In addition he will be claiming a new Cornish record for the species, a European record, and is to claim an IGFA world record too!

He was using an ABU Dual Tip rod and ABU Ora reel loaded with the new Berkley Nanofil line in 6kgs breaking strain. His method was ledgering a small worm bait paternoster style on a JRC Connect 4 carp hook.

Nanofil is proving a popular choice amongst experienced anglers when targeting shy biting species, such as mullet and bass, due to its direct nature for enhanced bite detection and fast reaction to set the hook, but also due to its co-efficient surface that aids casting distance when using light end tackle.

This fish was no chance hook up as Steve has been specifically targeting these bigger thin lips for over two years from marks in the Malpas area. He’s had success with many smaller 2 to 3lb fish, but now he’s bagged this biggie, he’s looking for more. In fact Steve tells us he has seen bigger thin lips already and will pushing hard to up the record further.

Steve said, “I’m really pleased to get this fish as I’ve put a lot of hard work in to learn more about thin lips, and it’s finally paid off!  I get a few fish on spinners, but the big fish take the worm!”

Self-confessed mullet nut Steve has also identified an area that holds double figure thick lipped mullet too. To prove the point he followed the big thin lip up with this cracking thick lip of 6lbs 9ozs just a couple of days later that took him 40 minutes to land. With the current Cornish record set at 7lbs 6ozs, Steve tells us he’s looking to add this record to his CV as well, so watch this space!

Starting with rods, then the blank action is crucial. The rods need a tip section that will work a lure directly to maximise its action, but also lock up quickly to set a treble hook when fishing at range. This progressive fast taper steeliness throughout the blank is equally necessary to maximise casting distance, but also, in conjunction with a stiff butt, gives the power to dominate bigger fish when fishing in amongst snag ridden rough ground. The ideal length is 8’, and the rod needs to be light in weight as it will be held and worked for long periods.

If you fish mixed rough ground with no real snags, then a lighter action is okay, but again remember you need the power to work a decent fish, should one happen along, so avoid supple, bend to the butt type rods. The 8’Tidewater Bass Plugger is the rod for lighter fishing, but the ABU Revo Bass 8’ is the one for rough ground and big fish, and are the rods I fish with myself.

A mistake newcomers often make is to buy a fixed spool reel too big for the job, which unbalances the rod. For the above rod types, then a size 040 is perfect. They hold at least 200-metres plus of 20lb braid, but are light in weight. I like the Soron STX 040 reel, but the same size Penn Sargus and the Mitchell Mag Pro are also great reels for the Revo Bass rod. On the Tidewater Bass I’d go for the ABU ORA 040, or the Cardinal 174 SWi front drag reel.

Abu Soron STX 40 Reel

Mono has too many disadvantages to consider when working plugs, not least diameter and stretch, which will affect casting range and lessen the hook setting power of the rod.

Braid is a good choice, especially Berkley Whiplash Pro and Firelene Crystal. It’s a choice between 12 to 20lb line, but when fishing over snags 20lb gives you the chance of getting snagged lures back, plus means you can pressurise good fish more. However, for my own fishing, I prefer NanoFil in the 0.20mm diameter. This casts extremely well and is a very direct line, feeling even more so than braid, but also handles a side wind better than braid. Being a direct, always in touch line, it also sets the hook very well even at maximum range. I also like a line with a lighter, easy to see colour when working lures in and out of rocks, around weed beds, and through other fish holding cover, and with NanoFil being a light colour it’s easy to see.

It’s essential to also use a Fluorocarbon leader. It separates the braid colour from the lure and massively increases the bite/hit ratio. I make my leaders the length of the rod, plus 4-feet or so. This gets enough on the reel to keep any casting pressure off the leader knot, plus gives enough of a separation between braid and lure. I use the same breaking strain of Fluorocarbon as the main line I’m using.

Plug choice is now huge with so many variants. However, way before Sebile where part of the Pure Fishing portfolio I was importing Sebile lures from overseas. They’ve caught me a lot of fish. The ones I favour are the Splasher, a surface popper that is deadly in the small and medium size for bass, also the Ghost Walker which leaves a wake on the surface and brings fish up from deep. I also rate highly the Slender Eel, which has been an incredible lure for me when targeting bass in a tide current as they heard sandeel. To get deeper down when the bass are feeding in the lower water column I favour the Koolie Minnow Medium Lip.

Sebile Splasher Lure

Sebile Ghost Walker

Some fishing tips to keep in mind. By far the best time to walk and stalk bass with plugs is dusk and dawn. Half-light conditions suit a predator well and they’ll hunt right in the shallow margins in these conditions.

Bass are not afraid of rough water. Look to fish when there is a bump and some agitation on the seas surface. Ideal conditions are a light onshore wind, but stronger winds and some surf can still fish well if you choose a plug that can punch through the wind.

