Bronze Monsters - January 2013

I've yet to get out chasing bass this season but Terry as you know, is addicted to these iconic Aussie sportfish and he's been venturing out for them rather regularly. After looking at these photos, I wish I'd tagged along with him. Here's his story...

Well finally a bass report is here. I've just been a bit too lazy, tho I haven’t been lazy chasing them .A lot of fishing and quite a few kilometers have been done since this bass season kicked off . The rivers are looking at their best with plenty of rainfall in the right areas during 2012 & a flood had cleaned out most of the noxious weed. Some of the old snags disappeared but fear not, new ones were created to make a home for the bronze battlers.

This season has kicked off with great results with plenty of water flow early on & luckily it's still flowing quite well, making it much easier for the bass to be able to travel their way upriver for the duration of summer.

This time I decided to give the bass a different approach; I've been heading down to my local river in the early hours of the morning, in search of those big bronze battlers, while everybody else is in bed.

Surface lures have seen me get my best success for the big bass in the past. Big surface walkers that make plenty of noise & rattle have been getting the attention & there is nuthin' better than hearing a massive explosion or seeing a surface strike only metres away from the kayak.

Casting isn’t that important when fishing in the dark, tho bear in mind it will still need to be close enough (2ft-3ft) to the bank or snags. In this low or non-existent light, knowing your area is a bonus.

The Splatterbug by Lurelogic has been by far the best lure for me and the bass can’t resist it.

This summer has been one of the best in a long time as I have been getting into some quality fish. Getting big bass means beefing up your fishing tackle is a must if you want the results.  10lb braid with 15-20lb leaders should be able to stop them before they bust you off and there's a great chance that you’ll land that trophy fish of a lifetime.

Fishing in pressured waters like my local river, can prove tough to score big fish, tho if you put in the time & effort & learn the waterway it will all fall into place. If your not keen to head out in the middle of the night it doesn’t matter too much as early mornings or late afternoons will still see you get tangled into some great fish.

Getting a bass at 400mm these days is still a great fish and in most peoples terms is still classed as a trophy fish. For me, this bass season has been incredible with a lgreater than normal amount of great bass being landed that were over the 400mm mark and being caught in various times of day. As I mentioned earlier, I did try very early in the mornings for those big mummas but it had proved tuff . Most of the fish surprisingly were caught a little later in the day.

On one of my days I on the water I had a great session & amongst the catch I had a few fish that were previously caught & tagged by the NSW Fisheries.  Its great to see them out on the water doing their research on how the bass travel & grow. I was lucky enough to retrieve the number information from the tag  & submit it to the NSWDPI. Its very interesting on how they travel & grow. It can take time for the DPI to get back to you, but eventually they will. By returning the info on fish size, where you caught it and the tag ID, you will score lures for each tagged fish as a reward. So grab your yak & head out there for some hot action hopefully next time it could be you landing that trophy fish.

Here a are some photos of some quality fish this bass season so far, hope you enjoyed them

Happy yakkin

Tezza

Schweppes, Terry! Those fish are unbelievable. I spoke to Terry about the biggest fish and it was just shy of 60cms. It looks more like a jewfish than a bass. Great to know that they are still out there swimming about.

I didn't manage to make it down to Glenelg for the first tournament in the new Bream Season so this weekend I finally start with my first one up on Brisbane Waters, launching from Woy Woy. With the sad folding of the Squidgy Southern Bream Series, Hobie and Gamakatsu picked up the reins and have organised for a range of comps up and down the coast. For full details, please visit www.hobiefishing.com.au/ and click on the Tournaments button. 

It looks like we'll get over 40 yakkers there, so it'll be a good field. Lets hope the weather is kind to us and we all manage to get into a few big breambos. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Fishing in the Shire - December 2012

There were a few opportunities to get out over the Xmas break and each time we managed to get into a few fish. Nothing of any serious substance but enough to keep us coming back for more. The comp's are getting ready to kick off again with the first one down in Glenelg this weekend. for full details, please visit www.hobiefishing.com.au/tournaments.html. In fact, this tournament is a World Qualifier, so if you want a chance to make the Australian Team, this is one of the four opportunities you'll have over the next nine months.

The best fish caught the last few weeks was by Regan, who gave her dad Andrew and myself a real lesson on how to catch fish. She smashed us! It was a great effort on 2lb line and she beamed as she put her back in the water. Well done, Regan. Anyway, rather than waffle on, here's some photos...

