which dam

[rhycebullimore]

over the next 12 months a was wanting to plan a trip to one of the southen dams to catch some bass...just wanna cross them off my list...so which dam/s would be the better ones to fish ? so what can i expect from different dams ? ie camping? smaller or larger fish ? numbers of fish ? user frindly...i have a 4m with 5ohp 2stroke...i know there are restrictions on some dams... im based up in townsville

thanks for any help in advance

[Barry Ehsman]

Mate the only bass dam i have fished was Cania, we were there for 6 days and landed 111 fish, great fish to catch. the dam also holds Saratoga but we didn't catch any of them.(i need to wipe them of my list) 2 very good camping grounds on the way in to the dam. no speed restrictions on boats. water level is roughly still the same as when we fished it, (very low)
scenery in the gorge is fantastic

Chers Baz

[MeePee_99]

Depending on were you to go there are plenty of dams.

Cania (bass and saratoga, high numbers of fish), wuruma (bigger bass, yellas and small barra) , borumba (bass and saratoga, high number of toga and average size bass), boondooma (bass and yellas (never fished), bjelke Petersen dam (bass and yellas (never fished) in the north

Somerset (big bass and big yellas), cressbrook (smaller bass, higher numbers, surface bite), maroon (higher number of bass but smaller size, surface bite)

Then there is st clair and glenbawn in central nsw

[Jeremy87]

Funny how us southerners keep wanting to go north. Bass dams, where to begin. Fitzy's web site is a good start for all the basic info personally my choice would be the inland bass impoundments. Cania, Bp, boondooma etc. They have good facilities and their relative isolation keeps the numbers down when compared to somewhere like somerset. Dad and i normally give one of the barra dams a go in february when all the holiday crowds have p!ssed off, but instead we've decided to give Boondooma a go for the first time and then back up to Cania (an old favourite). Cania has alot of schooled up fish. All the techniques for catching bass you've ever heard of can be applied to this dam and its small size (specially with the water level down) means that even if you have no idea what you're doing you should still be able to stumble onto at least a few fish.

[NAGG]

Funny how us southerners keep wanting to go north. Bass dams, where to begin. Fitzy's web site is a good start for all the basic info personally my choice would be the inland bass impoundments. Cania, Bp, boondooma etc. They have good facilities and their relative isolation keeps the numbers down when compared to somewhere like somerset. Dad and i normally give one of the barra dams a go in february when all the holiday crowds have p!ssed off, but instead we've decided to give Boondooma a go for the first time and then back up to Cania (an old favourite). Cania has alot of schooled up fish. All the techniques for catching bass you've ever heard of can be applied to this dam and its small size (specially with the water level down) means that even if you have no idea what you're doing you should still be able to stumble onto at least a few fish.

Jeremy is spot on !
Cania is agreat place for a first timer ........ its relatively easy to fish (not daunting) & the bass average 40cm+

There a some great toga in there too

Chris

[rhycebullimore]

thanks for the info...one last question that i should have asked it first but which time of year (month) warm/cold after or before rain. thanks again

[Jeremy87]

Best time to go fishing for bass is when ever you can get out there. What you think is going to be a great day in terms of conditions might be a shocker or conversely what you think will be a shocker turns out to be a great day. I've been chasing bass (both wild and impoundment) for about 5 years and haven't really noticed a definative pattern. What the weather/time of year influence is how or where the bass are feeding. Go out there with the attitude that you can catch fish on the day and your in for a shot. Typically winter sends the fish out deeper where they school up in preparation to breed (which they can't do cause they're stuck in a dam) and in summer they are more likely to be on the edge in scattered schools or holding in structure etc. The trick is to cover all bases until you locate fish and identify the pattern, after that its reasonably smooth sailing.

[BREAMBOSS01]

bass at cania you can catch them on anything bait h/b's s/p's. a fair few togas, a fair few yellas and lots of eel tail catfish.. two caravan parks one fairly close to the dam another a bit further away..

[Colo77]

I was gonna suggest Cania Dam but it seems every man & his dog already has . That must say something for the place. As the other guys have mentioned it is always quite fishable.

I started a thread requesting some up to date info in about early November (sadly I had to bail on that trip ) & the guys were really helpful. A search for that 1 or a new thread for the latest low down will prove helpful to you should you decide to go there. Try get a hold of some slider 3" grubs (purple with chatruesse paddle tail were good at the time ), squidgy fish (black/gold or the old gary glitter if you can find em) & dam deep 1/4 oz jigheads & a few Jackalls won't go astray either. All these lures still worked according to my info request. They also chucked in some really productive spots. From memory, the quarry & the bank directly opposite the concrete ramp were the goods. My last trip, these were also productive spots as was Bass Straight.

I really liked the facilities at Cania Gorge Tourist Park from A/C cabins to powered/non-powered sites to pitch a tent. Electric BBQ & pool are a couple of other good things. It is also the closest of the 2 parks to the water.

Cania was a long time favourite impoundment to fish until I moved to Mackay, now I'm tossin up between Cania (bass & togas) & Teemburra (Barra & Sooties). Given the distance between you & bass water I highly recommend Cania for a place to whack some bass & maybe score a toga or two. I found the toga fishin better when there was more water there but they must be still there somewhere, the bassin is always fairly consistent once you crack the code for a given day , winter, summer, rain or shine. It is a special place to me & I'm sure it will grow on you.

PM me if you choose to go there, more than happy to offer any of my little knowledge on the place.

Happy Bassin.