of finishes

i would say this lure will be available in the UK very soon it has no cast assist and is around 15g so not a blaster of a lure,,and i would Predict that this lure will become a great lure ,,well if i dont loose it on my first cast,,,,

Dragon the Re Build

2010-04-14T21:49:00.008+01:00

Bit of a sad time for me well my Tenru Red Dragon has gone to Richard cake at Dorset Rods this talented young man has given my Red Dragon the face lift it deserves after giving me a very enjoyable couple of years bass plugging,,i picked up my rod only last week after a long cold winter ,,he had sent me a few pictures that looked as though he had done a good job,,but nothing prepared me for the shock i got when Richard gave me my rod back,,,,,,,,

Actually it did not feel like my old Dragon it felt lighter,slighter,thinner and much slicker ,,on a closer inspection there were many suttle diferences that i noticed

Braid Rings that are much slicker than the original fly eyes,a butt ballance,lighter fuji and Matagi fittings than the original,, and of course the Red paint had dissapeared all adding up to a 3 to 4oz saving in weight

http://www.dorsetfishingrods.co.uk/7.html so what have we got,, a rod blank that is the best in the world at the moment ,a talented rod builder building the rod correctly http://www.dorsetfishingrods.co.uk/7.html with the eyes and spine and to my specification for eyes and fittings
Fishing with my new build Dragon is a delight much more responsive and cannot wait for my first Bass of the season to test this corker out,,,,

Just look at the Butt of the Rod this guy is just off the scale with his detail with the re build of my Red Dragon well worth the wait and the price was very reasonable we all know the story now with the Red Rods They are great but a rebuild may be the way to go if you want to keep your Bass fishing going with this great Blank ,and this lighter slicker version that is produced by dorset rods is brilliant

My advice is give Richard a call get your flagging red rod a re built,,its cheaper than a new rod and you know it makes sense,

all i can say is the professionalism of dorset rods has produced the Ulimate plugging rod out of a legend of a rod by a simple re build with all the small factors going the same way and Richard has worked it out
Thanks Mate you are simply the best i am forever in your debt

http://www.dorsetfishingrods.co.uk/7.html

Home made Assistance

2010-04-11T11:09:00.004+01:00

ESP shrink tube, 40lb dacron,size 2 carp hooks ,a split ring and a sharp pair of scissors and you are on your way to customising your spinners and sinking lures with the very effective assist hooks heres my step by step way of rigging ,,,,
Tie a shafted blood knot to the top hook and cut the dacron around 4 inches long and cut the ESP 2.4mm shrink tube in half and slot down to the single tied hook

when you have pushed the shrink tube tight to the first hook tied tie the next as tight up as you can with a shafted knot

Push the shrink tube down over both knots on the carp semi circle hooks size 2 then,,,,,,

Place the hooks in a cup of boiling water

Like magic the tube shrinks and we have the perfect pair of homemade assist hooks and a perfect hook up with Bass , Pollock and any other species that will hammer the sinking Bass Lure

The IMA Honey Trap and loads of other sinking lures will give you the edge with the homemade assist hooks ,,follow my instructions, catch more fish and save money

Want To Catch Bass on Lures in 2010 ZONKEM!!

2010-04-01T13:52:00.010+01:00

Above the 18g Megabass Zonk 120 Gataride Hi Pitch CC Crusing Blue ,this lure is a long casting subsurface lure an a killer for Bass i have seen these Lures outfish all comers on more than one occasion a top of the Range Saltwater lure the unique Zonk gataride is at the cutting edge for the skilled Bass lure Angler

Megabass Gataride cruising Blue 18g stunning colour will be irresistable to our summer Bass

Megabass Gatoride Hi-Pitch Zonk120 PIN GISU again all the gataride range are shallow divers the pin gisu is a ghostly stealth lure fish very slow and you will reap the rewards

Megabass Gatarite Zonk120 Hi-Pitch GG AKA KIN could never get on with the colour of this bright in your face lure,,until Mark Padfield showed me how to use it off the Dorset Rocks,,a very effective small pollock imitator stunning results on this shining star of the Megabass Gataride Range
all Gatarides are £19.95 freepp

We now move on to the Megabass Zonk 120 GG NAKKO {19.95freepp}my personal favourite many fish caught on this lure ,a slow sinking 21g drops back very slowly though the water table ,,,ideal for deep water beach and rock marks,,

