Lure Fishing For Big Sea Bass part 2 (Samson Enticers)
With a great start to the trip and swells still just under the 2 meter mark, I made the most of it and headed for another favorite spot I had fished many times over the past 25 years!
It was low tide in the morning and the spot I chose was generally all or nothing!
Many times I had ended up with nothing here, even when it looked like the conditions were perfect!
It can really be like that in Portugal. The bass are either there or they are not and in that case you may as well try another spot.
But with a few epic sessions in the past including an 18 pounder followed by my PB bass just under 20lb I knew it was always worth a go!
I must say it’s a great feeling when it all comes together making the right choice for the conditions and you are rewarded with some bass!
It certainly doesn’t always work out like that, but having experience fishing in your area can be a great help.
After choosing a well positioned rock which enabled me to cover as much ground as possible, I sent out lures in all directions. Casting across the waves can be very effective and from this spot I was able to also cast out towards the breaking waves and close to the shore where bass can often be found, especially in the early mornings!
As the morning progressed it ended up being another very fun session.
I was also very fortunate to have not lost a few of the fish, but I certainly came close.
One fish was lip hooked and and the lure just fell out as I grabbed the fish and another slipped off the hook back into the water as I lifted out of by the leader!
My reel took a good dunking as I jumped in after the fish and was lucky enough to grab it in time!
It must have been a bit stunned and didn’t realize for a second it was actually off the hook, and before It knew what was happening, I had it safely in my arms and on its way for a quick photo!
Sometimes you can lose a few in a row and wonder why they are slipping the hook, but this time everything just seemed to stick!
I ended another action packed session with 4 nice bass including a double figure, again all hooked on the Enticer Tweak and Enticer Minnow!
This was fast becoming a very productive trip and the best bass fishing I had experienced in a long while!
The next day saw swells really increasing! After heading up the West coast again but not really finding anywhere that looked fishable, I settled for a calmer south coast spot.
The conditions were looking good and I soon wished I had come at first light instead of spending the first hour or so checking out spots!
At least it was a perfect opportunity to cast the 15g Enticer Tweak bait out, which I had come over to test.
At just 7cm long I was very excited about getting this lure wet!
As soon as it hit the water and I worked it around the rocks, I had a good feeling about this lure being a success.
In the first 20 minutes I hadn’t had any hits but the seabirds were certainly taking a keen interest in it!
After moving a little further along I cast out along the edges allowing the lure to pause and drop down a few feet. About 8 casts in and boom! a nice solid hit on the drop!
I was thrilled to see this lure working on the bass, as it’s one thing testing the action in a lake, but a great confirmation when you get a take during your first session!
I didn’t see any more bass that session, but did have some fun hooking 4 little Safia from the Dorado family!
I was surprised to hook up on these fish with there tiny mouths and only using a single tail hook!
But after watching them follow and take the lure from behind, it made more sense!
I’ve only hooked a handful of these fish in the last 25 years, so it was good to confirm what I suspected about this lure opening up more possibilities to catch a wider variety of smaller predatory fish!
In part 3 the fishing continues to get better as I manage to hook up with a few monster bass!