I have a few reports from Terry to put up, so I'll get onto those into the next few days. So until next time, happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

ABT Daiwa Hobie Bream Grand Final - Bemm River - Day 2

So my plan was set. Head back to where I nabbed my two fish yesterday afternoon and hope that they are still there. The weather was perfect: slightly overcast with a hint of wind that created just enough of a ripple on the surface to entice the fish to move up into the shallows.

Another start and another explosion of yaks to various sections of the system. Andrew peeled off to the left near the boat ramp while I continued over to my spot. A few other yakkers had a similar idea (Hedgey, Peter Woods and Scott Baker just to name a few) but there was plenty of water and ample room for everyone.

I started in the 1.2m zone and quickly lost my Daiwa Double Clutch HB to something. I'd say it was probably a big tailor as there was a brief run then the line was neatly sliced in two. Swine! I changed to a Chubby and landed three bream in quick succession but they were all just under. Back to the Squidgy Wriggler for me and first cast I get a keeper. 30 to the tip, so I'm pleased with that. Back out goes the wriggler...

The next hour produced possibly the best bream session I've ever had. That 30 was swiftly followed by a 35 tip and then a 32 tip. Then another crackin' EP (they are great fighters on light line) and next cast, my first upgrade of 33 cms. The bite eased a bit and two flatties were my next victims. The wind had started to pick up a bit now so I figured the fish may move further up into the shallows. This turned out to be true and I found the fish again in the 0.9-1 meter zone.

Another 33 came aboard and he was slightly fatter than the other one, so that's another upgrade. Wow! This was awesome. I had my bag by 8:50 am and it was now only 9:10 am and I'd upgraded twice. Bang, I'm on again and this guy is my best to date at 35 cms. great fishing but I'm only hoping that everyone else isn't having as good a session as me. It'll be hard to catch up if everyone weighs in a full bag again. Unless I can get that kicker fish. I really, really, REALLY need that kicker fish now.

The wind was starting to pick up (what an understatement) and soon the white caps could be seen all over the lake. I decided to start heading closer to the finish point so I turned and pushed my way through the chop.

It took me 15 minutes to get here this morning but with this wind it took me 90 minutes to get back! I tried to find some sheltered shorelines (along with everyone else) but I couldn't raise another bite. I even tried the flats in the middle of the lake for the last half hour but this was futile as well. Nothing left to do but go in and see how I went. I was sure my bag was bigger than yesterdays but it wouldn't be by much. 2.3 kgs maybe? Certainly not the 3 kg plus bag I was hoping for.

On dry land my fears were realised when everyone I spoke to had got their 3 fish. Shizer! My hopes of a top 10 finish were dashed. Even top 20 would be doubtful. I bump into Andrew and he has a smug look about him and bloody hell, he has not one but TWO kicker fish. It's a great bag and it goes 2.97 kgs. This shoots him up the leader board but his day one bag let him down and he finishes in 4th place with 5.045 kgs. Brilliant stuff. The eventual winner was the day one leader, Shane Taylor. He smashed it again and weighed in 2.98 kgs for a final weight of 6.165 kgs, the only bag over 6 kilos. 2nd place went to Richard Somerton (the AOY for 2012) with 5.75 kgs and 3rd was taken out by Scott Lovig with 5.14 kgs.

And me? My bag went 2.285 kgs and with a total of 4.285 kgs I creep up a few places to 23rd place. And so ends another year of bream tournaments. The scene is getting bigger and better every year and the calibre of fisho's is truly amazing. It's hard to pick who will win a comp nowadays as so many potential winners are fishing each round. Next year is gonna be fantastic!

I'd like to thank Hobie and Steve Fields and the ABT for being the backbone of these competitions and really putting in the hard yards so we have these rounds to travel to and fish. Then there are all the other sponsors such as Daiwa, Lowrance, Frogleys Offshore, Pure Fishing, Ecogear, Jurofishing and Hogs Breath whose support helps make this all possible. Without these guys a national kayak competition would be non-existent. And just in case I don't get a report up in the next few days, please have a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ABT Daiwa Hobie Bream Grand Final - Bemm River - 17 & 18/11/12

So here we go. Andrew Death and I are off in his trusty fishing van for the 7 1/2 hour drive to this years Grand Final. I was really looking forward to this seeing as I missed out last year. I'd never fished the Bemm before and from all the reports I'd heard, it could be a magical place. Lots of big bream that hit hard and full bags within 20 minutes. Drool worthy stuff.

