Sea Angler

MASTER THE ART OF SURF BASS

Targeting bass in the surf was once described to me as an art form. I was only 14 or so at the time and didn’t understand how accurate that statement was. What I’ve come to realise is that to become an art form a compilation of factors must come together to create a finished product. To be successful at surf bassing you need to break it down into its individual components then bring them back together to form the work of art.

WHEN & WHERE TO FISH

You could argue that seeking bass in the surf is a 12-month occupation, and to some extent that’s true with bass being caught, especially along the western coast of the UK, throughout the year. However, we need to narrow this down to better focus our chances.

Taking a general look across the southern half of the UK and southern half of Ireland, the season really gets going in April when the bass move back inshore after spawning. May improves as the month goes on, June is excellent, but then expect a general downturn during July to mid-August when the fish tend to move out onto the offshore reefs to feed on joey mackerel and sandeel. The exception to this is if the weather is unseasonably rough in that mid-summer period. If so, the bass will move back into the surf to feed. From mid-August to December is the very best time; there’s is plenty of food

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Sea Angler

Sea Angler1 min read
Sea League
■ With £10,000 in tackle prizes the points, based on entries, are awarded to the top three plus section winners and captors of the largest fish caught in each designated Penn match. Penn also awards a prize of a Spinfisher fixed-spool reel to the ang
Sea Angler4 min read
May 2024
May is a good month to target early shore tope off the deep-water rock ledges. It will be mainly pack tope to 25lb, but there’s always the chance of bigger fish too. The smaller to middle sized tides from the 13th to the 21st offer a wide window, but
Sea Angler7 min read
Stories From A Lifetime Of Angling Keep Film‘ling’!
A sharp reduction in engine revs stirred me from a deep sleep and with bleary eyes I glanced at my watch; it was a little after six in the morning. Half climbing, half falling out of my comfortable cocoon, I stumbled my way across a mountain of fishi

Related