The Before and After Spawning Photo.

The top photo shows a big solid well rounded female bass taken before spawning season which happens during    May to June ( closed season for bass fishing 15th May to the 15th June ) and the bottom photo shows the loss of condition due to spawning. Bass anglers should take great care to return these spent fish so that they can feed up and spawn again in the future. Unfortunately i have seen anglers killing these bass which are the breeding stock when they should be taking the smaller bass ( 4lb - 6lb ) as these haven't matured yet. In America they have a legal limit 40cm to 60cm and anything above or below that limit cannot be killed and that is the way to save the bass stocks by not killing the large breeders. Seeing as the bass season will start up again in mid June i hope that more anglers become aware of this and start returning the bigger bass as they are all females. http://www.vorts.com/bass_fishing/

Boga Grip and Reels loaded with Braid.

The top photo is my boga grip, a very useful tool in holding bass and allowing you to remove hooks without having to touch or damage the bass. Very effective on rocks it stops you struggling with the fish and can hold the bass safely in water until they are ready and strong enough to swim away.
The second photo shows my spinning reels loaded to the brim with braid in different strenghts from 8kilo upto 12kilo. Always bring a back-up reel, the last thing you want is a problem with your reel and having to go home when the fish are biting. The rod in the photo is a Daiwa Regal 10ft two piece 15gr - 50gram an excellent casting rod and powerful enough to land any size of bass as seen in my videos.

Mono versus Fluro

When fishing near rocks and reefs i use a heavy clear mono line due to the fact that it can take a lot of damage from the sharp rocks and still land you your bass, but fluro with one nick will weaken very fast and break. Always check your line and change your tippet if has been damaged from rocks, the amount of anglers that lose fish due to damaged or worn tippets always amazes me. Large chrome swivels stop braid coiling and every so often give a long cast and just reel in under tension this also stops the dreaded birds nest from happening. Don't worry about the bass seeing the heavy mono, it has never been an issue for me catching big bass.

The Heavy Mob.

Just a selection of the heavy baits that i use for distance and depth, they are all about forty gramms each in weight so they will travel far and fish deep. I use them from beaches especially when the bass are staying far off shore ( watch for gulls diving etc. ) these heavy baits will get me out about 150 - 160 metres especially with narrow diameter braid. My reels can take 350m of braid and the rods are able to cast 15gr - 50gramm baits without too much trouble, the trick to long range is how to hold and cast the rod properly and i will be showing this technique in a new video soon.

Popper with a Twist

I have used this set-up on poppers before to catch bass on the surface, you can use rubber or frozen sand eel or a strip of mackerel tied to a mono trace behind the popper. The trace can be anything from 9inches to two feet behind the popper, all the hooks are removed from the popper and it is only used as an attractor and a strike indicator. You pop the popper as normal and every so often stop for a few seconds and if the popper gets pulled under you strike as if you were using a float system. Unfortunately when using poppers you miss a lot of bass but having a bait nearby seems to work due to the smell and surface action. I would like to know if anyone else uses this technique or if anyone wants to try it let me know how you get on. 

Poppers, Sliders and Divers.

Another selection of bass baits that i use especially during the summer months when there is more surface action and you can pull bass in shallow rocky water with poppers and sliders. All of these baits have to be worked by imparting high or side rod action to make the bait skip over the wave or just under the wave, again looking like a distressed fish.

Selection of Spoon Baits for Sea Bass

Here are a selection of spoon baits in various colours and sizes that i use for sea bass. The slim profile lends to distance casting and ease of cutting into an onshore wind, it is also the same profile as many of the bait fish that the bass are feeding on. I prefer to fish with spoons most of the time because they are the most productive for me catching almost all my specimen bass. I use sizes from 15gram upto 40gram depending on such things as water depth, rocky shoreline, sea weed and wave height to get the spoons down to the depth that the bass are feeding without snagging up. It is also good to use a top quality braid fishing line as you can feel the spoon working and also it helps you to impart a good action into the spoon as you are reeling it in. Spoons have a natural wobble all of their own but if you impart a few fast pulls while reeling in and a pause or two that makes the spoon come alive and look like a distressed fish and that is what gets the bigger bass. Colours are also important, some areas work well with tan / silver or green / silver spoons and other areas the bright blues or reds can excite the bass, this comes down to experimentation of bait colours in different water types be they clear, frothy or coloured / dirty. Even the sand eel can be lighter or darker in colour  in some areas so matching the colour can make you more productive.