Harbour Bass Lure Fishing

Many shore based bass lure anglers find that harbours are productive and may provide shelter on windy days.

The Advantages:

• Twice a day the tide comes in and bass enter the estuary hunting for other species on the move.

• On sunny days the sun heats up vast amounts of sand and mud in the harbour which in turn heats up the incoming tide. This can be especially helpful early in the season when the water temperature is still low.

The Disadvantages:

• Access can be limited by mud making the majority of some harbours inaccessible.

• In the summer vast amounts of weed enters harbours on the incoming tide and if you’re in the wrong place it becomes unfishable.

Estuary Marks:

• Anywhere the incoming or outgoing tide is creating a disturbance is good as bass know they have an advantage over their prey there.

• The harbour mouth will have the deepest marks and fastest tidal flow. Drifting on a boat is very productive as it’s easier to get lures deep. From the shore scale up your tackle with slim profile lures that reduce water resistance such as a Fiiish Crazy Sandeel and use thin 20lb braid to help you get down to the bass.

The Lures:

• Harbours contain thousands of small bass which can provide a nice motivational boost and obviously smaller lures are best for these scoolys. Scale up to longer lures once you’ve had enough of small bass and are looking for something more substantial.