Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » Bassin'
Bassin'
Owen McPaul
One from a while ago from super-keen bass angler Owen McPaul
Naturally anybody that has what I refer to as a fishing addiction will have one particular species that they dedicate the majority of their time to. This species for me is without a doubt the Australian wild river bass. It is a species that I am very passionate about and I spend every spare second I have trying to fool these freshwater bruisers into taking a lure. They tend to hit like a steam train and always give 110%... not to mention the areas where they are found are generally secluded, breathtaking spots that make the journey to chase the wild river bass all the more exciting.
Whether you are a recreational or tournament angler there is always room for improvement and in the search for that trophy fish and I have turned to TT Lures and ZMan gear to help me out.
A while ago, on a trip to Danjeera Dam on the south coast of NSW for my first attempt at the ABT Bass Electric Series, I found myself out of my comfort zone. Having only fished one dam in the past I was finding out how different it was compared to fishing a river or stream. After struggling for most of the session, with only the odd small fish here and there, I knew it was going to take something super special for me to be able to weigh in.
Fortunately for me I had it in my arsenal... the ZMan 3" MinnowZ in Houdini colour. I rigged the MinnowZ on a TT Lures 3/8oz jighead, positioned the boat close to the bank and started to make long parallel casts, targeting the 30' drop off on the edge of the weed bank. Knowing that ZMan plastics were a naturally buoyant plastic, I was able to allow the MinnowZ to do all the work as it swam to the bottom, watching for any strike on the drop. I would then follow this with two violent jerks and a steady slow roll, before repeating the process again.
It was a successful combination that had me starting to pull bigger fish quite frequently. After a short period of time I had myself a bag that I was happy with. As there wasn't much time left on the clock I worked my way slowly back to the weigh-in. It was a great result for me, finishing 2nd on the day. It was at that point I knew I had found something special in the TT Lures and ZMan range of products and I now continue to work with this gear on a regular basis.
Since Danjeera I have been fishing with the ZMan range in my local river and have started to use a lot of the ZMan ChatterBait Mini 1/4oz and ZMan ChatterBait Original 3/8oz. These have been by far the most impressive lures that I have found so far and they have accounted for 4 bass at the 50cm mark or better during my last two sessions.
Casting ZMan ChatterBaits at structure, I have been letting them settle into the snag and then giving them a quick hop, followed by a slow retrieve with the occasional hop and pause in between. This technique has seen quality bass line up to hit the lure and the ChatterBait has become by far my favourite fishing tool.
Thanks TT Lures and ZMan for producing some 'out of this world' products. I'm sure any angler fishing with these products will have the same success and I look forward to fishing more of these products into the future.
Owen McPaul