Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » Bush Bassing

Bush Bassing

By Sean Bekkers

Sometimes it's nice to change it up a bit and instead of pushing the boat off the trailer, to chase my usual assortment of saltwater species, occasionally I'll opt for some freshwater fishing to target bass. Targeting bass in tough, tight structure can be super-rewarding, as long as the bass want to play that is. Although I have chased bass around in the dams before, I much prefer to find them in the small, freshwater creeks and systems that are only accessible on foot.

Half the challenge of landing a fish is getting to them and often to find the best snags requires sliding down embankments and precariously positioning yourself on a shrub or root ball, before working around that stretch of water in search of a fish. There is no doubt that chasing bass can be addictive and it doesn't take much for people to get the bug, especially when a quiet stretch of water erupts with the sound of a screaming drag and fish running all over the pace.

As I've mention in the past, chasing them with surface presentations is pretty hard to beat, however, that being said, sending a sinking presentation hard into a snag has got to rate a close second, especially when a strike comes whilst your lure is buried somewhere in the timber.

Locations:

Bass have quite a large distribution area and can be found from Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, all the way north to about Bundaberg, meaning bass are accessible to a lot of keen anglers. Size wise they grow to approximately 65cm, however are more commonly found around that 40cm mark, at which size they hit hard and put up a good fight. If you're not too sure about your local system holding bass, you could do a little research on the internet or ask at your local tackle store as I'm sure they'd be happy to point you in the right direction. Better yet, go and explore and have a flick yourself... you may be pleasantly surprised.

On these trips, sometimes you'll literally need to forge a path through some thick undergrowth to get to the water, so make sure you've got all of the essentials for a trip. This would include things like water, long sleeved clothing and long pants, good solid footwear, first aid kits and so on. Good planning and preparation can go a long way.

Gearing Up:

Within SEQ I have a few spots that I know hold a healthy population of bass and when the opportunity arises, I make the most of it. More often than not I opt for a topwater presentation, however sometimes the bass can be a little shut down, due to rain, temperature and even barometric pressure, so opting for a subtle sinking presentation can often result in a bite when they're not keen to hit the surface. Bass are known for an explosive topwater bite, however the last few times I've been out chasing them on plastics and their initial take was very soft, so a subtle presentation has been my go-to to make them bite.

Most of the time I'm trying to imitate a small yabby or shrimp bouncing over the top of tree roots and logs. For this type of fishing I like to use a weedless presentation to reduce snagging and fouling, opting for a 2/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ jighead or 1/0 TT Lures NedlockZ EWG, matched up with a ZMan 2.75" TRD BugZ in either Hot Snakes or The Deal colour. I've also had a lot of success on a ZMan 4" Turbo CrawZ, so I have a packet of them on hand as well.

A lot of other anglers out there have a huge amount of success smashing bass on the ZMan GrubZ curl tails and fish pattern presentations like the Slim SwimZ and MinnowZ, so you're definitely not limited for options in your local stretch of water.

Rod and reel wise I find a 1-3kg rod matched up with a 30 size reel to be perfect, finding it hard not to take my Okuma Helios SX combo on these sessions. You may wish to beef things up a little, however this has proved perfect for me, is light and fun to fish and great for fishing lightly weighted plastics. Just keep in mind that more often than not you'll be fishing with overhanging trees getting in the way of a cast, so 7' or even shorter is awesome and will allow you to get well positioned, accurate casts in under all that cover.

Line and leader wise I use either 8 or 10lb Platypus braid with a 10lb Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon leader. To be honest, it's not real heavy when fishing this type of structure, however it does allow you to feel the subtle take from the bass when they're a little shy. Once hooked it becomes rather sporting, depending on which snag the fish is heading for. Last but not least, don't forget to scent up with some Pro-Cure. There are a few in the range for fresh water but my go-to for bass is crawfish, which I believe definitely helps sell the presentation to the fish, especially when fishing slow and subtle.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm often trying to represent either a yabby or shrimp going about its business, so my presentation is flicked hard into the snag and pretty much bounced over all the logs, snags and edges, ensuring that I keep contact with the structure. I won't lie here, because the lure is literally bouncing around in all the snags I still occasionally lose gear. Often you've got to risk it for the biscuit though and sending a weedless presentation in definitely reduces the amount of gear lost, while accessing the fish that are virtually impossible to get at otherwise.

Depending on the water depth and structure, the bass can be found practically in any part of that stretch of water, so work your lure all the way back to your feet and even give it a small pause right at your feet. You'll be surprised how many fish smash it as you're lifting your lure out of the water.    Once you've located a nice snag, take your time to systematically work around all the edges and structure in order to find the fish. Once you've hooked a bass the quiet stretch of water becomes chaotic. I find that by the time you send it back in that little stretch of water it can be shut down and take time to fire up again. This is often a good time to move on to the next stretch of water, but definitely hit them again on your way back though as things would have settled down and you can often pull another fish.

If you haven't taken the time to explore your local freshwater system, it may be a welcome change that will help hone your casting skills and give you a backup option when the weather isn't playing the game. Also bass are not usually the only fish around, so depending on where you're located by-catch can often also be expected.

Screaming Dragz, Sean

Gearing Up:
Okuma Helios SX Spin Rods - HSX-S-702L 7' 1-3kg
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reel - HSX-30
Platypus P8 Braid - 8-10lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 10lb
ZMan 2.75" TRD BugZ
TT Lures NedlockZ EWG 1/15oz #1
TT Lures ChinlockZ Finesse #2/0
Pro-Cure Crawfish Super Gel Scent