Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » Rising Water Bass

Rising Water Bass

By Felippe Gapski

The iconic Australian bass is probably my favourite species to target in Southeast Queensland and has been from the first time I hooked one about five years ago. Fishing for the first time in Australia and not having any knowledge on the subject, I had to look back on previous experiences from back home in Brazil, such as targeting wolf fish, peacock bass and largemouth bass, to try and entice the bite from the Aussie bass.

Almost instantaneously I realised that they were a very fun fish to target, not only for the variety of techniques one could use, but also because they were a very aggressive predator that can one day be eating anything on the surface and on the next be 'glued' to the bottom and not show any interest in eating any lure presentation. That in a nutshell is what keeps me coming back for them.

To be able to chase bass from a kayak means that you can almost be invisible to the fish. You also have the opportunity to squeeze into some pretty tight country, where boats can't and have that to your advantage. The amount of times that I fished river and impoundment banks, where I approached structure such as fallen trees, rocks or grassed areas, cast my lure right up against the structure and had a bass commit to it, just proves how the kayak makes a massive difference when chasing them.

With the recent rain events across our region, many of our impoundments have risen. Consequently a lot of water predators, including saratoga and bass have been attracted to the edges, where that fresh grass is now covered with water and an abundance of food has been introduced to the system. This new structure also offers shelter and food to the shrimp, baitfish and other creatures that the fish feed upon. Obviously you can still find your schools of fish, around old creek beds, banks, drop offs and flats within the impoundment, however, in my opinion, fishing around structure and the shallow water makes fishing much more interesting and challenging.

When chasing bass around the edges/structures/shallow water I have a favourite lure. The TT Lures Vortex Spinnerbait and particularly the 1/4oz size, is perfect for this type of fishing and the snag resistance of a spinnerbait is a great advantage. Purple Glimmer colour has been a favourite and is a must have in anyone's tackle box. If surface fishing is what you are after, then my favourite presentation is a ZMan 2.75" Finesse FrogZ, rigged on a 2/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ weedless jighead. This again is a very snag resistant presentation that can be fished over and through structure.

The type of structure being fished may vary from one area to another. With all of the rain the environment will change, however I like to try and position myself in between the lily pads and the bank, casting parallel to the lily pads or around fallen trees and weed with trees present. Positioning in this manner allows me to work both the lilies and the bank effectively, targeting prime structure such as lily edges, pockets in the lilies, laydown timber, weed edges and other prime ambush points.

It's important to mix up the retrieve until you find what the fish want and the retrieve that they want will change from one day to another. If fishing the Vortex Spinnerbait I will assess on the day and it can even change throughout the day, based on such factors as shade, temperature, water depth, barometer, storm activity and so forth. Most of the time a slow roll is the best way to entice the bite and this retrieve is a great starting point. A slow roll is basically a slow wind and you can vary the speed of the wind to control lure depth and to find what switches the fish on. Lifting or lowering the rod tip also allows you to swim the lure shallower, above weed and other structure or drop it deeper.

The combo that I find to be the best for this type of fishing is an Okuma Cerros CER-S-701ML 7' 2-4kg rod, paired with an Okuma Helios HSX-20 spinning reel. This combo will give you plenty of power to play with, when dealing with those fish around structure, while also offering a lot of sensitivity in the rod tip to feel bumps and bites. This is also a very lightweight combo that allows you to fish all day and not feel any fatigue.

When fighting fish around structure, it is very important to have the drag on your reel set correctly. Not locked up, however quite firm so that your fish won't have too much of a chance to wrap your line around a tree or wander too far into the weeds or lily pads. I like to fish 10lb braid and 10lb leader, so there's not much room there for error. It makes the fishing so much more fun, plus I believe you get more bites fishing lighter.

The Australian bass and saratoga are amazing species and deserve to be treated with respect. I try and use my fish friendly net to land these guys, wet my hands to hold them for a quick picture and try and put them back in the water as soon as possible. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the fish swimming away after you had a good battle with it, while giving the fish the best chance of survival.

Cheers, Felippe

Gear List:
Okuma Cerros Spinning Rods - CER-S-701ML 7' 2-4kg
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-20

TT Lures Vortex Spinnerbaits - 1/4oz

TT Lures ChinlockZ Jighead - 2/0
ZMan 2.75" Finesse FrogZ