Lure Fishing For Big Sea Bass Part 1 (Samson Enticers)

Lure Fishing For Big Sea Bass  Part 1 (Samson Enticers)

With just two weeks left before my trip to Portugal, I started to check the Windguru wave forecast , hoping it wouldn’t be a repeat of last year where two big storms hit in the space of one week and made fishing nearly impossible!

Amongst the heavy seas I had fortunately managed to hook up to a couple of nice double figure bass which was more than I was expecting knowing how on and off this coastline can be when it comes to bass fishing, and with conditions not being in my favor.

 

So after checking the ever changing forecast I knew I was in for some mixed conditions ranging from solid 3.5 meter swells mixed in with a few smaller days. It could have been worse and was a big improvement on last year!

 

Although I was hoping for smaller swells I was pleased I would at least be able to find places to fish as this year the south coast would always be an option.

Last year the heavy rain storms had turned the south coast into a chocolate brown colour keeping it out of action for the entire week.

 

My main purpose/excuse for this fishing trip was to test the new 15g Enticer Tweak Bait and 15g Enticer Minnow Topwater, both new weight additions to the Samson lure range.

Deciding on the prototype shapes in the Zurich lake is the first stage in deciding on a lure, but the real fun comes in the field testing where I can finally put them up against the target specie, in this case bass!

 

Over the last year I have had many people contacting me with regards to bass fishing in Portugal and many more with questions about the differences between the Enticer Subsurface Tweak and the Enticer Minnow and what conditions are they best suited for.

Although I have made films to help explain how to get the best out of each Samson lure, I thought that filming the lures in action and demonstrating the techniques whilst fishing for bass would be a great way to get it across to anyone in need of help!

Also a few general bass fishing tips for rougher seas would be useful for anyone fishing similar conditions.

The swells forecast for this trip were certainly not optimal but definitely doable

 

So after landing at Faro airport rushing to the car hire it wasn’t long before I was on my way to the west coast in time for a late afternoon session.

It’s an advantage being able to store all your gear in a garden shed at my house but even though I had washed my hooks and sprayed them with WD 40 from my summer trip, most were in need of changing which is a bit frustrating when your itching to hit the water.

After gathering all my tackle together and grabbing a 12ft rod I was off to check out the algarve coastline!

 

Although I’m not that big on birthdays, catching a bass would certainly be a perfect way to celebrate, and a good start to the trip!

 

I headed to my usual lookout point high on the cliffs up above coadarama, giving me a great view of the coastline and idea of the true swell size.

I was greeted by lines of beautiful perfect surf!

As much as I like surfing, I only had one thing on my mind and that was to get a lure wet!!

 

After deciding to fish on the west coast I chose a spot with some protection from the swell.

 

The waves were coming from a storm a few days ago long way away. This means quite long intervals and big sets that can really catch you out.

This type of swell is definitely the most dangerous as with fast moving tides and large sneaker sets coming in, you really have to be careful not to be caught out.

After trying a few mediocre areas that I had caught a few fish at over the years I made my way over to one of the more productive spots!

I was happy just to be out there again casting along this beautiful coastline on my birthday!

The swell was far too big to test the new 15g lures, so I sent out the 50g Enticer minnow instead!

So when after 15 minutes a bass hit the lure right over some boulder type ground, I had a feeling I was in for a good week!

This one was a decent size not a double but definitely a good start!

 

The next day swells had picked up and again I was looking for more protected areas.

In these conditions I find it’s best to avoid heavy waves that are crashing down and rather look for spots where the waves are breaking out further and running along allowing fish to easily move in closer under the breaking waves!

The next fish was hooked in a calm spot I had found out of the swell, and although only a schoolie I was happy not to have blanked that session!

The swells continued to increase and it looked like a visit to the calmer south coast was the best option!

Fishing the smaller conditions were certainly more relaxing and I was able to enjoy the mornings low tide casting over the rock and sand bottom.

The swell had cut out deeper channels around the rocks creating a good potential bass grounds.

It’s funny but after 25 years fishing this coastline It was the first time fishing this beach.

It wasn’t too long before I got a hit and this time it was a medium sized bass putting a smile on my face.

The forecast was showing a few days with swells predicted to be two meters or less! This meant the west coast would be back on, so making the most of it I headed the following day for one of my old favorite spots.

The waves were at the limit for this place, but with good water clarity and a nice blue sea I knew it looked a definite possibility especially as the tide was moving up and fish would be able to come up the deeper channels over a lovely rocky inside section.

I started out casting the 50g Enticer Minnow and 15 minutes into the rising tide I hooked into a nice bass!

Negotiating bass around exposed rocky sections with a strong swell can be tricky, and it’s vital to keep good contact with the fish at all times!