Nepean River – 10/2/07

Bloop, splish, splosh! No, that’s not the sound of a popper. It was the sound my video camera made when it went for a swim last time Fordy and I were out here chasing bass. While I was retrieving a snagged lure, a wayward branch wrapped itself around the mic cable and when I pushed back from the snag the branch didn’t let go! Ah, the joys of fishing and filming. The camera was only in the water for a second but electronics and the wet stuff don’t get on too well. :( At least the film turned out ok.

But with a new camera in hand (and tied firmly around my neck! Aack…) we thought we’d get some more surface action on film. Early mornings have always proved best and the light was just good enough for us to start filming at about 6:15am. The usual small bass were about but we wanted some big hits.

Fordy was using an East Coast Pop-n-Bug in the Tiger colour while I had my trusty black/purple RackRat tied on for a few flicks, just in case Fordy threw a cast into the trees instead of the water. As we cruised along we passed a fairly barren section with only one log sticking out of the surface. We’d never caught a fish off this snag before but so what? I flicked the RackRat out and an immediate spray of water followed by a solid hook-up saw me land a 31cm bass. “Jammy git,” says Fordy as he peddles off.

The next section of the river bank was full of vegetation right down to the waterline. The gaps for casting into were very tight but Fordy’s a wizz with the rod and he was skipping the popper right back into the shady pockets. He had 3 HUGE surface hits that we captured on film but on each occasion the hooks didn’t stick. I’ll have to delete some of the language but it shows that sometimes surface fishing can be an extremely exciting but frustrating method of catching fish.

Fordy landed a few more smaller bass and then was hit by something way up the back of some snags. We didn’t see the hit but we heard it. Fordy’s rod was going from side to side like a light sabre as he manoeuvred the fish out of its lair. He lifted up a nice 30cm bass for a quick snapshot before sending it back on its way.

One of the last spots we fished has a fallen log running parallel with the bank. It’s an extremely fishy looking snag and Fordy peppered its whole length for only a half-hearted swipe. I decided to give my camera hand a rest and we both cast towards the middle of the log. Our lures touched down a foot apart and yeehah, mine is the one that is boofed big time! This was a nice fish and he raced along the log before burying me in the weeds. I slowly eased him out and the best for the day, 34cm’s, was slid into the well for a photo shoot back at the ramp.

Next Sunday I’ll be competing in the Berkley Summer Series Hawkesbury round chasing those sneaky bream, so I’ll give you an update next week. Plus I’ll try to sneak out in the yak early one morning if the weather clears up. Happy yakkin’, everyone.

Cheers,
Cid