You know my passion for pink !!!!and the Pink Iwashi Zonk 120 fits my bill perfect{19.95 freepp},, not tried this lure yet but cannot wait in 2010 this pink killer will produce the goods with out doubt as will the following three megabass lures
Megabass Zonk 120HT SAYORI {19.95 freepp}
Megabass ZONK120 GG IWASHI {£19.95 free pp}

and the dark horse of the group The MegaBass ZONK120 KATAKUCHI-RB{ £19.95 freepp} a superb finish is commanded by this and all megabass lures

a real joy to deal with ,,

all the lures you have seen on my blog and more are available for sale ,,contact me personally or though my web pages and site

Bass Fishing at its Best a day that will never be forgotten

2010-03-17T12:04:00.010Z

A Fantasic well conditioned Double Figure Bass on Bait

Tap,Tap,Tap Mike Mc Cabe was knocking on my shed door at 5 in the morning,,are we off then in a deep lancashire accent,, hang on mate i said ,,Henry is will be here shortly no sooner said than the big fella wandered round the court yard at shady nook our bed and breakfast in SE Ireland Co Wexford the crabs look great 80 prime peeler just busting a gut to get out there ,,car packed all three of us off to the Bannow Estuary Bait Fishing,,on a sunburst Irish September day,,,

Had any Bass before Mic ??Henry asked ,,not a one thats why i have come to see Gee ,heard he can nail a few now and again ,I love to fish Barbel on the River Rother came mikes reply,,,,,,

well after the photo shoot with Henry, the fish started to come thick and fast heres mike with his first ever Bass of around 3lbs he was delighted with this super fish ,,i thought mine looked a little larger though!!
That great days bass fishing on Bait even got a front cover ,

Until this mother of a Bass Came along second cast second fish on prime Irish Peeler,,this must be some kind of record a 12lb fish for a second bass that Mic had ever caught heres a barbel angler nailing bass it is surreal,,Henry was clicking his camera like a man possesed ,,but eventually even Henrys camera was used up with more than enough Bass pictures,,this was fast becoming a day never to be forgotten,,,,,,,,

Mic and Myself with yet another wexford bass what a fantastic day we had 30 Bass to 12 lbs and 2 personal bests for our camera man

Even today Henrys site is headed by a fishy shot from that fantastic days Bass fishing down the Bannow Estuary

and we even made a front cover and from what i hear a little promotion for the Irish tourist board too,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,was it realy that good a days fishing

i think it was!!!??

Club Tropicana Drinks are Free

2010-03-07T17:49:00.003Z

This pic goes back to 1990 20 years ago this year,,,even in them days i was nailing a few bass on lures ,,i remember this day very well,,the night before the maccie were in nailing eels and sardine against the shore all we could get was the maccie around 200 if i recall it was mayhem,,we decided to come back at first light and low and behold no eels and no sardine they had slipped away in the night with many dead left on the shore,,, so i slipped on my mother of a lure ,,the best in its day the yo,zuri crystal minnow,,orange,,this was the lure of the day and to be fair is still around today and fishing well,,,and theres no kidding with that picture above the proof is in the pudding
a 4lb Bass from North Wales
Hey Up!!! we are in at 4.00 o'clock in the morning in October 1986 that is 24years ago this year my brother alan took this picture of my first big bass on a lure ,,

I will remember that morning till the day I die with Alan nailing a 5 and a 6 lber in quick succsession on a lure that I just can'not remember for all my life ,,,for all you guys out there that are thinking of having a go at lure fishing ,,i am still at it after all these years ,these pics are from 25 years ago great times and fantastic memories

My first big fella on a lure , around 8 and 9 lb's , don't you just love the greys waders and all the designer gear , HaHa !! But seriously what a morning on the BASS ....On Lure's.

Get the gear and the hair cut ,,,where are the Maui Jims!!!!!

another fine Bass nailed on a lure from the 80's , Wham Bam !!!

Kilty Catcher's were the only Lure's in those day's. Here is a fine Bass, in the picture above, caught on Trevor Beach in North Wales in the Mid 80's.

Is This a Record Irish Bass

2010-02-24T19:56:00.005Z

Here is The lure ,,the De La Lande GT Shad Blue with Black Back weighted to a 10g articulated jig head and a 3/0 vaviras sharp as you like hook,,normally a crab hook but perfect for the shads

Here's my mate Brian with a absolute stunner of a Bass Caught on a shad in Ireland it has took me a long time to get this picture from him(getting drunk at my bar in the BandB and various calls) of what we both agree was close to a Record Bass Caught in Ireland in November 2008

The fish was 930mm long and that was calculated off a flat beach picture along side Brian's Rod and measured after ,,also there was no allowance for a very well fed November fish with our estimation of size,,

All i can say is that i am in awe!! of a great angler that after this picture was taken gently cradled that magnificent fish in the sea to recovery and then slipped her back to the estuary waters from where she came,,

i will certainly remember this fish for the rest of my life,and the arguments after!!

