The Bite Before the Swing
Conditions:
Tide: Low 12:49 (0.9 m) – High 18:45 (3.8 m), good spring movement
Pressure: 994 → 987 mb ↓ (steady drop through the evening)
Wind: ESE 8–10 km/h early, swinging ENE → N by 20:00
Swell: 0.5–0.7 m SSW, period 6–9 s
Water Temp: 14 °C
Moon: Waxing Crescent, no light
It had been over a week since I last got out — not long for most, but it felt like forever to me. We’d had a nice spell of high pressure, perfect for bass angling, but the storm that followed made a mess of things and kept me off the water. Once things started to settle again, I couldn’t wait any longer — even though the low pressure wasn’t ideal.
On the shore for half six, planning to fish up to the top of the tide and into the first push of the ebb. The forecast showed a light ESE breeze holding steady until late, but as usual, reality had other plans.
The first signs were good — gentle movement on the surface, the light starting to fade, and that calm before dark when you just know there’s fish about. Started off with a Pirate Lures Teaser and had my first fish, a small 35 cm, around 18:30. Nice to get one early and shake off the rust.
Just after seven, bang — a proper hit, the kind that wakes you up. Fish tore off stripping line off a pretty tight drag, solid weight the whole way in. A lovely 55 cm bass, well-built and full of fight. That one destroyed the lure, so I clipped on another teaser in a different color and went again. Barely 10 minutes later, I was in again — this one going 59 cm and hitting right at the edge of the flow. Three fish landed in under an hour, all on teasers, with a couple of missed bites mixed in. It was shaping up to be one of those evenings.
Then, around eight, I felt the change. That steady easterly swung right around to a northerly, and it was like flicking a switch. The surface went flat, and the bite just vanished. Worked through colours, retrieves, even dropped down to smaller profiles, but nothing doing.
Three fish landed, a few missed, and then nothing but silence on the line — the kind of sudden shutdown only a north wind can bring.
Reflection:
Evenings like this keep you sharp. The fish were on, the tide had movement, and that brief spell of settled pressure had them feeding again. Everything lined up for that short window, and it paid off. When the wind swung north though, it reminded me how fast it can all turn off. Three landed and a few missed isn’t bad for a couple of hours, but that sudden stillness after a flurry of action is what makes you crave the next one. 🎣🏴☠️