Bass

Ask a UK lure angler to name the fish and the answer is almost always bass. Bright silver flanks, spiky dorsal, gill covers like razors - the European bass combines looks with genuine cunning, and a good one earns every bit of its reputation.

Bass hunt the rough edges: surf beaches after a blow, rocky gullies, estuary mouths on a flooding tide, and reef edges where sandeels get pinned by the current. From May to November they are a realistic target almost anywhere on the south and west coasts, with autumn the prime time for the bigger fish.

Surface lures at dawn produce the most spectacular sport you can have in British saltwater; soft plastics, shallow divers and good old peeler crab or live sandeel all take their share. Strict size and bag limits apply - many skippers and anglers fish catch-and-release for bass, and stocks are the better for it.