Bellinger River Bass - Troy Hardaker

Bellinger River - Bass

What is it?

Bellinger River is a fresh water river in the upper reaches known for its Bass fishing and superior swimming holes. The Bellinger River offers anglers the chance to chase the native Australian Bass in their native habitat.

Where is it?

Located roughly 10 minutes drive from Bellingen, Gordonsville Crossing is a perfect place to start the journey down the Bellinger river in search of the Australian Bass. Gordonsville Crossing allows anglers to cover roughly 7km of pristine Bass habitat. Gordonville Rd, Boggey Creek is where the crossing is located. What’s there?

The Bellinger River does not offer any facilities such as picnic areas, boat ramps or toilets due to its remoteness. Start your journey at Gordonsville Crossing which provides the angler a safe place to put the kayaks or canoes in and begin the 8km paddle down to the Bellingen bridge located in the middle of the township of Bellingen. This is a safe place to pull out the kayaks. What fish should I target?

The Bellinger River provides anglers the perfect opportunity to target Australian Bass. The Bellinger river is also home to the Eastern Cod which is a highly protected species on the mid north coast. What bait should I use?

Bait is not a highly recommended way of chasing the Australian Bass and lures will out fish bait 90% percent of the time. Baits that can be used are earthworms suspended under a float but lures that imitate creatures such as Cicadas are always a better option providing a lifelike imitation whilst ensuring the fish is not gut hooked.

What lures are best?

There are many options when it comes to lure fishing for Bass on the Bellinger River. My personal favorite is fishing surface lures such as Timeco Soft Shell Cicadas or Mega Bass Sigletts under structure. These cicada →

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Bellinger River - Bass (cont)

Michael Goodwin

imitations are best fished by casting under structure such as undercut banks or hard against trees and reed banks, which are in abundance along the stretch from Gordonsville Crossing to the bridge. Once the lure hits the water it is best to let the lure sit in the water to imitate a Cicada that has just fallen from a tree normally this is when the Bass will come up and hit it clean off the surface nearly ripping the rod out of your hand. Sometimes they may take a little bit more convincing which is where you may need to twitch the rod tip a few times or shake the rod in order to get the Cicada to twitch and create a commotion. Once the lure has been in the strike zone hard against the structure and you have twitched it a few times its time to slow roll the lures back out towards the boat with multiple pauses on the journey back. Surface fishing is one of the most exhilarating forms of fishing providing anglers with explosive surface strikes. Deep divers are also another option providing anglers with the chance to target fish held deep in structure or in deeper water where surface lures are not getting the bite. Casting deep divers into structure or into deeper holes and slow rolling them back provides great aggressive reaction bites and can prove very successful when the fish are held deeper in the water column Best time to fish?

The best time is the warmer months as the warm water brings active bass to the surface. The summer months also bring out the cicadas which is the primary food source for Bass. Bass can be legally targeted all year round but it is advised that anglers avoid keeping spawning bass. A zero bag limit is imple-

mented between May to August

during spawning season. Bass are a prized sports fish and have poor eating quality so catch and release ensures the fishery is unharmed and is available for many generations to come. What dream fish might I catch?

The magic 50cm Bass is what every Bass angler dreams of and this is a real possibility in this river.

Coffs Harbour Tides for week commencing Monday xxxxxxxxxxxxx, 2022 Coffs Harbour Tides for week commencing Monday xxxxxxxxxxxxx, 2022 May 9, 2022 Coffs Harbour Tides for week commencing Monday May 9, 2022

© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2021, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532)

SponsoredbyMOTackle Sponsored by MO Tackle