Are flavours key to catching bass on lures

Does flavouring your lures make any difference..? While I remain seriously sceptical on this front, people say it does.

"They've come in for a bit and now they've been and gone and went again," one veteran bass angler told me today. "That's 'cause the sea's still right cold that is, that's still taters when that should have started getting warm by now..."

Meanwhile, rubber lures now list scent among their selling point. The ones I bought today smell a bit like the inside of your car when you've gone through the full monty £15 inside and outside job at the Hand Car Wash at the garage next to the chinese takeaway on the Heacham bypass.

Does a fish honestly smell this..? Does it think OK, I'll hit that bit of plastic because it carries the unmistakable mixture of whatever they clean your car's upholstery with, along with a tantalising hint of egg-fried rice and chicken chop suey..?

I doubt it somehow. As in I doubt whether the fish can tell the difference between chop suey and the Number Nine egg-fried special rice, with mushroom and extra prawns.

How on earth does a bass smell something in the sea, as you drag a lure past it..?

I'll buy a bottle, just in case. But...

Weed, damn the blasted stuff

When we rolled up an hour before high water and clambered down through the dunes, there were already people in the best swims by the rocks, beachcasters pointing skywards.

A few casts in, I'd worked out this was no big drama because the sea was full of annoying, hand-sized bits of weed which seemed to foul the lure every cast.

The weed was on the top, but I couldn't seem to get under it. I couldn't really feel what the lure was doing in the stiff breeze and strong pull of the tide. Every now and then, it dinged the bottom in what I guessed was eight or ten feet of water at the bottom of a stiffish slope.

Half an hour of this and the hook on the bar spoon was bashed and blunted beyond sharpening. Instead of wasting another Owner or an even more expensive Pluggin' Single, I changed to a rubber sandeel and tried bouncing it along the bottom.

Less weed, as in every second or third cast instead of every chuck. But I could only cast it half the distance and couldn't really feel what it was doing on the end. Still enjoyable, after a day back at work.

The wife and Daughter Three enjoy the excursion as well, throwing stones in the sea for the dog to chase and beachcombing along the weed-strewn high tide mark for interesting shells.

A fish would have been nice, but I've still got a lot to learn about the quirks of the coastline. Its sandy expanses look flat and featureless but gullies thread through the underwater terrain.

I need to get a good look at this beach at low tide, because it seems to have changed quite a bit since I last visited it.

Missed the bin, did you..?

You get into a rhythm after a few casts. Chuck the lure out, watch the sea. Wind it in and do the same. There's a seductive simplicity about the whole thing, despite the fact I still don't really know what I'm doing other than I want to catch a bass. On a lure.

I'm now watching the birds, to see where they're diving. Fulmars hurtle up and down, encouraged by raucous calls from their mates on the precarious cliff edges where they make their nests.

I keep casting and retrieving, watching the sea. The birds aren't diving. But one scores a direct hit on a holidaymaker on the prom behind me, judging by the screams. Faa-aa-aa-aa-aarkin' 'ell, she yells. Th'ass a new farkin' top, that is.

Fulmars are now my favourite sea bird, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. If they've got a fan club, I'm in.

A man breaks wind loudly behind me, before turning to urinate on the sea wall. Cor, blast, bollocks; he shouts - I only farkin' bin and farkin' pissed on my shoes.

One of his mates throws a beer bottle into the sea. In sympathy, presumably. Oi, you cnut, he shouts. Missed the farkin' bin did yer, hwah-hah-hah-hah you dozy cnut.

I find myself nodding. People who throw litter in the sea are cnuts. As if to prove the point, the rod top hammers round, I pull into stiff resistance and find myself playing a disposable nappy.

Then things change, as sunset nears and the idiots depart. The birds are diving, but they're a long way out. As in two - maybe 300 yards out. Then they're drifting round to the right of me.

I can't get anywhere near there, too far by a country mile to cast to. So I spark up a fag, fold down the rod and start the climb up the cliffs for home.

Spider Wire EZ braid review

I've used braids of one kind or another for nearly 15 years as my reel line for pike fishing. After trying various brands, I settled on Powerpro and have fished with it ever since without any problems.

