Dan Spearman had a pleasant surprise when this 5lb 4oz bass seized his baited spinner intended for thin lipped grey mullet. Big bass move surprisingly high up local estuaries venturing right up to the tidal limits in search of prey.
BIG BASS FROM THE SURF
Liam Loveday tempted this stunning 13lb bass from a North Devon surf beach. The fish took a peeler crab bait presented on a 4/0 Chinu hook cast 30yards into the surf an hour before high water. The fish gave a strong account for close to ten minutes before being beached safely.The fish measured 87cm.
This is an encouraging catch from the surf early in the season.
Early bass on lures
Lure fishing enthusiast Mark Jones continues in his quest to land bass on lures throughout the year tempting this fine looking bass of over 4lb on his latest trip to the waters edge.
All year round bass on the lure!
Keen lure fishing enthusiast Mark Jones has set himself the challenge of catching a bass on a lure in every month of the year. He started in November 2020 and has succeeded each month so far. With December, January and February ticked off it should be plain sailing from here on?
Double Figure Bass
Combe Martin SAC Member Kevin Legge tempted this fine 10lb 12oz bass from a North Devon Beach using an Ammo baits Joey mackerel.
The bass was carefully returned after this quick photo was taken.
bass
A Humorous Tale – Bass and smelly huts
Paul Lorrimore has kindly allowed me to reproduce this rather humorous tale of big bass smelly fishing huts and Ilfracombe Pier.
Had my first bass just under that hut close in.
Myself and
Simon Higgins
were on day 2 fishing with no sleep in early September – maybe 1998 from memory.
We had been a few other places and got a good soaking from the swell, so decided to get somewhere dry for the night.
Just as we both finally succumbed to a well needed 40 winks amongst the warm and fuzzy aroma of years of rotten bait and piss in the
“love shack”, I was woken to the sound of my rod butt being unceremoniously slammed against the corner light with my rod rest in tow 
Not for one second did I consider setting drag back then, or even checking to see if my line had gone under the rod rest in front of the first ring….
After a good hard strike however, my heavy guage old trusty tripod reminded me of my school boy error by near enough breaking my nose and splitting my eye brow open 
By this time Simon had made it out the hut just in time to see me getting beaten to death by my own tackle… And found it hilariously funny..
He did manage to regain composure just in time to get a drop net down and land my first ever Silver Lump of 9lb though, so i forgave him a mere decade or so later.
I took my prize bass home, full of excitement as a young chef, furiously CeeFaxing fish recipes, ready for the culinary masterpieces I would create the very next morning.
I awoke to find my Dog had managed to pull the Bass, tail first from the sink of iced water in the middle of the night and endeavour to chew nearly all of it into pulp apart from the head, which he took to my bed with him so I could admire it when i first opened my sleepy eyes… 
In retrospect, the dog came off a heavy second in the crime – as it upset his stomach something awful.
I chuckled slightly for the next 3 days as he moped around the house wretching and farting fish scales like a confetti cannon 
Combe Martin SAC – Lyn Fish
Combe Martin SAC members caught plenty of fish in their rescheduled Lyn Fish competition with members fishing boat and shore.
Rob Scoines secured top spot with a fine specimen pouting of 1lb 15oz a species that is not as prolific as it once was in North Devon. ( “The local name for pouting was glower”)
Runner up in the competition was Dan Welch who fished from his Private boat with his friend Ross Stanway. Dan boated several specimens including a tope of 47lb and a bass of 8lb 12oz.
Dan and Ross also boated smoothound, Bull Huss and rockling.
Dan also targeted grey mullet during a short evening session and tempted a fine thick lipped grey mullet of 4lb 2oz
I was fishing with Rob when he caught his pouting; a session that provided a hectic few hours. During the four hour session we beached 13 Bull Huss to around 6lb, 3 dogfish,1 pollock, 1 conger and a bass.
A short lure fishing session from a shore mark on the final afternoon of the competition brought me three bass to 5lb 4oz.
COMBE MARTIN SAC – Woolacombe Beach Competition
Last year Combe Martin SAC held an Open match on Woolacombe beach that was attended by over twenty anglers despite rough conditions prior to the competition. This year the event was a club only event due to the ongoing COVID -19 outbreak that has impacted upon many events this season. Special thanks go the Mortehoe Parish council, who kindly allowed the club to use Marine Drive for the event. It is hoped that next year will see a return to an Open format.
A cool North wind prevailed through much of the preceding week and was still blowing on the night pf the competition. An inspection of the beach earlier in the day had revealed that there was not much weed and that it would be fishable on the night when all the swimmers and surfers had headed for home.
Half a dozen club members assembled at Marine Drive before heading down to the shoreline to cast their baits into the surf. The sun was setting behind Lundy on the horizon and I relished the spectacle appreciating the places that fishing takes me too.
As darkness descended anticipation was high that a bass or good ray would succumb. The moon rose above the hillside painting the beach with moonlight after the sun had set.
At low water I noticed a change in the pattern of nodding rod tip and reeled in a tiny small eyed ray. The next cast brought a another slightly bigger ray.
The tide flood quickly in and it was soon time to pack up. My last cast brought another tiny ray that had attempted to take my large mackerel bait intended for bass.
The trudge back to the post comp meet up was hard going with waders and soft sand a taxing combination that made us all blow a little. The results were disappointing with six small ray, a single bass and one small smoothound.
1st – Dan Welch – bass 2lb 3oz
2nd Barry Scobling – small eyed ray 2lb 4oz
Note this was a catch and release match as all CMSAC matchs are.
North Devon Bass Sport
Bass are top of the agenda for many anglers at this time of year. Kody Chugg employed big mackerel to tempt several bass between 4lb and 6lb during recent sessions. Calm seas and easterly winds are not ideal for seeking bass but the clearly water may well make lure fishing very worthwhile. Get ready with the baits when the winds turns SW and embrace those darker evenings.
Luring An Evening brace
As autumn descends upon us the evenings draw in and it seems essential to try and fit in those short evening sessions with the lure rod before darkness descends and many of us turn to bait fishing. There is of course the opportunity to catch bass after dark with the lure but this is something I always intend to try but tend to shy away from as I feel slightly uncomfortable wading the boulder strewn marks I prefer whilst fishing alone.
This season I have fished far more using weedless soft plastics and have enjoyed some success using the Megabass spindle worms. This 5.5 inch lure gives me confidence as it is retrieved sending a pleasing pulsing action back through the light braid to the rod. I love fishing really shallow water as the tide floods in and have discovered that the bass will move into water less than a foot deep.
Whilst I carry a selection of lures I only tend to alternate between half a dozen patterns.
I arrived at my chosen mark as the tide was starting to flood and searched the shallow boulder strewn foreshore after ten minutes a flash of silver appeared just a few feet from where I stood slamming into the lure with ferocity. After a spirited battle at close range the bass of around 3lb 8oz was beached.
I fished on confident of further success and twenty minutes later the lure was hit by a far bigger fish that made an impressive reel screaming dash for freedom in the shallow water. A handsome bass of around 6lb was admired and its image captured before release.
The autumn months can offer the best chance of the year to catch that elusive double figure bass. At one time I believed the best chance of a double lay with a big bait. Now I am not so sure and feel confident that persistence with the lure will pay dividends eventually.