Northumberland Bass Addict North East Lure Fishing for Bass

Lure Fishing for Bass up in the North East of the United Kingdom can be difficult at times, to say the least!

Yes, I blank as well, blanking is part of life!

I sometimes get asked, “Do we ever get the big 'uns?”

My biggest lure-caught bass in the Northeast is 61cm, so I started to wonder whether any more sizable ones are around?

One afternoon, I was up on the Northumberland coast with David Murray, aka The Fish Whisperer. He’s an absolute master at lure & fly fishing for salmon and sea trout on the Coquet and the Till.

David had requested to come along and learn about lure fishing for bass along our spectacular coast. He'd previously shown me the ropes at catching Sea Trout along the Coquet, so I owed him one.

The conditions were not what I consider great, the water was crystal clear, flat, and calm, with hardly a ripple, not even a wave breaking on the shore. It was the proverbial mill pond.

I’d managed to land a small bass, unaware that I was being watched by someone from the hillside above.

This young bloke came down the hillside and spoke to me; he asked why we fished that particular mark. I replied that I’d had fairly good results there over the years. He then stated that it is far better to fish about 100 meters along the coast, as “That’s where the bigger ones are.”

Honesty is the best policy, so I have to tell you, that’s when I had what’s called an inner eye-rolling moment!

However, I kept a straight face and said, “OK, thanks for the tip!”

The thing is, we can tend to pre-judge, we all have heard the story that the grass is greener on the other side. The bloke had a long rod kitted with mackerel feathers, so I mistakenly did not take his tip seriously.

David and I continued to fish for approximately another hour, then decided to head home. On the way, walking up the hillside, I looked to my left and saw the fellow waving in the distance, calling us over.

I told David the fellow had probably caught some mackerel. However, I was interested in why we were being called, so we headed over towards him.

On arrival, he introduced himself and said his name was Connor, he said he’d seen approximately twenty large bass swimming in the crystal clear water only a few meters out.

We looked, and true to form, David spotted them through his Polaroids. He had a metal lure rigged and quickly sight cast to a huge bass swimming approximately five meters from the water’s edge.

This monster swooped up, took the lure, did this rolling motion, and broke David’s line around some underwater obstacle in under one second! We all stood there, visibly gobsmacked.

I asked Connor why he hadn’t been casting; he replied that he only had the mackerel feathers, he had no other lures with him.

To be honest, I was very touched that he’d called us over, so I dipped into my lure box, selected a quality lure, gave it to him and encouraged him to have a go!

Connor, too, had the correct sunglasses on. He watched the water, walking along the edge, waiting for the fish to return after the commotion caused by David’s fish episode.

Did he blind cast time after time?

No, not at all! He merely walked along the edge and waited.

Suddenly, David and I watched him freeze, poised to cast, then did an extremely short underhand cast, sight casting approximately four meters from the water’s edge. He was onto a good fish instantly! The fight was short and brutal, no quarter given, just off the water’s edge, in very shallow water.

The fish was quickly and efficiently measured with my tape measure, 69cm from nose to tail! This fish was quickly released, in perfect condition, after a quick photo!

What a day to remember! I bet Connor remembers it well!

What have I learned from that day?

Dont pre-judge!

Be kind to others!

Be generous!

Don’t think you know everything!

Don’t discount flat calm conditions!