SA BASS Aug-19

We do not follow, we do not copy – we lead

August 2019

Issue 220

18

YE AR S RSA: R39.50 (incl. VAT) Other Countries: R34.35 (Tax excl.)

How to catch

Lunkers

www.sabass.com

Understanding presentation | Winter strategies | Honey holes & sweet spots | Pre-spawn secrets | Kayak bassin’ Pre-spawn & bedding tackle | Don’t miss a strike | Lip-land big bass | Holpaddas versus sagte plastiekpaddas Fly versus spin | Basics for beginners | Industry news | ICAST 2019 winners and more

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Senior Writers:

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Contributors:

Divan Coetzee, Ivan Sonnekus, Gary Peter

Contents

International Columnists: Bertrand Ngim, Clint Skinner, David Swendseid, Curtis Niedermier, TJ Maglio, Matt Williams, Tyler Brinks, Joe Balog, Anthony Hawkswell Advertising Manager:

Wilma Lindeque - wilma@sabass.com

Subscriptions:

Hannes Lindeque - hannes@sabass.com

REGULARS & FORUMS 08

“How to catch Lunkers” In reality there is no foolproof solution to specifically target five kilo fish at and they certainly aren’t caught on the regular. Some key features to consider when targeting big fish are… – Bryan Leppan

12

“Understanding presentation” Presentation has two aspects; what are you presenting, and where are you presenting it too? The “what” refers to bait selection and the “where” refers to structure or cover.

– Divan Coetzee

Digital Subscriptions: www.magzter.com Layout and Design:

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About SA BASS magazine:

SA BASS, which is editorially and financially independent, is a monthly magazine catering exclusively for the bass angling community in Southern Africa.

SA BASS is distributed country-wide

by RNA to outlets, not only in South Africa, but also in Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana.

SA BASS is designed as a specialist bass fishing publication and has catered for a well-defined niche market since April 2001. It enjoys the support and endorsement of non-government organisations, but is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group.

Our mission is to promote bass angling as a socially acceptable and popular outdoor recreational activity, and in addition, to encourage acceptable angling ethics. As such, SA BASS provides pertinent information on a wide range of subjects. These include providing a platform for informed debate on issues affecting the sport of bass angling, providing information on bass angling strategies and techniques, bass angling waters and opportunities, and also creating awareness of new products.

Within this editorial mix, due consideration is given to developing the 02 SA BASS August 2019

sport among all the country’s people (including the youth), and to the practical conservation of the country’s natural resources.

Copyright is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the permission of the publisher. All enquiries regarding editorial correspondence, manuscripts and photographs should be directed to: editor@sabass.com Address contributions to the editor.

Manuscripts, photos and artwork will be handled with care, but their safety cannot be guaranteed. Enclose a stamped, self addressed envelope with all editorial submissions.

The publisher and editorial staff are not responsible for researching and investigating the accuracy or copy right of the material provided for publication in SA BASS magazine. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publisher does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences. Readers are advised to use this information with the understanding that it is at their own risk. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor, editorial staff or SA BASS Society.

14

“Secrets of South Africa’s Pro’s: Pre-Spawn ”

This is always a most exciting time of year for bass anglers as they consider the changing season and the arrival of pre-spawn bass activity. It is the one time period where anglers can boost their confidence levels.

– The Bass Spy

How to use QR-codes 1. Open the QR-code reader/scanner app on your smartphone. Most smartphones models often have an app pre-installed. If not, visit your phone’s app store and download the app.

2. Keep a steady hand while the QR-code is centred on the screen.

3. As soon as it is done scanning, whatever information should present itself for your viewing pleasure.

16

30

“ Holpaddas versus sagte plastiekpaddas” Een van die interessantste scenario’s is sekerlik tydens hengel tussen watergras en – plante, soos lelies. Een hengelaar kan besluit om ‘n holpadda te gebruik, terwyl die ander moontlik op ‘n sagte plastiekpadda kan besluit – Philip Kemp

“Fly versus spin Searching for a winter take”

The two most successfully, recognised angling art forms for catching bass are fly-fishing or spinning and this winter we briefly explore both!

– Jay Röhm-Williams

42

20

“ Ready, set, strike!

Don’t miss that bite”

It can be incredibly frustrating or perhaps even competitively costly missing that moment where you needed to strike and failed. One has to know when and how to strike confidently into green bass gold, no matter what bite action is displayed on the day – Jay Röhm-Williams

22

32

34

“ Lip-land” Daar is ‘n regte en verkeerde manier om die vis te hanteer – Hannes Lindeque

“ Winter strategies for catching

lethargic bass - Part 2”

“ Pre-spawn & bedding tackle – Part 1”

The spawning season demands a great deal of attention to detail if you want to make a success of targeting bass at this time.

There will be some very interesting lure options that will become far more accepted and you may need to break away from your norm.

– John Badenhorst

40 26

“Dead of winter twitching” This time of year look for giant thick weed-lines, near deep water. The weed lines that stay greener longer will be best as they continue to release oxygen.

– David Swendseid

“Honey holes and sweet spots”

A “honey hole” could be an area on the day which is attracting a lot of bass, but what is a “sweet spot”? – Roger Donaldson

Walters”

Die belangstelling vir die maak van sy eie plastiese aas het begin toe Schalk besef dat daar soveel stukkende plastiese ase verlore gaan en net weggegooi word.

– Philip Kemp

44 18

“Herwinning met Schalk

48

“Bassin’ Kids adventure camp”

Today most children are so caught up playing video-games, or spending time on their phones that they don’t know what it is like to be children.

– Hannes Lindeque

“Rumble at Rusties” Though fishing can be very difficult when the cold sets in – it can also be very rewarding.

Often you won’t catch the numbers one gets in summer, but you have a good chance of hooking up with a few bigger bucket mouths.

– Rudolph Venter

“Stroke of the paddle - Part 2”

Everyone that wants to get onto a kayak for the first time has the fear of getting wet. In this issue we look at scupper holes and transporting your kayak.

– Ivan Sonnekus

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

04 MY GOOI 06 Readers-go-Bassing 36 Basics for beginners

INDUSTRY News 28 >> Garmin® Force Trolling Motor 37 >> ICAST 2019 category winners 38 >> I nternational Angling News TOURNAMENT News 46 >> FLW Cast-for-Cash tournament results - June

We look a little bit more in detail at the proven methods of targeting these elusive fish we all love so much. Let’s start with a bait that is pretty easy to fish and master…

– John Badenhorst

ON THE COVER “Loskop Bielie” Image: Johann Zwarts

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Vanaf nou in Augustus tot en met einde November gaan ons hengelaars getref word deur ‘n vloedgolf van gebeure, plaaslik en ook internasionaal.

