Fly Fishing Guide Justin Anwyl is a fly fisherman who is hugely passionate about his quarry - bass.
Over the coming months, I have been asked to write a number of articles about sea bass, the fishery and the variables which affect the success and failure of our marine environment and I hope these articles will shed some light on where we are, where we are going and, most importantly, what I feel we need to do in order to protect what is regarded as one of the most valuable but unfortunately abused natural resources leant to us for only a moment in time.
So it is not without some hesitation that this first article is written as it ventures into a number of areas which at the current time are either, at best, misunderstood or, at the very worst, merely ignored and deliberately abused.
It was four years ago I took my IGFA Captain’s (International Game Fish Association) license after 6 years as a full time saltwater guide on the UK coast as I wanted to belong to a conservation body where the main focus is geared towards aquatic habitat conservation. As a full time saltwater guide I meet a lot of clients and one of the advantages to being both on the water and guiding in general is the different perspectives people have on their sport and their involvement and understanding of the resource they enjoy.
By far the biggest surprise to me has been the lack of information which is both available and understood about Sea Bass in general and I hope this article goes some way to help like minded enthusiasts make the right choices through a better understanding of this quarry species.
Before anything else, I need to say I am not against taking fish for the table, I enjoy eating fish like many people but I will only take a certain size of Bass, if at all, and it is here where I feel the discussion should start.
Bass are a slow growing species and a fish of 10 lbs would average approximately 28-29 inches in length and could be as much as 30 years old, although it may well be younger as our water temperatures over the last 25 years have risen due to the effect of Global warming and this may well have contributed to Sea Bass fairing better than other cold water species as their reproductive environment would have been enhanced rather than hampered.
It is extremely difficult to determine a male Sea Bass from a female but it is thought that the majority of fish over 5 lbs in weight would be females. Their migration away from our coastline starts in October and November when the inshore fishery begins to cool and the species seeks a more stable cline where it migrates south westwards towards the Atlantic shelf. It is important here to understand that NOT ALL Sea Bass migrate, only mature fish with a body length of 16.5inches-17.5 inches and higher find the urge to move offshore, leaving the younger school Bass behind where they find sanctuary in estuaries and harbours.
This in itself poses an inherent problem to young stock as Sea Bass generally do better in warmer water and are not particularly tolerant of large disparities in temperature, so a harsh extended winter like the one in 2009/2010 may have caused a year class hole as the very young stock may not have survived the subzero temperatures – I think I heard once that ambient temperatures between zero and minus 5 degrees centigrade for 7 days or more can wipe out a whole year class of fish as the freezing conditions cause apoptosis, an interesting point to consider if by 2016 your catch records take a dive, as this years stock should mature to 16.5 inches – 17.5 inches (approximately 2lbs in weight) within a 6-7 year time frame.
Another interesting point here is that from December through to March / April the fish reach spawning condition but they don’t breed until their migration back to our shores begins. So the male Sea Bass effectively milt the eggs on the fin and do this multiple times. The timing of this is linked to sea temperatures so the warmer or milder the winter, the earlier this process occurs.
Now here comes the bullet.
Sea bass, through tagging, have been proven to return to exactly where they matured, very similar to a Salmon returning to its native river, but in the case of sea bass which are milted on the fin in open water, the fish returns to where it merely finds itself when the length of its body reaches the maturity gauge – thought to be between 16.5 inches and 17.5inches. Therefore, it is NOT by CHANCE that sea bass populate a particular area. They are there not by birthright but by maturity, so if an area is indiscriminately culled it may take many years for the area to naturally populate again – what I’m saying is that wherever you fish, it is not by chance that an area holds good stock and to take too many is a mistake.
Bearing this in mind, we need to consider that if you are fishing to eat, what size would be sensible to cull. The law stipulates that the Minimum Landing Size (MLS) is 36cms or 14 inches for this species, therefore although legal, the law is misguiding you as it allows sea bass to be removed prior to it reaching its own maturity gauge. To therefore take a fish which is legal but immature sets a false economy and one which will eventually lead to a collapse in stock.
What size therefore is sensible?
If I fish for the table, I target a fish of around 20 inches (approx 3lbs). At this length, the bass has reproduced at least twice and has contributed back to its own gene pool. On top of that, you will be targeting male as well as female fish which wouldn’t be the case if you start culling fish above 5lbs which are proven to be mostly females.
Therefore mark against your rod a piece of duck tape which allows you to measure your fish quickly and easily. If too small, although still legal it makes sense to wait and return the fish alive, if too large you will be culling a logarithmic effect of the gene pool.
If you think that by taking just one immature sea bass or top producing female won’t make a difference, then digest the fact that there are millions of sea anglers both recreational and commercial; whether you work a fly rod, lure rod or beach caster we all want to enjoy this resource which was gifted to us all by birthright.
The marine environment has been leant to us and is not ours to abuse methodically. If we wish for this marine resource to be enjoyed by our children and future generations then we need to make informed choices based upon hard facts and the truth is for many years we have been doing neither.
Justin Anwyl is a full time bass guide based in Chichester. He runs Bass Fishing UK and has written "Fly Fishing for Atlantic Bass" and also produced a DVD called "A Season On The Salt"
We are indebted to Sea Angler who have allowed us to publish this article that appeared in Spring 2011 but felt it would be good to share with fly rodders.