TEL: 01243 785 496 or 07767 820 268

Early Season 2006

"To All Those Caught By The Fly"

Well, the new season is here and we’re getting in the mood by practising our single hauls in time for when the fish show up. Commercial netsmen tell me that there are Bass around and looking at their catches it’s sporadic with most of the catch being large hauls of Dover Sole , Plaice and some very big Brill (up to 8lbs). Male Smoothhounds are turning up due to our extended daylight hours but cuttlefish are yet to show which on the Southcoast is the first sign that the Bass are arriving. Water temperatures are cold but clarity is good off many of the marks so when fishing we are using heavy lines to get down and trying to tempt any large resident Bass with slow retrieves . Some of you who join me also like the Blackbream fishing and light catches are starting to show but the larger shoals have yet to arrive – I will keep you posted .

This year the 8 wts we have are T3’s and Zero Gravity salt rods loaded on MACH V’s from ORVIS and Mick Bell Bloke custom made rods fitted with Vosseler LA reels all with Multi tip lines for ease of changing tippets – I have ordered some “Fries Stripping baskets” that you can see on the accessories page of the Bass shop for all to use – also another useful piece of equipment is the “Finsport” fly wallet which holds a dozen sealable poly sleeves – I’ve managed to get over five hundred flies into mine!

Bookings are going very well with a lot of repeat clients taking slots throughout the whole season – it will be interesting to see how the season progresses and if like previous seasons the Bass numbers hit a crescendo by August with a better number of quality fish getting taken when the activity on the harbour diminishes . 200 clients are in the diary a/o the first week in April and I appreciate the support; to those who need the updated spread sheet for fly-fishing dates just let me know and I’ll email the list to you – all we need to do now is to deliver the catch returns of previous seasons which are running at approximately 2600 Bass per year with between 3-4 % mature .

The website has a “Ticker” on it which I am going to use throughout the following months to give information on fish returns and other relevant news which may be of interest to you so if you have time you may want to take a glance to see any updates.

The Bass Shop
Any kit that I have in the Bass Shop is equipment I am either using this season or have used in previous seasons and regard as useful items for the job in hand . ORVIS this year have issued its guides with what they call a “Ghillie Pad” which has a “Fly fishing equipment “ section made up by the guides recommendations , so if any of you want or need kit just let me know and I will either send you the information sheet through the post or on a Pdf attachment on email which you can then take to your local ORVIS shop or alternatively email me and I will get the tackle shipped directly to your door . Nearly all this kit is available to test out when being guided by me and should be useful when making any purchasing decision.

New Legislation from DEFRA
The Bass Consultation from DEFRA is now at a close and the response from what I am told was very good regarding increasing the MLS and minimum net mesh sizes – whether this be to the proposed 45- 46cm rule or not we’ll have to wait and see , fingers crossed . For updates on the latest legislation keep an eye on www.ukbass.com and www.ukswff.co.uk.

I will be in Ireland from Easter Sunday for 4 days trying for a Springer on the famous River Blackwater and will be contactable on my mobile on 0044 7767 820 268 or alternatively emails will be answered upon my return – last year was successful in recruiting a new member into the Salmon Syndicate and I will be offering a number of shares again this year so if you’re interested just let me know.

May I thank you again for your enthusiasm and support for www.bass-fishing.co.uk and I look forward to meeting old and new clients to share a fish or two on the foreshore in the 2006 season .

Regards to you all and “Tight lines”