Welcome to Part 2, a post that covers my personal catches in 2025 between the months of April and August. I do hope that Part 1 whetted your appetite in regard to some winter bass lure fishing! If not, or if you live in a location where the season is shorter, then perhaps the following paragraphs will serve as inspiration for when the days are longer, the evenings are warmer, and the seas are calmer and clearer.
Absorbed in April
When I release a book, pretty much everything else in my life, be it the guiding (that I’d planned long in advance to limit to a handful of sessions), personal fishing, DIY, and housework (haha) takes a backseat as I set about promoting its existence, alongside emailing all of the kind people who have purchased one or more of my previous titles.
I did find the time to complete a second appearance on The Lure Fishing Podcast with Cormac Walsh (here) in which I talk about all things bass lure fishing related, my consultancy work with Westin Fishing, and of course how I have grown the business (a 2nd Guide of course). And yes, I did make time to ‘keep my arm in’ so to speak via sniffing around some remote estuarine venues with various lure types tucked into my front wader pocket.
I had clearly loved every second of my time spent fishing over the first three months of the year, whilst using the Megabass Sleeper Craw a good 75% of the time I don’t mind admitting. But when the Sun started shining and things began to warm up, I started yearning for that surface lure smash! Thankfully, during one breezy early-April afternoon, that dream scenario of a bass swiping a Patchinko 125 at maximum distance became a beautiful reality.
May (A Tale of Two Lures)
I am often asked, or I very often see within a social media Group or Forum the question: What is the ‘best’ lure for bass? The answer, in my opinion is that the ‘best’ lure is the one that suits the conditions and environment within that moment, and that mimics what it is the bass are most likely to be feeding upon.
Is it a coincidence that a lure mimicking a crab (the Sleeper Craw) is so successful when utilised within an estuarine environment, where crabs a staple dietary item – even more so when the metabolism of the our quarry is slow, and fry and immature fish are thin on the ground?
No it is not, much like in the same way that when the water is clear, the Sun is warming the shallows, and the sand smelt and sand eels are shoaling within them that the bass become ever-so-slightly fixated on hitting things that are shimmering and splashing…
Dusk. Again and again, during the months of May and June, whether I was guiding my clients or fishing alone or with Joe, that period between the Sun setting and it becoming properly dark was when a great deal of activity, and therefore the catches occurred.
Moreover, much like previous years, there were only really two completely contrasting lure types that were accounting for the bass – a Xorus Patchinko 100 or 125, and the Savage Gear Gravity Stick Paulse or Paddle Tail.
Remember what I wrote a few paragraphs ago – that the best lure is the one most suitable for the conditions and environment, whilst representing what they are most probably feeding on. During a late-May evening and into the subsequent night, I landed the bass above (at 60cm) and below (at 58cm) when it was obvious there were copious levels of tiny bass (6-8″) and fairly large (2-4″) sand smelt present.
For me, when tiny bass are splashing, waking, and boiling on the surface in daylight, the larger Patchinko 125 provides the bass lure angler with a weapon to attract the, let’s say ‘cannibalistic cadre’ – meaning you may just pluck out a much bigger one amongst the tidders (that are also less likely to get their mouths around the Size 4 hooks).
Further, when darkness falls and the ‘twilight turmoil’ can often drift into the early eeriness. Or, as is more often the case, the ‘hepped up and enthused’ larger bass are hunting for their supper, they will very often find it crammed into the coves and recesses between the banks of weed regularly found within the mid-sections of the estuaries.
This is when the smaller, 120mm Savage Gear Gravity Stick Pulse Tail, and that delightfully quivering tale section it boasts that has proven to be the difference time and again. In my view, this lure can emulate the darting motion, sudden stop, and tail trembling action of a sand smelt on a specific style of retrieve – one that you can read about in my 3rd book: Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 2).
An Old Friend
Another lure that came to the fore was an old friend of mine and I lure that I first utilised while really cutting my teeth into lure fishing for bass in the dark – the Wave Worm Bamboo Stick (that sadly, I can’t find anywhere for sale, sorry). It was the stillness to the nights, in addition to returning to and seeking out many similar venues where there was very little tidal influence that prompted me to recommence with its use.
In ultra-tranquil conditions and circumstances, I believe that even the pulsing/trembling of a lure is a little too conspicuous, with another saying that I frequently bestow on my clients springing to mind: “make them ‘aware’ of the lure, but do not make it too obvious”. Indeed, it was while fishing into the small hours one summer’s night that, immediately following a lengthy pause to these lethal senkos, that all went solid!
The 67cm mid-summer bass above was a welcome personal capture following a rather extensive and very successful run of guiding with my clients out on the open coast. Pleasingly, over the next series of similar size tides, I managed to repeat my accomplishments on this mark to the tune of bass of 58cm and my 12th 60cm bass of 2025 (see below):
July and August
Although there are always a lot of bass present around our shores in July and August, I generally find that, as the sea temperature is high, the bass are very much ‘transitionary’ in their habits – meaning they simply ‘follow’ where the food is.. Furthermore, getting through the smaller fish often involves either some very late nights, or some very long jaunts across and through the mud!
As you’ll see in ‘Our Client Catches Review for 2025‘ over on my South Devon Bass Guide website and blog, it was by far our best season of guiding to date – with bass of 69cm and 70cm landed in July and August respectively. However, from a personal perspective, during the small number of sessions that I did complete around the guiding in July, and the two week cruise that I enjoyed in August, although I landed a good number of bass, there wasn’t anything significant. All of that would change into the autumn however, as will be revealed in Part 3…
My Books
(Including latest NEW RELEASE: The Lure of The Bass – The Revised Edition)
Whether you are a complete novice in regards to bass lure fishing, or indeed if you are at the stage where you are looking to up your game or gain an additional advantage over these most mercurial of creatures, there is something within all of my books to assist you.
For stock levels, purchasing options (BACS or PayPal) and for more information in regard to the contents of each of my respective publications, you can follow the links below.
The Lure of The Bass – The Revised Edition
Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 1)
Bass Lure Fishing – A Guide’s Perspective (Volume 2)
Thanks for reading.
Part 3 will be released soon!
Marc Cowling
Marc Cowling - Bass Lure Fishing 