This season has seen a few unusual captures of bass from our rivers, and while it isn't uncommon to see one or two a year taken from freshwater, the amount and size of fish that have been banked is unprecedented.
Of all the rivers that produce bass, The Hampshire Avon seems to be one of the most consistent, with bass running up its reaches, far beyond their saltwater home on a regular basis. Fish are often documented being caught as far up as the Royalty fishery, some 3-4miles upstream of the estuary.
On a recent session to the Avon, Filip Syta managed to land a huge fish that any bass fanatic or sea angler would have been thrilled to catch while he was actually targeting pike. It isn't the 16-year-olds first big bass of the year from the Avon either, proving there are a few of these migrating fish present to be caught by visiting anglers.
"My friend and I had planned our first pike fishing session of the year on the river, and after some success last year, we were really looking forward to it," Filip told us.
"Our tactics were quite simple, targeting the pike with floats and deadbaits, as this seems to work really well where we fish."
After trying a few spots, Filip cast out his deadbait into the flow, and within a few minutes his motionless float came to life and began sliding away down the river. A firm strike saw him connected to a very powerful fish, ripping line from his reel as it ran downstream in a bid for freedom.
"I had never felt anything like it, I was worried to begin with the line might run out on my reel. We assumed it must have been a big pike, but after playing the fish for a while, we were shocked to see the head of a huge bass surface," he recalled.
"We let the fish rest after unhooking it while we got the scales ready. The bass went 10lb, and it was an awesome fish to see!"
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