Sommer vroeg in Augustus is dit die jaarlikse Forrest Wood Cup, van die 9e tot die 11e in Hot Springs, Arkansas op Lake Hamilton. Terselfdertyd word die FLW KBF Cup ook by Hot Springs aangebied. Vir diegene wat werklik ‘n passie vir swartbaarhengel het, is hierdie glansgeleentheid ‘n defnitiewe moet.

Dit was amper-amper of FLW Suid-Afrika was vir twee jaar opeenvolgend deur na die Forrest Wood Cup, maar ongelukkig het Neels Beneke verlede jaar net-net teen Erik Luzak van Kanada verloor. “No hard feelings” maar… ons sal net weer en harder probeer wanneer ons ons volgende vier ambassadeurs na die Costa FLW Series Championship in November stuur. Wie gaan hierdie vier wees?

Ek weet vir ‘n feit dat die hengelaars wat reeds daar was, hard werk om weer vanjaar daar uit te kom. Kyk maar net wie lê boaan die punteleer van ons Cast-for-Cash streke.

Einde Augustus sal ons weet, want dan is dit die FLW Suid-Afrikaanse Kampioenskap waar Suid-Afrika se beste van die bestes sake by Witbankdam gaan uitspook. Ons nooi al ons lesers vroegtydig om hulle beplanning so te doen dat hulle ons FLW hengelaars by Witbank kan kom ondersteun en die vermaak wat aangebied word, te kom geniet. Bring asseblief die hele familie saam, want FLW Suid-Afrika in samewerking met The Ridge Casino en Highveld Mall bied iets aan elkeen.

Dit gaan ‘n wonderlike geleentheid wees en ons sien daarna uit om julle daar te hê en saam te kuier. Daar gaan uitstallings, demonstrasies en vermaak wees. Sien julle daar!\ (Sien bladsy 24 vir meer inligting).

Op ‘n ander noot; na afloop van die ICAST uitstalling in Florida is ons plaaslike hengelaars gretig om te sien wat ons plaaslike invoerders en verspreiders by SAFTAD (SA Fishing Tackle Agents and Distributors) gaan uitstal. ‘n Paar van die kategorie-wenners by ICAST word in hierdie uitgawe genoem, maar hoeveel van daardie produkte gaan wel vroeg in Suid-Afrika beskikbaar wees? Wel, ek weet van een wat by die FLW SuidAfrikaanse Kampioenskap gedemonstreer gaan word. Kom kyk gerus. (‘n Wenk; die produk was ‘n ICAST kategoriewenner.)

Goeie nuus is dat ons nie hoef te wag vir al die nuwe produkte voordat ons die groot visse gaan soek nie. In hierdie uitgawe is daar weer ‘n hele klomp artikels oor hoe om daardie knewels te soek en uit te oorlê. Kyk maar na die voorblad met Johann Zwarts en sy Loskop Bielie. Dit maak party hengelaars sommer naar om te weet dat daar sulke groot visse is, maar hulle sukkel om die goed te vang. Ander gryp weer ‘n visstok en sny ‘n lyn af water toe. Hoe ook al… laat julle lyne sing.

Hannes Lindeque, Uitgewer 04 SA BASS August 2019

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READERS

GO BASSING

To feature in “Readers go Bassing” send your story and pictures to editor@sabass.com All photos published in “Readers-go-Bassing” are for the exclusive use of SA BASS Magazine. Any photos previously published by other magazines will not be considered.

FINALLY

TEXAS

Finally I got a bit of time in my busy day to go throw a line in a private dam and wasn’t expecting to catch such an awesome fish. Weighed in at 2.5kg. The fish was caught on a crankbait underneath a tree at 15:30. It was an amazing fight – Andrew Campbell

Ek het hierdie pragtige swartbaar in die Letsitele omgewing gevang op ‘n Texas-strop. Die vis het 3.5kg geweeg en is weer vrygelaat – PJ Fraser

VLIEG

SEDIBA

Ek woon en werk op Sediba Kwele, geleë tussen Brits en Thabazimbi. Ek is gaande oor baarshengel en net so ook oor vlieghengel. Daarom het ek dit goed gedink om baars te teiken op vlieghengelgerei en tegnieke. Ek hengel met ‘n 2/3wt (gewig) Explorer vliegstok, dryflyn en ‘n 7lb voorslag. Die vliegies wat ek gebruik boots almal insekte en klein aasvissies na wat hier in die bosveld voorkom, soos Woolly Buggers, “nymphs”, “poppers”, ensovoorts.

– Janus Pretorius

Ek was by Sediba Kwele gewees terwyl die watervlak baie laag en die water troebel was. Ons het eers met plastieseaas die baars probeer aankeer, maar sonder sukses. Ons het agter gekom dat die baars in die vlakwater tussen die gras jag. Ek het my aas verander na ‘n Whopper Plopper en ‘n baars van 2,2kg gevang. Ek het toe die groter Whopper aangesit en ‘n vis van 2,7kg geland. Ons het bykans 20 visse tussen 1,2kg en 2,7kg gevang. Sediba sal my beslis weer sien.

– Frans Delport

06 SA BASS August 2019

C&R My biggest catch was a 5.6kg and my second one was a 4.2kg; all caught using Zoom soft plastics on Texas rigs. The 5.6kg was caught on a Zoom Fluke Junebug/Red and the second one on an Ultravibe Speed Worm Black Berry. All of the monsters were caught at Darwendale Dam about 80km from Harare, Zimbabwe. My secret in catching big fish is to fish very slowly. I have been bass fishing for four years and I am looking forward to break even the world record. What I need to tell my brothers is the importance of practicing catch-and-release, especially for bass – Frank Seremwe

LOSKOP BIELIE

PASOP Ek is ‘n ywerige jong swartbaarhengelaar wat dit geniet om saam met my pa kompeterend te hengel. Ek geniet my bass-hengel bo enige ander spesie. Ek hou daarvan om nuwe plekke te besoek en nuwe tegnieke op te beproef.

Ons bly tans in Tzaneen en in Maart vanjaar het ons, ek en my pa, Albasinidam vir die eerste keer besoek. Ons het twee dae hard gehengel en het goeie welslae gehad. Die swartbaars het kleinvissies aktief gejag en ons het al ons vis met jerk- en crankbaits gevang. Ongeveer 18 visse is geland en is weer vrygelaat. Die visse se gewig was tussen 800 gram en 1.5kg.

