In the mid 1960s, when sea angling was becoming popular in Scotland, bass were unheard of on the east coast. Cod, pollack, ling and haddock were what would be most likely encountered when boat fishing. From the rock edges and beaches the result would be similar, less the haddock perhaps, with dabs and other flatties from the sand and small coalfish being perpetual bait robbers in deeper water.
On the west coast the Gulf Stream-warmed waters of Luce Bay were, according to the fishing magazines, the place to be if bass were the target. For me, beaches such as Monrieth and Luce Sands did yield occasional small bass but then they were few and far between. Luce Sands was a bit of a tease with highly active and visible mullet on a filling tide showing no interest in a bunch of lugworm.
Southwest Ireland seemed to be the place where good sized bass could be caught so it was off there in 1968. Tent pitched at Ventry Harbour near Dingle, where the shoreline at high tide was only a few yards over the dunes, saw a 9¼lb bass on the beach within 15 minutes. Talk about beginner’s luck;
