When they are not supposed to be there

Well, this is turning out to be a great month.

I went out last night to check a spot on the ebbing tide. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there just to confirm that the bass aren't present, even when everything is telling you they shouldn't be. So, with some effort, I dragged myself out for a look.

When I arrived, though, it all felt very different. I remember thinking that even if I didn't catch anything, it was a glorious night to be out. It was one of those wonderful flat-calm evenings where every sound is magnified and all your senses are on high alert.

My bait had only been in the water for ten minutes when it started to receive some attention and, to make a long story short, that continued on virtually every cast for the next three hours.

What was strange was just how finicky the bites were. Normally, you might get the odd fish in a session that plays around with the bait, but this was happening on every cast, and some of the takes felt huge.

I managed to hook and land two bass, one around 4lb and a larger one at 6lb. Both gave a great account of themselves, with the bigger fish making full use of the undertow created by a passing boat. In fact, the fight seemed to get stronger and stronger the longer it went on. Great stuff.