Amazing Spring Bass Session! 

Bag limits on all species definitely ( especially mackerel). Nice productive session there Tom

I completely agree with bag limits. For the shore and off the boat. A min-max limit will definitely work. Keep up the great videos Tom 🎣

Great work Tom, looked a great fun session, yes to the bag limits and yes to max size limits definitely

Great vid tom thanks so simple yet so productive 👍

Hi Tom you ok pal, thanks once again for a nice flick to watch again. I've been out on the humber were bass are showing but am still catching dabs n flounders of not bad stamp and odd whiting what are still lingering about. Well done on your session, cracking bass Tom. All the best from GRIMSBY

Circles are the way forward. Great hook set and least damage to the fish! Great vid. It's great people like you can get out and about

I personally believe the minimum size limits on fish needs a major overhaul. Plaice, whiting, black bream to name a few are just to small at their minimum sizes. You'd be lucky to make a sandwich out of a 27cm plaice. I have my own sizes that I'll keep. As for maximum sizes, as much as i agree and several others will as well there will always be a minority that keep fish irrelevant of the correct sizes. Also returning a 10lb bass for instance may well be good for the future of bass fishing it is also good for the netters, trawlers etc who most certainly won't put it back.

Great videos Tom really enjoying them. Quite agree that bag limits, slot sizes and a close season are essential to help bass stocks recover. I think the minimum landing size needs to be increased to 44 or preferably 46cm to allow all bass the chance to spawn at least once. Wish we could get commercial netting banned in our estuaries in Suffolk as you have down your way, trouble is Eastern IFCA cave in to the commercial lobby whenever this is suggested even though it would benefit them too in the long term by protecting vulnerable juvenile fish.

A nice simple productive session what more can you ask for 👍

Great Vid Tom, that's why we do it for sessions like that. Read a book by John Darling back in the 90's and I can remember he was advocating keeping 3lbs bass and putting mature 6lbs plus fish back so the logic was out there back then.

Stunning session, and really informative, was great to see you on the isoand as well. I agree on the two month ban, it seems a bit pointless for the shore angler. Especially when in Guernsey they can carry on. Ive hwars of the general rile of thumb that a 6lb or over should go back, but i uavent had one over yet, i think it would be difficult to put back knowing the food it will provide, I mean, if I go bassing, im essentially hunting for food a tough one that. Two is ebough though. I think bream sizes should be upped, and bag limitsvon cod, we don't really get many cod on the island, but I dont imagine the stocks are that great. A great topic for debate though. Apways an enjoyable watch, thank you👍🎣🎣

Fantastic session Tom. Minimum and maximum size limits for Bass would be good and bag limits for all species but it’s the commercial side of fishing that needs to change that’s where the damage is really being done not the guy out with a rod and line taking a fish or two for the table. Thanks Tom you take care 👍🎣🎣

Fantastic!! I've been working on putting a lighter kit together for trips like this, as well as general summer fishing. Seeing that yellow ball in the sky, and sessions like this one gives me hope and encouragement. And yes, size limits on all species, no closed season, and especially bass I'd say an upper limit, nobody wants to see 8-10lb bass being killed. Although that's easy for me to say, coming from a course angling background. Also perhaps a ban on killing Smoothounds and rays would be good. Thanks Tom!! 😎👍

The Isle of Man has a bass limit of between 50 and 60cm, so a min and max as you suggest. Makes a lot of sense! 1 per 24hrs for keeps.

You make it look so easy! I went out with the lures today for the first flick of the season for me… unfortunately not a sniff today.

Once in a lifetime session. And all on. Camera fantastic to see or I wouldn’t have believed it. Amazing.

