Beautiful bass testing ingenuity for anglers

Bass seem to have been the target for many this week with anglers out and about on our beaches, rock marks and estuaries fishing for this prized fish using a variety of methods.
Bass are one of those fish that can be caught using different methods and good fish have been landed on both lures and bait. Arron Griffiths fishing the Honiton SAC evening competition at Branscombe landed the best of the week at 8lbs using peeler crab for bait.
Dwayne Jones fishing an undisclosed mark landed one of a similar weight using a paddle tail lure. Adam Jones fishing a night session with lure expert Tony White had one that tipped the scales at 6 lbs.
Alex Webb of Exmouth has been out and about in his local area on his own and with his daughter, both caught plenty of fish using ragworm for bait on a one up one down rig. Damion Fryer has also been fishing the Exe with small shore jigs with plenty of small fish being caught and returned. Honiton SAC evening competition was won by colin Beery with 300 percent, his catch included, Bull Huss, Scad and a Mackerel that tipped the scales at over 1lb 1oz.
The charter boats are still reporting plenty of Bass and mid-sized Pollack on the wreck with fish falling to a variety of lures.
Lewis Hodder took a party out on his boat Pegasus from Lyme Regis targeting Conger Eels with plenty coming to the boat, all were unhooked alongside and released safely. The best being a fish estimated at around 70lbs falling to the rod of Stuart Bunney, who was fishing with a hook-up baited with Mackerel.
Elsewhere afloat, Daniel Patrick fishing the Skerries from his own boat found several hungry plaice take his bait as did Kayak angler Marcus Ward, who launched from a South Hams beach and also found them obliging. Daniel was using an attractor rig baited with Razor fish.
Good news this week for young angler Archie Sweetland of Honiton SAC, who was picked for and is attending an Angling Trust pathway fishing and training camp - a fishing star of the future.
Newbarn Angling centre regular Steve Brettle landed a fine looking Common Carp of 19lbs this week using a hair rigged boilie.
A couple of competitions coming up are the “Five go fishing in Dorset” open boat competition at Lyme Regis on August 21 and 22, organised by the Lyme Regis SAC, details from The tackle Bos in Lyme on 01297 443373 or Lewis Hodder on 07519 160020.
The Wyvern small boat competition will take place this year on September 11 and 12, full details will follow. This event is always popular and attracts anglers from as far afield as Kent and Wales.
This month’s fish of the month competition is open for more entries please send pictures send details to johnsherlockfish @gmail.com. As always, the prizes are given by our kind sponsors Sidewinder Lures and Newbarn Angling Centre.