Dit was ‘n winderige dag, die water was helder skoon en die watertemperatuur was 27ºC. Wat ‘n goeie ondervindig! Die kampgeriewe was gerieflik en sal Albasini.

NB. Pasop vir die krokedille! – Ruben O’Connell

Vroeg in Julie het André Pretorius my en my seun, Johann Zwarts (jnr), genooi om Loskopdam te gaan verken met die oog op die komende Noordelike Divisie se junior kompetisie.

Nadat André vroegoggend ‘n paar mannetjies naby die kant gevang het, het die byt afgeneem en het ons vis in dieper water begin soek.

Terwyl ons besig was om Johann (jnr) en sy 1,9kg vis af te neem, het ek ‘n gooi in dieselfde rigting gemaak waar hy so pas die vis in 21 voet diep water gevang het.

Met die oplig van my visstok se punt het ek gevoel ek haak aan ’n boomtak… totdat die “tak” skielik begin beweeg het. Toe die vis opkom en spring, was ons almal verras met die grootte daarvan en het die situasie baie ernstig geword, aangesien ek maar met ‘n 8lb fluorocarbon lyn gehengel het.

Na ‘n paar verwoede “reel runs ” kon ons uiteindelik die skepnet onder die pragvis inkry en haar skep. ‘n Allemintige 5.09kg vis wat my persoonlike beste ‘n stewige hupstoot gegee het. Na die voorafgaande koue front was dit werklik ‘n verrassing – en wys net weer; mens weet nooit wanneer daardie vis van ‘n leeftyd jou hoek vat nie – Johann Zwarts SA BASS 07 August 2019

>> SA BASS STRATEGIES

>> Bryan Leppan

The author with his new 5.14kg PB caught at Inanda Dam 08 SA BASS August 2019

After catching my new 5.14kg PB I thought it best to consider the facts and write on how to catch your own lunker at Inanda Dam.

In reality there is no fool-proof solution to specifically target five kilo fish at Inanda Dam and they certainly aren't caught on the regular.

Some key features to consider when targeting big fish are:

Fishing the right area This is major important as high percentage of areas in February/March at Inanda, the water temperature peaks at 29 to 30ºC which has a big impact on the behaviour and positioning of bass. You’ll find fish in three basic areas: 1. Steep bluffs or cliffs where it is easy for bass to change depth and keep comfortable.

2. Shallow weed beds that provide shade and cover. These weed beds create cool pockets of water which make them an ideal place for bass to be comfortable and wait in ambush. I think many people assume that water temperature is consistent at each depth point across the dam; that’s not the case. Shade and cover play a big role in that. The water temperature can be 29ºC in a bay but underneath a weed bed or hyacinth mat, it is a few degrees cooler. To test the theory, it is quite simple... jump in the water and swim underneath the mat or weed bed.

3. Ledges and drop offs are a great place to find quality fish bunched up this time of year. Not all drop offs and ledges are created equal. The best ones have cover in the form of brush, timber, rock, an extra or different contour change and most importantly baitfish. This is where my electronics come in. My Lowrance HDS units, coupled with Fishtec maps, charts and sediment charts give me a huge advantage when ledge fishing or offshore fishing in general. I basically have eyes under the water even when sitting on my boat in my garage at home.

In preparation for this trip I did exactly that. I sat on my boat in my garage and scrolled through the charts on my units and way pointed ledges with contour changes and cover. It’s amazing what you can do in thirty minutes these days from the comfort of your own home. So with theory done and thirty odd waypoints to explore I was ready to roll. The task would be working through the waypoints and finding the baitfish and bass. With this technology, gone are the days that you need to idle over a spot and throw a marker buoy, you can simply fish towards your spot. This puts significantly less pressure on the fish, especially when fishing shallower ledges, as I most often prefer, where the tops are in 6 to 8ft and dropping of to 20 foot. You don’t want to be running an outboard over your fish that are in 6ft of water.

Lure choice and bait presentation Targeting better than average bass comes down to location (covered above) your lure and presentation. I’m a firm believer that bigger baits catch bigger fish, power fishing techniques catch bigger fish and the quality of the bait in terms of its design and appearance catch bigger fish.

Therefore I don’t skimp on tackle and gear and try buy a

cheaper alternative because it actually costs you more in the long run. I have loads of lures and plastics that are cheaper “knock offs� of other baits but the fact is they just don’t work the same and all that money is now wasted. There will be guys reading this article that will disagree as they might have caught their PB on a cheap weightless four inch worm. That will happen. I’ve seen it happen and I have caught many three and four kilo bass like that... There is a time and place for those baits and they are extremely affective at getting bites but in my opinion they would not produce you ten kilo-plus bags (five fish bags) consistently.

The team tournament formats really afford anglers the opportunity to experiment, try new things, throw big baits and to target bigger fish as part of a two man team, where only weight counts. I fished the 2014 season with a great buddy of mine, James van Rooyen, arguably the best bass angler I’ve ever met and the lessons that we taught each other and learnt together are priceless. The number of 10, 11, 12 all the way up to 16 kilo bags that we caught together over the year was just unbelievable, both in pre-fishing and in tournaments. In four events at one point our average bass was 2.37kg. This is why I believe so strongly about the lure/bait preferences that I mentioned above. The proof was simply in the pudding. I encourage people to experiment and try new things.

For this trip I rigged up the following: t #JH TRVBSF CJMM DSBOLCBJU GPS UBSHFUJOH UIF DPWFS PO UIF flats on the topside on the ledge 6 to 8ft in most areas t 5FO GPPU EJWJOH DSBOLCBJU GPS UIF BDUVBM MFEHF BOE UIF GPS fish suspended along the drop t P[ GPPUCBMM KJH XJUI B CJH CVMLZ USBJMFS t P[ QJUDIJOH KJH PO CSBJE GPS UIF UJNCFS UIBU JT PO UIF UPQ side of the ledges 6 to 8ft t JODI SJCCPO UBJM XPSN PO B P[ UVOHTUFO 5FYBT SJH for working the top, the actual break line and the drop off t JODI SJCCPO UBJM XPSN PO B P[ TIBLFZ IFBE TBNF as above A Carolina rig was getting stuck too much and was an inefficient presentation given the cut off stumps and rocks that I found. The Texas rig was the way to go. It was super efficient for fishing the worm.

Timing It is important to remember that good areas are generally always good areas (obviously at the same water level and all things being equal), so if you have caught a few good fish in a certain area you need to explore those areas and its immediate surrounds. It’s possible that ten metres away from where you are catching one kilo fish, the habitat is better and there are two’s and three’s or better. On this topic of timing, it is crucial to revisit a good area several times during the day.