The drive went surprisingly quickly and kudos to me, I didn't fall asleep once. We arrived 15 minutes before the briefing, so we couldn't have timed it much better. I gotta tell ya, these guys from Hobie and ABT really know how to put on a good show. All the yaks were set up ready to go. After the sign in, we were given the run down on how to use the sounder and all the other gear that was included on every yak. Mine was number 34. I hoped that wasn't a sign of the place where I'd come in this GF.

It was great to catch up with all the familiar faces, especially the Mexican Crew, those shifty-looking Victorians that seem to have unlimited travelling funds and brownie points and get to nearly all the comps that occur during the year. After the usual banter, it was back to the accommodation to rig up for the next day.

One monumental occurrence that God oh God I wish I'd filmed was the sight of Craig450 and his reaction when we had a bat flying around our lounge room. I'll let him tell the story, so just ask him next time you see him at a comp. : )

The next day we set off one by one and the field split up. Being all new to me, I had no idea of where may be better than anywhere else, so I started drifting across some flats trying various SP's and HB's. I had a whack on my fourth or fifth cast, but that was it. I persevered for another two drifts before deciding it was time to try other waters and I headed over towards the shoreline in an area known as Siberia and let myself drift with the increasing wind.

Out with the drift chute and I'm flicking a 100 mm Squidgy bloodworm wriggler on a 1/40th HWS jighead. The first fish is a small flattie but it's not long after that I get what I came all this way for. It's a bream, not huge at 30 cms to the tip, but I'm on the board. It had taken me 3 hours to get this one and I felt like I needed to get a move on before too much longer. I put in another drift for zilcho, so it was off to the river mouth to see how that goes.

There were a few yaks over here, so moved off to a place a little less crowded. Peter Woods was nearby and had his 3, so he was doing ok. I kept changing various lures and varied my retrieves but couldn't even get a hit. I kept moving along the shoreline and get a soft take that screams off when I set the hook. This feels really good and a flash of silver gets me revved up. Ooh, here she comes and WTF??? It's a bloody big Estuary Perch! What's it doing out here on the flats? Still, it was a gorgeous fish, so a quick photo is taken and she is then slid back into the water. I'm back to the Wriggler when I hook up again and this time, yes, it's a bream. It's a bit better at 34 cms tip but it's still no horse that I'm hoping for. And it's skinny, too. Must've been on a diet or something...

So that's two, one more for my full bag. I then get two bream that are under size before I get another EP. With an hour to go I'm really praying to the Bream Gods and they finally answer my prayers and send me fish number 3. This guy is the best so far at 35 cms and is at least a chunky fella. I couldn't manage any more so it was back for the weigh in.

My bag was bang on 2 kgs, which would have won the two day weight at Narrabeen a couple of weeks ago, but down here it's a different story. Shane Taylor has smashed it with 3.185 kgs, the only bag over 3kgs. My bag sees me in 29th. Andrew, a mere 70 grams in front of me, is sitting in 21st. Tomorrow I really need that kicker fish. I really, really, REALLY need that kicker fish. Stay tuned for the Day 2 report early next week. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ABT Hobie Tournament - Narrabeen - 27th & 28th Oct 2012

Okay, this was my last chance to qualify for the Grand Final down on the Bemm River in Victoria on the 17th and 18th November. The top 3 get the qualification but if anyone has already qualified, it'll go to the next competitor that hasn't qualified. This means you could potentially come 4th or 5th and still get a spot. But oh no! Numbers are down and we only have 27 kayakers. You need at least 30 to get the 3 spots available, so now there are only two invites up for grabs. Looks like I'd better get into the top 2 to make sure of it then. Aye Carumba.

About 4 weeks prior I'd had a quick session with Luke Kay to narrow down some potential spots. I'd only had joy in one area and only on an old style of soft plastic, so I'd punched the waypoint into my GPS and made sure I had a pack or two of the 2" Berkley Hawgs in Green Pumpkin ready to go. From the start I high-tailed it the 3.5kms to the waypoint and flicked out the Hawg rigged on a 1/20th TT jighead and 3lb fluoro leader.

Immediately I started getting some hits but it was 15 minutes before the first keeper went into the well. 27 cms, so I'll want to upgrade him later. There were a few other yakkers close by and I saw Jason Lambert throw one in the live well, too. Ooh, there's another bream for me and that's two. This guys a monster at 28 cms! LOL

I drift about but keep coming back to the same waypoint as this is where I'm getting most bites. Plus even though I'm switching between the Hawgs, Squidgy Wrigglers and Cranka vibes, it's the Hawgs doing all the damage. The sun starts to come out a bit too much for my liking and the bites shut right down.