I completely agree with all comments on sizes and bag limits, Tom. The bag limit sits far more easily as I believe it should be an inalienable right to go and catch a fish to eat. As for bass protection - I think stocks are far better and less pressured than many other fish. Yes, they're slower growing, but think of the tremendous pressures upon cod stocks and plaice stocks to name just two in comparison. Think, too, of the huge numbers of mackerel taken by both commercial and recreational fishing. It simply doesn't stack up.

well done tom great session that mate

Great session Tom well done that’s why we go. Agree with bag limits but policing and enforcing one is the issue

Well done mate. Fantastic video 🎉

As usual a thoroughly enjoyable video to watch! I’m expecting the bass in the BC to hit the local beach very shortly!! Fingers crossed I have a session like yours!!! Take care cheers Ian

Nice one Tom

What a great session Tom, very well done. I like your idea using elastic at the top of the crab nicking it with the circle. I’m going to pinch that one for myself so thanks for that.

Great work! :) A slot size yes. Closed season is a good idea in my mind, gives the stock a proper break. Bag limits for all species.. I don’t believe it’s moral to allow thousands of tons of fish to be taken for commercial purposes with industrial methods that are incredibly damaging, but not allow individuals to harvest, in the most sustainable way, enough fish to feed themselves should they wish to. That’s essentially what will happen if all species are restricted for none commercial anglers. I don’t believe any party should have more of a right to this resource & going down this road would mean selling out recreational anglers. The Bass bag limit is already borderline in my mind given how the commercial quota is well above the limit suggested by the data.

Great video, Tom. Sums up the very best of Bass fishing from start to finish. Thank you.

Definately agree on the bass upper size limit, maybe 5lb maximum. Also something needs to be done to stop the amount of mackerel that some people take, who really needs more than 20 a session.

What a cracking session! Interesting discussion to be had over max size limits but totally agree with bag limits. My problem would be that it would have to be self policed and there are plenty out there that would carry on regardless especially when mackerel fever kicks in.

I don’t mind the ban period if f that is helping the stocks recover, but the 2 fish limit is a pain for those of us who only get to fish once or twice a month. Keep a limit, but maybe 3 or 4? Max limit - absolutely. Other species, certainly. Great vids, makes me want to move south!

The bans / size limits thing is interesting - when I left the UK in 1994, catching a Bass was a rarity. Now you catch them for fun, so the various Bass bans have achieved something (wasn't there a complete Bass ban for a while?). On the other hand, I used to catch many good 1lbs+ Whiting from the Suffolk beaches in Autumn, whereas now there's only impoverished looking pin Whiting. The other thing is bans on recreational fishermen are a drop in the ocean compared to commercial bans, in other words, if you really want to replenish stocks of a certain fish, then commercial bans need to be a part of it.

I totally agree with a max size limit for breeding purposes makes perfect sense and one I have thought about many times. Cracking session btw 👌

In the isle of Man we have different bass regulations, 1 fish per day and has to be between 50-60 cm to keep

Brilliant film again Tom and I agree with you on the size limits for minimum and maximum size, however I disagree on the close season. Your films are really inspirational and generous in their content so please keep them coming. Many thanks again 👍

Nice Vid Tom - As usual! Now to your questions.... Firstly, Bass are still very much at the recovery stage stock wise, and IMO it's misleading to suggest that they are plentiful? When you look at the average size of Bass caught, it's way off what it should or could be. Lets not forget that a 10lb Bass is only half the size of what Bass can grow too here, and a 6-7lb fish is only a 3rd of that potential. If the stock was healthy, everyone could potentially expect to catch one or two fish this size in favourable conditions? This is backed up by Commercial landings where a bit of digging reveals a huge proportion of Bass landed into the markets (>90%) are actually quite small in the 1-2 kilo bracket. Factor in the 42cm mls - approx only 50% of all Bass will be able to breed at that size, and you start to see the issue. A very slow growing fish - a 10lber will be at least 20 yrs old, and all these schoolies are getting hammered by the Commercials before they have a chance to get to a decent size - the data is there to back this up. The frustrating thing is a 42cm Bass at market will fetch the commercials half of what a Bass of only 8 cms bigger will, so while the comms are in a race to the bottom, they are not only ruining the stock for all of us, they are ruining their own earning potential! A slot size is the way forwards with 50 - 60cm fish being taken for the table if required - bigger go back. These bigger fish provide more, stronger and healthier eggs that are not only more likely to survive but pass on the better genes too. Bag limits and slot sizes for all species is the way to go - unfortunately fisheries (mis)management in this country is still at the forefront and needs a major step change away from MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield) which is a proven failure, to MEY (Maximum Economic Yield) where the Economics, including RSA could have a positive impact. This is why BASS were advocating a 'More and Bigger Bass' approach to the recent Bass Fishery Management Plan, which was one of the Pilots for the other FMP's being worked on now. Mart.

