Probassfisher - from Jim Hendrick

Its beginning to feel that fish might be on their way

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Wexford Harbour May evening 2013

Thoughts on the close of business - the anticipation!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:03:00 +0000

The many things I think about when I know the fishing for bass is closed, probably too many! The bass guiding business and its operation is limited and I have always accepted those limits, plugged those constraints into the business model so to speak.

I fully realise its difficult times in Ireland at the moment and there’s a tendency to want to rush to improve the economics of the situation. So considering opening the current bass angling restriction on the basis of commercial interest alone is not, in my opinion a good idea.

This week I have had requests for 12 days of guided fishing from International visitors during May and early June. These people were not aware of the closed season and were of course interested in the reasons as to why Ireland had one? All of them considered a closed season during ‘optimal’ spawning time a good thing, we had lots of interesting discussions regarding timings, C+R, extended periods, angling impact.

The limits of the fishery allow it to be what it is. This is what you have to work with. The truth. After ten years of experiences under these challenges you grow to accept the patterns of nature, the highs and lows of the fishing, twiddling your bass thumbs during the closed period, the delight, the excitement, the anticipation, the tough drudgery, the evolving changes, the beginning and the end of the week, the season! A bass fishing guides life.

HERE HERE and HERE

Man in extremis

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:53:00 +0000

Courtesy of the artist and the Irish State Art Collection

Anne’s work will be on show this summer in Madrid, Warsaw, Rome and Dublin!

How’s that for posh?

Source: Sunday Independent May 12t

http://whitewolfprojects.com/

Right place, right company – May 11th

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:21:00 +0000

Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:05:00 +0000

Notice of Public Information Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:54:00 +0000

Modernisation and consolidation of the legislation governing the inland fisheries sector

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Fergus O’Dowd, T.D. invites members of the public and interested parties to attend a public information meeting to canvass views on the major elements of new inland fisheries legislation, in advance of the statutory consultation period.

Details of venues, dates and times for the information meetings are as follows;

Drogheda in the D Hotel on Monday 29th April 2013 at 6pm
Tuam in the Ard Rí House Hotel on Tuesday 30th April 2013 at 6pm
Carrick-on-Shannon in the Landmark Hotel on Wednesday 1st May at 6pm
Clonmel in the Clonmel Park Hotel on Thursday 2nd May at 6pm
Dublin in the Lucan SPA Hotel on Wednesday 8th May at 7pm

The Minister of State wishes to canvass a comprehensive range of views to inform the general thrust of the new legislation and the purpose of these meetings is to update interested parties on the process for submitting their views.
The statutory written consultation process will commence on Monday 13th May.

A world away, I don’t think so!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Over the last few days the schoolie fishing has turned on across the Southern New England region. Many have been frustrated with the “long” (although some would say closer to normal) transition into spring. In any event the breeze has often been SW lately and the moon tides have put the the bait in gear. Now both recently arrived stripers and bait can be found in the bays and estuaries as one would expect. So all those who have called over the last two weeks and got a cautious response to “Are there any fish around?” will now get ” It’s go time!”. Have fun! Check out this and older reports in the fishing reports section of our blog.

From The Saltwater Edge Newsletter

From a Wexford perspective lets hope the next few days bring back those much sought after SW’s and a run of fish, its getting there!

Why the fly is cool!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:25:00 +0000

I find the map and draw a straight line

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:53:00 +0000

the significance of detail

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:46:00 +0000

Workshop weekend–Fly & Lure MAY 11th and 12th

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:09:00 +0000

Bass Fishing Workshop by JimHendrick

If you happen to be attending the bass fishing workshop on Saturday May 11th - please find the details of our plan for the day above. Also please be aware that the weekend sits on a good tidal spectrum and low tide on Saturday is close to 13:30. This means we can actively fish the rising tide during the afternoon and into the evening.

Sunday mornings tide is also an acceptable one and if the weather happened to favour us an overnight stay might be something to consider.

Keep an eye on here during the week previous and I will indicate as best I can if this opportunity exists for any person who might like to take the opportunity

Please bring you waders, boots, and your bass lure fishing gear – plus any lucky charms you might have!