Areas where a tidal current sweeps in, but especially where a shallow reef edges inshore and deflects the tidal current are always good holding spots. The very best areas are over rough, uneven, rocky ground, and casting from rock ledges where inshore boulders and rock fissures give hidey holes for smaller species.

If you’re not getting any interest to a surface popper, change to a diving plug. Literally search the water column until you find where the fish are feeding. If you can’t catch on a 90cm plug, change to a 70cm one. A plugs colour can also make a difference. In clear water use clear bodied, see through lures. In slightly coloured water with suspended silt present, use a brighter colour, such a white plug with a red head. At dusk and dawn, a dark coloured lure to enhance the silhouette on or near the surface is incredibly effective.

Another big mistake plug virgins make is to wade out to the very edge of a rock, stand upright and start casting. This is the very best way to scare any close by bass. Always cover the ground in front of you first, and try to keep as low a profile as you can. It is important to realise that bass will often be only a few feet out.

Don’t stand and fish in the same place all the time. Make a few casts, then move up the beach a few yards and cast again. Bass are like trout, they constantly move trying to scare up potential food. You’ll see a huge rise in your catches if you keep on the move.

Being mobile means carrying only what you need. A small rucksack with a few lures in a box, a few links, some spare Fluorocarbon leader, a pair of pliers, scissors and small weigh scale are really all you need. The rucksack can be worn when wading too, whereas a belt pouch cannot. If you carry a small camera, put it in a sealable plastic box, then if you slip and fall in when wading, the camera won’t get wet!

Two other essentials are quality polarized sunglasses, and a baseball cap. With the shade and depth penetration of the hat and glasses, you can often see hunting bass before they see you if your instincts are awake, but you will also see the flash of their flanks as they attack your lure.

A brief introduction then, to plugging for bass fishing! Its thinking fishing, a massive learning curve, but ultimately fascinating! And you’ve all summer and most of the autumn to enjoy it! Good luck!

When I first started targeting plaice my rigs tended to be made incorporating long metal or plastic booms with a long flowing trace from 6-feet to as much as 12-feet. Invariably I’d have a small spoon on the end with a short 9-inch hook trace with bright coloured beads added. I caught a fair few fish too!

But analysing the days as a collective a few years ago made me realise that long traces were somewhat hit and miss and produced fish best when working very shallow, clear water. I’d already made notes in my diary to the effect that I figured the long trace was more prone to lifting the bait too far up off the seabed at times, therefore limiting bites.

Over the past 10 years I started to use a simple 2-hook rig with a lead link at one end, used neoprene tubing stops to trap the hook trace swivels on the rig body, with a connector swivel at the top to tie direct to the leader. It’s so simple!  I use this rig for general drift fishing when I want to target as many smaller species as possible. Rarely are my hook lengths longer than 15-inches on this rig. Suddenly I noticed a sharp increase in the numbers of plaice I caught in amongst other fish.

It was obvious that with the shorter hook lengths, the baits were fishing much tighter to the seabed and were in the fish zone much longer resulting in more plaice being caught. Having the hook length swivels trapped between neoprene stops meant I could reposition the hook lengths at will. This adjustment would often make a big difference to the number of bites on the day. Often having the bottom hook fishing tight behind the lead weight and the second hook mid way up the rig would get double shots of plaice when they were feeding well. This applied especially to days when the drift was fast.

On slow drifts when the boat passes over the ground very slowly, it pays to have the top hook positioned higher up on the rig body to give the bait more movement. I often also add a small float bead above this hook just to give the bait more lift in these specific and sometimes difficult conditions.

The angle of your line when on the drift is also important. So many anglers don’t let enough line out when drift fishing and fish with their line at too steep an angle. This sees the lead more prone to “bouncing” over the ground and lifting the baits up off the seabed and away from the feeding fish. A simple formula to work too is to release six times the amount of line as the depth you’re fishing. This would be a minimum though! So if you are fishing water 30-feet deep, release a minimum of 60-yards of line to shallow the lines angle and keep the baits on the seabed. Release more if the drift is fast. Gauging this comes with experience, but look at the angle of your line as it leaves the rod tip. It ideally needs to be at an angle of about 100 to 120 degrees from the vertical. A shallower angle is ok, but a steeper angle can and will reduce catches.

The above rule has to be readjusted though, according to your fishing position on the deck of the boat. If you’re lucky enough to be on the side facing away from the drift where you can trot your baits well away from the boat you can release as much line as you like. But if you’re on the other side of the boat and having to fish under the hull with a high chance of tangling the other anglers, then you need to fish differently. And this is where many anglers end up fishing totally ineffectively.

In this situation, be prepared to switch to a single hook rig with the hook length positioned immediately above the lead weight, and keep the hook length down to no more than 15-inches. The important thing is to deliberately choose an overly heavy weight that allows you to fish a near vertical line under the rod tip, but also keep in constant contact with the seabed. Too light a lead means you will need to release line to stay in touch with the seabed. But of course you’re limited as to how much line you can release otherwise you’ll tangle with the guy’s downtide. It’s not the most sporting way to target plaice, but it catches fish when otherwise you would struggle.