Excellent video and great content. Good to see so many Bass.

What a fantastic session! Good job you decided to stay put and not move into the harbour. I agree with you about bag limits for Bass but I can see all sorts of pitfalls trying to put bag limits on Mackerel or Whiting for instance. One final thing, could I ask what type of circle hooks for Bass fishing as I am thinking of giving them a try.

Epic session Tom!!

I always learn more on 2nd view, I must be slow on the uptake? If anyone like me struggles tying the perfect loop with a hook on, the “Browning Loop tyer” makes it easy to do with the hook unlike some gadgets and 4 options of sizes..

Nice 👍🏻 new sub from me it’s rare i will watch a bait session on RU-vid but your joy and enthusiasm from simple fishing has won me over. Enjoyed that 🎣 tight lines

Another entertaining and informative video. Rapidly becoming my go to fishing video channel. Keep it up 👍🏻

Happy for you

Awesome video again mate and well done on all the bass top fishing mate 🎣👍

Cracking session well done !!!

Cracking session matey!

Nice one Tom, you always seem to do well; or is that clever editing? (only kidding).. My session on the East Coast wasn't quite so productive but I'll blame the local area Crab Bait Ban especially as the CEFAS HQ was just up the road!! As for fishing regs.? I catch and release everything nowadays but, whatever the rules, I find that some people do what they want anyway because there's nobody out there to enforce it. Keep showing us up, we love it 🤣

Amazing session

Great video as always mate

Epic session 😎 very cool brother 😊

wonderful

A lot of us on the north kent coast run slot sizing on the bass. Usually around 42-52. Having said that a lot of the lure anglers are mostly c+r now. Fishing light with a rod and backpack i dont fancy lugging a few lbs of bass around all day in my backpack 😆 I do however think its unwise to downplay how many fish are caught by RSA. Education is the key IMO. Especially with regard fish handling and related mortality rates. We all fumble a fish every so often but some people really need some lessons in fish handling, especially rays and hounds. Good idea for a vid Tom.... Anyhow nowdays i get a real buzz watching them big bass swim off and luckily i get more than my fair share 😎 Lovely little session you had, it looked real fishy...

Great sessions, mate 😊

Great video Tom, 100% agree on the bag limits across the board, like you said it seems crazy to just concentrate on the bass, I’ve heard there’s been talks around the bream potentially for next year in and around the bay, personally think it’s a great idea to to have a maximum size too. Clearly the bass protection program has worked, I see no reason why it can’t with other species 👍🏽🎣

Great video tom

nailed it a great video Tom tight knickers

A bag limit and slot size for all fish is a great idea. Australia do it and it works very well

Great session. I generally agree with your ideas about the size limits and extending to other species. But lets not get blase about the state of bass stocks. There is a reason there seem to be plenty about these days and there is a risk that limits get relaxed and it becomes a free for all again. We don't want to go back to those days.

Top job sir

Hi tom stonking couple of bass and flounder what a bonus.total agree about the size limit both minimum and maximum again don't agree with the total ban period because the time of year of the ban means that anybody fishing that time of year is probably not targeting bass like many fisherman do later on in the season but if you bump in to one early it's a bonus and a maximum size means all breeding stock go back but like all things in life you'll always to someone who doesn't care about the sport .great video again stay safe and tight lines

To be honest I think that the size limit on bass is ridiculous these days, there are millions of school bass everywhere eating all small fry up so nothing else can thrive on them, also the bass ban doesn't bother me as during those months it's normally big breeding bass that you will catch any way so it's best they're put back