Fly details later this week

‘Wild Wexford’ leaflet includes bass

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:08:00 +0000

Wild Wexford by WexfordCoCo

Year to year

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:13:00 +0000

The photograph above was taken in my back garden on the morning of the 08th of April 2008. (from this post) We had snow in Wexford that morning, it was the first time Dan and Ruth had seen snow. It stayed on the ground for forty minutes.

Today, on a similar date five years later, the same apple tree shows significantly lower levels of growth than seen in the photograph above.

Does this mean that the apple tree will, suddenly, over a very short period accelerate in its growth pattern if conditions change or will it take time?

Will spring ‘catch up’ quickly or when you look at the rings when the tree is cut will 2013 indicate a very cold spring?

I’m banging my head against a wall here – with three ‘prototypical’ flies ready for 2013’s bass fishing season and a range of flies for golden grey mullet sea trout and bream sitting begging to be fished! It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks pan out. Stay sane.

A Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:48:00 +0000

Relationships in bass fishing – there are many!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:59:00 +0000

‘It is natural for people to want to simplify their understanding of fly fishing the striper surf and the behaviour of striped bass. Everyone wants an uncomplicated formula to apply that will lead to the rich rewards that have made all surfcasting famous. Were it that simple, of course, we would all grasp what conditions were magic and, as a result, no stripers would remain. In fact, it is complicated because the list of conditions that dictate bass movement and behaviour is as long as your arm. Moreover, to keep this formula from being too easy, the conditions, and how they relate to and influence one another, change everything.

For instance, it is not enough to know that an onshore wind contributes to the fishing. If it is February the bass are a thousand miles away in warmer water, which serves to illustrate the relationship between wind and temperature.’

Frank Daignault – Fly fishing the striper surf 2004

Fly fishing for bass - Positive turnover Part one

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:24:00 +0000

‘The good news about catching big bass is that anyone who can cast twenty yards (not a hundred and twenty),who is willing to approach the business with an open mind and who has a moderate degree of patience, can succeed.’

Alan Vaughan – Hooked on Bass 1988

_______________________________

I can cast a fly from a boat to a 100lb Tarpon on a #7 rod. Tarpon flies are not very big, they’re certainly not bigger than a regular fly I might cast to a bass here in Wexford. However I would have a LOT of trouble landing a 100lb Tarpon on a #7 rod, whereas, if I wanted to cast a big autumn bass streamer into a southerly force five on a cool November day on the same gear I would also have a pile of trouble! I need to go up a couple of sizes, but I want my gear to remain in balance with the size of fish I’m trying to catch.

There’s a lot going on here, flies, lines, rods, fish size, conditions, casting, fighting fish!

Saltwater fly fishing for bass is not easy, or rather, fly ‘casting’ for bass is too often the very difficult part of it, if not the most difficult, part for many people. I’m on a constant search for ways and means to make it easier both for my customers and myself. One of these ‘ways’ that I have spent a hell of a lot of time on is turnover and fly delivery for bass.

I want my fly to land where I want it to be and I want to connect and control it immediately after it has landed.

Sometimes that’s not easy, in fact its downright bloody tough!

Under reasonably ‘normal’ circumstances most people can cast to bass or mullet or seatrout – anything from a light saltwater #6 through to a #7 will cover the fly size and fish perfectly. In sheltered estuaries its often all that we need. Taking a #6 or #7 out onto the open windy coast with bigger flies however has its limitations! Rather than fly size dictating the gear we use, oftentimes conditions are now setting the bar.

And lets face it, isn’t this where its at a lot of the time? Windy over the right side, waves breaking, rocky shores, line management, bigger flies – opportunities for bigger fish. We need all the help we can get. I am convinced of one thing though – good turnover at fifteen or eighteen yards is worth much more than dumping the fly at twenty five or twenty eight. And this is where we CAN do it easier and more effectively even though its tough!

Don’t think distance (and often having to deal with the subsequent recovery) think getting closer, more accurately and with a better ‘straight to’ swim - IMMEDIATELY.

If you are one of those lucky people who can cast nice flies into strong head winds a considerable distance with good turnover and still manage the line – awesome!

And if you are not?

What are we exactly required to do? What is it that saltwater bass fishing requires of our fly casting and fishing in these circumstances? How do we make it easier?

