July already?? Wow. But actually, from the bass fishing perspective, its a bit of a relief. That fry, growing at supersonic speed, is also thinning out as it gets predated into ever smaller balls. And the fish seem to be returning to some kind of interest in the lures. Topwaters still ruling it. But shads beginning to get hit again also. First sailing out with Charlie, booked in for a double session, Milen, a returnee, and his friend Miko, who I think was first time on BIF1, and none other than Sussex bass fishing legend John Darling's nephew Matt. John is someone whom I really hoped to meet when I first came to Brighton in 2002. My Essex tactics failing terribly, it was his book, among many things, which helped steer me in the right direction "Bass, from Boat and Shore" is one hell of a good read, and still very relevant today.
Fishing started quite poorly, but eventually we found some fish, and ended up with eleven, with five despatched for the table. All the better fish hit the topwaters, despite the bright sunshine. Very encouraging. Everyone catching as well. Good times, which of course brings big smiles.
Second sailing, Charlie was joined by returnee Dan, and friend Adam, who had travelled all the way down from, Essex for the trip. And happily, it was rewarded with more fish. Charlie fished his socks off, taking six of the twelve fish boated. His earlier session really leaving him highly coiled. Loads of missed takes also. Really quite good fishing. And ot very hard t fid the fish. They still have a habit of smashing hard on the surface, which any guide worth his money will notice.
Third sailing, and a bit of nostalgia. The only people to witness the capture of my 14lb 15oz bass back in late 2011, were a couple of beach bums, Mark and Al. And today, they were boat bums, along with friends Sean and Jim. Coming out into a surprisingly choppy sea, I wasn't sure if to try the topwaters or not. We gave it a go anyhow. Had to do a bit of speed coaching, as nobody had fished the topwaters before, but nobody cracked, cried or punched. Ad they all caught fish, with six being landed, before a thick sea fog poured in from nowhere. I didn't quite appreciate how thick until we tried a transit between marks. Too thick for my coding, so we came in. Hopefully, I will get the guys out soon. Would be a shame not to use what they have learned in anger, and perhaps calmer seas.
