Bass action in the upper reaches of the brissy river!!!

[grinner2]

Only 23 more sleeps until bass action begins in the upper reaches !!!!

[malby]

Hi Grinner2.

I am a real freshwater newby/failure and take groups of 'at risk' boys from State Schools away on canoeing/camping/fishing trips up the brissy river putting in at Twin Bridges Fernvale and then going down to Kholo Bridge over 3 days. See http://www.su-connect.org.au/

So:

How can we catch some as I have been on 5 trips up there now and never seen a single bass or yellow belly and have used hardbodies, spinner baits, soft plastics (ZMann and TT Lures sponsor us), fished dawn, dusk, around snags, deep, shallow, etc but have always totally failed as I am a total salt water man with barely a clue about fishing the fresh and have actually concluded that there is really no bass up there.

To save the trips I generally use prawns and we end up catching cat fish and eels and the like....yuk!!! Very annoying to get off the line all the time!!!!

Anyone else in the Ausfish community that can help me, it would be most appreciated as I'd love to put these boys onto some fish and we start heading up there for a bunch of camps in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Mal

Ps. I fish light using either 10lb mono or 8-10lb braid with a light fluro leader.
Pps. I have caught bass accidentally at the Pine Rivers bridge whilst fishing for salt water species on occasion and also got one on a spinner bait once up near the YMCA at the Pine River.

[MacDougall]

Oh they're there. You're probably fishing a tad too heavy, especially for the braid. Drop it down to 4-6lb braid and throw into the shadows right up against the bank. Get as close to snags as you can. If you aren't afraid of losing gear you're not getting close enough to the snags. Buy one of those lure retriever things to save yourself some cash in the long run. Plain old hardbody minnows in more or less any colour are pretty hard to go past tbh. The hotter it is the further up river you gotta go to get em.

[mattooty]

Garden worms malby! When I first started chasing Bass I chased them on baits to begin with to figure their habits and then went to lures from there. The tiniest pea sized lead with a #4 bait holder hook. Nothing fancy but very effective. I don't use baits any more but it was a good beginning to work out what areas they are sitting in.

[nathank92]

i was fishing the upper part of the river this arvo was targetting yellow bellys not a hit on any lure so i tried worms from the servo in fernvale landed a 39cm bass on 4 pound mono size 4 hook not red hooks few catfish too and plenty of bust offs id recommend stronger line than 4 pound lol

[malby]

Garden worms malby! When I first started chasing Bass I chased them on baits to begin with to figure their habits and then went to lures from there. The tiniest pea sized lead with a #4 bait holder hook. Nothing fancy but very effective. I don't use baits any more but it was a good beginning to work out what areas they are sitting in.


i was fishing the upper part of the river this arvo was targetting yellow bellys not a hit on any lure so i tried worms from the servo in fernvale landed a 39cm bass on 4 pound mono size 4 hook not red hooks few catfish too and plenty of bust offs id recommend stronger line than 4 pound lol

So I'm definitely hearing that worms and light line is the go here along with tiny sinkers.

Last time I got and tried garden worms I got them from the hardware store at Fernvale and they were so thin they could not be threaded up the line??!! Does the servo at Fernvale sell thicker ones as that would really help??:-?

Also, most of our reels are currently spooled with 10 pound platypus premium. Should I change them all to 4 pound for the river do you reckon??

Then there is habitat. The river has little rapid sections and then big flat sections. Some 'very long ones' when you are paddling 42 ks over 3 days!!:o

Do you find the bass at the end of the rapids where it starts to flatten out but still is rippled by the cover under water or in the flat sections? What exactly am I looking for? Have tried fishing snags heaps (in fact thats what we mainly try) using lures and yes have lost a few in the overhanging trees from time to time. One time we snagged a Telapia on a ZMann aimed at Bass. There are also spots where there is high hills plumeting straight down into the river which cast shadows and look very fishy and I cast at them but no joy.