I wanted something thinner for sea fishing with lures and plumped for 20lbs Spider Wire EZ braid to load up a new reel. First impressions after its maiden trip is the stuff's brilliant. The coating's very slick and it just flies through the rings.

I'm not sure how long the coating will actually last, but by the time it goes the line should be well bedded-in on the reel. This probably sounds daft, but I've noticed the dreaded tangles you get with braid almost invariably happen with new braid. Once you've used it a few times, it's usually fine.

Pike fishing with the stuff's taught me to spool it on tightly, slightly under-fill my reels and exercise a bit of care after casting, ie shut the bail arm manually and check the line's going on tight.

It's that slacker coil or two that gets onto the spool if you close the bail arm by winding the handle and don't make sure the line's tight that can get you into trouble in a cast or two's time.

After a few chucks, I was seriously spanking the Spider Wire last night, casting those little 35g Storm spoons as far as I could throw them with a whoosh of the rod. No tangles, no problems right from the word go.

This is one of the cheapest braids you can find at the moment - it's £19.99 for 300 yards. I'm going to get some of the stronger stuff for using bigger lures when I get round to it. I'll probably end up using the 30 or 50lbs for pike fishing, when I get round to that again.

Bass advice from Mick in The Tackle Shop

One of the R's was in here asking about you the other day, says Mick in The Tackle Shop. Wanted to know if you've caught any bass yet. Not yet, I reply.

MiTTS runs through the growing roll call of local anglers who've been catching bass five minutes' walk from my house. They're not catching them on lures mind, he adds, opening the door of the fridge behind the counter.

Peelers, that's what they're getting 'em on. At 80p a pop, I politely decline, shelling out for yet another lure instead. I'm determined I'm going to catch one on a lure. Apart from the fact I was pretty useless sea fishing with the bait gear now gathering dust in my study, I never really enjoyed it.

Blast a couple of baits out until either the crabs stripped them or you caught a flattie. Spend hours before every trip tying rigs. No thanks - been there, tried that.

In contrast I'm now enjoying sea fishing in a way I never did when I lived on the other side of the country 20 years ago and did catch plenty of bass. I can't remember the last time I went fishing and didn't learn something, for starters.

I'm also enjoying solving the problems it throws up. The biggest one, which I've now got to grips with, being how to get my lures out a decent distance, so I at least stand a chance of catching one. Having arrived at what looks to be more of less the right set-up, it's surely only a matter of time.

I could just head five miles down the road, sit by a lake with a float or feeder rod and enjoy what is relatively easy fishing for carp, tench and bream. Buy the right stuff, fish the right pegs and catch. Where's the challenge in that..?

MiTTS offers more sage advice on tracking down the bass. Watch the sea birds, fish where they're diving. It's a bit early for lures, but when they're on 'em, it's electric. I'm happy to bide my time 'till then - probably because I'll be so chuffed when I actually catch something.   

Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon

I've also invested in some fluorocarbon. You can get 50yds of 20lbs Berkley Trilene for a fiver from Veals - along with some far more expensive fluorocarbons.

This is the stuff which is meant to be invisible to fish because it has the same refractive index as water, whatever that means. I'm struck by the fish that turned away from the lure the other day and wonder if the leader spooked it.

It's around the same thickness as the 15lbs clear Amnesia I've been using, but I've read mixed reviews when it comes to knot strength.

Most bass bloggers seem to swear by it all the same, so I thought I'd give it a pop. It knots up nicely, forming a neat grinner first pull. Unless I encounter large numbers of suicidal bass this summer, I'll be surprised if I get through 50yds of it.

I've also invested in some smaller swivels to attach my leader to the main line. Genie Snood Swivels look like size 10s but they've got a BS of 45lbs, which should be more than adequate.

Once I've used it and - hopefully - caught a few on it, I'll let you know whether it's up to the job.

ABU Cardinal 504i reel review

 

VERDICT: What a lovely bit of kit. By the time I start pike fishing again, these will be on most of my lure rods...

Years ago, I used ABU Cardinals for a while - as in the green ones with a stern drag knob. Today's Cardinal has the same name, but it's a very different beast, which I'm hoping will double up as a reel for lure fishing for pike once I get bored with bass.

