The Daiwa Emcast Sport is a good all round reel and will stand up to the rigours of salt water.

Winter fishing for the European Bass is a little more difficult and requires more skill, but offers just as much excitement as any other season. Understanding the techniques and changing distribution and habitat will increase your probability. Therefore, catching European Bass up to January is very possible and practiced in many European countries.

Changing Habitat

As winter arrives, the European Bass move into deeper water not too far from where they were in the fall.

However the young bass stay close inshore until they’re around 14 inches/35.5 cm in length, which is at about 4 years old.

In their 5th year, they move into wider coastal areas for a year or so as school bass. They become fully mature at the beginning of year 6, almost half way through their life.

Stormy North Atlantic

Winter weather conditions offer more wind and precipitation, especially in early winter. Stormy conditions stir up the seabed revealing crustaceans and other food that the European Bass feed on. This is believed to also stir up their appetite.

The opposite can be said for calm clear weather.

If you’re not familiar with the North Atlantic during this time of year, know that the seas in this region can be torturous. Investigate the area you’ll be fishing and hiring a guide is highly recommended.

In late fall and winter European Bass are found in upper layer schools of mackerel, sprat, pilchard and scad.

Locating schools of these fish can often lead to the discovery of European Bass.

Not much is known about how bass react to fish of its own size, but when it faces prey of a lesser size, it attacks ferociously.

Fishing Tips

This first step to improving your chances of catching European Bass in the winter is the right tackle. First and foremost, select a rod that will properly transmit the vibrations from a strike to your hands.

We recommend the Shakespeare MPV for ocean fishing and the Shimano Hyperloop Sea Bass 118 and the Daiwa Longbeam Bass rod for surf fishing.

The Daiwa Emcast Sport is a good all round reel and will stand up to the rigors of salt water.

Be sure to have multiple line tests ready. The key is to have a line test properly match to the fish you intend to land. Too strong and you won’t feel a strike.

Side winder baits such as the flutterworms and eels are highly effective as are the large shads and silver shrimp lures.

When in doubt, use simple natural top food preferences like the lugworms, rag worms, shrimp and crustaceans.