June Newsletter 2010

Well the season is well and truly underway and any concerns about the last winter and it’s possible effect on either the brood stock or early year classes was unfounded off the South coast as we have witnessed an increase in numbers of Sea Bass in the 2-3lbs bracket which is the rollover from year class 2003-2004.
I have also been witnessing very large shoals of Bass in our local area in the ½ - 1lbs bracket and on the 11th June our water temperatures hit 16 degrees and the bays were alive with small 1 inch sandeels. What was interesting, was that the coast from Church Norton through to Langstone harbour saw the very same activity and the shoals of Bass were immense – were you fishing on that evening of the 11th and did you witness the same activity?

We are seeing Bass move into the shallows when wading the intertidal zone but it has been sporadic, whilst drifting over many of the crab beds has scored heavily. This may well change as the Cuttlefish season comes to an end, as the Bass will be expected to move into the inshore fishery with more confidence to feed on their rotting carcasses by the end of June.

To date, we are running at 35-40% of the Bass we are hooking are above 45cms which is in line with last season; April didn’t see Bass, but with water temperatures as low as they got throughout the long running Winter this isn’t a surprise as the estuaries and Harbours would have yielded very little food and fish would have moved way off shore into more stable clines. May returned 300 Bass with nothing above 5lbs and June is on target for approx 400, if the weather remains this clement and we move into the evening sessions on the Neap cycle things look very promising.

The patterns we are using are mainly large red/white Clouser minnows on 3/0’s, Black Deceivers and Tarpon Black Death, all are relatively large flies from 2/0’s and above with darker hackles whilst the light is up. 

Just a quick thank you to all who have supported the DVD and book, both doing well and I hope they encourage you to get more involved and enjoy your fishery. For further details see the links below:

Fly Fishing Book	Bass Fishing DVD