SA BASS 09 August 2019

Fish might either not be there or for some reason just refuses to bite at a certain time or times for whatever reason. I have experienced this many times, where I’m sitting with an average bag in the well and within five minutes I’ve culled two one kilo fish with a three and a four.

Also when it comes to timing your fishing trip, try to fish midweek if possible for a better advantage. Inanda has a tremendous amount of fishing pressure on weekends. This five kilo fish that I caught was midweek. I could only get to the dam at 13:30, so even if you can only get out for a three or four hour session, take it!

Getting back to this fish and fishing Inanda at this time, we were faced with very warm water as mentioned and a low water level by Inanda’s standards of around 79%. The ledge fishing was the best option to me and I figured I had the best opportunity of catching solid fish taking this approach. With waypoints marked I was ready to roll and was immediately onto high percentage areas from the start, saving me loads of time, with only three hours of fishing time ahead of me. I had chatted to a good mate of mine and very good bass angler, Michael Cannon, the night before about my strategy for the following day and he mentioned that he had found some quality fish in similar kinds of areas the previous weekend. Mike is a power fisherman as well, we speak the same kind of language, we stay in contact often and chat about new ideas and strategies.

It was a thirty degree windy afternoon with blue bird skies. I decided to fish the sweet spots on the ledges that I had marked in the more stained water towards the river section. I started by positioning my boat on the deep side of the drop off - boat in approx 20ft and casting up to the shallow part of the ledge with a square-bill crank (keeping my boat away from the ledge and where I figured the fish should be as to not pressure them). When I could feel the crank bumping off tree branches and stumps, I knew I was in the money. I got a few kilo fish on the crank and switched to a football jig to worm the edge and down the drop. I was keeping myself in position in the windy conditions by keeping a close eye on my electronics and as I moved up along the ledge to another waypoint I could see a big bend in the river channel and I worked up to that. I switched to the 12” Texas rigged worm and made long casts along the edge of the drop off towards the river channel bend. When I got pitching distance from the bend I could see a very large tree that was actually on the edge of the drop and the bend of the river channel. I neatly placed the worm next to the tree on the deep side and seconds after it hit the bottom I felt a thump and watched the line move off into deep water. I set the hook and the fish took off, coming back towards the tree, I could already feel that it was a good fish. Worried about being broken off I lifted my rod tip and got the fish up as quickly as I could. Maybe not the best technique in terms of letting a fish jump, but in that second, I figured - tree or jump... I’ll take jump. And jump it did! Wow! At that point I realised that it was a giant and I literally had PB running through my mind. Fortunately, the hook stayed stuck on the jump and the fish landed back in the water away from the tree and into deeper water. Although panicked and freaking out with adrenaline and excitement I knew that the fish was in a much better position now and all I needed to was play it a while. With the net still in the hatch it was great fun to lip-land this stunning and quite possibly a once in a lifetime bass in Inanda Dam and many South African waters.

Truly blessed and very grateful to have been able to boat this amazing fish at my home dam after many years of trying. I look forward to experiencing this level of excitement and satisfaction with my son Kyle in the near future, he’s two now as he targets his PB... Who knows, maybe I’ll get the opportunity to top my 5.14kg PB too.

We invite all our readers to send us pictures of their trophies to be published in our Readers-go-Bassing section - Ed. 10 SA BASS August 2019

SA BASS 11 August 2019

>> SA BASS

Understanding presentation

In last month’s issue we covered location, how to locate bass in different seasonal stages. Now we will cover presentation.

Whenever possible, work your bait downhill

P

resentation has two aspects; what are you presenting, and where are you presenting it too? The “what” refers to bait selection and the “where” refers to structure or cover. Choosing the correct presentation to cover a specific structure type will improve success.

The right presentation will eventually lead to a good pattern, a good pattern allows you to catch lots of fish; it’s a beneficial skill to recognize the subtle hints from fish. The smallest adjustment can make a big difference. Let’s start by looking at structure and cover.

Bottom structure or contour lines are often the “go to” in the absence of cover. The presentation will depend on what depth the fish are holding at. Multiple presentations could be effective on any given day. Lots of baits have limitations so always choose the most efficient tool for the job. In the absence of cover, it’s safe to assume that they are deep. Text book deep water presentations include, but are not limited to: drop-shot rigs, deep diving cranks, football jigs, Carolina rigs, big swimbaits and jigging spoons. All of these presentations have solid reputations. It’s recommend

12 SA BASS August 2019

>> Divan Coetzee* | Artwork: Ashley Palmer to start with what you have most confidence in, for me, if for arguments sake I’m catching the same quality fish on a Carolina rig, that I am on a crank, I’m choosing the least labour intensive option. Single hooks have better conversion rates, are less inclined to foul, thus the Carolina rig becomes the smarter option. Unless the area is very rocky, getting your weight snagged every second cast, and having to retie constantly is an inconvenience, then the crank would be the smarter choice. It’s all about choosing the most correct option, as there are no wrong answers in bass fishing.

Remember, fish will respond to multiple presentations on the same piece of structure or cover.

Whenever possible, always fish downhill – it reduces hang ups. The only thing a fish has to relate to is the bottom, so ensure that’s where your bait spends most of its time.

Onto cover, this is a more diverse topic! Trees, brush, lay-downs, jetties, surface grass, submerged grass, grass lines, reeds, etc. Once again, numerous presentations will elicit a response from the same piece of cover. In other words, the same bass that ate your frog probably would have eaten a

Ensure that you get the bait where they live. Fish aren’t always willing to swim after your presentation

number of presentations due to its aggressiveness, but would you have been able to present another bait as effectively as you would a frog in thick matted grass for instance? Again it boils down to selecting a presentation that would be best suited to get the job done.

The lesson here is to select a bait that falls within the criteria of what the fish are responding to, and along with its unique benefits, maximize results. One has to be mindful of the fact that different class fish could respond to different presentations in the same area. For example in a grassy area, you could be catching a bunch on a weightless presentation, but the moment you start throwing a spinnerbait the quality of the fish improve, but the rate goes down. It’s a trade off for quality versus quantity; it depends on your objective.

The same system can be used when selecting cover; if you get the same quality fish inside the grass, and on the rocks.

Choose the option that suites your style or preference, but not at the expense of results. If you are a tournament angler, you have to separate what you want to do, from what is needed in order to do well. What I throw when I’m out with my wife differs vastly from what I’ll throw when I’m tournament fishing with my regular partner.

