Bass Classic on the horizon

This is usually done prior to a competition in order to be aware of what techniques the angler will need to follow. At the moment, Inanda dam is extremely clean with visibility reaching as far as 10m is some areas.

The fishing over the last two weeks has been somewhat slower than before and anglers have struggled to catch decent fish. During the course of last week, anglers managed to put some decent fish of about 2kg on the boat. However, these fish were few and far between.

Anglers who have fished slightly deeper have managed to get more bites than in the shallows. The bigger fish seem to have been taken at first light on top water and spinner baits in the shallows. In these clean water conditions, it is recommended that each angler has at least one rod and reel rigged up with a 6-8lb low visibility line such as Daiwa Sensor, which will allow a more finessed presentation and could entice a bite from a more weary fish. 

Very natural colours such as Arkansas Shiner and Bluegill fished slowly on a drop-shot rig or weightless will more often than not increase the bite in clean water. Another presentation which is very effective but often ignored is the burning approach, which involves using impact colours and lures fished at a high speed to get a reaction strike.

For the anglers who are looking to stick to basics, senkos and flukes will work well fished a bit deeper and slower. Make sure a scent such as garlic, caffeine or aniseed is used, as the fish need added incentive in these conditions. Another point to note will be the fact that the water is generally cleaner towards the dam wall, which means that anglers searching for dirty water will need to travel towards the river section. So to sum it up, the following points will assist anglers in catching bass in clean water.

Downsize on the line class, long casts so to not spook the fish, natural colour lures, fish deeper water, add a scent to your lure
and fish further up the dam in dirty water.

Next month 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.

(File Photo: Gallo Images)

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