Time to scout about and I pick up 3 more bream but they are all just under. I just cant manage to get my 3rd fish. Back at the weigh in and after the wash up, my bag goes 0.62 kgs and I'm sitting in 7th place. Jason Lambert is on top with 1.175kgs and Meechy is in 2nd with 0.98 kgs but I don't need to worry about them as they have both qualified. Patrick Macquarrie was in the 1st qualifying spot with 0.925 kgs with Rob Chambers next with 0.775 kgs. "Not much to peg back," I'm thinking and one kicker fish or a full bag will do it. Fingers crossed.

The next day it's back to the same waypoint (with a slight diversion to fish a weed bed on the way. Pffft, what a waste of time THAT was) and out with the same lure. The wind is up enough to ruffle the surface and thankfully it's a bit overcast today.

I'd been fishing for about 20 minutes when something happened which hasn't happened to me before. Within 5 casts I had my full bag. It had just gone 9am when I got number 3. Yahoo. This is the sort of start I dream of but just to make sure, I'd love to get a decent fish in the well. These 3 were 27, 27 and 28 cms. I want one in the 30's just to ease the nerves a little more.

Things went a bit quiet so I moved around trying to find some better fish. Try as I might, I couldn't get a bite off anything. Back to the waypoint and I'm onto another fish. This one is 28 cms too, so there is my 1st upgrade. Not much of an upgrade, but every little bit counts.

I give it another 30 minutes for zippo and decided to move over the the main weed bed in the middle of the lake. Lots of other yakkers are moving about, so it could be a good sign that not much is happening. I finally get another keeper bream on the hawg (this time rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead) and at 29 cms tip he's my best. So now I have two at 28 and a 29, not very impressive and they are skinny fish but it's a full bag all the same. It's time to head back but have I done enough?

I bump into Eric wood on the way and he's only managed one but he says it's a pretty good one. Meechy has a full bag so it should be his but Jason Lambert has donuted. I weigh my 3 and they go 0.895 kgs. I nervously wait as bags come up and get weighed in. I'm sitting in 2nd spot when Eric brings his beasty up. It is easily the biggest bream for the weekend at 0.77 kgs. but it's not enough and I hang onto 2nd place and get one of the much sought after qualification spots. Finally, and I had to leave it to the last hurdle to get it.

Meechy took out top honours with 1.995 kgs, me next with 1.515 kgs and Eric Wood in 3rd with 1.455 kgs. That's my best placing in an ABT round so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Also a big thanks to the Seeto dudes from lureandfly.com for some of the photos. Check their site out for updates on many of the bream tournaments and also a heap of great info.

Now it's time to read up on Bemm and see what all the fuss is about. Lots of big bream down there from all the reports I've heard and bags caught within 20 minutes. Let's hope so! Wish me luck. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgy Southern Bream Series Grand Final - 20th-21st October 2012

Another year and another Grand Final. The previously dreaded St Georges Basin no longer sent chills through my bones as lately I've managed to wrestle a few fish into my live well during the comps. A total of 25 kayakers had qualified and we set off knowing a southerly was forecast to hit a little later on. I moved to the same point that Jason Reid and I had success at last year and we started casting within 30 meters of each other again. Deja Vu!

This time I started fishing a squidgy 100mm wriggler in bloodworm rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead with 3lb fluoro leader. I'd give it 10 casts and would then swap to a HB, namely a Jackall Chubby. This brought me my first fish but it wasn't the right type. A nice luderick hit the lure only 10 feet from the yak and it put up a spirited tussle before I swung it aboard. Back into the drink it goes and I swap back to the wriggler. This proved to be a good swap as within 3 casts I had my first bream in the well. Not huge at 26.6 cms total length but it only needs to be 26 cms. So that's the donut monkey off my back, now to get number 2.

The wind picked up a little and added a bit more chop to the surface. that was good and I started to get a few fish. Unfortunately they were just under but eventually a bigger specimen latched on and he went 28 tip length. Great, only one to go!

But now the wind died off and with it went the fish. I tried various lures and even went out into deeper water but apart from whiting and flathead, I couldn't get another bream for my live well. I decided to give the weed beds another try and just as I arrived the southerly moved into town. And with it, BANG, another fish. This guy was another 28 tip and that's my three! What a relief.

The wind started to increase and as the white caps rolled in, I got another. 27 tip and he's an upgrade! Where is that kicker fish though? The wind kept howling and for the next hour I bobbed around for a big fat zilcho. Eventually it was time to head in and see how I'd done.

