Bass : Dicentrarchus labrax

Fishing for Bass

The chart shows some of the venues where Bass are caught around Llŷn and your chances of catching them throughout the year. Click on any of the venue names to find out more.

 

The golden rule when fishing for Bass is: Don't cast too far. Bass are a fish that feed close to the shore line. The most common mistake is to cast over the fish. In a surf, cast only to the third breaker, that is where the Bass will be feeding. They have large mouths so use large hooks. A 6/0 Aberdeen will keep the little fish from rattling your rod and at the same time be taken easily by even a small Bass.

Bass can be caught during daylight and during the hours of darkness. Big baits like a side or head of mackerel, or a whole squid cast short into a likely spot often produce the goods. As do sandeels, prawns and other fish baits. Bass tend to pick up the bait and run with it, if they feel too much resistance from your drag they could drop the bait. Cast out your bait on a running ledger, set the reel drag low and turn on the ratchet. Wait for the rod to bend over and the reel to scream. Don't strike at once, let the fish run a little before lifting the rod. Then hold on!

Many anglers float fish a prawn or sandeel in amongst the rocks with good results. Another method which frequently catches Bass is on a lure. Both the surface and the diving plug work well as do many of the more traditional spinners.

And you can't rule out the increasingly popular method of saltwater fly-fishing. Long streamers imitating sandeels, or smaller fry or shrimp patterns fished in the estuaries and shallow shorelines provides great sport on a 9"/9"6', AFTM 8/9 weight fly outfit.

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