The Taw Hare and the first bass run
The Taw Hare and the first bass run
Three village variants
A local superstition along the Taw estuary survives in three distinct oral forms in Appledore, Instow and Bideford. In Appledore the ‘silver hare’ is seen bounding along the tidal sandflats at dawn; in Instow the omen appears as a hare-shaped reflection in flood channels; in Bideford market lore the hare is a phantom on the quay wall that vanishes when the first shoals of sea bass arrive. Each variant is tied to March’s traditional opening of the spring bass run (Dicentrarchus labrax) into North Devon inshore waters.
From diaries to market-day stories
References in fishermen’s notebooks and angling diaries from the late 19th and early 20th centuries record sightings and bets placed on the hare’s appearance. Tales traded at Bideford’s market-day stalls preserved ritual details — a shared flask of tea at dawn, a tossed crust for luck — echoing older English angling lore recorded since Izaak Walton’s era.
Rituals and modern takes
The superstition shapes small communal rites: dawn outings timed to the hare, improvised blessings of rods, and the exchange of ‘first-bass’ tokens. Contemporary anglers treat the legend as folklore and good-luck theatre: some record sightings on smartphones and social media, others keep the practices as quiet continuity that links modern catch-and-release sport angling with generations who read tides and omens by the Taw.