Let’s look at how presentation and patterning come together. We recently fished a venue that we had last fished during the summer when the water temperature was still in the high 20’s. We found the good ones along a very specific depth corridor; the margin for error being a foot either way in terms of depth. It’s a gradual sloping bank so the band was about 4 to 5 metres wide. As long as we hugged that line we got 2kg plus fish. Little off to the side would result in undersize fish on both the deeper and shallow end.

The bait didn’t seem to matter; the fall rate of a half ounce tungsten on a Texas rig was the key. They would eat it on the drop before it even hit bottom. If there happened to be a bit of grass, you were pretty much guaranteed a good bite.

It was middle winter and the water temperature was 14°C in the morning. We found the fish again in the same area at the same depth, only this time they wanted a different presentation. The ½oz was a bit aggressive on the fall and they would only eat it once the bait had sat still for a few seconds. So the pattern was the same. The better fish were still in 10ft relating to isolated grass patches but preferred a different presentation. Same area, same rig, different time of year - slight adjustment did the trick. The moral here is;

Hit all the high percentage areas first. Experiment with your presentation

if you are running a solid pattern, bait and colour selection become less critical because all that is needed is to get a bait in the right area.

Bait and colour selection is a contentious issue. Folks get emotional about it. It took me some time to come to terms with the fact that one actually fishes pattern by means of presentation, and not a bait persé. This has allowed me to streamline my tackle, which in turn makes bait and colour selection easy.

In terms of plastics, I have a maximum of four variants when it comes to colour: black, brown, green and purple… with the odd white models mixed in here and there. These colours cover the entire spectrum. If you feel the need to have an entire box of Green Pumpkin baits with so and so glitter then I suggest you reconsider your approach. The same goes for bait styles; no-one needs seven different types of creature baits. I’ve recently committed to a specific brand and model in two different sizes and four colour variants each. This is my “go-to” bait for flipping and pitching and it is literally the only creature/craw I own. It took me a while to decide on it, but it came down to simple logic; the 3” version sits perfectly on my preferred straight shank flipping hook. The shape of the bait allows it to penetrate the grass with ease. The size of the bait allows me to play around with rate of fall without changing the profile too much. The same goes for the 4” version. My choice had nothing to do with available colours or the fact that it was designed by a prominent U.S. pro. It’s all about the fact that it does what I require it to do within a certain set of circumstances. Horses for courses if you will.

Long story short; if you have determined where they are and found a presentation they respond to, you effectively have a pattern. Within that pattern, you can then fine tune bait type, size and colour selection to maximize your results. I hope that the reader will see the bigger message in this article. No amount of tackle can improve your success unless you understand the basic principles.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Gerald Swindle “if you got 40 rods stacked up on the deck you ain’t versatile, you’re confused!”

See you on the water! *Divan Coetzee is the proprietor of Graceland Outdoors and a competitive FLW Cast-for-Cash angler.

SA BASS 13 August 2019

>> SA BASS

Secrets of South Africa’s Pro’s – Part 13

Pre-Spawn

>> B Bass S Spy**

T

his is always a most exciting time of year for bass anglers as they consider the changing season and the arrival of pre-spawn bass activity. Albeit a sensitive stage in the life cycle of the bass it confidently provides for some of the greatest fishing opportunities and the chance for potential records to be broker.

If there was one time period where professional anglers can boost their confidence levels it would be now. Bass are mostly quite elusive creatures and it is seldom that we get to see them up close. Over the next few months however the chances of spotting them and especially the larger, trophy bass is very high. Both the smaller male fish and the larger females will venture into the shallows, which in some cases could be as shallow as 1 - 2ft of water.

But it won’t just be any area that they choose to bed down.

Seasoned bass anglers have carefully noted some important facts

Some baits to use when fishing for pre-spawn bass 14 SA BASS August 2019

over the years which assist them in timing the spawning activities of their target species. They will use water temperature and weather conditions, as well as the phases of the moon.

I kept tropical fish for many years and I focused a lot of attention on their breeding activities. When the temperature and water conditions reached optimal levels, then they would start the courting procedures and scouting for potential areas to lay their eggs. However, it wasn’t until the moon phases were in place that they would actually lay the eggs.

To understand the weeks leading up to the bedding phase will assist anglers largely. The bass will start their migration slowly from their deeper haunts toward shallower depths.

Terminals where the bass can collect themselves and rest will be selected along the way. To be able to identify these terminals is crucial and they can take on very different forms from dam to dam. Good examples of terminals

could be some of the following: prominent submerged trees stumps, rock piles, channel edges or creek channels, points to bays, and bridge pylons perhaps. The bass will not be spawning here, but they will be resting and preparing for the right time to move even shallower to source suitable ground to prepare a spawning spot.

Finding the above structures could be a really difficult task and often takes anglers many years even.

Although some have worked out that if you work back from the attractive spawning areas you will be able to find these “pre-spawn” hideouts that much quicker, as they will be in fairly close proximity to one another. During the coming weeks bass do not want to move too far to get from their holding areas of safety to the spawning bed.

Being egg laden and weary they will want to rest closest to the spawning beds, yet out of sight where possible.

This may be a mere few metres from the beds to tens of metres depending on the area and availability of structure there.

When trying to locate these resting stations it will also be worth your while considering the balance of important factors mentioned earlier i.e. water temperature and water quality. It is said that the water temperature which promotes the onset of a bass’ desire to breed sits at approximately 16ºC. I’m not sure how often you’ve swum in water at that temperature? I did it off Cape Point many years ago and let me tell you it is pretty frigid still. Nonetheless, we’re not bass and if you try to think like a human and what’s comfortable for us then you’ll be missing what these cunning fish are doing right beneath our noses.

An underwater view sketched on Witbank Dam showing the invisible structures which play a crucial role in locating bass in spawning season

Water quality is detrimental to the entire process and in my home aquarium I noted this in particular.

Aeration, current and the chemical composition of the water will aid in the development of the small bass fry and the parents are highly sensitive to this. It is okay, I’m not suggesting that you bring your chemistry set with you (although some fanatics do and you’re welcome to try and learn). Rather, I’m hinting to you that it will be beneficial to confine your search to areas where it is obvious the water conditions are favourable. By this I mean that there should be no dying vegetation which saps the water of oxygen and promotes rotting matter. Also, the water would likely be cleaner in appearance, not necessarily clearer in visibility though.

Current is not desirable and it would be highly suggested that you source areas with as little flowing current as possible, as this would disturb the bed.

