Late Summer Newsletter 2014
"To All those caught by the fly"
This season is turning out to be very busy. The client diary is full, weather is better than average with only a few days being lost on the tail whip of hurricane Bertha and the Bass shoals are very prolific for the year class 8 and 9. Some of the marks are just on fire with good heads of fish being abundant between 2-3 lbs. If this is the effect of the shoals during the winter months being unmolested then it has made quite a difference. However with this proliferation of schooling bass we have yet to get fish above 5lbs, this may change as we go into the autumn session - let's hope so.
Good sport size over the reef.
Julian Edwards finding fun with year class 8..
The tally so far is over 2500 fish averaging 2-3 lbs with a few to five pounds and some 4's..... the better fish are being taken over the reefs where you may well expect them to be, but the western marks on or near the IOW are not producing and haven't been all year. Mackerel too are very short in number so I'd be interested to know if you are finding the same rhythm in your catches?
Water temps in July/Aug hit 22 degrees in the Solent which was no good as the oxygen levels would have dumped and fish would have moved into deeper water. Since the week of wind in mid Aug the temps are leveling off at 18 degrees which is spot on.
Half & Half. Bass love them, rods hate them!
Seawolf "S" Large Arbor Reel in Gunmetal grey.
Since the Spring i mentioned that bait was everywhere, well it still is and the Bass are hammering the fry. Very large balls of herring fry can be seen all over and brit too are in huge numbers - at a distance on the inshore fishery (7 miles) you can see the water shimmering/dimperling as if a monsoon has hit it, Bass are following this food source and are trapping it where they meet structure and current.
The inshore wading fishery has been harsh, Bass just don't seem to be under our feet and because of this I have persuaded many clients who had chosen a walking/wading session to jump on board so we can cover Bass between marks - this happened last season and is an anomaly as it's not that they are not there but are preferring to keep hundreds of meters further out instead of coming in with the tide - are you seeing the same pattern?
We are on the count down to Connecticut with a full team flying out on the 22nd Sept, fingers crossed the wind is low and the August Boys have parked up around Fishers Island. Dan Woods and Jack Billant are looking forward to guiding you when you arrive.
Tackle sales are consistent, with HD lines selling very well, as well as LA Reels and flies, Seawolf rods are being well received for being robust and able to do the job, built on an IM8 blank with a glass weave has proved to be a sound investment, we won't be changing the design until we feel there is justification to do so, great value at £295.00
I hope the autumn gives us a great send off and I'm looking forward to seeing you over the next 2 months. Let me know how you're getting on as I'm always interested in the rest of the coastline East and west of my coding area. For now, enjoy a less busy sea now school is back on track and the tourist season is almost over.
Start rigging for the bigger cows on 20lbs fluro and 5/0 deceivers and cockroaches..... cast long, sink deep, strip well behind you and pray for a tight line.