were-trout breaks his bass duck

[were-trout]

Here's the story of how I caught my first fish from the new kayak and discovered what all the fuss is about the Australian Bass...

With the wife and the heir away visiting her folks in Stanthorpe I'm at a loss once I finish work in the early afternoon - maybe fishing will be the go?

Decided to load up the car and head out to North Pine. Not the dam that everyone's been raving about on this site - those bare stony banks look too depressing So instead it's the river below the dam wall. A short carry from the car and the yak is in the water and gliding along.

The first fish I see isn't a bass at all, but a lungfish. To tell the truth when I see it first I think it's a turtle hanging just below the surface but then I see the shape of the head and the cream markings and the pectoral fins flaring. I saw two others through the trip. This was the smallest at about two feet. The biggest was the last, I nearly hit it with my paddle and as it turned away looked a good three-and-a-half maybe four feet of it. It must be the shape of the mouth or something but these dinosaurs look intelligent, as if they're just rising up to check you out. Hate to catch one ..

After a while the water started to deepen out and I started working the snags on the banks. Heaps of overhanging branches, fallen timber. Give it about half an hour with a spinner bait for no return, so tie on 20 bucks worth of Jackall and give it a go.

Jackall goes in, close to the bank, give it a twitch and suddenly the line's alive. Bass number one, my first ever after about half a dozen trips of trying. Safely in the new Environet and it looks about 30cm. Not a monster but to me it's one of the best fish I've caught. After a few happy snaps back she/he goes. Everyone's happy.

About 10 minutes later and it's the same Jackall but a different snag. This time the lure goes in, I let it sink and twitch. Solid - think it's a snag. Then it starts moving ... and trying to get under the boat. Jeez these things can fight .... this one goes about 40cm by the ruler. No pictures cos the fish is teaching me the first rule of kayak fishing ... never let a fish with a treble in irts mouth and another swinging free try and burrow into your lap.

Ouch

Released to fight another day.

After that I was happy so I turned round and headed home, having a flick as I went but not expecting anything more. Just as well cos the Jackall soon finds its happy hunting ground in the midst of a shocking snag and it and I part company. 20 bucks well spent!

On a Saturday afternoon I saw no-one else apart from one one walker and two lads float-fishing from the bank. Was only on the water about one hour and 50 mins.

Now that's what I call a good day out

Ben

Pix to follow

[were-trout]

Pic one ... the scenery

[were-trout]

try again

[were-trout]

Number one in the net

[were-trout]

and heading back into the water

[Canoedle]

Nice one Ben, that's some nice looking water up there, glad you got ya first bass, now we just need to get you a BIGGER ONE.

[were-trout]

Those ones will do me for now. But hopefully the omens are good for the Brisbane River trip ...

[Jeremy87]

Nicely done there. that stretch of water is on my to do list so its good to see that there are fish in it. I have also had difficulties getting wild bass to take spinnerbaits. When snag bashing i use small diving minnows because they are buoyant which makes them more snag friendly. Cast into the structure and let them sit on top giving them little twitches for 10-20 seconds before diving them. There is nothing better than a surface strike and you would be surprised how little encouragement wild bass need to slurp your lures off the top.

[cdenyer]

Nice one Ben, and great pics as well. Good to see you get your yak in some water close to Brissy, I am looking for somewhere to chase bass in my kayak without either heading as far afield as Wivenhoe or Lake McDonald, and you may have given me a great option.

btw- what type of yak do you have, and have you fitted it out with a sounder etc?

Chris

[Feral]

Congratulations! Bass Fishing on lures - Its addictive you know, you can never go back to stodgy bream!

[were-trout]

'Tales, it's a Viking Espri with no sounder although if I start doing more stuff on dams then I might think about it.

Hey Jeremy, I'll give the minnows a go as well. Any recommendations? I've got a little poltergeist, a halco scorpion, one of those nipper/shrimp things and a little orange Oar-gee in the box.

Next stop, my first 'toga

Ben

[Jeremy87]

They will all work for bass. I find that the little japanese minnows in natural colours seem to produce the goods as do rapala glass shads and origonal floaters. Poltergiests are not a good casting lure as the large bib seems to catch the air and diviate its course. I have found that a bit of gold tends to entice a surface strike a bit easier. If you find thats you are constantly spooking bass (as in see them swim past you as you paddle) take out the jackel again or tie on a lightly weighted soft plastic (3inch gulp crawdads work well) and make random casts up the guts off the creek, on the drop off of rock faces and weed beds. I have noticed in the tweed that the bass have come out of the snags and into the shallower stretches around rocks and weed beds, this may be due to the water level dropping and be purely in this stretch of water but its something to be mindful of. Will post a report on this some time shortly as i'm waiting for a film to be developed.

[hardb8]

Ha Ha.Nice m8,
Welcome to what is IMHO,One of the most encapsulating types of angling available.The serenity and the pristine enviroments are second to none.Sometimes I feel like I'm blessed just to be on the water.

You're crusing the creek,Checkin out birds,Snakes flora and fauna.Then all hell breaks loose,And you go from complete relaxation to chaos in the blink of an eye.It's a pleasure of which I'll never tire.

Nice report and pics m8.And congrats on ya first Bass.I know more will be coming to ya net.As ya writings tell me your on ya way to becoming an addict .Looking foward to seeing a pic of ya first 50+ in the near future.And can't wait to hear what ya got to say about the scrap that will be involved .

Regards hardb8

[Feral]

My favorite Bass weapons!

[flairj]

Nice one were-trout........ I think I did exactly the same thing on the same day, I took out my new 'yak and broke my duck too (well I haven't caught a bass in 10 years, so it's a new at bat) if you are going to do a brissie river trip I have a nice place to go. check your PM's.