Bass fishing off Blackpool

More for a mate of mine who has his own boat but i go with him from time to time, (coarse fishing is my thing!)
Whats the best method at the moment to catch the Bass....taking the boat out from knott end, pretty familiar with the different marks but completely useless at the bass side of things. We are told sandeel for bait but how to fish it is where our problems start...can anyone help me on this one ? also a few hints on the tope fishing in the area would be much appreciated.Thanks all and good fishing. Steve

Check out "Hooked on Bass" by Mike Ladle & Alan Vaughan which has just been reprinted, available from any decent bookshop. Also Mike Ladle has a website called "Operation Sea Angler" which is very informative on all sorts of fishing.