On The Incoming....

Thousands of fish up to 40lb's crash the flats,, says it all really. Here is some really cool striped bass fishing they really are a super looking fish..... may have just given me the final push I needed....

If you would like to check out the coolest fishing videos out there have a look at the the drake mag site here go to the video section and dream......

Tight lines.

Christmas Opening Hours.....

Happy Christmas to everyone and we would like to say thanks for all your support throughout the year. Below are the Christmas opening hours for the shop...


Dec 24th - 10.00 - 14.00

Dec25th Closed

Dec26th Closed

Dec 27th Closed

Dec 28th 10.00 - 17.00

Dec 29th 10.00 - 17.00

Dec 30th 10.00 - 17.00

Dec 31st 10.00 - 14.00

Jan 1st Closed


Jan 2nd 10.00 - 14.00


If anyone needs anything over the Christmas period and the shop is not open just call the shop on 051393559 as the phone will be diverted to my mobile and I only live two min from shop and have no problem opening up if anyone needs anything . 

We will be having our January Sale on the 6th 7th and 8th, so make sure to call in as there will be some outstanding offers on all gear.

Happy Christmas....

Top 5 Hard lures.....

Top 5 hard lures of the year,

I try to keep a diary of my fishing during the year and looking through it today I picked out the lures which worked best for me this year and here they are no surprises with number one the same as last year....in my opinion the ultimate bass lure....

1) Zonk Gataride (have a soft spot for the pearl rainbow but also had a lot of fish on this colour)

2) Tackle House Feed Shallow (sardine and sardine red belly)

3) IMA Sasuke 140 (cotton candy)

4) IMA Komomo SF-130 slim (definitely the find of the season for me worked extremely well in ultra shallow water)

5)  Megabass X-140 (hama shirasu)

Others worth a mention that didnt quite make it into the top 5 would be the SF 125, FX9 and the Jackson Athlete all outstanding lures on their day.

Tight lines,

James

IMA Sasuke 105.....

The IMA Sasuke 105 (this weeks special)  has been one of my go to lures this year. It is an excellent casting lure and cuts through strong winds. Working this lure on a steady retrieve with some added action will account for a lot of fish, however a method which has worked well for me this year is, lifting the rod tip and cranking the lure back very quickly the lures rises to just underneath the surface and the action the lure makes when it is being worked this quick is excellent and it seems to really draw the attention of any bass within the area you are fishing. Hits can be savage and a lot times will be right at your feet, make sure to pause your lure just before lifting it out of the water as I have found I get hit 90% of the time at my feet when cranking it back like this. A very fun method with savage hits..... 

Sasuke 105 (candy)

Sasuke 105 (prune)

Tight lines....

Weightless Soft Plastics....

These have to be the find of the season for me. One evening during the summer the surf was breaking perfectly over a reef, at this location the fish hit you behind this reef in the white water. Myself Ger and Cian had been hammering "the zone" for about 20 minutes with hard lures to no avail. Everything seemed right but we couldn't understand why the bass where no hitting the lures?

Cian goes and put on a wave worm on a texposer hook and proceeds to cast into the white water. Within four or five cast he hooks up with a nice bass which gave an excellent account of itself in the well oxygenated white water. Catching on a new method was great and excitement levels were high. Cian managed another fish shortly after and with that had me convinced by these weightless soft plastics. All he was doing was casting into the surf and keeping in contact with the soft plastic as it got washed are around in the surf waiting for the fish to pick up the sp move away with it and then lifting into the fish. Simple but deadly method as we soon found out trying the method on a number of marks latter on in the summer.

For the next few weeks numbers of fish on the weightless wave worm started to add up and they accounted for some nice fish in both estuary and rock marks in all types of conditions.

How we fish the wave worm:

Pretty simple really, If you are fishing a rock mark I will either let it get kicked around in the surf reeling up the slack line so that I am just keeping in contact with it. In this situation the current (if there is any) and the wave action do all the work for you.

In an estuary mark we fish frequently in the summer the water is never clear there, visibility being 1.5 foot max. A steady retrieve with constant wrist flicks gives the wave worm a great action that the bass just cant seem to resist.

One thing to note if you feel a fish pick your wave worm up when you are letting it get kicked around in the surf do not strike let the fish have it feel him move away then lift into the fish, when fishing the worm on a steady retrieve...hold on cause they will hit you hard and usually do all the work hooking themselves. The hook holds with the texposer hooks are excellent.


