To all those caught by the fly...
Summer Season 2016 (September)
Late summer 2016
Firstly I apologise for this being the 1st newsletter this season but I am keeping as much information being posted on facebook as possible (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bass-fishingcouk/587651444611650 as I find this is the best way to get the conditions, wind, clarity and catch rates as current as possible. I am not a social media guru but do find that the uptake on vacancy and general news is immediate.
As a summary, April was a record and the amount of Herring that was still present on the eastern marks was staggering. The bait hung around until water temperatures started to spike, but the 1st month of the season saw over 300 Bass to the net and the average size was 1-2 kgs – pretty good sport to those who braved the early spring bite. Interestingly, these marks get worked by commercial Bass boats constantly and maybe the moratorium over the spawning months of Jan, Feb & March allowed the area to be relatively undisturbed, the density of Bass was such that this seemed to be the case.
Spring bite
Herring run
May too was pretty good as was June but the wind in July was up a notch on the prevailing side which meant finding a lee on the east side of the island – comfortable but not always the most productive. Bass that were worth pulling were found deep (70 ft plus) and North of Ryde. Total client catch to date is just over 2000 kilos which is better than average, the problem being that only some marks are on fire)
It’s uncanny how new clients seem to find a good pull from the get go and Seb Pizzuto was no exception, 1st cast and a lovely Bass to the net.
Seb Pizzuto finding this one 1st cast!
August weather was pretty good, hot and pretty steamy which is always good for Bass if you’re on the water at first light. The most productive mornings are the ones after a very uncomfortable night’s sleep when the weather is sticky and the thermal pressure is low and rising – it seems to put bait into the top layer and Bass are usually breaking for some part of the tide which offers great fly sport.
Other news here is that www.Oceansticks.com went live last week and the first “Seawolf” 12 weight got dispatched to go to Christmas Island to hunt GT’s this week. The website was launched to offer great value rods and reels (either to hire or buy) when travelling to far off destinations. If you need extra kit and don’t want the expense of having to buy back-up rods/reels at unaffordable prices, just let us know – if we don’t stock it we can probably get hold of it for you.
“You are better equipped with Oceansticks”
Moving forward I have been called several times by the Angling Trust in the UK to give my opinion of the fishery and possible solutions to its longer term future. My opinion hasn’t changed and I support the moratorium over the 1st 3 months of the year as any help is better than no help at all. Going forward this suspension period should be extended for both commercial and recreational fishers and the MLS size needs to go up again to 45cms minimum which will go some way to protecting immature stock levels… this is the minimum that should be done, a complete catch and cull policy for 5 years is what is recommended – Just rest the fishery.
For now we have the autumn to look forward to and if the water temperature drops to 15-16 and hovers there until Christmas, we could see a great late summer bite… pray the wind drops and the clarity remains clear.
Justin Anwyl
IGFA Guide