Fly fishing for sea bass: 4 useful steps for beginners

I started fly fishing for sea bass during a summer holiday in Cornwall a few years ago. It was such a great experience that subsequently, I have spent the summers fly fishing for bass in North Wales.

I’m still on a learning curve, but I decided to share the useful pointers I’ve picked up along the way, which will be helpful to a beginner.

So, let’s start with an overview of fly fishing equipment you will need…

1. Selecting kit – fly fishing for sea bass

As with most forms of fly fishing, you can spend a fortune on the fishing tackle for saltwater fly fishing. 

However, I would recommend an inexpensive start to fly fishing for bass, and this is the course I’m going to outline. Then, if you get hooked on it, you’ll be able to upgrade to a specialist saltwater fly fishing rod and reel.

Saltwater fly rods for sea bass fishing

The essential feature of a fly rod for sea bass fishing is its capability to cast a relatively large fly against an onshore breeze.

If you already fly fish on freshwater lakes and large reservoirs for trout and/or pike then you probably have a rod you could repurpose to have a go at saltwater fly fishing bass. Important note – if the rod is not designed for saltwater fishing it will need to be thoroughly washed off in clean water after every trip. As the salt environment can wreck many a reel if it’s not salt water corrosion proofed, likewise with Rods.

A robust 9-10ft reservoir fly rod rated 8 or 9wt is an ideal choice. However, a 7wt rod will work for fishing on calm days with smaller flies.

If you’re moving straight to saltwater fly fishing, there are a couple of options to consider:

• Pick up an inexpensive second-hand 8 or 9wt freshwater fly rod, or…
• Buy a new saltwater fly rod. They are available to suit a range of budgets. For example, an entry-level Airflo Predator/Saltwater Starter Kit – 9′ – 8/9 that includes a reel and line for under £100.

I’m currently using a 20-year-old Snowbee Deep Blue XS 9ft 8wt fly rod, which satisfies my current sea bass fly fishing requirements.

Saltwater fly fishing reels

As with fly rods, you can spend up to a small fortune on a high specification saltwater fly reel.

However, there’s no need for an expensive drag system when fishing for sea bass from the shore because large amounts of backing are not required to subdue them, unlike monster tropical fish.

Fly lines for sea bass fishing

For fly fishing in UK seas, you will need a coldwater fly line and not a tropical (warm water) fly line because they stiffen in UK waters.

Fly fishing for sea bass from the shore is easily covered using floating and intermediate lines, but you’ll need to add a fast-sinking line for fishing deep watermarks. For example, the Airflo Forty Plus DI5 or DI7 fly Lines or the Airflo PolyfuseXT Depthfinder sinking fly line, depending on your budget.

Loading the line on top of approx.100 meters of backing will be more than enough to subdue even large sea bass.

If you get hooked on saltwater fly fishing and plan to fish regularly for sea bass, it will be worthwhile buying tackle designed for saltwater and capable of casting large, bulky and sometimes heavy flies into a strong wind. 

Until then, it will be necessary to diligently wash your rod and reels with fresh water to remove any saltwater and sand; otherwise, they won’t last long.

Fluorocarbon leaders for sea bass fishing

Leaders, the connection between your fly line and fly is the area of the saltwater fishing tackle that is worth using a good abrasion resistant fluorocarbon. 

Leaders, the connection between your fly line and fly is worth the expense of a good abrasion resistant fluorocarbon for saltwater fishing. 

I use 9ft Seaguar Saltwater IGFA Leaders rated at either 20 or 16lbs breaking strain and tie on a 2ft of 15.4lbs Seaguar Ace Hard fluorocarbon tippet via a loop-to-loop connection. The tippet section is replaced each trip if not before. There are cheaper options, but I’m happy with the additional expense.

Accessories for fly fishing for sea bass

Polarising sun glasses

It’s always wise to wear sunglasses because they offer eye protection from the sun and flies. When fishing for sea bass at night or in low light conditions, replace the sunglasses with safety glasses.

Chest waders & boots.

When fishing from the shore, you’ll often have to wade out to reach the best fishing spots. This is where a good pair of socking foot chest waders and wading boots will provide warmth and comfort, thus allowing you to concentrate on the fishing. 