Nice bass, my favourite fish to go for

Great video Tom with some lovely bass fished on a super simple setup. Regarding the bass size rules, yes I agree on min & max sizes, it makes sense to protect the breeding stock. I would suggest that similar rules should apply to the commmercials too as they have far more of an impact on stocks than us recreational angler ever will. For example, no commercial fising during the spawning season or in any of the spawning areas. Agree on other species too, i’ve seen people with bin bags of macarel on the beach, i’ve no idea what state they must be in by the end of the day having been kept in a black bag in the sun for several hours. Go fishing in the US and you’ll find a whole load of rules about when certain species can be caught, how many you can take plus the size range that they have to be within. Plus they enforce that with a whole load of fisheries protection police. Expanding this idea further, maybe we could also make it mandatory for people to take nuisance fish? Maybe enforce the taking of two strap congers, 2 small whiting and a spider crab for every beach trip and don’t just limit that to anglers, make swimmers and people walking their dog on the beach take that lot home every time too 🙂

Class

tom, when you take fish home foe tea. how do you dispatch them. i have looked at the ikijeme method .

Wow that looked like an amazing session mate, those rigs work really well and kind to the fish. I know I have a Veret on order but would like to discuss other Rods in the range when your about next

Looking at taking my daughter and nephew out Tuesday for anything that swims, even dogfish. Which spot around the Poole area would be best do you think?

Hi Tom Great video again mate, please keep it up. I’m looking at getting a lighter set up for this type of fishing, can you tell what Rod you’re using please? Totally agree with a maximum fish size, this will help to keep stocks up on all fish, also a maximum catch on for instance mackerel I’ve seen a lot of wastage and it’s such a shame. Thanks again Ady

This lot watch you fish. They know exactly what i mean😅 I'm excited for this season. New commercial venture on the bass.

great Vid Tom, when you coming out boat fishing for bass ???

Enjoyed your video, never seen your videos before but really enjoyed it and it’s true what you say about bag limits, mackerel were a hard to catch species last year, it was easier to catch a bass!😂

Great vid Tom definitely on the money shot today ,definitely think a great idea about maximum size limit as well as bag limit not just bass ,think black bream should be included , got a lot of fiends ,skippers of charter boats that have told me they've been told to target bream basically on a commercial scale ,I know ifca have started monitoring bream catches ,but really have no idea how many are being caught,evan spoken to officers saying they tagged 120 last yr ,boats were doing that a day out of Poole, then you've got to enforce it ,but unfortunately there's not enough fisheries officers to enforce the rules ,it's ment to be a sport after all

Not sure why bass are quite so revered. Two fish a day seems reasonable and I think most bass anglers work to their own slot size. I will consider keeping fish between 48cm to 58cm. I probably take 12 to 15 fish a year in that bracket. The only trouble with the two fish limit is if you've bagged your two, but then damage a third and feel bad about releasing it to almost certain death.

Hi Tom, a bag limit on mackerell would be good idea to stop people taking carrier bags of them from chesil. Has anyone ever been checked though? Good vid mate, nice bass.

For what Impact we have on fish stocks compared to trawlers is minimal, if they ban us from taking a single fish they should ban trawlers from taking bass

Great vid!! How big in lb was your biggest bass that day do you think roughly?

I follow all the rules but one. If I catch my personal bag limit for the year in 1 or 2 sessions. I will take more than 2 fish I just keep myself accounpaul For how many fish I take out of the sea and I think having an upper size limit would definitely be a good idea

Totally agree Tom, maximum number of fish per day. Limit for the shore definitely and boat possibly. Not a boat fisherman, so interested to hear from someone with an opinion there, that will no doubt be more informed than mine. No ban required then.

I believe in the minimum and maximum that all

Hi Tom, slightly different question. Is that the Aquastar Smock from Guy Cotton you are wearing in your video? Any views as i am looking for a decent waterproof for my fishing both with waders and from the shore. Thanks Hugh

Great session Tom. What's the advantage of using a urfe bar instead of a three way swivel? Agree with you on the fishing sizes & bass season, also as you I'd like to see a maximum size as well. Roll on 14th May & it'll be time to dust off the spinners, hopefully the river levels will have dropped & all that water coming through will have gone. 🎣

great session tom, yes i have to agree with you on the limits on all fish,,, i have taken bigger bass7+ before now but do put my fair share back and stick to the size limits and increase them for my self , if im honest i would like to see the bass come down a couple cms and up the daily quota to 3 or 4 and maximum put in place on them, i feel it would benefit more, its sickening to put a specimen fish back just for it to be picked up else where