I never use mono for my hook traces when plaice fishing now, either! Fluorocarbon is heavier than mono, so helps keep the baits tighter to the seabed. It also has more abrasion resistance when dragging over shingle and sand, plus is slightly stiffer so is less prone to tangling. It also has way less memory, so presents the baits better.

My hooks are never more than a size 2 Aberdeen. Also keep baits sensibly sized to match the hook. Combination baits work well with a triple mix of black or blow lug, ragworm, razorfish and peeler crab all effective, but always add a thin sliver of squid on the end to add movement.

Plaice Baits

When you feel the initial rattle bite from a plaice on the rod tip, release about 20-feet of line. This gives the plaice time to take the bait in to its mouth. After this brief pause, simply flip the reel back in to gear and let the line come tight to set the hook. There is no need to strike.

The plaice are showing well now off Weymouth, Dartmouth and other ports on the south coast, and through April will be starting to fatten out quickly, plus will be available in big numbers, so it’s one of the best times to target them!

On a recent trip off Plymouth aboard Sea Angler 2, skippered by Malc Jones, we had a prime example of how effective soft plastics are for fish that, just a few short years ago, would have been targeted with big squid or fish baits, or alternatively antiquated heavy metal pirks and heavy 30lb plus rods.

I was accompanied on the day by colleagues and old friends Roger Mortimore, Sub Editor at Total Sea Fishing magazine, and Andy Williams who works in marketing at Pure Fishing.

We steamed out some 20 miles to a group of wrecks in around 250-feet of water. The day was warmish with a hazy sun, little wind, and a falling neap tide, so the drift would be fairly slow. Ideal conditions for once!

The lads tackled up with an assortment of SALT 20lb rods armed with Tidewater multipliers and Penn 320GTI reels, but I chose a Penn Powerstix 20/30lb braid rod matched with a Penn 320GTI reel. These are popular combination rods and reels, and we wanted to highlight just what this tackle can do.

The rigs we chose were mainly simple Whitby rigs incorporating two snap link swivels, the first tied to the leader and carrying the lead weight, the second snap link being attached by the link to the bottom eye of the main swivel and carrying the hook length. This is kept between 5 and 8-feet in length, and I prefer Fluorocarbon of 35 to 40lbs to combat any teeth abrasion from any ling which are usually lip or scissor hooked on lures. This rig, when used in conjunction with shads fixed on light 1/2oz to 2oz jig heads, or with weighted shads and sandeels, rarely if ever tangles.

The lures I’ve been using with great success for many species including bass, pollack, coalfish, cod and ling are the Berkley Ripple Shads, which I’ve quoted many times in previous blogs. I chose to start with a purple/chartreuse colour in size 9cms matched to a Berkley All Round Saltwater Jig Head weighing 28gm.

Skipper Malc used the first drift to gauge the wind and tide, and the second drift was bang on the money. I was off to a quick start with a cod about 10lbs, and the third drift produced a cod between 8 or 9lbs for Andy and another 8lber for me. I also lost a decent fish when the hook simply pulled out. Poor Roj was on the camera and barely got a lure in the water.

Andy Williams with a Ling.

The tide was in full ebb now, but the drift was not too fast. However you still had to work the first 25-feet of water up off the seabed to find the specific depth the fish were feeding at. But I quickly established the bulk of the fish were tight to the seabed.

I’d switched over to an 8-inch Berkley Power sandeel and was bouncing this up and down a couple of feet off the seabed. I felt a tap on the rod tip, a pause, then the rod tip rolled over to the weight of a fish. This hugged the seabed and lacked the head nodding so typical of a cod. The fish pulled a few feet of line off the reel, then powered up and took a good few yards off. But pressure told and the fish lifted. It fought well, but Malc and I had already figured this was a decent ling. This proved to be the case and it weighed over 15lbs. The next drift Andy got one about 10lbs, I got another a little smaller, with Roj picking up a cracking whiting on a small shad.

15lb Ling

The cod had gone quiet on this particular wreck, as can be the case as tidal movement alters, so we moved to another, but this only produced two cod in several drifts, both about the 10lbs mark.

With the tide slowing towards slack, skipper Malc opted to move again, and what a wise move it was too!

I switched over to a 4-inch Ripple Shad I’d darkened with a permanent black marker pen. Black is such a great colour for all predatory fish as it gives off such a hard silhouette when viewed from below or in front!

I was hopping this again, just up off the bottom, when that solid “bang” and pull down on the rod tip came. This fish had weight and fought by nodding its head in cod fashion, but hugging the seabed. Slowly but surely it came up and showed as white just underneath the surface. A cod of 15lbs 8ozs! Straight back down and I bagged another about 12lbs, with other fish coming in around me. The next drift that same black lure accounted for two more fish in the region of 10lbs.