Having said that…

In the height of summer, it can be refreshing to wet wade in shorts and an old pair of trainers. 

Wading Stick / staff

I never go wading without one, it’s my third leg…

Because it helps me safely get to the good fishing locations by navigating slippery rocks, and boulders, checking the depth of rock pools and the firmness of the ground, and wading through murky water. 

Line tray / Stripping basket

Saltwater fly fishing without a line tray can be a real pain. An inexpensive line tray stops your line from tangling in the surf, line damage on sharp rocks, and weed tangles in shallow water. Thus, allowing you to focus on fishing.

Small Backpack / Chest pack

A small waterproof backpack or chest pack is useful for carrying essential fishing items, e.g. flies, leaders, lines, snacks, drinks, etc. Enabling you to easily move along the shoreline and in and out with the tide.

Fishing Headlamp

If you are planning on bass fishing early in the morning or into the night then it’s worth investing in a good headlamp. I use the Nitecore NU25 headlamp because it’s lightweight and easily fits into my jacket pocket.

2. Where to fly fish for sea bass

Well, you have a large coastline in the UK to fish. According to the Ordnance Survey…

“The coastline length around mainland Great Britain is ca. 11,000 miles”

This is both good and daunting.

So, how do we go about narrowing that down because…

Location and timing are important sea bass fishing success factors.

• Select an area of coastline within a comfortable driving distance of where you are staying, which could be home or a holiday destination.

• Search online for known sea bass fishing marks and within that area. For example, the Fishing in Wales website has an interactive map that shows some of the key fishing marks with information on the species to target.

• Ask for advice on saltwater fly fishing forums. Someone might point you in the right direction.

• Reach out to local fishing tackle shops as they may have useful knowledge on where to start fly fishing for bass.

• Once you’ve found a good location to fish, it’s time to identify the places where bass are likely to be feeding at a distance you can cover with the fly (ca. 20 meters or closer to your rod tip).

• Fortunately, bass will feed close to inshore structures because they hold their food source, e.g. baitfish, shrimps, crabs, etc.

• Shoreline structural features include boulder-strewn rough grown; rock gullies, large rock pools, deep inshore drop-offs, kelp beds, sand bars, rips, etc. 

• Many of the features are found in estuaries and, as such, hold a good head of small sea bass. Thus…

Estuaries are a great place to start fly fishing for sea bass

The next step involves legwork…

Your chances improve with the more shoreline you cover, which contains any of the above features that schools of bass love to inhabit. So…

Pick an area and start exploring it with your fly rod. Keep an eye out for…

• Fish swirling at the surface,
• Bait fish jumping out of the sea.
• Diving sea birds feeding on bait fish schools.

Because they’re all signs that sea bass will be close by.

Bear in mind…

Effort equals reward in the Bass fly fishing game!

Therefore, it pays to travel light to make it easy to cove as much water as possible. 

3. When to go fly fishing for sea bass

In North Wales, I usually start fly fishing for bass in May and stop in October when it gets cold because my focus switched to Autumn grayling fishing. On the warmer south coast, the fishing season is extended by a couple of months.

Sea bass fishing typically peaks in July and August. Therefore, as a beginner, it is the best time to learn your craft because there are more fish around. Thus, your chances of locating and catching are higher.

Time of day / light levels

In bright sunshine, bass can be caught from the shore when fishing deep water during the day. However, when fishing shallow water, your chances significantly improve at dawn and in the evening. Thus, pays to have a…

Very early start or late finish.

This is often accompanied with the bonus of a magical sunrise or sunset.

On dull overcast days, sea bass become confident to move inshore and venture into shallow water to feed.

Fly fishing in these low light conditions becomes productive, especially during the dark. However, from a safety point of view, fly fishing from the shore in the dark is fraught with hazards and best avoided if you’re a beginner or by yourself.  

Tide times

It’s important to study the tide table for where you plan to fish to understand the times for high and low water. So, you know when to move out and in with the tide. It’s safer to fish an outgoing tide because you don’t have the hazard of getting cut off by a rising tide. 

In each lunar cycle (28-day period) there are two sets of spring tides (large difference between high and low water) and two sets of neap tides (small difference between high & low water). 

