tim, is your bruv fishing where bass are actually found?-if located they can be quiet easy to catch, he really should'nt need a boat as bass are found very close to shore & up into rivers in the summer-generally anywhere in southern britain can produce bass-try casting a rapala from rocks or near any kind of feature near to shore-or try freelining a mackeral head & guts down the side of a stone pier, i have'nt caught a large one myself but i've had plenty up to 3Ib on usual tactics from weymouth harbour, the thames estuary,
lowestoft beach, clacton beach, selsey east beach,
taddiford beach, the river crouch, st.osyth beach & even in east india docks in london's eastend!-the place i had the most bass in one day, which was 9, was a tiny creek behind milford shingle bank called sturt pond in hampshire, i could see them flashing their sides in the clear water, i presented ragworm on a simple paternoster, using a carp rod, it was great sport & they were all released-i can't really give you any guaranteed catching tips as most of the bass i've caught have not been targeted, but i hope some of this info may help your brother catch at least a schoolie-hold up, here's a tip if you catch one, don't grab a bass willy-nilly, you will be impaled
by it's impressive array of sharp spines, they are not poisonous but when they're flapping about they can cause nasty cuts, even on the sharp edges of the gill cover-just place your thumb in it's mouth & forefinger under it's chin & lift.
good luck to your brother