Thank you and Well Done Brian for sharing your photographand the fish of a Lifetime

Dicentrachus Labrax the Stuff of Dreams

2010-02-22T18:49:00.009Z

A Handsome Bass Posing for the camera and first up this is picture of a darked backed Bass is one of my favourite ever bass shots

Today was a dream this wonder of Nature was a double figure fish that complimented a 25 plus fish day on a wild Irish Estuary

An Early morning start for a plug caught bass been revived after a long hard fight ready for the release

Another deep bodied plug caught Bass very dogged fighting machine off the rocks

Just Two Mates having a laugh with a 9.8oz Bass coming between them

Bass time another stunner of a early morning Bass ,,what a joy!

A Early morning start is required for any success at fishing for Dicentrachus Labrax the European Sea Bass a great looking fish and this was my little tribute to the joy these magnificent creatures have brought me over the last few years hunting them down to the point of obsession,,

And finally my mate Mark Padfield doing what he does best ,,,,,,catching and laughing
all photographs with permission of Henry Gilbey and Adrian Rodgers

Delalande Shads a great alternative

2010-02-16T15:45:00.004Z

Below are the brand new110mm buster shads in pearl and blue i know a lot of UK anglers seem to be reluctant to use these French made Plastics but i can assure you that fished in the correct way at the right time these delalande shads are deadly picking out the larger fish too on many occasions for me,,i rig the shads with a 2/0 hook joined to a channelle 5g to 30g ball lead head this is a articulated head that gives the shad its very attractive action,,,

the channelle heads come in various sizes 5 to a pack of 5g,7g,10g,12g,15g,18g,20g,25g,30g
the golden rule with these action baits is to use as light a ball head as your fishing conditions will allow this enhances the action

Below ,a Mega Bass spindle worm that nailed fish from Chesil Beach with a 30g max ball channelle articulated head to a 2/o vaviras hook,,just check out the pebble damage on the head as the lure was bounced up the steep shingle banks of the Dorset Beaches

Delalande fury shad with a twinpoint hook attaced to the lead head this rig up will increase your hook up rate superb presentation of a plastic bait is created when these lures are fished on rough ground in and out of cavernous holes where the Bass and other species lurk,

Here is a example of a 130mm GT Shad with the single vaviras 3/0 large mouth hook connected to the old faithfull articulated head,a little drop of super glue will make this rig up complete sticking the shad to the ball lead,,

designed to imitate sea trout and mullet this lure fishes at its best in estuarys by what i call a trotting method do not cast these shads and retrieve ,cast and hold in the flowing water then holding your rod in the air start letting line off and stop checking every so often,just like trotting a float down a river keep control of the shad in the flowing water,,even when the shad is stopped in the water it will still be working in the flowing water , as i have said use as light a head as possible for the best results,,,

Finally the pearl delalande with the deadly 2/0 twin point hooks all ready for action,,this lure costs around £3.25p complete for a professional bit of kit now that is value in the day of the twenty pound lure

Teasers

2010-02-11T20:12:00.009Z

I am by no means a fly fisherman but these works of art can still be used by Bass anglers , over the years some very talented bass and trout angler gave me the odd fly the result been i have quite a collection of flys of all shapes and sizes

This little shrimp pattern below was made for me by my good friend Paul Ashbridge what a talent to make such a life like artificial bait by hand

Teaser ahead, below,i tried the give the effect of the lure following the fly ,,i have caught Bass this way on many occasion but using a teaser may increase your chances of a hook up but beware of the double hook up you may loose the fish of a lifetime,,your choice!!

this is a sea trout pattern lure the detail is just stunning with the red flash under belly to the ayu tail and back this fly plus many others was given to me from a great angler and friend from Co Mayo Ireland,, Brian,, thanks mate

I just had to show the world this little devil,,and dont you just love it ,,i call it the fluffy prawn so cheeky any fish just could not resist,

thanks to Paul and Brian,,

Boat/Shore Angler turned Plugger

2010-01-31T21:19:00.012Z

It was a dark rainy winters evening when i first met Mick Boland 10years ago in a Pub car park off the N25 in Wexford I had a boot full of prime Irish peeler crab waiting for him,after our introductions and me thinking this guy from North Dublin seems a alright sort of guy he asked if i knew any Local marks that may fish with the crab i had just sold him,The Hack!!i replied the River(Waterford Estuary) is full of fish at the moment Mikes eyes lit up as i mentioned shore Cod great he replied i off ,seemed a great guy as he drove off down the road to the Hack,,the mobile was bouncing at 7 am it was mick,Gee i have bagged up the Cod were bangging all night and fair play he had stuck it out in terrible weather ,,come to ours for your breakfast and sure enough this has led to a great friendship,,

