Wyaralong Dam Bass

By Marcus Hope

Recently making the move from down south, where the cod and yellowbelly (golden perch) addiction thrived, I have found myself immersed in the variety of fishing options the Gold Coast and surrounds has to offer, one of which being the bass fishing scene! Growing up in rural NSW, I was spoilt for choice with cod and yellowbelly (golden perch) fisheries, such as Lake Keepit, Split Rock Dam and Copeton Dam, just to name a few, but never found myself chasing the Aussie bass until now.

SEQ is spoilt for choice when it comes to bass fisheries with a range of pristine dams calling the region home, including my primary fisheries; Hinze Dam and the topic of today’s article, Wyaralong Dam. Wyaralong is the newest dam in SEQ, located north-west of Beaudesert, constructed in 2011 and stocked with bass and Mary River cod. This however hasn’t stopped it from making a name for itself and being known as a dam that boasts football size bass. Now, I’m sure you’re reading this article to gain some knowledge and tips on what lures, gear and techniques may help you figure out the key to success at Wyaralong. So, without further ado, I’ll dive straight in.

I recently completed a pre-fish for an upcoming ABT Bass Electric round that will be held at Wyaralong. Being almost totally new to bass fishing and able to count on my fingers the number of bass I’d caught previously, I knew that it was going to be a massive learning curve. I had previously fished the dam multiple times for noxious species, so I had a fair understanding of the dam layout. Upon reaching the dam however, I noticed the water clarity was next to nothing and it was almost chocolate milk, due to all the rain that Queensland is experiencing. This threw a spanner into the works. If bass fishing wasn’t already hard enough, I thought! This didn’t stop us though and our first stop was the trees.

TT Switchblade

After bouncing in the trees for half an hour without a bump, I had to rely upon theories I had developed and go with my gut. I chose a windblown point, with stacks of flooded vegetation, that led into a bay with scattered timber. By now the sun was beaming down and the water temp was slowly rising, along with the barometer. From pieces of information that I had pulled from conversations with mates, my theory was that the end of August would be the transition period where bass move off the shallows and begin to school up on the ledges and deeper sections.

After constructing a plan of where I thought they may be holding, next was the decision around what I should throw. Instantly, I knew just the lure to get the job done. I opted for the TT Switchblade as the vibration would give the bass something to hone into with all the dirty water that was present. It was all of ten minutes when I looked around to see Grant’s rod loaded up, my co-boater for the day. Although a rat, it was a start and gave me a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that my theory had been applied successfully.

It wasn’t long until the fish started to roll in, with multiple fish hitting the deck, all from the same bank. We were both working TT Switchblades with long slow hops off the bottom, casting right up shallow and dragging them right back to the boat. This method even landed me a 44cm football-size bass, as fat as they come which indicated there was no shortage of food. By this point the barometer was 1025hPa and water temp was around 20°.

ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ and Ned Rig ZMan TRD CrawZ

After a crazy short period of five fish between us and countless dropped, we tied up to a tree for lunch and constructed another plan. I knew that if we want a shot in the ABT, then we can’t just rely on the one area and the one technique. After the ham rolls had been devoured, we made a short move to the front of the dam, once again targeting wind blown banks that had flooded vegetation and scattered timber.

This time however, Grant threw a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in Baby Bass colour, rigged on a 1/8oz TT HeadlockZ jighead, while I threw a ZMan 2.5” TRD CrawZ in Watermelon Red colour, paired with a 1/6oz TT NedlockZ jighead. Being the middle of the day with the sun high in the sky we didn’t expect much, however once again the fishing exceeded our expectations and we saw six fish hit the deck.

Grant was working the Slim SwimZ right up in the vegetation and slowly bringing it back to the boat, whereas I was pitching the TRD CrawZ right up shallow and much like a jig, slowing hopping it along the bottom to imitate a yabby fleeing in and out of structure. Constantly keeping contact with the bottom meant that I was able to hop over snags and strike when a fish picked it up. I must say the bite with this technique is amazing! I felt like an American bass pro setting those hooks when I felt a bass pick up the plastic.

This session alone was an eye opener for me as it showed that despite not having much experience with this species, I was still able to draw upon what I had learnt from other people and draw on elements of my own angling abilities to compose theories that managed to boat fish. I hope that you can draw something from this article that might just assist you in catching a Wyaralong bass or a bass in general.

Fish on! Marcus

Key Takeaways

> Look for high water temps and a high barometer

> Target windblown points and banks

> Dirty water is a good time for vibes as they vibrate

> Don’t be afraid to trust your gut and try new things

Gearing Up

Rod: TT Black Mamba Spin Rods – BMS701L 7’ 1-3kg

Reel: Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels – ITX-2500

Braid: Platypus Bionic Braid X9 - 10lb

Leader: Platypus Hard Armour FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 10lb