Lastly, protection. Bass use structures for protection from predators, as well as from the elements.

I noted in many dams the similarities between the chosen spawning areas compared with how those simple tropical aquarium fish picked their sites – there was always something which provided a level of advantage to the bass to protect themselves and the

eggs from invading predators, whom by the way are always on the prowl. *The Bass Spy has fished alongside and been exposed to the secrets and tactics of many competitive bass anglers on waters throughout the continent. This column is dedicated to all fanatical bass enthusiasts looking for the inside track and an edge on their favourite past time.

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SA BASS 15 August 2019

>> SA BASS Die geheim van naghengel vir swartbaars

HOLPADDAS versus

SAGTE PLASTIEKPADDAS

T

wee hengelaars kan beide na ‘n spesifieke area met dekking kyk, waar die toestande ook presies dieselfde is, en tog sal hulle nie noodwendig besluit om dieselfde tipe aas te gebruik nie. Dit is seker een van die grootste redes waarom baarshengel so uniek is en dit my elke dag net meer fassineer. Een van die interessantste scenario’s is sekerlik tydens hengel tussen watergras en –plante, soos lelies. Een hengelaar kan besluit om ‘n holpadda te gebruik, terwyl die ander moontlik op ‘n sagte plastiekpadda kan besluit.

Om met beide van die ase te hengel, kom heel moontlik neer op die keuse van elke hengelaar en die aas waarin hy die meeste vertroue het. Elkeen sal egter in sekere situasies moontlik beter vaar as die ander een.

Om elkeen egter beter te verstaan en om te verstaan wanneer watter een beter sou vaar as die ander, moet ons verstaan waar, wanneer en hoe elkeen beter sal werk, en hoe hulle teen mekaar sou opweeg in sekere situasies. Sodra die hengelaar die situasies kan analiseer om sodoende die regte besluit te neem, gaan dit hom beslis van nut wees op sy volgende hengeluitstappie.

Holpaddas Met soveel tipes holpaddas op die mark is dit nie moeilik om hulle in alle kleure en geure by meeste hengelwinkels te koop te kry nie. Die meeste van hulle het gewoonlik baie goeie en sterk hoeke wat in die moeilikste omstandighede jou nie in die steek sal laat nie.

16 SA BASS August 2019

>> Philip Kemp* Hierdie paddas kom natuurlik in verskillende groottes en vorms voor. Hulle kan selfs die vorm van ‘n bo-loper prop (popper) aanneem en op dieselfde manier as ‘n prop gehengel word. Die groot voordeel is egter dat hulle stadig gehengel kan word en in die trefsone gestop kan word sonder om te sink. Soms wil die baars nie ‘n bo-loperaas gryp wat te vinnig gehengel word nie, en dit is dan wanneer ‘n holpadda tot sy reg kom omrede die hengelaar met die spoed kan eksperimenteer. Die holpadda kan ook met ‘n “walk-the-dog” aksie gehengel word. Hierdie onwillekeurige aksie en beweging kan met tye dodelik werk om ‘n baars wat vol fiemies is aan die lyn te kry. As die baars na die padda sou gryp en mis, kan die hengelaar die padda net so stop en los. Die baars sal meestal omdraai en weer probeer om die padda te vreet. Omrede die hoeke na bo gedraai is, is dit ook feitlik onmoontlik vir die aas om vas te haak in die digte dekking. Dit is dus ook ‘n baie goeie aas om aan ‘n beginnerhengelaar se lyn te bind. Gewoonlik sal die gryp van die aas jou hart amper gaan laat staan, maar is dit nie die rede hoekom ons so lief is vir baarshengel nie?

Sagte plastiesee p paddas addas dd Sagte plastiesee p paddas addas het sowat 10 tot 15 jaar aar gelede der in gewildheid onder hengelaars begin n toeneem. Hulle is veral gewild in

‘n SPRO padda

‘n Horney Toad

dekking wat nie so dig is nie en meer geïsoleerd voorkom. Daar is verskeie plastiese paddas op die mark waarvan die Zoom Horny toad seker een van die mees gewildste voorbeelde is.

Omrede die hengelaar in verspreide dekking en lelies hengel, is ‘n sterk hoek nogsteeds nodig saam met ‘n 30 tot 50 pond breekkrag vleglyn. Hierdie paddas kan ook opgestop word, maar sink dan na die bodem omdat hulle nie soos holpaddas kan dryf nie. Hulle werk ook goed sodra lelies net onder die wateroppervlak begin groei. Sagte, plastiese paddas kan beskou word as ‘n reaksiebyt omrede die baars nie baie tyd het om die aas te bestudeer nie en dit bloot gryp uit instink.

Die rede waarom die sagte, plastiekpaddas soms beter werk as die holpaddas, is die unieke klank wat die pootjies maak... dit kan klink soos kleiner vissies wat die wateroppervlak breek of iets dergliks. Omrede die sagte plastiekpadda se profiel ook meer gestroomlyn is en nie bonkig soos die holpadda sin nie, maak dit dat die baars soms die prooi sal verkies omrede dit makliker is om te vreet. As ‘n mens ook mooi na die profiel van die plastiese paddas kyk, neem dit ook die profiel van ‘n “jig” aan en kan die padda ook soos ‘n “jig” op die bodem gehengel word.

Die skrywer met ‘n baars wat met ‘n SPRO padda gevang is

Toerusting Omrede beide die paddas in digter dekking soos lelies gehengel word, is ‘n swaar-aksiestok noodsaaklik. Saam met die stok is 30 tot 50 pond breekkrag vleglyn belangrik.

Meeste hengelaars verkies ‘n sterker en dikker vleglyn omrede die lyn nie in die ander lyn insny nie. Die gebruik van ‘n hoëspoed katrol kan die lewe vir die hengelaar ook makliker maak om die vis so gou as moontlik uit die digte dekking te kry.

Slotsom Wanneer jy dus weer in die komende reënseisoen jou visstokke gereed kry, sorg dat jy beide die ase naby het, want elke dag op die water is anders en die hengelaar sal nie altyd verseker weet watter een van die twee tipes paddas die beste gaan werk nie.

Watter een van die is dan die beter aas om te hengel?