For years mick was a pure out and out boat and shore angler in Ireland i was was plugging off the coast telling mick to get the gear get into this sport ,,it took around 8years to convert this guy,
heres mick now a converted plugger and soft plastic man and with his own watercraft skills and a little help from his friends ,he has certainly got the bug now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,some great fish here

Mike above with a fine Bass from a south Wexford Mark bagged on a Green Tide minnow Surf this Bass realy nailed that lure,,

Them XSlayers do the buisness with a hard fighting Ballan Wrasse

A hard fighting Bass is this a Albeno!!! or just a pale fish caught over the sandy bottom

What a nice picture of the rolling surf behind and a bright day when the bass are feeding this 4lber took the K10 tackle house minnow looks like she wanted it too

Same day a couple of casts later on a prime secret wexford mark another Bass nailed the legend of a lure the Feed Shallow ayu great stuff Mr Boland ,,,,beats them beachcasters any day!!and Keep up the great work,,

Mike gets most of his tackle from Henrys Tackle in Dublin www.henrystackleshop.com/as i have over the years Henry will give you sound advice regarding lures and all aspects of shore plugging.

all photos care of Mick Boland

Megabass X Slayers

2010-01-26T20:15:00.005Z

A super Bass of 6lbs caught by my nephew mark hill on a recent trip to the wonderfull Co Wexford Ireland this plus many other Bass on the day were lured on the soft plastic method of trotting and bottom rolling proven methods for many years with Bass fishing in fast running estuarys with soft plastic lures , This was Marks first bass on the soft plastic lure,he was so pleased with that super fish

returning the majestic Bass,, what a feeling when that fish just swims off after the take,fight and photo call great stuff it just tingles the hairs on your neck when the Bass glides into the depths,i just think that is what fishing is all about

Heres my mate Mike Boland from Dublin with a nice Bass nailed on a Aniseed XSlayer trotted on the bottom with a 20g articulated head great stuff again this was mikes first Bass on a soft plastic lure and i will tell you he is hooked,,,

i thing this is the same picture but so what it is so cool taking pictures of a happy man with a bass

heres another prime bannow bass on a articulated jig head backed up by the XSlayer this method of fishing is mabey underated or misunderstood but is very effective for the Irish Bass working in estuarys,,

To summarise the Megabass XSlayer and the articulated jig head, this combination lure has to be fished and presented correctly allowing for conditions and tide, read waters , tides and always have these plastics in your arsenal and you will not go far wrong ,,my personal favourite is the ayu medium pattern
Happy Hunting

IMA LURES (The new kids on the Block)

2010-01-25T14:12:00.005Z

Nabarone Stuka 90 this lure looked uninteresting and bland ,,until i cast in and the lure dropped on the water and what a surprise with the rolling action and big head shakes this lure is a definate devil in disquise a sinking lure that has as described a fantastic action and new for 2010 use this on your high tide marks in deeper water i would say a killer

The IMA Sasuke i have seen this lure kill in Ireland at the Hands of Henry Gilbey a shallow running lure for Bass,, the sand borer colour is very striking somehow he got hold of one of these ages ago ,,
Komomo 2 this lure is on its way to the UK for 2010 and personally cannot wait to get my hands on this Fantastic lure its a shallow diver and in trials we found that if you let it float it can easly turn into a popper dual action hybrid what a selling point for a new lure
Honey Trap horse mackeral95S this is a bullet of a lure that casts miles and flutters on the sinking,, sink and draw with this lure and your catch rates will rise i have seen this very lure nail Bass off the Chesil Beach in Dorset to have this in your box can be the difference between catching and not catching
Nabarone cotton candy 150 with that very blue eye a smashing looking lure for sure a sinking and sub surface a deepish diver down to around 6/7ft are available a prediction is that this lure and the range of many great and interesting colours may become a favourite of many lure anglers in the UK in 2010

Dungeness the Hallowed Ground

2010-01-17T17:43:00.006Z

Went for a ride down Dungeness Kent today for a couple of hours for a walk with the family mixing buisness with pleasure,, chatting to local anglers,and may i say a very polite bunch of guys they were too