On a rocky windy coast with rising tide

Early tide steps
- We are casting and moving from target to target – nearly always
- We need to fish early in the rise with a floating or very slow intermediate line –
- Turnover and delivery needs to be excellent
- A longer polyleader on the floater – 10’-0” (float or slow sink)
- A shorter polyleader on the inter – 8’-0” (slow sink)
- A fly that rides high ‘hollow fleye’ tied dense, or popper
- To some extent we are often casting at or close to very specific possible white water locations
- Some accuracy is required
- We are not drifting flies
- We are not blind casting
- We don’t cast constantly
- Its likely we will see some fish
- We are thinking very quickly
- We don’t need to cast far, fish are always just behind the waves following them in to pick up opportunities
- Expectations of big fish are high
- Flies are often fished fast in shallow water – stopped when possible
- CASTER SKILL – distance decreased – accuracy high – turnover high – line management medium
Mid tide steps
- We are pushed back from our targets, faster and more frequently
- Water depth is increasing and with wave activity a switch to an intermediate is good
- We will need to increase our casting distance a little
- The density of our fly is decreased, its getting down a little more
- The size of our fly is increased a little
- Switch to a shorter leader on the intermediate – 6’-0”
- Our chance to drift flies may increase – change to a floater with an intermediate polyleader if the opportunity presents
- Less accuracy is required
- Turnover needs to be good
- Our ‘blind’ casting increases more and more to remembered ‘hot spots’
- Retrieve speeds vary – mid water
- Expectations of big fish decrease
- CASTER SKILL – distance increased – accuracy decreased – turnover increased – line management high
High tide steps

We are a considerable distance from our initial start
Water levels are much increased
Fly size is increased again
Sink rate of leader is increased if remaining on intermediate line
Depending on location (tidal movement) a change of line to S3 or similar might be strategic
Leader length is decreased – 4’-0”
Blind casting increases
Expectations of bigger fish increase again
Distance is not a requirement
Flies are fished slow and down (depending on overall depth presented)
CASTER SKILL – distance decreased – accuracy decreased – turnover good – line management medium

Some further notes here – Little casts for bigger fish

Bass in Galway

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:56:00 +0000

Fed up

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:26:00 +0000

Definition of FED UP

: tired, sated, or disgusted beyond endurance

When a hawk has eaten its fill (in falconry speak, when it’s “crop is full”) it won’t want to hunt. Of course, another way of saying it’s eaten its fill is to say it’s “fed-up.” The phrase has moved from a bird who doesn’t want to hunt anymore to a person who is bored, annoyed, or disappointed, especially with something that they have experienced for too long.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org

Ever notice that when you bring a bass home to eat you more than likely find its stomach is empty? You may then conclude rightly that the reason it ate our fly or lure was because it was hungry and actively feeding. Sometimes I find myself wondering if, during the fight that, the fish might have regurgitated his last meal in an attempt to shed the hook. If the fish did have food in his stomach how much food was there initially and how much more was any bass prepared to eat and when did the fish stop and start feeding?

Lots of questions as usual! We all know well at this stage that bass, will, in most instances, eat anything that moves, crabs, shrimp, sandeel, gobies, worms, cuttlefish. They do at times become selective and very efficient, but over time cannot be completely selective at the risk of missing an opportunity to increase a lipid reserve.

Lots of energy is spent chasing food, this energy must be replaced, hunger must be sated, normal physiological requirements met, growth patterns followed and even the laying down of a fat reserve is all required from feeding.

If you know where and when bass may be feeding AND you know what they may be feeding on then your chances of catching them increase. Bass don't have teeth and so tend to swallow their food in its entirety. Not having a set of chompers to cut prey in half and eat smaller pieces requires a different type of mouth and swallowing action. Fish need to swallowed head first I guess, crabs and other shellfish must be dealt with too which can't be easy!

Once swallowed the food finds its way into the convoluted stomach system. This convolution is known as the rugosa. This system creates an increased stomach area without increasing the size of the stomach itself. This also increases the bass’s ability to absorb its food very quickly. A bass feeds until it can hold no more food this might mean feeding over several tides, and then the fish takes time out to digest the stomach contents. During this ‘time out’ period fish will not be excessively active.When the contents of its stomach have been absorbed the fish begins to move, becomes more active and starts to feed again, hence when we catch them we catch them with empty or just beginning to fill stomachs.