First impressions out of the box are it's a nice little reel, smooth but with that chunky ABU build that seduced plenty of pike anglers away from Mitchells before Shimano took the specimen world by storm with its first incarnations of the Baitrunner.

It comes with two machined brass spools, one deep, one shallow. I've loaded the latter with 20lbs Spiderwire Easy Braid, which I got 300yds of for £19.99 from Veals. The shallow spool takes around 100 yards of it after backing it with some 15lbs Amnesia I had lying around.

I can't see me losing that many lures by sacrificing strength for much finer diameter that should enable me to chuck them out a bit further than the 50lbs Powerpro I've been using.

I was quite looking forward to fishing with the ABU after resuming my bass fishing career with a pair of 12-year-old Baitrunners borrowed off my drain rods. You get a lot of reel for £70 these days. 

Its makers claim the Cardinal is "all water-protected". I don't bother with the wash your stuff every time you use it in the sea business, so this should help ensure its survival.

The bail arm snaps shut with a positive clack and the roller, um, rolls like it's meant to. The clutch on these is meant to be nice and smooth, but mine will be screwed up solid as I prefer back-winding when I need to give a fish some line.

The handle's robust and has a pair of generous-sized grips which feel like duplon. These grips are my one gripe, as they clack against the body of the handle as you retrieve, although it's the reassuring clack of metal on metal.

It might be built like the proverbial Volvo, but the makers are Chinese, not Swedish. And ABU is now a division of Pure Fishing, which in turn is a US-based subsidiary of something called the Jarden Corporation. The fact most of our kit now originates in the Far East is part and parcel of fishing these days.

+++Wow, wow, wow - what a great reel to fish with... I gave it a try off the beach tonight, loaded up with new braid, and it's a delight to use. After a few gentle chucks to check the line wasn't going to pull any nasties on me, I started giving it a bit more welly.

No tangles, despite fishing into a stiff-ish head wind. The line lay looks spot-on, the roller runs nicely as you retrieve and the reel feels as smooth as a Swiss watch. The grips sit comfortably between your thumb and forefinger. Chunky and easy to grip, even with wet hands.

++++This has lovely reel written all over it, after a few brief sea fishing sessions. I've given it no TLC whatsoever when I've returned from a trip, yet the roller's still going nicely and the braid's lying perfectly despite chucking different lures into a head wind.

I like the metal spools as well - not the usual one decent spool, one plastic spare which now seems to be par for the course when you actually get a spare spool with a reel these days.

What a lovely bit of kit. By the time I start pike fishing again, these will be on most of my lure rods.

And when the Lord spoketh to Malcolm

OK, OK - I've got it, says Malcolm, my friend who works as an architect. Why don't we do one of those job swap things, you know, get it sponsored and stuff. You're the local media tycoon, ring Channel Four and see if they want to do a documentary on it or something.

I look down at my half-finished pint of Shuck. Neil by the Way hovers near the optics, spotting the obvious potential for doubles all round by way of celebration if this meeting of minds can only find a way forward when it comes to the challenging question of the church roof fund.

The Vicar, my friend who is a vicar, weighs in while we're still mulling this one over. Why yes, says the Vicar. I could design a building. Malcolm could run the Village Pub for the day, as guest landlord. Chris, who has a way with words, could write my Sunday sermon.

Sheer genius, as the Good Lord would doubtless say were he among us tonight. I mean, he's obviously with us always, he walks among us, but...

I can't see this one working, to be honest Vic, I say - puncturing the uneasy silence which has whose round is it written all over it.

Um, like, what am I going to do, says Hawkwind Sid. The bar remains silent. Neil by the Way refills our glasses, in a bid to break the deadlock.

I take a slug, noting how the ale in the Village Pub's initial bitterness gives way to a more complex blend of flavours.

I've got a better idea, I say. How about we all stick to what we're best at, but chip in for some collecting tins. Maybe we could do a float at the Village Carnival. Malcolm's mate's sister's ex-husband's brother runs a haulage company, which has lots of lorries.

Malcolm surrenders to common sense and stands his round, as I begin composing the Vicar's Sunday sermon on the back of one of the Village Pub's limited edition beermats.

ROGATION: The Epistle, St James (Village Pub, 22...) Lo, when Jesus spoketh to Malcolm, he sayeth it was Malcolm's shout...