27/05/2025 - Two estuaries, mixed fortunes

Took the opportunity to hook up with Joel Squires while I was down in Saunton. Cirumstances had prevented us from meeting last year and I was keen to build on the success of previous sessions. Exchanged emails beforehand and whilst Joel had only been out a few times himself this season, he had managed to find a few fish in his last couple of outings so things looked promising. 

After an 8 km paddle up the Taw estuary from Crow Point to Braunton and back with the lads in the morning I returned a couple of hours later to meet Joel in the car park. Got togged up and had a good natter as we walked over the dunes and down onto the estuary. Started off by fishing topwaters over the reef on the last of the ebb without a hint of a fish, so slogged back up the to the mussel beds as the tide turned. Was unusual to walk past a few bait fishermen on the way, which had Joel bemoaning recent social media posts about gilthead bream, smooth hounds and even tope showing up in the estuary, although everyone that we stopped and spoke to was also fishless. 

Out on the mussel beds we carried punching our lures out into the fresh breeze, but as the light began to fade the wind dropped and conditions seemed perfect. However, try as we might the fish were either not there, or just not interested. Nail in the coffin came when I had the mother of all wind knots in my braid after having carefully looked after it, checking it after each cast, all afternoon. Headed back to the cars a tad disappointed, but it had been good to catch up and we pencilled in some plans for later in the year. Fast forward to May Bank Holiday down in Pembrokeshire. 

Saturday was taken up with the mother-in-law's 80th birthday, including assisting the wife put on a surprise tea party up at the village hall with friends and family and then a massive curry in the evening. With plenty of brownie points in the bank I snuck off at 5.30 AM the following morning to the Cleddau estuary. With stiff westerley winds forecast all weekend I had my eye on an area just around the corner from Lawrenny that I thought would hold a few fish at high water and where I would hopefully find a bit of calm. However, I'd forgotten that it was the "Big Retreat Festival" and when I pulled up in the car I found a dozen middle-aged ladies enjoying an early morning wild swim, although it sounded more like an excuse for a chinwag. Got togged up in the chesties, said good morning and then headed a decent distance further up the bank. Was initally flat calm and looked perfect for topwaters. 

Started off subtle with a small Fishus Espetit, working it over the top of the eel grass and bladder wrack. As the breeze picked up and ruffled the water I changed over to a Patchinko 125 and carried on working the area in front of me. After a while the ladies left, but were immediately replaced by a paddle boarding class. Thankfully they steered clear of me and as they disappeared around the bend in the river I changed lures again to a larger Espetit in hot belly glass. First cast a fish slashed at the lure just beyond the edge of the weeds then came back for a second go, resulting in my first bass of the year. Carried on with renewed enthusiasm, but as the tide rapidly ebbed exposing the bare mud beyond the weed beds I figured that the any fish would now have disappeared for pastures new so headed home for breakfast. 

Despite the appalling weather forecast I was back again this morning, hoping that there would be an early window of calm before the storm. However, when I arrived it was already raining and blowing a hoolie, although this did mean that there were no wild swimmers to contend with. Decided to go with soft plastics this time because of the chop on the water and popped on a slender scoop shad on a 5g cheb rig. Spent an hour and a half covering some new ground in the wind and rain without any interest before making my way slowly towards the car. As I came around a slight corner I could see the area that I'd fished yesterday was a bit calmer and that the ebbing tide had started to expose the top the of bladder wrack. Decided that it looked "fishy" and was worth staying a bit longer, so started working the lure in clear channels between the weed in the hope that a bass might still be mooching about. 

Third cast the shad was taken with a thump and a fish took off against the drag of my Penn Spinfisher. Managed to get itself stuck in a clump of bladder wrack, but after I gave it some slack line it was out and off again. When I got it up onto the surface I could see it was a decent fish, so was glad when I eventually drew it safely into the margins - a nice fat bass of 55 cm that made everything worthwhile. Took a couple of snaps on the phone and watched him swim off strongly before carrying on. However, I was pretty wet through by now and starting to shiver with the cold, so decided to end on a high. Left me with a bit if a quandry of what to do on our final day in Wales - had planned to go LRF or trout fishing, but who knows now?!

04/05/2014 - At last, a Devon bass!

