Fishing spot / The best spots for sea bass fishing: fringe meadows

How do you identify border meadows?

While the easiest way to locate seaweed-covered shorelines is of course a Sunday stroll along the water's edge, it's also possible to take advantage of the many aerial view sites. When you're about to discover a new area far from home, this is the ideal way to prospect.

On the other hand, there are ephemeral concentrations of algae that retain large numbers of fish. This is particularly true of seaweed brought to beaches during storms. After a storm, the last waves and the first few meters of the beach are often covered with plant debris. This can be seaweed, but often also seagrass or kelp torn from the seabed. Even when dead, these plants in high concentrations are of major interest to sea bass anglers. To locate them, you'll need to keep an eye on the weather and plan ahead for the beaches most exposed to swell during storms.

Why fish seagrass beds?

Seaweed fields, whether dead or alive, are obviously a good place for sea bass to rest and, above all, to lie in wait for their prey, but their real interest lies in the wealth of food they shelter. In fact, many small fish take refuge here, but you'll also find numerous shrimps, crabs and thousands of sea fleas on beaches strewn with carpets of dead seaweed.

Which ones to fish for?

All algae patches can reasonably hold one or more fish in position, but it's obviously impossible to prospect them all. Your choice should therefore focus on areas rich in plant cover, so as to be able to set up a survey that is both rapid and meticulous, even if this may seem contradictory.

Likewise, as with other types of spots, give preference to those that benefit from a multitude of food supplies and whose configuration stands out from the crowd. Typically, seaweed fields close to a nourishing current or not far from an oyster bed can potentially be better than a totally isolated one. Similarly, on a beach with regular patches of seaweed, opt for the area with the highest concentration, and possibly the one where you can identify a particular current or relief, such as a bay.

How do you approach them?

If the area is particularly large and monotonous, it is preferable to prospect quickly and linearly in a fan pattern using lures with protected hooks.

But if it's a small area with regular gaps, it's often effective to fish each space methodically and slowly in the manner of black-bass anglers. In estuaries, this approach will bring you many fish of all sizes.

Techniques and lures for bass?

For this type of fishing, you'll need soft lures fitted with Texas hooks.

The first way to proceed is to buzz a shad first on the outside, then on the vegetation and finally deeper when the vegetation is not too dense and your lure can navigate through it.

If you opt for a methodical prospection of the holes, I advise you to swap your shads for pintails, which penetrate the water layer better and withstand minimal animation on the spot.

Given the congestion of some spots and the regular line runs over obstacles, opt for a long fluorocarbon leader.