Irish Bass News eNewsletter

by **Admin** on Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:44 am

WELCOME TO OUR AUGUST
2010 eNEWSLETTER

REPORTS

Big tides and good surf conditions made for some good bait and spinning
conditions mid-month on many beaches in Kerry. There are some good fishing
reports from the north side of Dingle with Inch and Rossbeigh beaches giving up
numbers of good sized bass when the conditions were suitable.
The Waterville area was consistent for the month but apart from one or two
short sessions the bass never seemed really plentiful. Gannets and terns could
constantly be seen working just a couple of hundred meters offshore so I presume
the main shoals of bass were out there feeding. Hopefully a change in the
weather should bring them closer to shore.

Cork Harbour continued to fish exceptionally well with quality bass in the 6
– 8lb range being regularly caught. Though angling pressure has increased the
fishing doesn’t seem to be affected with those who know their fishing doing very
well.The south and south east coasts are seeing much more angling pressure
than previous years but for those who are prepared to explore a little there are
still some excellent opportunities to have good bass fishing to yourself. Many
anglers have taken to kayak fishing and some are having great results. One
angler reported bass of 11 and 12lbs on plug on consecutive trips.

If
anybody would like to send in reports please email us at info@irishbass.org. A photo or two would
be good as well.

FISHING TIPS

We
are heading into what many anglers consider the cream of the bass fishing season
as bass try to pack on weight for the lean months of winter. A drop in
temperature and autumn storms bring bass onto the beaches all over the Southern
part of Ireland. Don’t let the bad weather put you off. Put the rain gear on
and get out there and enjoy the thrill of hooking a big bass in the surf on one
of our beautiful sandy beaches.

Tight
lines and happy fishing.

NEWS

Sorry for the delay with the August newsletter. It’s a very
busy time for those of us involved in bass angling tourism.
The deadline for the Northern Ireland bass consultation process has passed
(August 24th) and it appears that anglers responded in big numbers.
In conjunction with the UK bass group we contacted most of the tackle shops
in the North and sent copies of the consultation forms to those shops that had
expressed an interest. We have yet to find out the time frame for a decision
but as soon as we find out we will let you know.
As some of you may already now the old Central and Regional Fisheries Boards
have changed with the Central Board now known as Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI)
and the regional boards known as river basin districts.
The new IFI held a consultation process which ended on the 20th August. This
gave interested parties an opportunity to have their say on how the IFI should
go about its business in the future. Irish Bass submitted a comprehensive
response on behalf of bass angers in Ireland. Time will tell if our response
will have any effect.
Whilst doing some research for the IFI consultation several important issues
came to light. While the new IFI is responsible for promoting bass angling in
Ireland, it has little control over how the stock is to be managed in the
future. It is also apparent that the main responsibility for enforcing the
majority of the bass protection legislation now falls to the SFPA (Sea Fisheries
Protection Authority). The problem with this is that the SFPA has neither the
ability nor the resources to get as involved in breaches of the bass protection
legislation as bass anglers would like. Its main duty is monitoring fishing
vessels with satellite tracking and enforcing all other aspects of marine fish
legislation. This mostly involves inspection in ports around Ireland.
On the positive side the new IFI is actively seeking to have some sort of
cross warranting between both organisations to get better and more efficient
enforcement of the bass laws. The Irish Bass group will work closely with the
IFI to ensure the best protection for our bass stocks. A meeting is also being
scheduled with the SFPA to get their views on this issue.
A meeting has been requested with Minister Sean Connick but a date has not
yet been set. We will be looking for this meeting as soon as possible to try to
find out exactly where he stands on the bass issue. We will also be letting him
know exactly how important and valuable bass angling is to so many people in
Ireland.Interest from abroad in bass angling in Ireland continues to
increase. In the South West we have had no less than 4 film crews from Europe
focusing on bass angling this year with one more to come in October. Several
European angling journalists have also been here in Kerry. Hundreds of thousands
of people across Europe will see what Irish bass angling has to offer. With our
economy struggling it is absolutely vital that we take full advantage of the
interest these people have in our bass angling resource, especially in remote
areas here on the West coast. If properly managed our bass stocks could give a
real long term and sustainable lift to the economy in places where there is
limited opportunity for other new businesses opportunities.