Best for the day was Simon Morley who blitzed it and weighed in 3 fish for 2.08 kgs. The big fish for the day though went to Jason price with a 1.36 kg beauty. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for the rest of us) he couldn't find a couple more to go with it. Rounding out 2nd and 3rd for the day were Rob Chambers (1.55 kgs) and Jason Reid (1.54 kgs). I was sitting in equal 6th with 1.04 kgs. Tomorrow is another day though and the Shoalhaven can be very tricky at times, so it was still anybodies to take.

The next day dawned beautifully but I would have preferred a little more wind to stir things up a bit. I had my plan and set off to where I'd picked up a few fish off the surface the last couple of times I'd been here. This time however, they weren't coming out to play and I left the spot with only a flathead to my name. Off to the channel where Hedgey snaffled the big bream from right under my yak last comp and it's where I got my first for the day, once again falling for the squidgy wriggler. Only 26.5 cms again, but she'll do.

Things were very quiet and I moved to the other side of the river to try some weed beds. Not even a hit, so I ventured back up to my original starting area as by now the tide was pushing in and a drift over the flats there may be productive. A few of the power boats were thinking the same thing and I slotted in among them. Cast retrieve, cast retrieve, cast....ooh, the lines moving sideways. I lift the rod and set the hook and 'Zzzzz' goes the drag and this feels better. It's silver AND it's a bream. He punched above his weight though and only goes 28 tip. Ok, one more to go and I've got my bag.

I tried all the edges, all the poles and time eventually was up so I headed back to the weigh in. On the way I passed some old oyster rack rails that had sandy patches between them. As I  moved along, I flicked a Lobby into these patches. Thankfully, one of these had a bream waiting and frantically I heaved him away from the structure and quickly lifted him into the yak. YES!!! That's my 3rd and at 30 tip, he's the best. But where is that bloody kicker fish though?

I'm hot tailing it back and as I pass some more dilapidated racks, I hear the 'kiss,kiss' sound of a bream taking something off the surface. It's right in between 4 poles sticking out of the water. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I lofted my Lobby into the middle of them, gave it a few twitches and let it sink. BANG! The fish hit it like a train and the rod bent as I lent back. The drag was locked up but all the fish had to do was swim sideways and he'd do me. And that's what he did. PING! went the line and he was gone. So that's where the kicker fish was...

Back on shore there was the usual grumbling about lost fish and no fish what-so-ever but the guy with the biggest smile was Stewart Dunn. He had a cracker bag and looked like he'd take it out. Jason Reid had his full bag though, so it wasn't a given and Luke Kay had also managed three good fish. Down to the wire it went and the eventual stat's played out in that exact order. Stewart (2.78kgs), Jason (2.66 kgs) and Luke (2.48 kgs) Simon Morley could only manage 1 fish today and dropped to fourth with 2445 kgs. Without that kicker, I couldn't keep up with these guys but I managed a very creditable 5th place with 2.175 kgs and was one of only two anglers to get a full bag both days, the other being Jason Reid. Jason took out the AOY and deservedly so too as he's been so consistent all year, nearly always placing in the top 5.

Thanks again to the organisers for another fantastic year and also thank you to Steve Fields and Hobie for supporting me during these comp's. the next report I'll put up is for the ABT Narrabeen round which was my last chance to qualify for the ABt Kayak Grand Final down in Victoria on the Bemm River. Stay tuned. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Woolooware Bay - 30/9/12

Flatties for dinner, that was the quest and a quick flick for a jewfish or two wouldn't go astray either. Of course, it was a bit late in the morning for a jewfish but you never know. But the jewfish weren't about so I moved to some flats and started flicking about the same 100mm Squidgy slick rig. Two casts later I have my first flathead. Yay! Then about 5 casts after that, I get number two. Not huge croc's at about 45 cm's but they are the perfect eating size.

It went a bit quite so I moved locations and started flicking a blade about and picked up my very first Grinner. Then it was time for another flathead and three was enough for me. One lone bream got in on the act when he snaffled my Squidgy Bloodworm Wriggler and to cap off the morning, I briefly hooked up to a salmon that rocketed up from the bottom, jumped twice then threw back my lure.

I'm off on a south pacific cruise for 10 days and when I get back I'm down to St Georges Basin for the final of the Squidgy Southern Series Bream Comp. Then the week after that it's the last roll of the dice to qualify for the ABT Final with a two day event on Narrabeen Lake. Exciting times ahead.

So until I get back from the cruise, Happy yakkin' everybody!

cheers,
Cid