The water temperature is still up around 12C this settled spell on the way may be just what is needed to get some good fishing, and a method well worth a go this time of the year will be the weightless soft plastics.

Tight lines,

James.    

The value of bass...

This is a great video about the importance and value of the recreational striped bass fishery in America, it strikes some similarities to our own bass especially as the commercials continue to push hard to open the fishery. Lets hope the laws stay in place and that the bass we have along our coast stay protected.....




Tight lines...

Grab A Bargain...

Fancy a deal coming up to Christmas....

We have decided to put a Daiwa Caldia 3000x and the Anyfish Anywhere 9ft MK1 lure rod on special for two days only....

Get in quick, if your interested give the shop a call on 051 393559 or you can order online here

Daiwa Caldia 3000x

see here 

"The Caldia X range is so precisely made that everything winds, rotates and moves does so with un-erring accuracy. This makes for high efficiency in the winding power, smoother motion and fantastic durability. This reels 5 ball bearings deliver excellent line lay and by placing your trust in their reactive drag, which is waterproof your hook holds should have no fear".  

Anyfish Anywhere Travel lure rod MK1 9ft 12-60g

see here 

9' Lure Rod Mk1 12 - 60 grams breaks down into 4 sections so you  will transport this rod with ease.  From soft baits with jig heads starting as low as 12grams, this rod will handle just about anything. On the hard bodied lure front, it has the sort of tip that will impart life and action into any lure, diver or surface. The 9ft gives you more control and will cast slightly heavier lures, so if you are roving wild coastline the 9ft may just edge it for you.

Tight lines.

Braid...

Braided lines have gained a lot of popularity among lure fishermen in recent times. The biggest advantage of braid is that because of its zero stretch the angler can work a lure with minimal effort allowing a lot more control over the lure. Bite detection is also enhanced which can be a great help when fishing soft plastics. Casting distance is also improved with these low diameter braids, allowing more ground to be covered.

The weeks special is The Daiwa Tournament PE braid and its about as good as it gets when it comes to 8 strand braid. I have been using this braid for the last few months of the season and honestly cant find a fault with it. This very smooth low diameter braid is a pleasure to use. Check out Henry's thoughts on this braid here

This sensitive braid is VERY strong and gives you alot of confidence when fishing over rough ground when your line can sometimes rub against rocks when retrieving a lure or playing fish. This braid also casts very well and I have had no problems with wind knots.

There are a few things you can do to avoid any problems with braid these include under filling your reel (2mm), close your bail arm manually after a cast and it also important to ensure after your lure hits the water the slack line is wrapped onto the reel tightly before beginning the retrieve....3 very small things to ensure you have no problems with your braid.

Tight lines,

James.

Fishing into coloured water....

So we have all been faced with coloured water, you have planned your trip everything seems okay but when you arrive at your chosen mark you are faced with coloured water. Conditions seem good otherwise, no suspended weed and a nice fizz on the water. There is no doubt, the fish are there but how do you manage to to draw their attention to your lure when visibility is low?

In the past when I was faced with conditions like this I would have walked away and left it for another day but as fishing time can be limited these days it has forced me to fish in these conditions and granted it will be harder success it achievable if you persevere.

These are just my experiences of fishing in coloured water, what has worked for us and some of the methods we use.

Stay or go?

This is the water clarity I was faced with yesterday, on other occasions I would have walked away. However in similar conditions during the summer I have had fish in this kind of water clarity. I hooked one fish yesterday which was only on for max of 5 seconds. It is always going to be much tougher in these conditions but if you know fish are in that area it has to be worth a go, does it not?

Conditions were good, there was a nice fizz on the water and apart from clarity tides were ideal for the location I was fishing. I generally go for lures with chartreuse and  and white colours as I have found this has worked well for me in the past. I fish these two ways, very slow retrieve or a quick crank and pause (the theory being that the quick retrieve and emitted vibrations draw the fishes attention to your lure). Hard lures which have done well for me when the water clarity is far from ideal are the Jackson Athlete the Daiwa Shore Line Shiner and my favourite in such conditions the Zonk Gataride. There is no doubt that the rattling and vibration given off by the lures helps in these conditions.


Its not impossible....just harder,

Here is Paul with nice bass taken on the Zonk Gataride in November last year, fishing into coloured water.

Another method which has worked very well for us this summer when fishing in coloured water is the Wave worm which I will talk a bit more about soon.

We have decided to open the comments on the blog so it would be great to hear your thoughts of fishing in coloured water.

Tight lines,

James.

Still Fish Around....