Above a handsome looking dab these flat fish are a prized eating fish from the SE England on the Kent coast,, anglers today has just set out their tackle just to aim for catching Dab and below the Whiting risking hooking a bigger fish as the Cod that frequent this area up to 22lb this year and many reports of doubles

Afew anglers on the beach here,,fishing off the steep staired shingle beach of Dungeness

Two at a time great fishing is to be had ,this kind angler let me take a picture of the pair of whiting he had landed in his fishing compertition thanks mate,,,,

Then as we were walking off the beach along the line of anglers chatting as we went i spotted this
ABU 464 that one guy was using,,took me back 35 years,,oh my goodness it was in total original condition great to see these fine rods going strong and still able to mix it with the best,,i told him if that was mine i would have it in a glass case at home,,

We had a great family day out down at the Hallowed Ground and meeting a great bunch of guys fishing on the beach so forthcoming with infomation on how and where to fish the area of Dungeness

The Magic Of The Night

2010-01-12T14:38:00.006Z

Dust is approaching fast on a Irish Strand Two Anglers wait in pure exitement and anticipation ,,loaded to the hilt with soft plastic and back up bait rods waiting for the tide to receed and smash a few fish on the Estuary Sand Bars

This is a typical Estuary Mark at dusk this angler is sat in front of a fish gathering area around 30yds out fishing a trotting method with a soft plastic shad,,one of the most effective ways of Nailing the larger bass is on the shad make sure you know your surroundings before the darkness moves in

Proof is in the pudding,,Delalande shads are tops fished correctly can be the most effective lure around this fish of around 4lbs nailed the shad just on a drop off like the one above where the water is rippling in front of the angler a under water sand bar with meeting currents a Bass Magnet ,,Pure Magic

And of course shads can work in all situations from rock marks to steep beaches gin clear waters to murky waters great for boat fishing and shore work alike ,,take the time and persivere with these modern lures and it will pay off,,

Mark Padfield with a shad caught Bass Off the magnificent Chesil Beach

Some of myFavourite Pictures of 2009

2009-12-31T09:57:00.026Z

Heres me with a bass on a boga grip ,when using a boga grip try not to hang the fish support the underside as i am here in 2009 i would have been lost without the boga grip a must have not only for Bass anglers but all aspects of angling

Patrick Gallagher ,below, with a fine fish caught off the Tramore beach this guy realy knows his stuff and you wont go wrong getting guided by this man let him show you the magic of South East Ireland in 2010

Super Bass for my Mate and south coast Dorset bass guide Mark Padfield on chesil beach this picture just gets to me every time i look at it, my fish of the year (Personally)for 2009

Action in South East Ireland

Just look at the concentration of Bruno Pebe from Ultimate Fishing the Frenchman is in a world of his own with all that water around and may i say i have been lucky enough to fish with him on a few occasions a very talented and knowledgable Bass lure Angler , and a nice guy too...i just wish my French was a little better??

And to finish off my mate Adrian(joe stepi from wsf)who had some quality fish weymouth way this year,,I just love the rod stand,,patent that one Adrian!!!!!!!!!!

For me personally the year has ended a lot better than it started (in my Bass world)thanks to a few people out there and you know who you are, so thankyou from the bottom of my heart and with that thought i will take this oppetunity to wish you all and your familys a Happy and Prosperous 2010

My Family

2009-12-24T16:02:00.015Z

Carol and Arron my family on a recent holiday to Madiera I know I am fishing mad but Arron just will not have it yet,he spends all his time with his Cobra golf clubs ,,i just dont get it,,!! wacking a ball around a field,,

maybe he will come chucking a lumps of plastic into the sea with me soon,,,

Below is a super shot of Carol on the Throne just could'nt resist this one Ha ! Ha ! gotcha!!

Carol showing off again what a stunner ,,it always confuses me as a Fisherman, how did I manage to catch that one ,,

Finally a close up of Carol below,I realy love this picture ,and if I keep telling her she looks so cool,, and no wonder looking at these few pictures I suppose the fishing permits will keep coming,