Me with my 15lb 8oz Cod

Malc announced we’d got just three drifts left. The first drift we started to catch some big 2lb plus pouting that were clustered on the edge of the wreck. I took my time and chose to only drop my lure in when the sounder showed the wreck as imminent. My aim was to get the lure right in to the heart of the wreck to target a bigger fish.

It was tactic that paid off. I hit a fish with real weight that stayed deep and just took line steadily against the drag. It nodded its head to tell me it was a cod, then dragged more line off. I couldn’t get its head up at all. I was conscious of the wreck and how much line I’d given to the fish. Then the inevitable happened and the fish found metal. I gave line several times, but no way could I budge the fish and eventually the hook trace parted right above the lure. Only anglers know the emotion inside when a big fish is lost!

But it’s no good fretting when this happens, you just have to quickly re tackle and get on with finding another fish. I was ready to go with another black shad for the next drift and again waited until we were almost right on the wreck before dropping down. I felt the lead touch, took in less than 10-feet of line to lift the lure up a little off the bottom, then worked the rod tip just to give the lure that up and down life like motion.

I felt the lure touch something, but the next second the rod tip hammered over and again I felt that heavy head resistance so commonly used by hooked cod. This fish, as before, refused to lift. It was a case of steady rod pressure and I let it take line if it wanted too against a grudging clutch. Keeping the pressure on, the fish started to lift, but 25-feet up it turned and took line again heading back for the seabed. Not a fast run, just a soft purr of line off the reel!

This fish fought hard all the way. As it got near, Malc joined me with the landing net ready. We saw colour, but I couldn’t see how big it was, but Malc just said, “It’s a good un”, and netted it. It was a real heavily bellied cod that bounced the scales down to 19lbs. What a cracking fish to finish the day.

Me with my 19lb cod

So many anglers still lack confidence on soft plastic lures for big cod and ling, yet as we proved, it’s one of the most effective ways of fishing for them. The other advantage of lures is that with the right rigs and an understanding of how the drift works with the skipper shouting out when the wreck is imminent, then tackle losses are minimal. I lost just three lures all day which is way cheaper than buying fresh bait!

Ogmore. The shallow mid Wales beaches can also produce thornback ray, but it tends to be the long range casters who can put a big bait out a long way that take the lion’s share of the fish from these beaches.

Any thornback ray from the shore is a good catch, but over the past two years or so, some better sized fish have been showing with double figure fish more prolific than has been the case for some time. The indication is that this should continue, so now is a good time to target a 10lb plus thornie. A fish of 10lbs off the shore is classed as a specimen fish!

Thornbacks inside estuaries will feed on smaller neap tides due to the increased tidal flow normally associated with estuary channels, but when fishing from beaches you’re far more likely to score if the tides are rising towards high spring tides. The very biggest tides of the cycle will also produce. Once the tides peak and start to drop, then expect the ray numbers to diminish quickly in the majority of cases.

Most rays are taken on the flooding tide, especially just after low water, or through the middle of the tide when the tide flow is at its strongest. They can be caught towards high water too, but quickly move back out to deeper water as the tide begins to ebb for fear of being left stranded.

Even from the deeper water marks, its invariably night fishing that produces the best opportunities. On beaches, fishing at night is pretty much essential, as by day the thornbacks will not work in clear, shallow water. But at night they’ll come virtually in to the surf tables at times in just two or three feet of water.

Thornbacks prefer fairly calm seas with little wind. They don’t mind if the sea is a little coloured after a recent blow, but rarely will they come in to very coloured water immediately after a good storm when the sea is still rough.

Casting distance is so often the real key to reaching the ground the thornbacks feed on. If you can put a bait out a genuine 100-yards, then you’re in with a real chance.

Good rods are the Penn Powerstix Surf 13’ or the ABU Atlantic 464 matched to an ABU 6500 series reel loaded with 15lb line and a 60lb shock leader. Another highly popular reel is the Penn 525Mag2, again loaded with 15 to 18lb line.

If you struggle to cast the required distance with a multiplier reel, then consider one of the longer European rod options, such as the Penn Powerstix Surf 15’9”, or the Atlantic 484, married to an 080 sized fixed spool such as the Penn Affinity LC-8000 or the Penn Pursuit 8000. These large capacity reels, in conjunction with one of the longer Euro rods and 15lb line, will gain you extra distance easily with basic casting techniques putting your baits out much further than would normally be the case due to the long leverage of the rod.

These longer European rods and the big high capacity fixed spool reels also allow you to cast out as far as you can, then as the tide pushes you back you can keep releasing line leaving your bait out up to 400-yards or more. This simple trick, called “lining back”, often finds thornbacks when even the long range casters fail.

The most popular rigs are simple 1-hook clipped down rigs, or a Pulley rig, both carrying size 3/0 to 4/0 Viking pattern hooks, either single or with two hooks mounted Pennel style one above the other.