At this time of year (ie in a couple of weeks when its legal), would you fish deep or shallow spots more?

I am not a total fail as I went on a white water canoeing trip earlier this year with the southside boys at the Mann River and at the junction of that and the Clarence managed a big Eastern Cod (released of course) which we got on film using the Go Pro so I'll have to get that footage and load it on some time. Also got just one bass there in the early 40's. Used my jackall chubby for the Cod and a cheap rattlin spot for the bass.

Mal

[malby]

Also, any tips on catching fresh water yabbies using opera house traps in this same section of the river would be helpful as I am just about to give that away having tried heaps on this also. Tried gum leaves and no good a few times now. Like where do you put the traps? What 'is' the best bait? etc

[malby]

Also, what are the exact hooks we should have for the worms? Model, style etc. I have some size 4 long shank hooks. Will they be fine?:-?

[mattooty]

Mustad Baitholder #4 should be a start. Don't worry about changing your line class, 10lb will sort you out making sure the boys actually land some fish first. Once you get a few fish on the board start playing around dropping line weights and so on. If you do venture down the lure line, Kmart cheapy spinnerbaits, they're around $8 and I've fished them side by side to more expensive versions and they hold their own and don't hurt if you snag them (albeit very rarely as it is)
Some of the sections of river I've caught fish have been barren and lifeless yet produced while some of the best looking water has had nothing. Fish are where you find them. Try all the spots you've mentioned. Once you find the fish then make a note of it. Maybe try digging the worms yourself, garden beds, chook pens, areas where run-off and drains keep the area damp.
Not really much else to say other than get out there and give it a flogging.

As for the yabbies, have you tried meat baits yet? I don't know who told you about the gum leaves but it sounds like half a bum steer. Who knows. Just old sausages, bacon rinds, offcuts of steak, cans of cat food with holes punched in them.

[malby]

Thanks Matt. Actually TT Lures already sponsor us and they have given us some spinner baits in size 1/4 though we have not done any good on them as yet. Should we be aiming to get some lighter ones as I'm sure they'd be ok to give us some more if we wanted??

Thanks also for the tips about getting the freshwater yabbies. Will now try some meat baits and see how we go. I'm guessing that if we could get some of those freshy yabbies we'd be in with a better chance. No idea how to hook them on if we get some so advice about that and what size hook etc be good too??

Re the hooks I just found some long shanks in size 4. Is that ok? BTW, if using just baitholder hooks which are fairly short I'd guess, do you bunch the worms up on them or just cut them to size to fit the hook??:-?

Sorry bout all the questions but I really want to get this right.:-[

[nathank92]

yesterday i had size 4 bait hook not red colour . the worms i brought at that big servo in fernvale think it was $8-9 they were fat as u only get about 20 tho the area i got my bass on bait i seen guys trolling lures on the opposite bank to me and they got a hit . where i was alot of snags too 10lb would be perfect for trolling i learnt the hardway dont troll 4lb lol snagged n snapped. my advice once u have caught a bass in a spot bring up Google maps on ur phone and screen shot that way u have a marker for future. also seen a few guys not only casting at the bank but towards the middle too. and ive seen them get them on them skirt lure things $11 kmart i have a fish finder on my kayak and it was about 4m deep where i caught the bass as the day went on the fish were around 3.5-4m mark i lost quite a few due to 4lb mono learnt my lesson use stronger line

[malby]

So I hear that Bass move down to the salt water to spawn in winter. Would they be moving back yet?

Also, is it better to fish near the surface or down deep in early September up near Fernvale?

Nathan were you fishing the bottom in 4 mtrs or the surface or what the other day?

Again also, do you bunch the worms up or cut them to the size of your hook?