Thanks Carol and Arron for your Love and Understanding

Your very Lucky Husband and Dad ,,,,,,Graham

Bel ille

2009-12-23T10:41:00.018Z

June 2009

Above Yannick Cordier the Owner of Ultimate fishing he was the perfect host on our visit to them over in Belle Ille the first day out on the boat
Here Henry is making a Fast move away from a very angry Atlantic Swell
On return he decides which hole to place the soft plastic
Meeting up with French Guides was a highlight of my trip over there they were up at the crack of dawn and nailed some very tasty Bass some well into double figures i watched in amazment at the Tanked Bass at the rear of the boat what a superb sight to see Red Rods rule!!!! we had great time with Yannick ,Bruno and the Ultimate Crew one i certainly will never forget and i think we had a little effect on them too its not all French leading the way in lure fishing dont we know ,we managed some good early morning fishing ,, only at first light the French bass same as ours they are turned on at that time,,thanks lads for your time and showing Henry and I some of your fantastic marks on your island of Belle Ille,,

Review of 2009

2009-12-23T09:41:00.011Z

Because i have not been filling my blog as i should have i am starting a review of my last years Fishing starting from March and going on through the year if possible i am useless at this stuff but i have a decent set of pictures gathered from 2009 so i will stick them up if all else fails

March 2009

This fantastic looking prime Bass was caught on a De La Lande gt shad blue on the backstrand Tramore Co Waterford this fish was my biggest of this year 10lb 3oz way back on the 15th March conditions were so good many other fish to 8lb were landed on the same day

Here my Mate Cian a pure gent and thanks for the crab mate ,with a 8lb plus crab caught Bass on the same day down on the back strand Ireland is such a captivating place when it is on song for the bass

All our fish caught that great day in march were released to fight another day unusually all the fish on lures came to soft plastics xslayers but mainly shads heres the most sucsessfull below

In my oppinion the best plastic around at the moment the De la lande 110mm gt shad with the channel articulated jig head to a size 2/0 wide mouth hook

That was about it for march with moving over to the UK with work and all that but as we all know family comes first ,,how would i cope what would i do about my Bass fishing??
How can i make myself feel better after my heart has been ripped out having to leave the place and dear friends i loved so much,,

Weymouth and web sites

2009-09-22T23:00:00.006+01:00

THE WEYMOUTH PRIZE TABLE

Heres my good friend Adrian with the 3rd place fish in the Weymouth Festival

its been a while since i have posted up on my blog ,,been very busy trying to get a web site up and running for next year seehttp://seabassfishinonlin.com/ herei am very exited about this web site had some help but mainly all my own work and i am feeling better that i have started this for 2010,,

this site includes executive guiding by Graham Hill in the UK and Ireland and i have included other guides that we will be up and running by 2010 expecially Mark in dorset, http://seabassfishingonline.com/ ,,,

Weymouth 2009 heres Tom at first light looking for that big Bass , sadly not today but we tried so hard on the first day Mark was a man mountain showing us some of his secret marks
and thanks to marks great guiding Adrian and mygoodself managed first place in the pairs with the two heaviest Bass in the pairs event,,,it was a exausting weekend but great to see a lot of old mates and of course a few fish

Fields of gold

2009-08-14T17:46:00.006+01:00

Again that superb bubble head mega bass lure nails a 5 lb er one of my fave close up bass pictures from my recent visit to see the boys in Ireland notice the jaw grip for total control for unhooking procedures and a safe return of the hard fighting bass in the fast shallow water

I just couldn't resist this picture the now 20 month old gold van staal in a field of barley
i think it would make sting proud it certainly does me!! my own piece of bling but what a reel this is ,,it has had a trial over the last 20 months and has passed with flying colours i just cannot imagine any Japanese make or any other coming close to the class act of the van staal for pure ruggedness and most of all reliability in the world of lure fishing

whooo!!! just look at this place ,,just fishing heaven,,the place we stayed in Ireland recently
got its own pier,launching points and just masses of peeler crab two bathrooms,very comfy and sleeps six easy all bookings for this heaven on earth call me any time on the blog and pat services will be included too ,,so a week of pure magic Bass fishing can be arranged for you

2009-08-13T16:09:00.006+01:00

A smiling Henry after a sucsessful mornings Bassing and pat pictured above with a 8 lb plus Bass taken off the top,, and Cian and still working their lures during the walk back in the hope of another cracker,,,Henry alias bandana man dosent look too pleased ,,check out below,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAfxEtrcdaE

here another one from the Ireland trip Henry trying to get to a fishing spot further out than anyone else ,,he did not make it but by goodness he tried,,

we had a great time especially for a few fish as August is not the greatest of months for Bass fishing in Ireland i am already planning trips for the big Bass in October and November and off our marks with Pat and Cian we will certainly bump into a big fella or two,,there is a record potential this year for sure....... check out pats guiding blog below to wet you Bass appetite
http://seirelandlurefishing.blogspot.com/

any one interested in a back end this year for some spectacular Bass fishing give pat or myself a call