The best baits for thornback are mackerel strips cut 2-inches long by one-inch wide with a wide strip of squid added on one side, then bind the whole lot up with bait elastic to keep it tight and compact for long range casting. Baits do not need to be bigger for thornbacks, plus larger baits will cut down your casting distance!

It’s best to leave the first few signs of activity on the rod tip alone. Only pick the rod up when the rod tip pulls right over as the fish swims away, wind in any slack line, then strike as you feel the weight of the fish. This swimming away action usually sets the hook for you too!

Thornbacks will hug and sometimes suction down on the bottom in the initial fight. Just keep steady pressure on them until they move, which they always will. Once they move they will kite in the tide, try to turn round and swim away from you dragging the rod tip down, then maybe go to ground again. They will tend to run parallel with the surf tables when in close, but these runs are short though fairly powerful. As the fish tires, just let a big surf table slide the ray ashore for you.

They are great looking fish and well worth a photo, but don’t keep the ray out of the water more than a minute or so. When releasing them, wade out in to deeper water at least knee deep, hold the ray nose towards the sea in the water, let it regain its strength and simply allow it to swim away when ready.

A good tip is that if you catch one ray, you’ll likely get another pretty quickly. Thornbacks often swim in small groups of three, four or five fish. This is why it’s always a good idea to fish two rods side by side to double your chances.

Enjoy your ray fishing!

With the sea temps so high, it’s been no surprise to me that bass of good size have continued to be caught in some regions throughout the January period. This is significant!

Bigger bass in the 10lb plus size tend to be fish that move north from more southerly climes where their initial growth rate is faster than it would be in UK waters. They then have a decision to make every winter as to how far back south they travel to breed and over winter, this governed by sea temperature to some extent. In colder years they may move well south, but in warmer years they stay close and remain in close proximity to the coast and likely overwinter in the English Channel and Irish Sea.

But there’s a double whammy effect that in warmer winters and higher spring time sea temperatures, that another influx of bass from the Bay of Biscay head further north than usual in to UK waters therefore swelling the numbers of big bass available. Yes its predicting the future, but my guess is that 2012 will be just such a year with more big bass in UK waters than would normally be the case.

I’m also of the opinion that a bass to break the British and Irish records and exceed 20lbs in weight is there to be caught. The proof is in recent catches. The Cork coast of southern Ireland has produced a flurry of big 10lb plus bass over the past few years. In 2011 the biggest Irish bass weighed 16.5lbs, a little over a pound less than the current Irish best.

The biggest UK bass was taken back in December by Tsong Va San from Lewisham and bounced the scales down to 18lbs 15ozs 12dr some three hours or more after capture. To reach this size, these fish would need a fast growth rate, especially in their early years to mid adulthood, and this is where that southern connection comes in.

Having established that the record breakers are there, how do we target bass of this massive size?

Boat anglers need to fish whole mackerel, pouting, or very big launce sandeels. Fish of record size will be predominately eating live fish when offshore. The most likely mark to produce a big offshore bass is a wreck, either an offshore one in the English Channel, or an inshore one off the Kent or Sussex coast with the time period August to December best, though big fish can show at any time of year. Reefs could also produce a biggie and traditional marks such as the Eddystone Reef off Plymouth, the inshore wrecks of Cornwall, and the sand banks off Burry Port and Tenby in South Wales could also be in contention.

In Ireland I’d pick Waterford and Cork Harbour as being the absolute hotpsots for boat anglers, but then this coast is littered with good big bass marks and it’s much harder to be specific.

From the shore there has been a history of big April and May fish, these again probably southern dwellers migrating further north than would be normal. These tend to be fish caught in the smaller estuaries of Devon and Cornwall, or from harbours where food is abundant during the spring period. South Wales can also throw up these early big fish, with anglers looking for the rays inadvertently hitting these fish from the beaches and rocks. The odd one is possible from the small estuaries that litter the Cardigan Bay coastline in mid Wales, also the Menai Straits in North Wales. In Ireland, look to the Wexford shore, Cork and Kerry, though good anglers in Galway also feel they have a run of big bass too, and are slowly gathering information on the migration patterns.

The very best time to go all out for these big bass will be from the same areas, but in September to December when the bass feed heavily prior to spawning. A good time is always just after a good onshore blow which will pull the fish in tight to the shoreline.

Though we all hear stories of huge bass caught on scraps of worm on tiny hooks, the majority of big bass caught by intention fall to big baits. History also tells us that fish baits give you the best chance of success. If I was targeting a record breaker, I’d be fishing a whole large bluey with just the head and tail fin removed, whole mackerel flapper or the head and guts, one or two whole squid depending on their size, or a whole cuttlefish on big hooks size 6/0.

If you’re fishing beaches, especially steep-to deeper beaches, or estuary channels, then keep your casts to sub 50-yards, as the big fish invariably come very close in. I’d also be inclined to concentrate my fishing to the dark hours, or at least fish well coloured water.