After my successful session after those Braunton brownies next up were those elusive, Devon bass. Headed off after breakfast to meet up with Joel Squires down on the estuary again. Had a quick catch up in the car park. Things sounded promising. The coastal marks weren't really producing yet, but Joel had been exploring the estuary and found a few fish. Continued our chat as we walked down to the shore. Was surprised to see that whole sections of sand dune had disappeared since my last visit. The old, wooden shipwreck had taken a battering as well - all evidence of the recent storms that had also demolished the beach hut at Saunton.

Seen better days!

It was slack water after high tide when we arrived, so we started off on the surface lures. Didn't take long for the tide to start to turn, so we slowly moved along with it. Joel quickly had two "basslets" in consecutive casts on a Patchinko, but with nothing more coming after that it was time to move further down the shore and for a change in method. Off came the surface lures and on went 4" Daiwa D'Tails on 14g swimmer jig heads. With the tide now ebbing strongly, it was a case of casting slightly "upstream", tightening up when the jig hit the deck and then keeping in touch with it as bounced along the bottom in the flow. We'd been casting and moving for a while, when I Iooked up to see Joel hit into a good fish.

  

Joel into one

He had just seemed to get it under control when........it came off, much to his disgust! However, it wasn't long before he'd had two more small bass and a flounder (hooked fairly in the mouth). Glanced over a bit later to see his rod bent over yet again and was wondering what I was doing wrong when I had a good solid, unmistakeable clonk on the rod tip. Phew! Was just a small one, but my first Devon bass after a while trying and therefore very welcome.

D'Tail does it...

...at last!

Joel's turned out to be about 2 lb. However, his next one was even better and the biggest of the day - a nice looking fish of 3 lb+.

The big one goes back

Unfortunately that fish also proved to be the last one of the day, the chances of any more ebbing away as we hit low tide. We'd covered a huge distance in a few hours fishing, so the walk back to the cars seemed to go on forever.

Big spaces

I'd also forgotten to put any sun cream on when we started, so was glowing as well as knackered when I got back to the bungalow! Was great fun though and thanks again to Joel. Check out his website via my links, or his new blog at http://joelsoul.com/, and look him up if you're ever in North Devon - he knows his stuff!

06/06/2012 - North Devon & Pembrokeshire

Had a couple more opportunites for a lure-caught bass. Firstly, met up with Joel Squires, aka "Joel Soul" for a social in North Devon. Went to one of his marks near Saunton for the last couple of hours before high tide. Conditions looked good, but we couldn't get a sniff at the first spot, despite going through the lure box, so moved up to the point.

Shiney, but any good?

Again, nothing much happened until a couple of leaping mackerel heralded the arrival of a Grey Seal and probably the end of our chances of a fish from this spot. However, at this point a decent wrasse glided over the rocks under my feet, so it was on with a texas-rigged senko, but even this failed to get a response. Eventually wandered back to the first spot, where we had a few more casts as the tide dropped away again. A shout from Joel indicated he was in - only a small one about 2lb, but a bass none the less and a bit of a relief for Joel as he'd had a pretty slow start to the year. Fished on with renewed enthusiasm, but that was it for the day. A highlight on the way back was a male Wheatear that let us get to within a few feet of his perch on top of a sheep turd before he flew off.

Second bite of the cherry was in Pembrokeshire. Tide times and weather had been all wrong until the very last day, when I was able to get onto the estuary at first light with about two and a half hours before high tide. Conditions weren't brilliant as the river was coloured up after recent heavy rain

Cleddau Estuary

Fished surfaces lure as the tide came in over the rocks. Was concentrating like mad on the Sammy (second from right in lure box above) when I saw a fish subtly swirl behind the lure. Stopped it dead, paused for a few seconds, then started "walking the dog" again. Another subtle swirl and.......that was it!  Carried on, but had to give up as the rapidly rising tide picked up all the loose weed, making presentation impossible. Roll on Summer!



09/10/2011 - North Devon

Headed down to Saunton, North Devon last weekend with the lads for our bi-annual surfing trip. Unfortunately, the same miserable conditions that knocked the surfing on the head also ruined any chance I might have had of catching a bass this time. Had arranged to meet up with Joel Squires, aka "Joel Soul", on the Sunday for another lure session. Joel was optimistic and things looked good as we walked out to the rock mark near Woolacombe in the first light. However, after waiting patiently for the tide to recede and allow us down onto the rocks, we only had a few casts before the rising swell forced us off again. A trip to a different mark on the north coast in the afternoon saw better conditions early on, but the swell, the wind (and two lost plugs!) again proved too much. Thanks to Joel for trying. It'll be third time lucky I'm sure.

Plugging away