A lot of people have started to put away there lure gear but if you get favourable weather conditions this time of the year the fishing can be outstanding. Windows to get out can be hard to come by but if you get the chance dont delay. Check out Alans blog here and you can begin to see why this time of the year can be good for bass.

Henry Gilbey is over for the week and today is their first day on the water and reports are already in that they have landed a few bass fishing a mark at first light this morning. Keep a eye on Henrys blog here for updates of how he gets on fishing this week.

The weather is going to close in on thursday so if you get a chance to get out before then make the most of it.

Megabass Vision Magnum

"At 130mm, 17.5g, this shallow diving suspends when you stop retrieving"

This weeks special is the Megabass Vision oneten Magnum, see specials here

Tight lines...

Could it be a good start to the week...

With the water temp still just over 12 degrees and some decent looking weather on the way with building tides during the week it just might be a good week to get the lures out .
The weather over the last few weeks has been less than ideal for lure fishing but this ( fingers crossed ) could be the break we have been waiting on . If the weather does what it is supposed to do the main challenge is going to be finding clean water . Now when I say clean water it does not have to be gin clear and no weed just clean enough for me to see my lure from about 10ft . Over the last two years I have started fishing water that before I would have walked away from . A bit of colour in the water does not put me off anymore as it has been proven over and over again that the fish are still there and willing to chase a lure in coloured water .

So if you are like me and itching to get out with the lures this could be the week to land a monster .

The hard lures I intend using this week will be from 120mm upwards and a range of soft plastics , slow the retrieve down and give the fish an opportunity to hit . ( just my thoughts on how I will approach my fishing this week )

Hope some of you can make it out for what seems to be a small window of opportunity .

Tight lines.

A day on the water....

Here are some pics from a recent cod and pollock session. Soft Plastics were the order of the day and the usual's such as wave worms, ulti shads, sayori shads and sakura magic eels all worked well for the very hard fighting cod and poll0ck....

We have also just got in some very nice Gamakatsu hooks and jig heads which have just been put up onto the site check out the new products for November here

Also this weeks special is the Yamatoyo (Famell) Braid see specials here

Tight lines...

IMA Komomo SF 110...

This weeks special the IMA Komomo SF 110.... check out the specials page here for colours available

On the fishing front we had some great soft plastic fishing for cod and pollack on the boat recently, report to follow...

And there are still reports coming in of some good bass fishing on the rocks, so its not quiet over yet as the bass are chasing herring inshore....

Tight lines.

Daiwa Shore Line Shiners...

Continuing on with our weekly specials, this week we will have daiwas shore line shiners on offer.

"Daiwas sliding Long Cast System provide both casting and optimum lure action even in choppy conditions. The Shoreline Shiner series is the ideal choice for anglers seeking an ultra long distance casting minnow"

See here for the range of colours and the types of shore line shiners we have available.

Once again this special will finish on Sunday so do not delay as stocks are limited.

Tight lines....

Weekly Special....

This weeks special is the Megabass zonk gateride. See here (scrolling through the pages) for the range of colours available. This special will finish on Sunday so do not delay as stocks are limited.

Tight lines.

Could this be a good one...

Tides building and a window of opportunity appears...conditions look good from Tuesday on....

Its that time of the year...when every cast you make could result in a fish of a lifetime, the bass are filling up for the winter ahead and are in prime condition!

Tight lines....

Weekly Specials....

We are starting our weekly offers which will be running throughout the winter. To start it off we have a great offer this week.

The Megabass X- 140 is on special this week for 5 days or, while stocks last . You can see the range of colours here and the the price for five days only. After the five days are up the lure returns to the original price so do not delay as stocks are limited.

Here are just two of the X 140s on offer....

Megabass X-140 SW (SG Teaser)

Megabass X-140 SW (Ensyu Kibinago)

"The X-140 is a proven fish catcher with an irresistible action, this lure will also work in coloured water with its great flashing plate attracting hits from bass...."

Also later in the week we will be putting up a permenant offer of a great rod and reel combo for getting started in lure fishing...

And there will be much more to follow in the near future.... so bookmark the Specials Page to make sure you don't miss out.

On the fishing front now is the time to get out and try for the big bass.... there are reports coming into the shop daily now of some outstanding catches along the coast.

Tight lines....

Its that time of year...

October has to be up there as one of the best months for bass fishing along the south coast of Ireland. Reports have been flooding in of some excellent fishing being had all along the copper coast and further afield so get yourselves out there its prime bass season.....

We have also just put up some new specials on the online shop see here

Tight lines.