The biggest question to ask yourself, is do you have the patience and the drive to specifically target one of these monsters and ignore the general fishing around you? If you have the slightest doubt you can do that, the likelihood is that you’ll fail. The fish are there to be caught, but you literally have to fish for them and the more time you put in, the better the odds climb in your favour. Only a single minded approach will yield success!

In my opinion, the next two to three years offers the best chance of the British and Irish bass records being beaten. Beyond that, logic suggests the opportunity will diminish for some years to come. For many of us in middle age or older, it’s now or never to catch that bass of a lifetime!

Also working in our favour this time is that the constant high winds throughout November and December mean that little offshore fishing was possible, so the wrecks have literally been rested and should have large numbers of fish on them.

To specifically target the biggest fish we first need to understand how fish live around wrecks.

The smaller more vulnerable species such as pouting, poor cod, smaller codling etc, tend to stay tight in to wreckage and solid structure as this gives them both shelter from the tide run, but also hidey holes they can run to when pursued by bigger predators. It’s this concentration of smaller food fish that keeps the bigger cod and pollack hunting in and around the wreck.

Only when shoals of sprat, sandeel and herring shoal up over the top of the wreck some distance up in the water column will the pollack leave the wreck to capitalise on this food supply. This tends to occur either side of slack water when the tide run is at a minimum. When the tide run is fast during the main flood and ebb of the tide, then the fish return to the shelter of the wreck where the structure breaks the flow of tide and the fish expend less energy.

This simple understanding of how fish use wrecks for shelter and food tells us we need to fish our lures right in amongst the snags and wreckage to maximise our catches. Tackle losses will be high, but the returns of big fish will compensate for this.

Pollack can be selective as to what size of lure they want and this tends to be when sprat and sandeel of a roughly uniform size are their main diet at the time. This means the angler needs to carry a few different sizes and experiment with each on the day until you find the size the pollack take most frequently. Berkley Ripple Shads in sizes 4-inch and 5-inch are consistent fish catchers, with Power Worm lures and artificial sandeels up to 10-inches also highly effective.

Colour can also play a part and generally black, red, blues and greens are good on overcast days, with orange, white and yellow good in brighter conditions and when the water is slightly coloured after storms, but again experiment on the day.

Bigger cod are less active than pollack and literally work right in amongst the wreckage picking off smaller food fish. This means they are less prone to being lure size sensitive and tend to take whatever comes their way. Although the cod will take the smaller lures suggested for pollack, the bigger shads up to 8-inches long or more can be deadly for the bigger fish with the top colours black, red, white and especially orange.

Because of the depth of water you’re likely to be fishing, and the potential loss of tackle, it pays to minimise terminal tackle used to present the lure. One of the simplest and best rigs for working lures is what is commonly called the Whitby rig. Tie a large and strong size 2/0 swivel snap link by the eye to the end of your shock leader and secure the lead weight in to the snap link. Take another snap link and attach this to the top eye of the first swivel. To the free eye of this second swivel tie on 5 to 7-feet of 20 to 40lb Fluorocarbon line. For pollack 20 to 25lb line is adequate, but for the cod use 40lb.

The above rig works well with all the shads and sandeel type lures when fished with a jighead. It does not tangle as the jighead pulls the hook length tight and away from the shock leader when you begin to retrieve. You can also use any size of shad and jighead with it from a half ounce upwards.

This rig can be used two ways to present the lure to the fish. For the cod you can drop the lure until it hits the wreck or seabed, raise it up about 5-feet off the seabed, then slowly lift the rod tip up and down to make the lure rise and fall just up off the seabed. This “hopping” technique is deadly for cod! The cod will just whack the lure and drag the rod tip over pretty much hooking themselves.

For pollack, drop the lure to the seabed, but immediately it hits bottom start a slow and steady retrieve swimming the lure up through the water column. Count the turns of the handle to no more than 25, then drop the lure back and start over. When a pollack takes you’ll feel increasing pressure on the rod tip. Keep retrieving until the rod tip pulls right over and the fish turns back for the seabed setting the hook itself. There is no need to strike!

Another easily made mistake is that anglers tie their braid line direct to the lure. This can see a drop in takes when working lures. You need to tie on to the braid line a shock leader of clear mono, or Fluorocarbon, about twice the length of the rod. This visually creates a separation between the braid and lure and gains bites from suspicious fish that may follow but not take the lure if they see the hard colour braid.

If you’re worried as to what tackle to use, then fishing 20lb braid for the pollack with a 25lb shock leader is a good balance, but for the big cod right in amongst the metal, go for 30lb braid with a 40lb shock leader.

When using mono on both shore and boat reels, I look for limited stretch, high knot strength, but a line that recovers quickly when pulling hard on big fish that suddenly turns direction creating partial slack. This quick recovery ensures pressure on the hook hold is better maintained.

