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 work best. 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 day time 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 v 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 works best but when that Wolf Moon appears its worth trying other colors like Black, Brown or Green. Typically bumping the lures 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 bed.
Lures to try in January:
Estuary:
Weedless Shads, Senko, Sticks:
Pictures
Open Water:
Weighted Weedless, Weighted Padletails, Sprat Pack
BASS RULES: There is some positive news regarding bass regulations. You will have to catch & release in Feb & Mar 2024 but as far as we are concerned this is positive news shifting from an 8 month season to a 10 month season for 2023/24.
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.
