HIDDEN TREASURE
ONCE IN A WHILE I RUN INTO A lure fan who is dismissive of beach fishing. “Stick on a bait, chuck it out, wait and see.
Where’s the skill?” There are surf anglers who fish for bass like that: a wired lead weight, tripod, comfortable seat and a cup of tea while they watch their tip-lights.
I think we all should enjoy our sport the way we fancy but, if you really want to catch bass, you’re missing a trick or two because all my double-figure bass have come when surf fishing.
Surf fishing calls for at least as much watercraft and skill as the promontories and weedy bays where I take my lure rod. It’s just a bit less obvious. With lures, you need to know your terrain, where to find the reefs, the tide rips, outcrops and channels that concentrate the fish. With natural bait on the beach you need to go back to first principles and ask yourself, “Why would there be bass here?”
FOOD SOURCE
The real reason bass go almost anywhere is food. Bass grow slowly and convert protein inefficiently. They stuff their faces just to maintain their body mass, so they need