Generally, I prefer to fish when the tides are getting larger, but that doesn’t stop me from fishing a falling tide when low water is at sunrise or sunset.

Each location will fish best during a portion of the tidal cycle, depending on the feeding behaviour of bass in that area. For example, the best time is often a couple of hours on either side of low water for estuaries, low water rock marks, and kelp beds

If you can’t find any information for the area, you will have to fish it several times to determine the best phase of the tide.

Weather conditions

I prefer to go sea bass fly fishing on overcast, breezy days and when the sea is clearing after a mild storm because bass are likely to be feeding inshore on dislodged crabs and baitfish.

In flat calm seas, I prefer to go sea bass fly fishing at daybreak and in the evening.   

Water Clarity

I’ve had most success fly fishing for bass when the water visibility is at least 3ft. If the visibility is less, it’s possible to catch bass on the fly using large colourful or black flies, but I try and find deeper water over rocky outcrops, which tends to be clearer.

4. Sea bass fishing techniques and flies

Fishing over shallow water (ca.<10ft)

I normally start with a floating line tipped with a 9ft Seaguar Saltwater IGFA Leader (16lbs breaking strain) and tie on 2ft of 15.4lbs fluorocarbon when fishing for sea bass over shallow water. This simple leader setup is the one I would recommend when starting your journey.

Sea bass can be feeding very close in. Therefore, it’s important to cast out is a fan shape to cover the water in front of you before wading out. Experiment with slow and fast retrieves as you move along the shore.

If you get your fly in front of feeding bass, they will normally have a go at it. The challenge is finding the fish in the first place. So, keep an eye out for…

Fish swirling at the surface, baitfish jumping out of the sea, diving sea birds feeding on baitfish schools.

It’s important to learn how to double haul cast and punch flies out on windy days because you will cover more water and catch more sea bass.

If you don’t get any takes when covering feeding bass, it’s time to experiment with fly choice…

Sea bass fly choice

Fly choice depends on what bass are feeding on i.e. baitfish, sand eels, crabs, prawns, or shrimps. Fortunately, they are opportunistic feeders and will often take any fly that imitates their typical food sources.

The saltwater flies that I’ve found successful for sea bass fishing include…

Sand eel fly patterns

I’ve had the most success fishing simple bootlace sand eel fly patterns (ca 3″ long and hook size 4 to 1) from the shore over kelp beds in North Wales. Personally, I haven’t had any luck with the larger sand eel fly patterns.

Crazy Charlie flies

I carry a range of Crazy Charlie saltwater flies in different colours and weights to tempt bass feeding on shrimps, prawns and fry.

Baitfish Patterns

It’s worth having a selection of baitfish flies tied in various colours and on size 2 to 2/0 hooks because they are often highly effective when sea bass are feasting on small fish.

Sea bass surface lures/flies

Surface flies can be fished on their own but fishing it on a dropper 5ft above a subsurface fly works a treat. Often bass will investigate the disturbance but take the subsurface point fly.

Fishing over deep water from rock marks

Even over deep water, it’s worth starting with the floating line set-up because bass could be feeding near the surface. However, the best results are likely to come from fishing an intermediate line or a fast sinking line, especially on bright days.

I use a simple leader setup consisting of 6 to 8ft of fluorocarbon (20lbs breaking strain) when fishing with intermediate and sinking fly lines.

Fly choice is similar to that for a floating line set-up, with the exception of the surface flies.

It pays to use a systematic approach when fishing sinking lines…

• Initially, I will cast out count 5-seconds before starting the retrieve.
• Repeat the cast and count down until the area in front of you has fanned.
• The above steps are repeated with a 10-second count, then 15 – seconds, etc. Until you’ve covered the water column.
• Don’t forget to vary the speed of retrieve as well.
• Then move on and repeat the process further down the shore.

Once you start to get takes, you can focus on fishing at that depth (countdown rate) until you stop getting takes.

Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival

For a few years, Orvis has organised a saltwater fly fishing festival that offers the opportunity to learn from a number of saltwater fly fishing experts. This year, it is taking place from 1^st to 3^{rd of} September 2022 in Chichester Harbour and Hayling Island.

Finally, I hope this article stimulates you to try fly fishing for sea bass during the summer and that it helps you can your first fish.