Monster bass at Albert Falls
Bass fishing around KZN has been superb over the last week and weekend. Albert Falls produced even more good fish including an absolute monster of a bass weighing in at 7.3kg - a new unofficial record. This beast was landed on a Bluegill coloured Rapala. This has been one of the many fish of note over the last two weeks that have left anglers flocking to this dam in search of a new personal bass. The secret to landing these larger fish is to use a lure which can be presented in an area which is relatively unfished, and getting that bait to entice a bite. Crankbaits are king when it comes to this, as the action does all the work for the angler. The angler's only job is to present the bait in the correct spot. Albert Falls is known for its big fish and although less popular than Inanda and Midmar, has produced more fish over 5kg than any other dam in KZN consistently over the last 5 years. Inanda has also had its fair share of "hogs" and is well in the running for a new record, but suffers from overfishing and needs to be fished in such a way that the angler is fishing unfamiliar grounds that have had few anglers. In the Inanda Bass Classic which is taking place on 2 and 3 May, the dam is hugely pressurised and sees many boats in the more popular spots. To avoid catching few fish, or even worse, blanking, anglers are urged to fish unfamiliar territory in order to increase the odds of hooking into not only more fish, but bigger fish too. Remember that a big fish will also fall victim to a small bait, so in pressurised conditions it is often the smallest baits which pull the biggest fish. We have seen this before with anglers winning competitions with 6lb line and drop-shot. Strike Pro Cranky X 50 baits have been the top dogs in recent months in these heavy pressure situations. A very interesting lure that I saw the other day was a weedless jig with a brush hog added to bulk it up, apparently producing very good results, a nice large bulky bait that any bass that is fattening up for winter find hard to resist.
On the carp side in most of our waters, barbel are still on the bite and have not showed signs of slowing down. These fish are predominantly summer fish and usually begin to taper off going into winter. Some anglers fished over the last week and picked up mainly barbel. Only once the water temperature has dropped substantially will anglers start to see a decline in barbel activity. Reports from Inanda are improving as the water temperature reaches an ideal level and the fish start feeding hard. Shongweni is still relatively quiet, with some barbel activity overpowering the carp activity. One report from a local angler indicated a drop in barbel activity and some lovely carp being landed on the opposite side of the dam near the reed beds. Inanda has seen good days of fishing on and off and seems to be picking up slightly. Once again, anglers fishing north of the camp sites have done well on specimen tackle.
Trout fishing is at its prime at the moment so now is the time to venture to Kamberg to the southern berg to spend a weekend on the water. Different to bass, the trout are now fattening up for the spawn, so use big flies. Large papa roaches, frog patterns, Mrs. Simpson and Hamil’s killer are flies that should get you some fish.
Reminder - Imperial Nissan Zululand Couta Classic at Mtunzini on 25 and 26 April 2015.
For more details on this KZN north coast deep sea fishing competition you can contact Hylton on 078 854 9358 or Rod on 083 587 3990.
May will see Pumula on the KZN south coast hosting the annual Quattro King of the Sea fishing contest.
Contact [email protected] to enter the Pumula event scheduled for 23 and 24 May.
The 2015 Inanda Bass Classic will be held at Inanda Dam over the first long weekend in May 2015.
Friday 1 May 2015 will be the show day where our sponsors will display and sell some of their goodies.
Entry forms are available at www.inandabassclassic.co.za or from Ken Ainslie who can be contacted on 031 205 3777.
Durban Ski Boat Club is hosting its flagship fishing competition this coming weekend - Two boats to be won and around 400 boats entered.
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @kingfisherdaiwa