I totally agree we should have bag limits on all fish say 2 a session to take home if big enougth mind you try telling that to the french

We need to find that place mate

Hi mate great video again, just bought & received 4 of the rigs you are using 2x of each size hook I am just wondering which way you are attaching you're lead to the rig please as there seems to be 2 swivel type circles on both ends of the bar, cheers dale

Great watch Tom . Can honestly say i didn't see a bite until you changed your hooklength .

So you think Rod and line need a limit but tralers can rapp the sea ?

As a very keen bass on lure angler. I think the min max would be ideal. My explanation would be tiresome to read - marine life scientifics etc! I have never taken a bass for the table, and the only time I have a split second thought of taking one would be a 48-52cm fish. Anyway, nice to see the good size fish your way, I know there are plenty out there on the ol'plastic. On the subject of other species, yes, I match fish a lot and a min max on say a flounder would be great. But the opinion for anyone will be loaded as you can open a can of worms with domestic vs commercial fishing etc. Anyway, top film. Nice watch

Yes fully agree on your views on limits, yes we do need limits in place but yes a bit of leeway would be nice but we know it could be abused and sadly hence the need for what feels like mad restrictions. We are looking at it from respecters compared to DGAF. Even then if there is no implementation of rules it is totally ineffective..

I just don’t get the urfe rig. Surely the fish pulls against the lead instead of the rod tip. Isn’t a trace with a lead locked between two swivels better as the fish pulls through the lead up to the rod tip. In other words a simple running ledger rig.

Wow,what a session Tom. Got to agree that there needs to be a complete overhaul of the size limits and amount of certain species that can be kept. By the way, what are the new denim/trainer’s combination, they don’t look very waterproof 😂😂🐟🎣

I dont think the size limits are the issue The policing of them is more of an issue for me Ive only ever once had my bag checked for undersize fish by the authorities But a maximum size limit would be more useful than a minimum size limit I work in fishmongers and yesterday being our first trading day after the ban was eased the local boats had landed so much bass.... The boat wr buy from had 15 boxes of decent sized bass 3-8lb and thats just one day after the ban was lifted .....so sea anglers are not the problem but we get punished .... One boat on a good day can catch more bass than i could ever dream of catching in 5 years

Bag limits on all fish, and slot sizes on them too, we need to preserve the big breeding fish 🐟

Hi Tom, can you give me the name of the rod your using please and the spec 😊👍🐟🐟

Most enjoyable video. Can I ask what rod and reel you are using please?

Hi Tom, what rod are you using I use a 4nbait for bass and want to upgrade! That’s if you sell it!

Great session Tom. Interested to know how you got across the run. Ferry?

You asked for my thoughts about keeping fish! Well here we go .... I agree that all persons that fish for pleasure should be able to keep a amount off each species they catch that day ! If we can't fish for Bass as it's breading time the same should go for commercial fishermen! And anyone who decides to by a boat and go fishing out off Poole harbour be very aware you will be boarded all the time as your a easy fine! Still waiting to see some one on the peirs in Bournemouth bay checking for undersized fish or fish that should not be kept due to being out off season ! It angers me that can be a cod ban on which means a private boat catches a cod and has to throw it back!! Because the big boys have over fished ! Once we would hunt /kill and provide for the family! I feel very deeply that shore fishermen and private boat owners are getting blamed for the Poor management off our fish stocks ! Apart from that what a cracking session for you .. which made you happier? Species 31 or providing a Bass for the family?

Loving my bass fishing at the moment, not something ive really done Great session mate and in terms of "rules" i think there defo needs tocbe a max size on bass. Taking prime breading fish isnt cool

What weight were you using on the end of that uref?

Great session well done, love it down there with the lures. I would like to see an increase in minimum landing size.

Good idea to have bag limits

Well done! Are you not disappointed you didn't catch a dogfish?