Beide die paddas werk skitterend. Wat ek wel ondervind het, is dat holpaddas gewoonlik verantwoordelik is vir groter baars en dat kleiner baars sukkel om die aas in hul bekke te kry. Met plastiese paddas vang die hengelaar baars van verskillende groottes juis as gevolg van die profiel wat kleiner en meer vaartbelyn is. *Philip Kemp is ‘n gesoute swartbaarhengelaar en assistentredakteur van SA BASS. SA BASS 17 August 2019

>> SA BASS

HONEY HOLES I’m loading an extra log on to the raging fire we have going the night >> Roger Donaldson* before a fishing event. This winter has had its fair share of chillyy evening temperatures on the Highveld and there’s nothing quite like staring aring into The Vaal River is laden with incredible submerged structures which create honey holes for the largemouth bass a crackling log fire dreaming about your fishing spots for the day ahead.

M

any of you may have heard the term “honey hole”, or maybe the term “sweet spot” means more to you. A “honey hole” could be an area on the day which is attracting a lot of bass - possibly a large patch of lily pads, the river mouth, the riprap along the dam wall, flooded trees on an embankment, or a rocky bay perhaps. The term “sweet spot” refers more specifically to a particular point, or spot within those areas in the “honey hole”. Though you will have a very special day fishing if you find a “honey hole” and you will catch many good quality bass you will be very happy to hit the “sweet spot” and land the largest fish in the area.

You will easily recognise a “honey hole” if you are out fishing with other boat anglers. The area will very likely be congested with each boat trying to jostle their way into position and hoping to hit the “sweet spot”.

Although this could be considered as fun competition, I’m not much of a fan of it. Whilst sitting around the fire I will try and understand what it is about those areas that make them so special and then find (duplicate) this

18 SA BASS August 2019

in another area of the dam. Finding the “honey holes” and “sweet spots” is the epitome of bass fishing for me.

There are certain factors which can help you identify where these fishing areas can be, but unfortunately you will still need to do the fishing work to find out if the bass are truly there on the day. Seasons give you a great idea and weather patterns do too. Granted, I have found that certain structures seem to hold bass throughout the year. Learning these areas takes a fair amount of fishing, scouting and learning.

I believe that most regular bass fishermen will have identified go-to spots on their favourite dams. I could list immediately a few areas on dams around the country where I know the chance of landing a bass would be very certain.

Rust der Winter Dam has consistently provided bass fishermen with successful catches in the “salad bowl” area – an area depicted by its vast stretches of lily pads and Chicamba weed which are a perfect habitat for the resident bass. There are “sweet spots” in the “salad bowl”

though and your catches will be that much better if you find them. Noting the shape, direction and depth of the weed line will be worth your while, as the bass use the weed line to migrate and hunt.

Interestingly, when Inanda Dam in KwaZulu-Natal sprouted the areas of thick vegetation the catches in these “honey holes” were also prolific.

Otherwise, Inanda has produced good, consistent catches in areas where there are flooded trees, especially those trees near to deeper water. This fishing can be enjoyable, yet challenging and the more adept you are at probing the depths and reading your sonar the more successful you will be. Patience is certainly the key here and you could be well rewarded on this dam.

Albert Falls Dam boasts a large flat area, which one could loosely refer to as the Ridge. Patient anglers can spend the entire day out on the Ridge and be exposed to vastly different structures, including trees, lay down logs, dropoffs, a landing strip, brush piles, grass, vegetation and the list goes on. There will be sweet spots on the Ridge that produce better catches and these are

the gems which everyone looks for out there.

The Vaal River is probably the most challenging and as such has been chosen most often as the destination of choice for many high-profile tournaments. Apart from its sheer size it offers incredible opportunity to fish many different structures and different depths too. The river colour and temperature changes vastly from one stretch to another and this also affects the quality of fishing in those areas. However, finding the “sweet spots� within the many honey holes during the varying seasons will deliver potent results.

Structures on the Vaal River barrage system, just like any other water resource, are particularly prominent in some cases and also very well hidden in others. Prominent structures include jetties, bridge pylons, boat houses, reed banks, pump houses, concrete slip ways and

the obvious trees lining the rivers bank basically from one end to the next. These areas will naturally attract anglers and at certain times they’ll all have the odd bass. However, you’d do very nicely to go in search of hidden gems such as submerged logs and trees, rocky banks, dilapidated fallen walls, slip ways and jetties.

On your next fishing trip be on the lookout for any unusual structures leading into the water from the embankment, growing vegetation, and the slightest hint of deviation in bottom depth change and composition or structure. *Roger Donaldson is an experienced journalist and knowledgeable bass angler who has enjoyed many enlightening hours with many of South Africa’s top, competitive bass fishermen. As a competitive angler himself, he also enjoys sharing his expertise with fellow bass fanatics in the hope that they find the same joy in this unique sport.

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COMING UP IN FLW COMPETITIONS

FLW FORREST WOOD CUP August 9 - 11, 2019 Lake Hamilton Hot Springs, AR

FLW Championship August 23 - 25, 2019 Lake Oanob Rehoboth, Namibia

FLW Championship August 23 - 25, 2019 Lake Mteri Zimbabwe

FLW RSA Championship August 29 - 31, 2019 Witbank Dam The Ridge Casino, Witbank, MP

Costa FLW Series Championship Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2019 Lake Cumberland Burnside, KY

>> SA BASS A good set hook is less likely to be shaken loose

Ready, set,

strike!

Don’t miss that bite Was it stuck on a branch? No, maybe some lilies?

Wait, was it actually a bite? >> Jay Röhm-Williams 20 SA BASS August 2019

T

hese are the usual questions any anticipating bass angler asks themselves from time to time after encountering some sort of unidentified interference on the end of our line. It can be incredibly frustrating or perhaps even competitively costly missing that moment where you needed to strike and failed. To add further insult to injury could even be feeling or seeing that magic hit but misjudging the vital hook setting manoeuvre completely, leaving you seconds later with nothing but a limp line. Bass angling can be a tricky business and in order to stay on top of your own game you have to try acquiring as much knowledge about all the factors involved to apply to a variety of scenarios. One of these conundrums is understanding when and how to strike confidently into green bass gold, no matter what bite action is displayed on the day.

Right so how do we achieve this, well first let us quickly run over this seemingly easy concept to grasp. We know that striking is the motion where an angler pulls back on their rod with a quick, solid movement to ensure the hook and barb set into the fish’s mouth. You do not want to yank with the force of an impatient dentist and tear, damage or injure the fish in any careless way. It may not sound difficult at all really but surprisingly many bass enthusiasts have lost possibly the bass of a life time because they did not get the strike right. It is a personal practice that involves how in tune you are with your own equipment and how well you read the action at the end of the line. The ideal strike can be performed firmly from any side or angle as long as the tension on the line between your rod and the fish is kept tight with no obstructions.

