How To Catch Bass Fishing From The Promenade

How To Catch Bass Fishing From The Promenade: So sometimes all we want is an easy, straightforward fishing adventure, don’t we? So what could be more simple than to chuck a few lures of the promenade at high water? Amazing.

However, my best two fish ever were caught from the promenade around our neck of the woods. One was 11 lbs, the other 9 lbs 4, but this was on bait and not on lures. You see, we have quite a lot of coastline around the South East Coast, but Thanet especially has its fair share of promenades. Realistically, I think promenades were built to stop that savage sea from smashing up the coastline. But that’s only my opinion.

Lure Fishing From the Prom

Ultimately, I have told this story before but feel this post is more relevant to what we are discussing. One night, my friend Dave had been going around the rock pools collecting live prawns. He had gone and got a special bucket that would have an aerator (I think) to keep the prawns alive. It’s called a live bait bucket.

Moving on. As we fished that early evening the water was relatively clear, and we were getting some action, especially my mate with the live prawns. He had a flounder first cast, then a small bass. Then, my thoughts about lure fishing for bass suddenly went out of the window.

We carried on fishing when this bloke turned up 30 yards away on a pushbike with his fishing gear. Amazingly, with his broom-handled

rod and massive fixed spool reel…oh and a Toby lure started winching bass out. One after the other. If it weren’t for the fact that he had only just turned up, I would have raced home to get my gear. This was prolific bass fishing, and we were standing on the prom in awe. In fact, this man was a force of nature to be slaying them in that manner.

So Why Was This Man Catching So Many Fish?

Fair play to the bloke, but when people mention to me via email or blog post comment that they still haven’t caught a bass on a lure, I have to laugh. I could have stuck anyone with that bloke that night and would almost guarantee they would’ve caught a bass. The reason? They had just swarmed into the area in great numbers, and they were on a feeding frenzy. I have been a witness to this before on a few occasions. Trust me; it doesn’t happen very often. But the more you have fished, the more likely you are to experience this epic behaviour. Awesome.

The Next Night Same Thing Again

Yes, the next night I came bundling along that promenade to the same spot. Yes, it was pretty much the same as the night before although not quite as manic. This time you could clearly see the activity in the water. However, this isn’t always a sign you are going to catch that bass. On another occasion at low tide, there were hundreds of bass swimming right in front of us. Do you think they would take a lure? The answer was a big fat NO.

The Reasons Why We Like To Fish From The Prom

First of all, the best reason for fishing off the promenade is you can leave those sweaty old waders at home. Not that wearing waders is a problem but sometimes, for me personally, standing in the water can be hard work, especially if it’s the pitch black of night. Remember, we still want to keep our lighting away from the water, so walk away from the area or face away from the sea when changing your lure.

How Would You Land A Big Bass From The Prom?

Well, first off, it is also good practice to fish with someone else for safety reasons, especially lure fishing for bass. Honestly, you don’t know what or who could be thrown at you. Sometimes, the promenades have a slope so yachts and small boats can access the water of a trailer. Other promenades have steps to get down the sand or rocks. PLEASE NOTE: THESE STEPS, SLOPES AND SLIPWAYS CAN BE COVERED IN SEAWEED YOU DO NOT WANT TO SLIP OVER TRYING TO LAND A FISH.

Suitable Landing Net

The other easy method is to get an extendable landing net. This way, you’re not risking slipping arse over tit trying to land your bass. You could alternatively use a drop net if it’s possible. Ultimately, some promenades may not because they could slip away from the edge so that the drop net would be useless.

Drunks

Yes, if you are fishing through the high tide in the middle of the night, you may encounter drunk people. Yes, personally, I have come across drunks, but they never bothered me while fishing. To say I wasn’t a little apprehensive would be a lie. But I have heard stories of anglers that have been pushed off the prom into the sea. You definitely don’t want this to happen, so always fish with someone.

No Waders, But You May Need A Net

As for fishing gear, things can be a little different from the fishing level with the water or wading in the water. The great thing is we are not going in the water, so no sweaty old waders required.

Above water Level

Lures From The Prom

Normally, I would use soft plastics like a Savage Gear Sandeel or even the Megabass Dark Sleeper for lures. I have found that subsurface lures do not seem to work because you are standing above sea level being off the promenade. Now depending on what ground you are fishing over depends on the deeper lures. If it’s rocky close in, you have to be careful of getting snags, especially if there is a strong tide run. If the ground is sandy, then happy days you could use anything.

Surface Lures

Although I have not had much success from the prom with surface lures, it doesn’t mean they are not good for catching bass from the prom. However, some subsurface lures like the Komomo II are not so good because they seem to surface. Because we are standing higher above the water level on the prom, this will cause the lure to stay on the surface. You could try lowering your rod tip lower to the water, but this would mean standing right on edge with your rod over the side. This could be awkward if there are railings along the prom.

Windy Weather Conditions for The Promenade

This can also be a problem fishing from the prom, especially if the wind is side-on. This can cause a bow in the line, interfering with how the lure works in the water. Ultimately, you could try using something heavier, but you could then risk getting caught on the bottom if you’re fishing over rocks. But the sand should be fine.