How important is lure colour....

Found this very interesting article online a while ago. Its based towards fly fishing but this can also be applied to our lure fishing. see here

Fish Eyesight: Does Colour Matter?

If you get the chance make sure to pick up the new sea angler, there is a great interview with Ger Carey, a super read where Ger talks all about his bass fishing.

Tight lines

White Water....

Bass fishing in fizzed up oxygenated water is a hell of a lot of fun and mostly involves just holding on while the line screams off your reel....

You cant help but feel that every cast you make in these conditions is going to result in a rod wrenching hit from a bass fizzed up in the white water..... excitement levels slightly high to say the least.

Lures that bite down into the water in these conditions make a difference, if your lure can not get down to where the bass are feeding it will make it difficult to get that hook up.

We have found that Gatarides, X-140s and Sasuke 140s all do this job well.

Tight lines

Light Bait Fishing....

When conditions are far from ideal for lure fishing.....how about chucking a bait into that favourute gullie of yours. Thats what Paul did this morning and it resulted in this fine bass.





Tight lines

New IMA lures...

Some great new IMA products arrived in and are now up on the online shop here

Tight lines.....

Just in....

Heres some new stuff that has just arrived in today.....

Check online shop here

Megabass Oneten Magnum (SP) Blue black Oikawa

The Megabass Oneten Magnum is a serious bass catcher this suspending lure has a great action, this lure seems to result in savage hits from bass, and it is also available in two other colours....

We have also got back in FX 9s.

Megabass FX9 SW GG Rainbow II

Megabass FX9 SW Cruising Blue

We also have the FX 9 in GG Bora and LZ Tougorou Iwashi, this is a cracking little lure its movable lip gives this little lure a great action and has worked very well for us in calm clear conditions.

The X-140s in Ensyu Kibinago and Hama Shirasu are also back in stock along with the Hi-Pitch Pearl Gataride

Tight lines

Plenty of Fish Around....

So its that time of the year, September is a special month for bass fishing so be sure to make the most of it when conditions are right during the month because it could result in some outstanding sessions.

Bigger fish also make a pronounced appearance from September on. First light sessions can result in some super fishing, when everything comes right. Heres some pictures from a session we had a couple of days ago.

On a side note we are constantly working on the online shop uploading new products and editing etc. make sure to check out the current Specials we have ....and there will be some nice shiny lures arriving in the next few days so be sure to keep an eye on the New in section.

Tight lines,

James.

Online Shop

At long last the online shop is up and running , we hope ye like it ...
Over the next few weeks we will be adding many more products and of course as new products come into stock they will be going straight up on to the online shop . You can look at the shop at www.absolutefishing.ie

Cian.

A change from the norm....

With plans all made to go lure fishing Ger Carey persuaded me to go bait fishing, something which I have not been doing a whole lot of lately. But as usual Ger made the right call as we both caught but yet again Ger had the nicest fish of the night nailing this bass of 10.5lb on lug cast no more than 30 yards out into the surf.

Tight lines,

Cian.

Another day on the Copper Coast....

There is no getting away from the fact that August is a difficult month for bass, it is most likely that the bass are simply full up on the masses of bait fish which are around the coastline at the moment and are simply not that interested in our lures. However if you put in the effort in the right place at the right time you will more often than not be rewarded with a few fish.

We have been fishing weedless plastics a lot at the moment which have been working very well. Myself Cian and Ger where fishing a mark the other night where the bass seemed to have turned off from the night before. Over comes Ger "Any chance I could try one of those wave worms" Cian gives him a chartreuse wave worm and first cast he go's and nails the bass in the picture below.

Impressed with the wave worm?

The wave worm which did the business, we have also found we are getting great hook ups with the lunker city texposer hooks.

We will have a wide range of wave worms arriving in the next couple of days so be sure to call in to see the great selection of soft plastics available from wave fishing.

We fished a rock mark yesterday evening, once again the bass were not playing ball but Ger did manage to land this fine bass on the old faithful Pearl Gataride....

Tight lines,

James

August Bass....

Here are a few pics taken over the last few days, the fishing was difficult at times but if you put in the time you will more often than not be rewarded.

Cian picking out this nice fish on a weedless soft plastic, sorry for the poor pic was taken on my phone.

Alan with a nice fish which he had on the Zonk Gataride in possibly the most bassy looking conditions imaginable..... the kind of conditions you expect a bass every cast.

....what its all about, watching the bass swim away.

"Game fish are to valuable to be caught only once."

Tight lines,

J