When do bass feed? During the season springtime heralds their arrival and forage is often sparse, summer seems particularly active and also during the post spawning period. There appears to be a slow down in late summer as temperatures rise and then an Autumn rush to get fat on for winter as temperatures cool again. But once water temperatures begin to drop towards 10 degrees the fishes metabolism begins to slow and once that happens they tend to feed less frequently. This doesn't mean you can't catch bass In cold water, you can of course it's just less likely to happen with any great frequency. In colder water digestion takes longer too, what often might take a few hours to digest during summer might take days during winter. That is of course if temperatures are conducive to feeding in the first place.

I believe that even in cooler temperatures and when presented with unexpected food sources these opportunities are taken advantage of whenever possible and bass will eat.

That was then - this is now

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:52:00 +0000

Walking today, along a drab cold Cork coast, I couldn't help but remember what I was doing this time last year. Back then it was a sunny bright dry and warm week, in fact on one afternoon around the 27th I think I remember reading a local air temperature of 16 degrees. Water temps still remained relatively cool though and a sharp easterly put a bite on it at times. This was from my Kestrel hand held weather station an invaluable piece of equipment really.

But we took fish William and I, and Richie tried his usual 'non standard' variations on a theme.

I made a post about it here I-Shad Sunset and I still remember it as one of those magic times that jump out every now and again.

Looking out over Cork harbour now from the warmth of the kitchen, it hardly seems like the same country - but such are the challenges and opportunities of the bass fishing environment - every year poses something different !

A parade

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 15:36:00 +0000

March 17–Wexford

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

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A river of silver at sea

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:11:00 +0000

Working hard, everyday…

Never notice how the time slips away

People come…seasons go…

But we got something that will never grow old

Neil Young – Silver and Gold

Salty seatrout

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

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Landing Gear

Rods – TFO Ticrx #7, G-Loomis GLX CC #7

Lines – Rio Outbounds, Guideline Coastal slow inters #7’s

Leaders – Airflo saltwater 10’-0” clear intermediate – Rio fluoroflex +

Flies – Lavender flatwings 2”- size 1’s

Direct foreign investment

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:56:00 +0000

Exporting the best of C+R bass angling from Co.Wexford

Saltwater Fly & Lure techniques

Enjoy the series of filmed shorts made for bissclips.tv on the links below

The Wolf of Wexford I

The Wolf of Wexford II

The Wolf of Wexford III

The Wolf of Wexford IV

Made over five days during the difficult season of 2013 with Holger, Holger and Markus. A nice experience working with down to earth capable anglers who seemed really to enjoy the opportunity to simply be out there and doing it.

For me I felt the pressure knowing what a difficult season it had been and hoping that the systems might perform just to show case a little of the Irish saltwater sport fishing perspective and potential.

The harder you work the luckier you get I hear!

Weekend workshops– Guided Fly fishing & Fly tying

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:44:00 +0000

Spring is fast approaching. With the days getting longer and grey cold January and February slowly being left behind its time to start thinking about getting out there!

Within the next thirty days or so mullet and sea trout will become more accessible to us, and indeed in some locations in Ireland we are already having some success, provided the weather stays kind of course. Of course we are holding our breaths for the return of our spiky friends too.

Brian and I will run combined and blended tying/fishing/guided weekend workshops over the weekends after March 17th up to and including May. There are several options within the workshops, ranging from a one day stop to a three-day adventure!

Workshops are limited to two people only per workshop.

Learn to tie the following flies for your seatrout, mullet and early Spring bass fishing

Dead drift shrimp
Mini clouser minnow
Flatwing fry
Mini flatwing
BF herring fry
Deceivers

And then enjoy being guided to some great locations to fish with your own creations.

I will be posting more details for your available options later this week here on Probassfisher

Jim

Spring starter set – saltwater fly

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Hendrick) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:17:00 +0000

In the beginning there is no doubt that thrashing flies is a distinct possibility – this spring pack of ten comes to you at a very accessible price – practice and fish with these and then when your ready, move up!

Pack contains

4 Deceivers (not shown) – # 1 various colours
2 Clouser minnows – # 1/0 , 1
2 Polar minnows lavender grey white - #1/0 , 1
1 Polar minnow chartreuse – # 1
1 Polar minnow lavender grey white – #1/0

Special offer February €21.00 at the coastal fly shop HERE

Fish these flies up, drifted, retrieved or down – easy to cast and very durable too, they are ideal to get started with.

suitable for lines from #6