The Art of Fishing

21/09/2026

Illex soft lures have been a bit of a highlight for me and for customers in the shop this year. This little beauty is one of the standouts - the Magic Z Shad in both the 135 and 160mm sizes. They're on the website in various lovely colours!

The lure itself has a really nice profile with a relatively wide back for their size; nice slotted section for a weedless hook, plenty of weight to them for casting and the little ribbed section near the tail just gets the whole thing kicking really nicely without making the body roll too much. They're not overly aggressive or anything like that, so they're great in different types of water conditions. They don't kick out too much vibration for a calm day.

They're rigged on the Hayabusa Hyper Tornado hooks. Either weighted or unweighted. The NRB finish: It's almost like a matte black, and really nice. Super sharp. God knows how many packs I've opened this summer getting this lot sorted.

If you've ever visited the shop, I do things a little bit differently in here and pre-rig hundreds of different lures so that people can come and just choose their own. One of these, one of those... To try different things. And that's the point, because I want people to experiment and play around with this style of fishing. 🤩🎣😊

08/09/2026

I'm coming out of general hibernation so catching up with a few of the posts that the team guys have been putting out over the past few months. One of the most memorable would have been this one and another from Danny P. He's had so many bass this year, it is absolutely ridiculous.

Anybody else been nailing a few?

I know that for most people, catching a single bass over a relatively long period of time can be a real achievement. And it's always something to be proud of. But just sometimes, every once in a blue moon, stars align and it kicks off. These are the sessions we will dream of. At least every once in a while.

The Zenaq rods have drawn huge interest this year. There's something extra special about them and you feel it in the Inqludes the second you pick one up. Especially the little 76 that he's on!

His own words:
Another 100+ fish again this morning before breakfast with obscene amounts of scraper 60’s and above! Nailing the Dark Sleepers like they were going out of fashion! Inqlude Technical Snipe coping a dream

07/09/2026

Cracking bass and set of images from Team AOF's, Ainsley Bennett! Apia rod and Gosen Guidus braid obviously doing the business, but it's the fish and the sunset that take the prize. Proper job! Well done that man!

27/08/2026

Red and gold lures: AKAKIN to any of the old school. Anybody out there using this color much these days?

I ask only because I know that we don't sell that many, but it has always been and always was one of my absolute favorite colors when fishing around the open coast. Look back in any of my old lure boxes, and they are full of red and gold!

From a personal perspective, unlike so many others, it's probably my history with the color that guided what was a long-term love for it. When I started bass fishing, I caught the odd fish. Just one fish here and there. Just sporadic single-fish sessions. Generally fished on nice, sunny, calm days. Just because it was nice to be out on the rocks. Even during those very early days, I was already addicted to importing lures from Japan (they weren't available here at that point); even though I didn't particularly know what I was doing 🤪

But one day, I decided I was going to get up early. I hadn't checked the forecast, but I lived within walking distance of the shore and had heard that maybe dawn would be a good time to go. The weather overnight turned pretty dramatically. The sea was suddenly swirling, the drizzle and the wind, everything else combined. It was probably 5am, and I was awake. So I went anyway.

It was a Duo Tide Minnow Surf 120 that I'd probably not bought long before. In the red and gold color (akakin). I started flicking it into one of the only spots that I could really fish comfortably, given the state of the sea. Lo and behold, one hour and six bass later, that was it!

I'm red and gold to this day!

We all know things could have been different on that morning. Had the lure been white or blue or green, my whole bass fishing life over the last 20 years could be totally different. But in lots of ways, I'm happy that my first proper successful session was on a color that wasn't just a natural-looking sandeel.

25/08/2026

This week being one of the craziest in Cornwall each year, I'll be opening the shop for a couple of extra days!

The means I’ll be behind the counter both tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday as normal, AND Friday. I'll be closed for the weekend as normal, but then OPEN on bank holiday Monday! So there's finally a chance for anybody who works during the week to pop in and say hello. Open from 10 till 5 each day, as normal 😄

- Wednesday 26th: Open 10-5.
- Thursday 27th: Open 10-5.
- Friday 28th: Open (half day) 1-5.
- Saturday 29th: Closed.
- Sunday 30th: Closed.
- Monday 31st (bank holiday): Open 10-5.

Friday is actually AOF’s 16th birthday as well!!!! 🤪

We've got quite a few rods in the shop that aren't yet on the website - since the new version is coming really soon. So there's plenty to have a look at if you're around 🎣🐟😃

10/08/2026

Sadly no fish for me last night - although I do blame myself for picking the wrong day to be trying something new. As always great to be out though and I had fun playing around with different bits and pieces anyway, especially on the lure front. The Sakura shads got a lot of water time playing in the light of my head torch once I'd mentally packed it in for the night. Lovely!

Back to business in the shop today, with lots of people around. Packing up plenty of new Gosen Guidus line at the moment, which is great.

08/08/2026

The Gosen Guidus X9 has been out with people for a few weeks now and the feedback has been absolutely amazing. I have had a lot of people message me telling me how good they have found it, and it is so nice to have a new product in that has been this well received.

If you have not seen it yet, it is a new nine-strand braid from Gosen. The nine strands make it very smooth and rounder in profile than the eight-strands most of us have used for years, and it has had rave reviews around the world and now over here as well.

We have it in 0.6 PE through to 1.2 PE. Most of that is the 150m, and there are a couple of 300m spools left too.

Ben

https://artoffishing.co.uk/product/gosen-guidus-pex9-braid-purple/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-08-08

07/08/2026

We are putting an Apia order together, and if you have been waiting on something from them this is the moment to say so.

For anyone who has not seen, Apia released the new Foojin'RS models this year, and this is our first chance to have a proper look at some of them. Some of the popular Foojin'Z models are coming back in as well.

If you have had your eye on an Apia, send me a message on here or email [email protected] and I will see what I can do for you.

Requests in by Monday, please, and it goes on the order.

Ben

06/08/2026

The travel version of the Hi-Tide SSD is back in stock.

The 88ML-P5 has never been an easy one to get hold of, and genuine Japanese travel rods are thin on the ground generally, so it is a good one to have back on the rack. Five pieces, packing down into a bag small enough that you can actually take it somewhere, and a proper bass rod once it is put together.

8'8" and rated to 35g, so it covers just about everything you would want it to - a 10g unweighted plastic at one end through to a 30 or 35g metal at the other.

£239.99, on the website now.

Ben

https://artoffishing.co.uk/product/hi-tide-ssd-88ml-p5/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-08-06

31/07/2026

Brilliant, Oakley!!! Well done 😄🥰🏆

Here's Oakley Lacey, 13, from Southampton, with a 60cm bass he caught at Baby Bay, near Polzeath, while on holiday in Cornwall. He caught it using a new lure he'd picked up from Art of Fishing in Wadebridge. Lovely catch, Oakley!