For long range casting leaders I prefer a semi stiff, minimal stretch mono in 60 or 80lbs. Being stiff with little elasticity means that contact with the lead, when setting up the cast, is maintained. And because the leader has minimal stretch, I find you maximise the power of the lead and rod compression when pulling through on the power stroke prior to lead release.

Also, with minimal stretch, when the leader is going through the rod rings, there is minimal catapult effect as the stretch contracts creating less slack line to bunch up in the intermediate rings as it travels through.

For general shore fishing with multiplier reels I like a main reel line that’s fairly supple, but with not too much stretch, and it also needs good knotting ability. With a fixed spool reel, then ideally I like a slightly less supple line that flies off the spool easily, but again with minimal memory so that the line is not prone to throwing up big coils of line as it spills off the spool.

See what I mean…it’s not easy to find an all round solution! And it doesn’t end there!

Across all mono lines, overall I’m especially looking for consistency in diameter and strength. Some lines can alter breaking strain by a few percent across a given length, this can be due to manufacturing weaknesses, but a variance in diameter is a common cause. This becomes a problem when working very big fish that need to be bullied through rough ground. Any weaker areas will come under extreme pressure and will result in lost fish.

Abrasion is always a hard factor to understand. Soft lines tend to stretch a lot and if they get a surface nick, as pull stress increases the nick in the surface also extends and weakens inevitably resulting in the line parting. The other side of the coin is that a harder surface line resists abrasion better and reduces the likelihood of this happening. Trying to find a line with a happy medium is difficult!

For sheer versatility, currently I’m using Berkley XTS Saltwater Red. I’ve been using the 15lb XTS on my ABU 6500i TSR’s for maximum range fishing and find it very reliable and smooth casting off these smaller, highly tuned reels.

The 20lb XTS is on my Penn 525Mag2’s for medium rough ground fishing, and it’s stood up well. At a pinch, in snotty weather with lots of weed about, I’ll load with the 25lb. It recovers quickly after heavy direct stress, but has a good abrasion resistance, and is supple enough to cast extremely well off a multiplier spool in the heavier diameters.

The 30lb I’ve been using for most of my shore conger and huss fishing on bigger reels such as my original ABU 9000C 2-speeds. Its ability to initially give, then recover quickly has helped shy congers take the bait without feeling to much rod or line pressure resulting in more fish caught.

When fishing bass over rough ground with crab, I’ve also chosen the XTS in 20 and 30lb as a main reel line fishing direct to the rig. Its dark red colour tends to “hide” in amongst the rocks and weed well, but its rapid recovery and abrasion resistance have proven it a good choice.

Though admittedly I much prefer multiplier reels for long range fishing, I do sometimes switch to big fixed spool reels when field testing and for some long range fishing situations in calmer weather over clean sand with the longer European style rods. The XTS has proved a good reliable line for maximum range casting with the big fixed spools when mono is my preferred choice. It comes off the spool cleanly with line coils reduced to give a cleaner flow through the rod rings.

I’ve also been using the 20 and 30lb for a fair bit of my boat fishing. The 20 and 30 were loaded on my Penn International 16 and 30 shark reels this year and it proved a tough and reliable line with the ability to pour off the spool smoothly when light line fishing for very big fish.

And with its listed advantages I’ve also used the 30 and 45lb as a leader material when fishing 3 and 4oz leads at night in the surf for bass and general species.

As mentioned, each individual angler will have a specific preference in lines, and we’ve also stated there is no “perfect” all round line. But in my own fishing I’ve found Berkley XTS Red is currently covering 75% of all my mono fishing.

It’s available in breaking strains 12lbs, 15lbs, 18lbs, 20lbs, 25lbs, 30lbs and 45lbs, so covers all aspects of sea fishing.

But recently the Gods must have been otherwise engaged and forgot to glance my way. I’d seen a low pressure system tracking in from the Atlantic that coincided with big tides and just knew there would be the chance of a cod.

I watched the weather system move in and sure enough it tracked across towards Wales exactly as anticipated. Low water was at 4am, so I’d fish either side of low water.

The mark I had in mind is clean sand in close, but changes to rough seed mussel and rock at range, which is where the cod are. I had a prototype ABU 7000 that I’m field testing for possible inclusion in the ABU reel range sometime in the future, and this would be its first ever outing. I loaded it with 20lb line and added a 60lb shock leader.

Down on the beach the wind had eased slightly, but the surf was big, creaming white out in the dark, and making a thumping sound as it rolled over on to the sand before chasing up the beach. There was the odd bit of weed on the shore, but nothing serious.

My first few casts, even when wading as far as possible, couldn’t quite reach the distant reef, but an hour before low as I lifted the rod to retrieve I felt the lead weight bump over hard ground. My confidence renewed I sent a big black lug bait out as far as I could, then settled in to watch the rod tip for bites.

