The month of January has historically been a pretty tough month for lure fishing in Cornwall but it has never stopped us fishing when the weather gods have been kind to us. Generally the water temp here in Cornwall is around 11c and that's still warm enough for the bass to continue feeding although they might be sluggish so slower retrieves along the bottom work best. You might even see jumbo mackerel on the open coast so occasionally we will go out to the beach for a flick to see what's around. If there are jumbo mackerel then there will be bass lurking for a big meal. Search for the birds which will be your best indicator. We have always done well around the full moon phase in January. "The Wolf Moon" as it's known is a good phase to explore the coast or estuary in the daytime but especially at night. If you catch a half-decent bass in January it feels like a double-figure accomplishment because it's pretty tough going but not impossible. The amount of fishing trips and catches reduces considerably but it's always worth a punt. If you're not fishing you're not catching as the saying goes but we totally understand why people put their lure fishing gear away for the start of the year. Maybe just explore in January and check out new marks that you might not have tried before or read a new book as we’ve recommended below.
Generally the water is cloudy in January so anything white or bright works best but when that Wolf Moon appears its worth trying other colours like Black, Brown or Green. Typically bumping the lures or creature baits along the bottom on very slow retrieves works best as the bass are head down looking for anything that might move on the bottom of the sea or estuary bed.
December 2024 has been great for the 8-14lb bass out in the boat and as you can see from the photos below our Seadra Boat Jigs have been catching lovely fish already in December.
Lures to try in January:
Estuary:
Creature Baits
Open Water:
Weighted Paddletails
Boat:
BASS RULES: There is some positive news regarding bass regulations. You will have to catch & release in Feb & Mar 2025 but as far as we are concerned this is positive news shifting from an 8 month season to a 10 month season for 2024/25.
BOOK: This book is worth a read if you are twiddling your thumbs in January. James seldom ventures further than 20 miles from his Cornish home. He fishes from the rocks and beaches in a handful of places and that is enough for him.