Thursday 2 April 2009

Saw some bass, but couldn't catch them (plus a truly monster pike)

  • I went out for a few hours over the high water yesterday morning, to have another look around and see if I could find some bass. I had timed it to fish the last of the flood tide, and the moment the tide turned I waded out onto a sandbank to fish with soft plastics in amongst the tumbling water and deeper channels. As I waded out I saw perhaps ten to fifteen bass laid up on the sand, right next to the main channel, but the moment they saw me moving towards them they quite rightly spooked !! They weren't big fish, but at least they were bass. I also saw a lone sandeel swimming around - bizarre.

  • To see fish always raises the heartbeat, and pretty quickly I got hit hard once on the soft plastic lure you can see above, but the fish did not connect - a MegaBass XLayer fished on an 18g Storm jig head (see here for the lures). But then nothing else happened. Typical !! I fished a few hours of the drop and then had to head back home. What a stunning morning when those clouds cleared, and pretty as it was, it had to have been too bright for the fish to switch on properly. That's my excuse anyway. Just me, Jess my sheepdog and a few seagulls - perfect peace, but rest assured that true Norwegian black metal in the shape of Gorgoroth was blasting out in my car on the way back. Peace when fishing, metal when not. Life is a series of opposites.
  • I also messed around with this lure above, and in the water it looks incredible - it's a 6.5 inch Hart Gummy Leech on a 22g articulated Storm jig head that I picked up in France. Why on earth can you not get hold of these particular articulated jig heads in the UK ? (a big hint to Shimano !!) I have a feeling that this lure set up might do some proper damage later in the season, and I reckon night time is going to work well where I was fishing......
Photo courtesy Danny Parkins
31lb 14oz pike - 01.04.09
  • But my brief efforts yesterday were certainly put into context when Danny Parkins rang me up and told me all about this huge pike he caught yesterday on the Exeter canal. Take a look at the size of that thing !! 31lb 14oz of killing machine, and Danny took this beast on a lure. I have met few guys who know their predator fishing as much as this guy, in fact he is an all round fishing junkie with a serious lure problem. Danny reckons this huge pike is a new Exeter canal record, so what can I say but seriously well done, that is a hell of a fish to catch on a lure and I take my hat off to the guy. I have been hectic with work too much over the winter, and I feel daft for not having got into this pike fishing properly - I have to make time for this, it's world class fishing. Nice one Danny.

  • Please take a look at Nick Hart's blog here - I could not agree more with him about this Robson Green bloke talking rubbish on the (primetime) box about the fact that nine out of ten fish that are caught and released then go and die. This proves to me once again that the whole celebrity culture is something to be avoided at all costs. Another nail in the "image of fishing" coffin, this time banged home by a bloke who is meant to be a keen angler. I am not about to post what I really feel here, it ain't printable.

5 comments:

Ben Field said...

Hey Henry,

What braid is that you're testing these days? Been using 30lb Power Pro for ages but just sorting out a 20lb setup and starting to look for other options. I want something ligt in coour, probably white (as yours) or yellow.

Good to see a few bass around at last. Had my first of the year about a week ago!

Henry Gilbey said...

Ben - saw your blog, nice one with the first bass of the year. There is some hectic ground up on that coastline !! Gotta have a plugging session together......

As regards braid, if there is better stuff than Varivas out there, then I am not aware of it, see here

http://henry-gilbey.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-best-fishing-line-of-2008.html

Ben Field said...

Nice one. Have been thinking about giving the Max power PE stuff a go for a while actually. Got to thy these things at least once eh? ...with the difference they can make...

How is it's low diameter with wind knots etc? I never have problems with the PP, but know a lower diameter would helpwith a number of things.

Give it another month so a few more fishies can arrive and we'll get properly on the case! Would look forward to it!

Anonymous said...

That Robson Green is an absolute *insert expletive here*.

He said the same sort of things in a Radio Times interview. He goes out of way to say how cruel fishing is etc.

I don't watch his programmes because I don't like him or his methods but what really infuriates me is his attacks on fishing and fishermen in the media.

I wonder what his motives are because he's doing more for the anti-angling cause than anyone else.

Chad said...

Couldn't agree more about Robson "I'm an Actor luvvy" Green (tw@t). I can't stand the disrespectful egotistical arse. He gets every opportunity to travel the world and fish in locations some of us can only wish for, just to then be a complete arse to his hosts and more often than not his quarry too. I've unfortunately sat through a few of his programs and felt more and more angry after each one! Then again it is Channel 5 so at least not too many people are ever going to watch it.

When are we going to get some new quality fishing programs on TV again - Henry ? Getting a bit bored of the same shows on Discovery Shed over and over.