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Just returned from a week in Holywell on the north Cornish coast last weekend. The target for me this year was to catch a bass on a lure before the end of the season. So, with new lures and soft plastics, the girlfriend and I set off in search of spots - no this was not purely a fishing expedition, I still had to appease the lady with the usual female activities from time to time!
Having wandered down to the beach in the first night it became immediately apparent that fishing on the north coast was a non-starter due to the huge swells rolling in from the Atlantic. The sunset was canny though...
The following day we headed to the south coast where I knew the water would be calmer and fishable - and that it was. With zero knowledge about the area we parked at a place called Mawnan Church and wandered down to the shore. We were fishing the mouth of the Helford river which is just west of Falmouth Bay and the entrance to the river Fal.
Armed with plugs and soft plastics we began fishing the last hour or so of the ebb. The fishing was slow for the first couple of hours then as the tide turned bang! Something had nailed my Tackle House Feed Shallow and after a few good head shakes took me fast onto the bottom. Everything was fast solid ad the only option was to strip down to my shreddies and wade onto a rock which was not cut off by the tide in order to pull from a different angle and hopefully free the fish...
I managed to free the fish and a minute or so later I was the proud (and soaked) owner of - my first caught caught Pollock! not exactly what I was after but a fish nonetheless!
Straight after it was Joey's turn as her white Red Gill Evo Stick was hot by a Wrasse literally under her feet!
She got another straight after then the fishing went quiet. So not a bad start to the trip, a couple of fish but no bass. Over the next couple of days we hada bit of an explore around the area but didn't do much fishing. On th Thursday we hired a boat for the day and explored Falmouth Bay,we did take rods but could just not connect with a fish. We only had lures and I suspect the outcome may have been better if we'd had bait. It was still nice to be afloat in a new area however.
On our last night on the Saturday evening I decided to have a drive down to a a place called St Anthony's in a last attempt for the target species. We found a nice little spot and immediately I could see shoals of Sandeel occasionally breaking the surface which I knew was a god sign. First half hour was quiet, I was using the Tackle House Feed Shallow again but decided to switch to a blue/silver Maria Squash which dives slightly deeper, second cast and a fish had hit the lure. The scrap was very erratic and I suspected that it may be Mackerel - which it turned out to be. Happy with a fish I carried on and a couple of casts later another fish had hit the lure, this time a small Pollock..
By now the legacy of the booze we'd had the night before was beginning to kick in so the end was close On my second last cast bang! something a lot more lively had slammed the lure and was giving a good account of itself. A couple of minutes later I had my first ever plug caught Bass at my feet! I was extremely pleased!
Not a big fish by any stretch but I wasn't bothered about that. The fish was returned safely and we headed home with big smiles. All in all an enjoyable trip and I'll definitely be heading back down that way when I get the chance!
My next goal after the trip was now to catch a Bass on a plug from the North east coast. Yesterday that goal was achieved! The water was slightly more coloured than I expected with the south easterly swell but I thought I'd give it a go anyway over the shallow rocky spot I'd chosen.
Third cast and my Feed Shallow lure had been hit, my heart was in my mouth and after half a dozen turns of the reel the fish was gone! Gutted! Around four casts later the lure was hit again, as I got the fish to my feet I could see it was a Bass! I was buzzing! As I walked it to the shore the fish shook its head, the hook came free and he was off. Disappointed not to get a picture but extremely pleased to get one from these parts! I'll definitely be out again very soon!
Thanks for reading, tight lines.
Dave
Having wandered down to the beach in the first night it became immediately apparent that fishing on the north coast was a non-starter due to the huge swells rolling in from the Atlantic. The sunset was canny though...
The following day we headed to the south coast where I knew the water would be calmer and fishable - and that it was. With zero knowledge about the area we parked at a place called Mawnan Church and wandered down to the shore. We were fishing the mouth of the Helford river which is just west of Falmouth Bay and the entrance to the river Fal.
Armed with plugs and soft plastics we began fishing the last hour or so of the ebb. The fishing was slow for the first couple of hours then as the tide turned bang! Something had nailed my Tackle House Feed Shallow and after a few good head shakes took me fast onto the bottom. Everything was fast solid ad the only option was to strip down to my shreddies and wade onto a rock which was not cut off by the tide in order to pull from a different angle and hopefully free the fish...
I managed to free the fish and a minute or so later I was the proud (and soaked) owner of - my first caught caught Pollock! not exactly what I was after but a fish nonetheless!
Straight after it was Joey's turn as her white Red Gill Evo Stick was hot by a Wrasse literally under her feet!
She got another straight after then the fishing went quiet. So not a bad start to the trip, a couple of fish but no bass. Over the next couple of days we hada bit of an explore around the area but didn't do much fishing. On th Thursday we hired a boat for the day and explored Falmouth Bay,we did take rods but could just not connect with a fish. We only had lures and I suspect the outcome may have been better if we'd had bait. It was still nice to be afloat in a new area however.
On our last night on the Saturday evening I decided to have a drive down to a a place called St Anthony's in a last attempt for the target species. We found a nice little spot and immediately I could see shoals of Sandeel occasionally breaking the surface which I knew was a god sign. First half hour was quiet, I was using the Tackle House Feed Shallow again but decided to switch to a blue/silver Maria Squash which dives slightly deeper, second cast and a fish had hit the lure. The scrap was very erratic and I suspected that it may be Mackerel - which it turned out to be. Happy with a fish I carried on and a couple of casts later another fish had hit the lure, this time a small Pollock..
By now the legacy of the booze we'd had the night before was beginning to kick in so the end was close On my second last cast bang! something a lot more lively had slammed the lure and was giving a good account of itself. A couple of minutes later I had my first ever plug caught Bass at my feet! I was extremely pleased!
Not a big fish by any stretch but I wasn't bothered about that. The fish was returned safely and we headed home with big smiles. All in all an enjoyable trip and I'll definitely be heading back down that way when I get the chance!
My next goal after the trip was now to catch a Bass on a plug from the North east coast. Yesterday that goal was achieved! The water was slightly more coloured than I expected with the south easterly swell but I thought I'd give it a go anyway over the shallow rocky spot I'd chosen.
Third cast and my Feed Shallow lure had been hit, my heart was in my mouth and after half a dozen turns of the reel the fish was gone! Gutted! Around four casts later the lure was hit again, as I got the fish to my feet I could see it was a Bass! I was buzzing! As I walked it to the shore the fish shook its head, the hook came free and he was off. Disappointed not to get a picture but extremely pleased to get one from these parts! I'll definitely be out again very soon!
Thanks for reading, tight lines.
Dave
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