2009-08-09T10:40:00.005+01:00

Heres pat with a superb estuary caught Bass on a Megabass METAL-X Bubbleheader what a nice lure and very effective in the yellow pattern i think it was 16g weight plenty to hold the fast current where the Bass lurked
A great day was had by all

Above is the Ayu feed shallow by far the most succsessful shallow running lure around at the moment deadly over the shallow grounds in Ireland,,,

We had a fantastic time in Ireland last week with the boys and heres a little taster of what is to come
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swz3ro2ZBE4

we always new Henry was a headbanger

http://www.youtube.com/user/cazgee1#play/all/uploads-all/1/xSY7afcTZFQ

and Andy ,,,well done on the retreive

Irelands Call

2009-07-25T19:07:00.010+01:00

I am jumping at the moment with the thoughts of returning over the water to my beloved Ireland ,,,i have been planning this trip for a while now with my best mates pat and cian and of course Henry will be of course at the center of the action ,,its going to be 7 days of Basstastic fishing with a load of secret squirrel stuff,,,,,,,heres a couple of lures
that will make your hairs tingle

This is a upside down jig wobbler looks like a new revelation for the Bass a lead articulated jig head jointed to a very well made plug body this is a lure i am sure going to try in Ireland next week heres more including a sea trout wobbler i recon these hybrids will nail the bass

the larger is 18g and the smaller 8g i would like to thank Simon Price of jig wobbler lures for sending these proto types over from Finland to get the show on the road with these little gems

2009-07-04T09:16:00.005+01:00

Heres a Fantastic portrait picture of carol and arron at my daughters wedding night do a fantastic time for me!!!

so what next ???? a trip to bass heaven in Ireland wexfords finest the bannow bay this is going to be great Henry ,Andy and myself are off again we will meet up with Pat and Cian for a trip of a life time seriously cool !!!the legend returns to Ireland to a serious spot on the Bannow a place imfamouse for Big Bass,,we have got a cottage in the middle of the bay!!!you can hear the crabs rustling at low water ,the Bass topping ,sea trout rolling and salmon crashing all from your bed on the night this is truly Bass heaven contact me on the mail!!! for more details

Heres me and Carol your chef and guide on your trip to the bass heaven on the Bannow , i will keep you all informed on our progress in august startin on the 2nd !! we just cannot wait

The Plastic Princesses

2009-06-17T21:09:00.015+01:00

Here's a few plastic lures that came to our attention on our trip to the magic isle of Bel Ille the french adore these lures but yet to be adopted by the standard UK lure angler in a big way last year right up to Christmas we had a great deal of Bass on the x slayer

This x slayer is the ayu pattern rigged on a 2/0 1/2oz straight jig head for twitch and draw method deadly !!

Just take a look at this goby immitation little gem the hazedong with 1/8th oz mega bass head you will need a flick tip supermix rod using these goby immitations

great for fishing the weed margins and close gullies but with a very fast rod and you will sure nail that illusive bass with this gem of the lure world

Heres a de le lande cut down 4inch blue/black GT Shad i think it looks so impressive used in waterford Ireland last winter with fantastic results and while we are on the subject of fishing in winter what about these i found today £ 12.00 a pair the ultimate 3 fingerless plugging gloves,,,

Great for them cold winter months

The Red Reveloution

2009-06-11T16:42:00.010+01:00

What a Fantastic few days i have spent on the isle of Bell ille off the French coast with Henry and the staff of ultimate fishing including the man himself father of all our lures Yannick Cordier The visit to the Ultimate Fishing HQ was for me a life changing experience what a place walking down the isles opening boxes of lures that went to the ceiling all them little sparkling eyes looking back shouting buy me ! buy me! OH MY GOD !!!!!Where am i??The next corner revealed plain boxes stacked 10 high and peaking over the edge were packs and packs of xslayers thousands ,tens of thousands of these wonderfull plastic lures,then the jig heads the poppers the sea trout stuff feed shallows,megabass zonks in there hundreds with there little green eyes peering back at me ,,up the next isle masses of z claws, tide minnows all sizes and colours of the rainbow and the then when i thought i could not get any better than this my jaw hit the floor when i wandered round the next corner and saw a Forrest ,masses of Red Tenrhu Rods ,have i died and gone to heaven?? no this was real ,very real what a sight to behold i dug in like a man possessed stuff i had never seen before,open shad victory,super mix 210,240,270 steel red system,red luck top water new stuff due out soon like the injection !!!that's one to watch

Heres Henry desperately trying to keep his wallet in his pocket with Yannick the God Father

i desperately searched among the forest for the dragon but to no avail yes you have guessed it !! all sold out !!

