flairj
16-02-2008, 02:34 PM
With there being so much rain around Bundy (and everywhere else) this week the Burnett, having hyacinthe weed throughout, Baffle creek flooded and the Elliot river a mess too. My new best fishing buddy Chris and I decided a freshwater trip may be a good idea (better to try and catch freshwater fish in the fresh than saltwater species in the fresh). We did Monduran last friday for zippo so we went the other way and decided to look for Bass.
Now we both have a little bit of Bass experience but are definatly amatuer at best. We were on the water by 5.30 and to our surprise the water was quite clean. The wind was already a good 15 knots, not to worry, we were expecting more. One thing I have really learned lately is that fishing in the lee, whilst nicer than fishing the windy side, usually yeilds nothing as the wind pushes the food chain to the windy side.
Chris chose a popper and I decided on somthing I have thought about for a while, a "buzz bait" I picked up while I was in the US. They use them to great effect on their bass so why not ours. It is similar to a spinner bait but is designed to work with the prop like blade spinning on the surface and making disturbance while the skirt runs just sub surface. I also put the tail half of a gold Squidgy fish as a trailer. I don't quite know why I decided to do that but I soon found out that it seemed to work.
It was only a dozen or so casts before a nice little explosion turned into a nice little Bass. A few casts later another hit with no hookup. Next cast and another hit. Chris hadn't had a hit so I told him to grab the other buzz bait I had and give it a go. Two more fish to me and not a hit for him and we were wondering if it had something to do with the colour difference or maybe the Squidgy trailer.
We finished that bank and moved over to another similar bank as by now the pattern was emerging. The slight rise in the lake had made the thick weed beds 1-2 foot under the water now and fish must have been laying up in the pockets but we couldn't see the pockets beause of the wind. But basically long casts over thick weed and a slow to medium roll with the occasional short sweep of the rod brought the strikes. Some of which were quite amazing as this was my first topwater bass bite.
The highlight was when I hooked a really good fish and Chris immediatly put a cast into that area as I was fighting mine and hooked another........ the fish went 45.5 and 47 to the fork which while I don't know that much about Bass, I can't imagine happens very often.
To put the cherry on top, the next drift after the double hookup photo session I got a 48 to the fork. By that time the gold Squidgy fish tail was rooted and with no more left I was sweetening the deal with a Squidgy pro Lobby in wasabi. A great finish to a great session and after many times Bass fishing and not catching many I think I am getting a better understanding of them and certainly know how you can get addicted to catching them.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red1-10.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red3-3.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red2-7.jpg
Now we both have a little bit of Bass experience but are definatly amatuer at best. We were on the water by 5.30 and to our surprise the water was quite clean. The wind was already a good 15 knots, not to worry, we were expecting more. One thing I have really learned lately is that fishing in the lee, whilst nicer than fishing the windy side, usually yeilds nothing as the wind pushes the food chain to the windy side.
Chris chose a popper and I decided on somthing I have thought about for a while, a "buzz bait" I picked up while I was in the US. They use them to great effect on their bass so why not ours. It is similar to a spinner bait but is designed to work with the prop like blade spinning on the surface and making disturbance while the skirt runs just sub surface. I also put the tail half of a gold Squidgy fish as a trailer. I don't quite know why I decided to do that but I soon found out that it seemed to work.
It was only a dozen or so casts before a nice little explosion turned into a nice little Bass. A few casts later another hit with no hookup. Next cast and another hit. Chris hadn't had a hit so I told him to grab the other buzz bait I had and give it a go. Two more fish to me and not a hit for him and we were wondering if it had something to do with the colour difference or maybe the Squidgy trailer.
We finished that bank and moved over to another similar bank as by now the pattern was emerging. The slight rise in the lake had made the thick weed beds 1-2 foot under the water now and fish must have been laying up in the pockets but we couldn't see the pockets beause of the wind. But basically long casts over thick weed and a slow to medium roll with the occasional short sweep of the rod brought the strikes. Some of which were quite amazing as this was my first topwater bass bite.
The highlight was when I hooked a really good fish and Chris immediatly put a cast into that area as I was fighting mine and hooked another........ the fish went 45.5 and 47 to the fork which while I don't know that much about Bass, I can't imagine happens very often.
To put the cherry on top, the next drift after the double hookup photo session I got a 48 to the fork. By that time the gold Squidgy fish tail was rooted and with no more left I was sweetening the deal with a Squidgy pro Lobby in wasabi. A great finish to a great session and after many times Bass fishing and not catching many I think I am getting a better understanding of them and certainly know how you can get addicted to catching them.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red1-10.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red3-3.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Red2-7.jpg