I was recently invited to join some mates to hit a local lake in search of Australian Bass. Having never fished this area or for Bass before, this was certainly going to be a lot of fun. After work that evening we pulled up to the boat ramp, removed our Native Watercraft Kayak’s from the car’s and began to fill them up with all of our gear.

Paddling across the still lake, the warmth of the sun on our back as it set over the horizon was a comfortable feeling. Navigating through the timber maze was an awesome sight. Finally a solid hour or so later, a small grassy area on the opposed bank looked comfortable so without hesitation we peddled over emptying our Native Watercraft kayaks before heading back into the timber for a spot of fishing just on dark.

Ben made the first cast, a boil from a fish drew his attention and within seconds of the lure hitting the water it was engulfed. A small Bass some 35 odd centimeters was a nice reward. As the sun hit the horizon, more fish begun feeding on the surface. Small insects floating on the water quickly became the meal of the hungry Bass but so did our lures. Though I went fish less that evening, the following morning was entirely different.

Back out to were we fished the night before, the sun was quick to rise. The temperature forecast was to hit 43 degrees so we only had a few hours to fish before the heat would take its toll.

Working the banks, Bass were eagerly feeding. A quick cast to the shadowed bank proved rewarding as this is where the majority of the fish were holding. If a cast hit a sunny patch of water, you’d come up empty handed, hit a shadowed area and you’d be rewarded.

At first and the evening before, surface lures were certainly the lure of choice. Small 50-60mm poppers, cicada’s and the like were favored but as many fish as we hooked, we also lost. By the time the sun was up, the fish quickly changed and chose not to hit any surface lure so with a quick re-think, it was time to tie on a diver. Quickly grabbing a Yo-Zuri EBA pop, i pitched it to the back of the snag, two cranks of the reels handle and it was eaten. It seemed that providing you put in a cast to the right area, you’d hook up.

The temperature quickly climbed and before we knew it, a solid 20 knot Northerly followed by 43 degrees of extreme heat was the end too our day. The peddle back was just as entertaining as the fishing and having such as productive Bass fishery so close to home I just cant wait to get back.

Though these are stocked fish and range from 10cm to 35cm with the odd brute in the mix, the next few years are going to be exciting.