[nathank92]

talkin to other fisherman the other day bass were on the bottom . with worms i sorta bunched it up couldnt be bothered threading it lol went through the hook like 3 times. in saying it was bottom come about 4pm lots of surface action . yes i was bait fishing the bottom lost about a dozen hooks n 000 sinkers due to light line and snags but hey if ur not fishing snags ur fishing the wrong spot. i found bass hang the same area even a few weeks apart

[grinner2]

Mal , firstly good on ya for investing some time with our youth .

As other have suggested the fish are definitely there , like all fishing you just need to tune into what they are wanting on the day ( something that I have limited success with in the salt water , but have had some success in the fresh)
Sounds like there is a lot of paddling done over 3 days, my first tip would be to always troll a spinner bait behind you when covering the long stretches of water , this will maximise your chances of hooking up ( would suggest using 1/8 ounce to 1/4 ounce spinner baits ) 2 favorites of mine would be Summer set gold & purple shimmer ) I suggest spinner baits as they are a little less prone to snagging .( in the event of a snag , paddle back up & it will generally come free. ) Try to paddle near / under overhanging branches & basically position the canoe in areas that look like they may hold fish . Whilst paddling along have a few random cast at any structure / back waters . It can be a little hit & miss when you dont know the areas well enough to identify submerged snags & such that will be holding fish( this is where a sounder is handy ). If you are setting up camp for the evening with some structure close by try casting into the structure with some small poppers just before night fall & 1st up in the morning ( BASS ON SURFACE LURES IS GREAT FISHING )
Paul

[aussiebasser]

talkin to other fisherman the other day bass were on the bottom . with worms i sorta bunched it up couldnt be bothered threading it lol went through the hook like 3 times. in saying it was bottom come about 4pm lots of surface action . yes i was bait fishing the bottom lost about a dozen hooks n 000 sinkers due to light line and snags but hey if ur not fishing snags ur fishing the wrong spot. i found bass hang the same area even a few weeks apart

I thought you said you were chasing Yellowbelly, but now you admit to targeting Bass during the closed season. Is that a really clever thing to admit to?

[aussiebasser]

So I hear that Bass move down to the salt water to spawn in winter. Would they be moving back yet?

Also, is it better to fish near the surface or down deep in early September up near Fernvale?

Nathan were you fishing the bottom in 4 mtrs or the surface or what the other day?

Again also, do you bunch the worms up or cut them to the size of your hook?

Once the Bass move down to the salt they can't come back up, unless they jump out and hitch-hike past Mr. Crosby Weir.

Once the season re-opens, when you are in the big long holes of slow running water, just throw a lure out behind the canoe and drag it along.

[malby]

Sounds like there is a lot of paddling done over 3 daysYes the camps are more about stretching the boys than fishing but since I have come along I have tacked this on and even though I (and they) am usually stuffed by the time we get to each camping spot we give it a shot and until now have always scored the odd catfish, eel, turtle or other ooglie::)


Once the Bass move down to the salt they can't come back up, unless they jump out and hitch-hike past Mr. Crosby Weir.Sorry if I sounded like I am a freshwater dummy Dale but I am!;) In fact I had no idea that bass hitch hiked;D Very cool! Love to see some pics!

Now I get how they keep making it back up the river:o

So Dale, what 'do' bass do by way of seasonal movements in the Brissy River and do they in fact move? Sounds like you know a bit about this since you open your car to random bass around dams etc.

Thanks also for your tips on dragging lures behind our canoe's, usually do when we can but will increase the practice.

Mal

Ps. We will be kicking off canoe camps around September so good timing

[aussiebasser]

The Brisbane River between Lake Wivenhoe wall and Mt Crosby weir is more like an impoundment than a river for the Bass. If they migrate down, they cannot get back over the weir. They live in the river, and as most of them are ex-lake fish they tend to keep the same habits of schooling up. Most of the really big fish will be found in deep holes. Smaller fish that BVA have released directly into the river will behave a bit differently and they will hold up in the snags. Remember there are more snags that you can't see than those that you can see so blind casting will often work. If you catch a Mary River Cod in those waters release it immediately as they are totally protected.