I Think Henry wants to be lashed while holding on to the x slayers there were millions in them boxes

Buy me !Buy me!! Henry is just a tackle tart but just look at all them tide minnows

But honestly i cannot begin to scratch the surface of Ultimate fishings operation on Belle ille with these few pictures on our first day visit,,, but as i said what a day just life changing and i must thank Yannik ,Henry,the one that holds the fort at home and all the staff at ultimate for making me a very happy chappy

What a place for fishing too a wild and wonderfull part of the world and all interested in a guided life changing tour of the factory please, please let me have first refusal to show you round!!

A Day Blessed by Pats Mom

2009-03-15T16:58:00.016Z

Up bright and early this morning the birds were singing and i just had that spring in my step i still get that buzz after 40+ years of fishing the thought and expectation of what lays ahead in the day to come,coming down to Cians house i promised i would give him a knock rattling on the door and what a sight to behold the man himself donned in his light blue Lycra bedtime shorts!with bags under the eyes as big as one of my peeler crabs don't you just love him,!!
we met pat and his nephew jack down on the beach and them three opted for the crab bait and i went off on the soft plastics,
immediately on the first cast a Bass of around 3.8oz came on pats bait rod which he very kindly let young jack reel in and land his first ever bass and he is only 9 years old well done jack

Jack above with second of 3 fish he nailed today not bad for a first time effort on the bass,,This was starting to look good today there seemed to be a few fish moving around i had been walkabouts and falling out with a dog walker (threatened to throw him in the drink if he diddent stop chucking cobbles in the water for his dog)and ended up where i started at the beginning of the morning reading the water where two channels meet ,the water was gin clear in the late winter sunshine so i opted for the fluro leader on to the well proven blue pearlessant GT Shad on a articulated jig head the boys were still bait fishing as i persisted with the soft plastics i was fishing the shad a very particular way a trotting sink and slow draw is a very effective method i had seen a couple of fish moving so my confidence was high and concentration was just automatic in the winter sunshine working the plastic on and off the bottom then the sutler resistance of a take !! i lowered the rod tip instantly and drew the shad slowly again by raising the rod tip from slow to strike mode in one lift and bang the fish was on and within a few seconds i knew that this was no small fish,,could it be one of them november crocs??as it broke the surface whoo!!!!IT SURE WAS and for the time of year this was sure a fine specimen that was putting up a fantastic scrap 10mins later it tipped the scales at 10.01oz and my first fish on a lure this year and a double at that!! a very thick set sparkling silver fish

here's a couple of pics below 10 01oz 75cm long

I was absolutely over the moon what a fantastic fish for this time of year a couple more casts and oh!!my god i was in again another fine fighting bass a fish weighed at 7.6oz again on the GT Shad what a lure this is turning out to be the boys were looking a little nervous down to my right on the bait i could see the red rods twitching in the wind as the were been made for action

Above the bass clearly has a firm hold on the GT Shad the articulated jig head is plain to see and the reflection in the water in the picture above,, Cian took this one during the fight watch out H
Could this day get any better?? it sure could !!hearing a call Cian was stuck into a nice fish his greys BZE was bucking with a sizable fish and oh yes a fish of around 7 lbs came to the shore on the scales it went 7.04oz what a fish great to catch on a light bait casting outfit and of course gees best peeler crabs

Look at the condition of that fish for march

After the photo call back to the business an believe this or not first cast with the GT shad bang a fish of 6.8oz

All this happened in an hour and what a magical hour for me and Cian poor old Pat was pulling his hair out ,,the slayers were just not doing the business today

towards the end of the day we started to have a go with other stuff ,when the fish are in front of you this is a must i got another bass 3lbs on a white slayer and pat nailed a bass of around 3lbs on a lucky craft flash minnow trout pattern ,,,,the theory today is that the Bass were feeding on trout and small mullet so the shads and the trout patt plugs work in these conditions this seems to happen in march april before the main peel of crab and the arrival of the bulk sandeels that is when the slayers will come into their own,,having said all that the ever trying pat puts on a mini asturi and misses one take and hits another off the top and looses the second fish after 30 secs but how cool is that!!!!! fish on the surface in march

heres pat with that elusive 3lber on the flash minnow

In summary we had 10 Bass to 10 lbs and were blessed with the weather ,fishing , great mates and fellow fishermen i think someone was watching over us today a day never to be forgotten cheers Lads

gee