ZipBaits Fakie Dog DS CW

Here's another cool looking lure I purchased recently;

The ZipBaits Fakie Dog Downsize Crazy Walker.

The lure is 70mm long and weighs 8.2g. I am looking forward to using this in the coming months.
Here's a video of it in action from Ultimate Fishing;

ZIPBAITS - Zbl Fakie Dog "CRAZY WALKER" from HISTOIRES D'EAU PROD on Vimeo.

I really must stop buying lures, I think I have a problem!

Bass at last!

This morning the weather has been appalling, drizzle and rain all day,. However, being my day off I was determined to get out for a fish.

Around 16:00 the rain stopped and at about 16:30 I was out the door and down to the beach. The skies were overcast and there was a North Westerly blowing, the sea was also choppy. There were Terns hitting the water, some far out and some close in. The sea temperature is still only 8.5 degrees and although I was confident there were bait fish around, I was not all that confident of there being any Bass.

I started off fishing with a 7g Jighead and extra large Isome, to see if there was anything about, there was nothing happening.

Over the next couple of hours I went through nearly every lure I had with me. Duo Tide Minnows, Fiiish Black Minnows, Wave Worms etc... yet still nothing.

Eventually the wind dropped off and when that happened the Terns left the shore line, I was not feeling very optimistic!

I looked up and down the shore and wondered where my best chances would be as the tide approached high water. Making my decision I headed off. I decided to try some surface lures and went through my Patchinko 100, Zip Baits Fakie Dogs, ima Salt Skimmer, yet still not a touch. I then decided to clip on my new ima Aldente 95S, cast out and retrieved very slowly, I had a fish take the lure after about five casts in and my heart started to pound, sadly after but a few seconds the fish was off again. I was really not happy and sat down for a while to console myself.

I was not about to be beaten though and started with the Aldente again, fanning out my casts. As High water was corresponding with sunset, a fish engulfed my lure in a spirited swirl and lifting into the fish I knew it wasn't coming off. After a short tussle I finally had my first Bass of 2013 landed and I was super bloody chuffed!

Only a small fish but very very welcome!

It was so damn nice to feel a Bass on my line again, after what has been a long and hard winter! Having the smell of Bass on my hands stimulated my senses and it all came flooding back, I feel like the season has finally started.

I tried to get another for an hour or so but then had to return home, I feel it would have been good to stay into darkness, as that is when I expect the Aldente to come into its own. Maybe next time eh?!

Till then, tight lines all!

A Little Tackle Talk?

I think I can speak for everyone across the UK and Ireland when I say the early Bass season has been the hardest we have known it for a long time, in fact for myself, so far it has been a non-starter.

The sea temperatures are nearly half what they were this time last year and with a slow thaw still leaking icy cold water onto the shore, things are still looking a little bleak.

I have been out a few times but aside from a few fish sightings, I have blanked as far as lure fishing goes.

There is a difficulty to know what to write about when the fishing is so poor, as much as I hear people say "I'd like to hear more reports where people have blanked", it really doesn't make pleasant reading and in reality is about as miserable as the blank itself.

Of course a day out on the shore is always better than a day at work, but thats as much as I'd like to write about it.

There is of course one thing we lure anglers like to do when not out fishing and that is buying lures and lure fishing equipment, so I guess I shall share a few purchases I have made lately. We all love a little bit of shiny don't we?!

I personally get a little excited about lures and especially ones which are currently unavailable in the UK. As I'm sure some of you know, buying from abroad can also work out a bit cheaper in the long run too (At least that's what I tell myself).

So, fishing shallow reefs as I sometimes do, I rather like lures that swim no deeper than 30cm, so not to get snagged on weed and still reach the fish that are help up there. These two appear to fit the bill perfectly;

The Duo Tide Minnow Lipless Slim.

I chose the first colour as the rainbow pearl patterns always seem to do well for me and I feel very confident fishing lures with this pattern. The second pattern is a Mullet Pattern and also tends to be very effective around the UK for many anglers, after all small Mullet tend to be a good food source for Bass. At 19 grams it should cast a good distance and I am quite excited to see how these lures will work for me in the coming season.

The next lure is one I contemplated about buying for a while as, I am unsure it will be effective in our waters, although it may be good on hot sticky summer nights.

The ima Aldente 95s.

From what I understand the Aldente is supposed to mimic a surface swimming Sandworm. Its a sinking wake bait, 95mm long and weighs 7.1 grams. I could possibly cast this on a light rockfish rod, but I bought it for use with my Megabass XOR Shadow SXX-85L primarily in mind.

The next is a surface lure that has been doing some damage for a few anglers here for a while now.

The Zipbaits Fakie Dog.

A lovely finish on this lure and it weighs 12 grams. I also have a couple of the Fakie Dog Downsize coming too, though hopefully by the time they arrive I shall be blogging about catches and not so much about lures.

Now I am not about to neglect the light gaming this year either, I picked up a real bargain from a fellow Lure Forum member recently. Practically new and at an absolute steal of a price!

The Yamaga Blanks Blue Current 80

I think everyone knows how much I love my BLC-74 and this will complement it nicely, I'll be using it for heavier stuff on the open shore and headlands. This at least I have used now a couple of times in the hope of an early Turbot, but I am yet to actually break her in with a fish.

Finally I bought two Sinking pencil baits which I shall easily be able to use on the above rod, whether they will actually do any damage remains to be seen, but they do match the profile of Sandeel and small fry that so many species like to feed on.

The Jackall RollaMinnow 5.1g in Ayu

The ZipBaits S.P.M. 55

The next time you see these lures I very much hope they shall be accompanied by fish! I certainly expect the DUO's and Fakie Dogs to work just fine, but the others are somewhat experimental.

Lets hope we get a run of good conditions soon, I'd personally like to see everything heat up a degree or ten, with a good dose of light westerlies and overcast skies, but who knows? I stand beside my fellow UK and Irish lure anglers and look forward to wading waist deep and to scramble the rocks in search of our various target species. Won't be long now surely???

Tight lines.