Black Bass

Since their introduction to Spain, American black bass have flourished in the embalses, lake and rivers of this country. This population explosion has made the bass a very worthwhile sport fish, especially in the waters of Andalucia, where the climate and richness of their food source has made for the largest black bass in Spain. They are absent from Galicia.

Most people fish for bass using standard American style artificial outfits - short, responsive bait casters, with multipliers and braid. This type of outfit works very well when fishing close in or from a boat. You will need to use a longer rod if fishing at distance, especially on some of the larger embalses. Braid in the 3.8 kilo (8lb) range is sufficient, although the very nature of bass fishing means fishing in or over snags – so a stronger shock leader is advisable.

Try to fish as mobile as possible. Carry a small bag of lures, with forceps, landing net and some other essential kit in a shoulder bag and work you way methodically along your chosen patch of water. Fish in or as near to snags as possible. Lots of the embalses of Andalucia have a mass of sunken trees, buildings and walls that make excellent bass habitat. Vary the speed and depth of retrieve until a fish is found. You will find that a similar stamp of fish will usually be taken from the same swim. If things are slow, try bumping a small artificial slowly along the bottom or along a feature such as a sunken wall or a dam. The bass often hold up under cover, and this slow bumping approach is often just to trick to move them from their hiding places.

Lots of different lure patterns work for bass. The favourite amongst local Spanish anglers are small four centimetre rapalas. Most patterns work well, but mottled patterns resembling perch or pike are particularly effective. Recent years have seen a surge in popularity for American style jigs, spinner baits, poppers and plastic worms. These can be deadly, with plastic worms top of the list. Weedless spinnerbaits and spoons are obviously an advantage in the more snaggy areas. Don’t ignore some tradition lures either. Simple mepps type spinners, small spoons (especially red/white patterns) and devon style minnows. I, personally, have had some nice fish on ‘flying condoms’ – normally a favourite of salmon anglers!

A firm favourite amongst local anglers is to use a small live frog as bait. Live baiting is banned in Andalucia, so do not use this method there. Hook these with a single or treble hook along the back and free line them near weedbeds or sunken trees. If you do not want to use a live frog as bait, an alternative is to use a piece of pork cut into a frog shape! This bait will need to be retrieved erratically to simulate a live frog. Both the live and artificial version are best used from June through to September. A strip of port rind attached to the hook of a spoon or spinner is also a good trick to employ if the fishing is hard. Simply cut a thin strip of pork rind from a piece of bacon rasher and attach one end to your artificial.

Fly fishing is another popular method to catch black bass. July to September are the best months to try this method. Lures that simulate small fish are very effective. Traditional patterns such as the muddler minnow work very well. Use a size 8 floating line to a 10’ reservoir type rod.

As I have mentioned, there is a huge black bass population in Andalucia. Lots of these fish are small, but provide really good sport on light tackle. Bass can be taken throughout the day, but as with most species, dawn and dusk are particularly effective. Finally, if you catch a nice fish – PUT IT BACK ALIVE! Help preserve this fantastic sporting resource for the future.