Absorbing the quiet and tranquillity of the night

When the bass are on the tide, you really need to take advantage if you can. Goodness knows the hours we spend behind motionless rods, wondering if they’re ever going to turn up again. But having said all that, I've hardly done any fishing this year!

Tuesday night, I was out with Rob on the first mark, if you've been following this recent flurry of posts, on a really warm October night. Apart from a couple of schoolie-type runs, nothing for me, but Rob picked up two bass, the largest around 3.5lb. A great night with great company.

Last night, following a couple of particularly difficult days and despite very little sleep, I ventured out again. Conditions were once again warm, with a slight breeze as I arrived at the same mark as Sunday’s 5lb bass. I deployed the same tactics from the off, but this time I arrived with plenty of time to fish the tide up, hoping they would run early along this stretch like they have in previous years.

Well, the early bite times passed without a touch, but it was nice just to sit there, empty the mind and slowly absorb the quiet and tranquillity of the night. On this mark, you need to move as the tide rises, so after about 1.5 hours I was in the exact same spot I was fishing Sunday. Around this time, I started to receive some interest in the mackerel, just small little touches and pulls that I could really feel through the braid.

I'm sure it was a bass, undecided whether to take the bait, so I tried all the usual tricks to entice a positive run, but nothing worked. However, each time I thought about reeling in and checking the bait, I would receive another indication. This state of affairs must have continued for about 20 minutes until the bass finally took the bait and ran with it. Like Sunday, I waited for as long as I dared before engaging the spool, but unlike Sunday, I was already up and out of my chair, applying maximum side strain when the hook took hold.

A spirited battle in open water followed, and I soon had her beached. I must say I was surprised, as during the fight she didn’t feel particularly large, but at 23" to the fork, she was once again just over the 5lb mark. I do wonder, though, if it may have been the same fish from Sunday - which might explain the reluctance to take the bait?

Later, I had a very spirited 2.5lb bass that went back without a picture, and around 10.30 I packed up and headed for home. They are definitely around at the moment, and we may be in for a really good November if the weather plays ball. Lets hope so.