The wind, slightly warm on my face, had almost completely died, but a faint, intermittent drizzle came in from the west. Occasionally a star would peep through the cloud only to fade out as the racing clouds scudded across the sky.

That was a bite! Winding down in to the fish I felt weight, but knew straight away this was no cod and reeled in a dejected looking dogfish. The next two casts produced two more. But then bites eased as it neared low water.

Dead on the turn of the tide, the rod tip shuddered as if to say “wait for it”, then pulled over in three good jolts. I hit the fish and felt some weight. The fish did nothing for the first 30-yards then woke up, trying to bolt back out. Pumping the rod gained plenty of line but I gauged the fish was still outside the furthest breaker. It thumped the rod tip, held in the tide, then relinquished and I gained more line.

The weight on the rod tip was somewhere near now, out there in the gloom and creaming white water. It ran parallel, first to the right then doubled back on its self. It then hung in the backwash and my headlight picked out a tail breaking surface momentarily as it got its head down and bored for the bottom.

I waited with the fish under light pressure, just out in slightly deeper water, looking for a big roller to wash the fish ashore. I saw the roller I wanted building and as the weight eased on the fish walked back retrieving as I went to see the codling nose ashore. I steered it to safety by the hook length. Not a big fish, maybe 3lbs, but my first shore cod of the winter, a good way to christen a prototype reel, and a satisfying result all for the first time of trying.

Two casts later I hit what felt like a similar fish, that thumped away out in the tide, but after 30 seconds the hook hold gave and the codling slunk away to grow bigger.

Walking back off the beach I swung a glance back at the surf. The wind was freshening with the new tide, the surf was building, the drizzle was heavier, but it felt good to have cheated the Gods and stolen a prize from right under their nose!

Sebile need no introduction to the more experienced UK lure bass anglers as these guys have been importing them from overseas for some time, and to great effect with large numbers of big bass taken on these incredibly lifelike lures. Such has been the success of some of these lures that “in the know” pluggers have deliberately kept the best patterns quiet.

What anglers appreciate about Sebile lures is that the components used are top quality. If a component is not available that’s up to the job, Sebile will design their own.

This design impact is applied especially to the lure actions. I recently witnessed a demonstration by Sebile founder Patrick Sebile and watched him work and describe the lures he designs. It’s a simple yet complex process taking in to account exactly how a lure action needs to be to imitate a wounded or distressed fish, but also to maximise movement for minimum rod action, as well as get perfect balance for action for underwater lures, and for surface poppers. Balance in the lure is also crucial to maximise casting range.

I was using Sebile plugs long before the company became part of Pure Fishing. Some of the patterns I’ve done especially well with over recent times are as follows….

SPLASHER FW
This has caught bass for me in both Wales and in Cork in Ireland. It is formed with a wide open cup mouth that when worked across the surface creates both noise and splash to draw predators in. It also pays to let the plug pause briefly for a few seconds, both when the plug first hits the surface, and again periodically on the retrieve. Bass will hit a suddenly stationary plug as they think an injured fish is dying or recouping energy, plus is an easy target.

STICK SHAD
This is a floating lure that can be made to fish just sub surface and occasionally break water to create commotion. At slow speeds the movement is a more controlled side to side wobble, but at higher speeds the movement becomes unpredictable and erratic, just as a wounded fish does when trying to swim or avoid predators. Again a great bass lure, but also good for dusk and dawn pollack in shallow water bays.

SLENDER EEL
What a bass lure! This suspends in the water with a nose down posture, but on retrieve sweeps from side to side. Again let this lure “rest” periodically for steam train attacks. A great lure when targeting fish in gin clear shallow water as the entry of the lure is relatively light and quiet. Brilliant when sandeels are the bass’s main food interest.

GHOST WALKER
This looks an odd shape, but is deliberately so to enable the angler to maximise the effectiveness of the “walk the dog” surface technique. This lure casts to long range, is perfectly balanced, and at slow and faster retrieve speeds has a side to side zig zag movement on the surface that creates an enticing wake. Watch for bass literally broaching half out of the water to pounce on this plastic! Fitted with an internal tungsten bead, this lure also emits a “knock” as the bead moves wall to wall that will draw bass and other predators in from long range.

These are just four of my favourite Sebile lures that I’ve already had great success with.

With bass staying later and later in to the year, there’s still chance to catch lure caught bass in 2011, in fact almost right up to Christmas, especially in the south of the UK,  the Channel Islands and southern Ireland. However, most bass anglers will already be looking at replenishing their plug stocks and looking to try out new patterns for the 2012 season. There are scores of lures in the whole Sebile range and all have a reputation for catching fish, plus they are designed for maximum action and maximum durability.

The Sebile range of plugs and lures will be available from selected tackle shops and are well worth checking out if you’re serious about catching big bass!

Also check out the Sebile Soft Weight System for use with soft plastic imitators such as grubs, worms and shads