Before we go any further keep in mind the following factors that determine what kind of inhaling bite one can expect: t 4FBTPO t -VSF DIPJDF t 8FBUIFS t 8BUFS DPOEJUJPOT BOE UFNQFSBUVSF t 7FOVF WFHFUBUJPO BOE TUSVDUVSF present

t ɨF EFQUI XF BSF UBSHFUJOH t 3FUSJFWBM UFDIOJRVF Next is to briefly recap and analyse in our minds how bass attack their QSFZ 4FFJOH UIFZ BSF QSJNBSJMZ BNCVTI professionals, bass will attack from the angle which best presents itself whether it is from the side, the back or underneath any potential morsel.

Now when bass launch an assault on their food it will either be in a subtle or aggressive manner depending what’s on the menu and how the factors mentioned above come into play. We already expect more softer or gentle takes and bumps during the colder days when the water temperatures are low. Then the complete opposite in aggression levels when the waters warm up again and the nibbles turn into explosions!

Eventually you will see everything begins to tie in together with seasonal changes been one of the biggest role players. High powered, summer angling will entice ferocious hit and run memories in comparison to snail pace, winter finesse bassing where you hope to catch something other than the flu. When the bite is on and the bass are clearly having a go at anything that moves, very rarely do we have to worry about duffing up the strike. Most of the time the fish has committed to the take and set the hook itself within the first few seconds of closing it’s awesome jaws before swimming off. On the flip side though when there are no bites what so ever it is up to us as the angler to ensure a solid hook up by really paying attention to our lines to tell when it is the time to shine.

Beautiful and untouched waters

Worth remembering At crucial stages like this one must not forget that each style of lure been used is designed to trigger certain active responses. Meaning for example that a soft plastic lure fished slowly along the bottom will likely be swallowed or picked up subtly compared to a top water popper brought briskly across the surface enticing bigger, more wide-mouthed gulps at top speed. If we understand the action each different lure gives off we can anticipate what kind of strike to prepare for. t 'BTU NPWJOH CBJUT BSF BMNPTU guaranteed to produce lightening quick, rod bending style hits with usually one sturdy tug needed to set that hook. t %FBE TUJDLJOH BOE TMPX KFSL TUZMF lures will usually be a good bet on coaxing large, lethargic bass into engulfing anything that looks convincing enough. These takes resemble a hard, downward pull on your line similar to that of been stuck on submerged structure. Here an angler will have to pay attention by feeling for movement on your rod or watching the actual line itself.

Again a confident single strike will do the trick or even a double strike to ensure you close the deal. The second strike should always be less intense and followed directly after the first just as a backup motion. t 5PQ XBUFS MVSFT QSPCBCMZ HFU thrashed the most and when they are hit from beneath, sometimes with tremendous force a lot can happen in split seconds. This is where timing your strike is everything

to get that hook up as excitement usually gets the better of us and we react too quickly, yanking our lures BXBZ -FUUJOH UIF CBTT IBWF IJT XBZ on occasion yields better results.

They may smack your lure more than once if they missed timed their first attack.

Taking note of a venues location, vegetation and water conditions are also useful indicators of what kind PG BDUJWJUZ UP FYQFDU 'SFRVFOU ĂŤTIFE areas may have cautious, shy-biting bass present compared to untouched watery havens. Open waters might only produce action at certain deep depths and heavy, covered areas will have the shallows erupting. All these little equations add up and can give any angler an advantage before they have even cast their first line.

We all love bass fishing and no matter how many times it is said, it will never get old. There are always so many elements involved and not enough days in a lifetime to employ them all. How can we in a renowned angling sport that is constantly progressing? That fact alone however inspires us to get out there right now and perhaps cast a new lure or try a different technique we have been itching to give a shot. What you can always be certain of when bassing, is nothing beats the intense thrill of a take, the adrenaline of a great strike and the satisfaction of a massive hook up!

Rods out and safe fishing everyone.

Clean hook-ups result in minimum injuries to a bass SA BASS 21 August 2019

>> SA BASS Groot vis se onderlyf moet ook ondersteun word

“Lip-land” S

wartbaarhengel is vir my ‘n groot uitdaging. Om te weet daar is vis in die dam, ek het die nodige toerusting, ek dink ek het die nodige kennis, maar om die vis uit te oorlê... dit is nie altyd so maklik soos dit klink nie. Die groen vissie het die vermoë om alle hengelaars nederig te hou. Sommige is net meer gereeld nederig as ander.

Maar! Wanneer die vis uiteindelik gevang word is dit nodig om die vis korrek te hanteer. Ons het laasmaand gepraat oor respek en dit is hier van toepassing. Behandel die vis (natuur) met respek. Daar is ‘n regte en verkeerde manier om die vis te hanteer. Dit is verkeerd om die vis te gryp en orals aan die lyf te vat.

Die vis het ‘n slymlaag wat afgevryf word. Al word die vis met die mees edele bedoelings vrygelaat is die vis nogsteeds in lewensgevaar. Onder andere beskerm die slymlaag die vis teen varswater bakterieë wat groot lelike swamme en swere op die vis se lyf veroorsaak. Soms is die aanslag so erg dat die vis uitteer en vrek... Soveel vir “catch-and-release”!

Nog ‘n simpel idee is om soos die Amerikaners op televisie, die vis in die boot in te “swing”. Die enigste rede hoekom hulle dit regkry is omrede hulle vissies so klein is. Plaaslik breek ons visstokke se punte, die lyn kan breek en die vis kom weg, die hoek 22 SA BASS August 2019

skeur uit die vis se bek, die vis swaai teen die boot vas, die vis val op die boot se mat en vryf sy slymlaag af – dit bly ‘n simpel idee!

Die korrekte manier om enige swartbaar te hanteer is om die vis aan die onderlip te gryp en te “lip-land”.

Dit word gedoen met jou “slimhand”.

Druk jou duim binne-in die vis se bek en knyp die vis se lip tussen jou duim en wysvinger vas. Maar jy moet vat! Enige ordentlike vis gaan hom nie sommer aan sy lip uit die water laat lig nie. Dit gaan ‘n geruk en geskud wees om weg te kom. In die proses kan die vis op die grond val, seerkry en sy slymlaag afvryf. Jy moet vat en vashou!

Groter visse moet verkieslik met ‘n net geskep word en dan aan die lip verder hanteer word. Groot visse moet ook verkieslik met ‘n nat hand onder die pens ondersteun word, want ek dink nie ek gaan daarvan hou om vir paar minute aan my onderkaak te hang nie. Dink net hoe gaan my kakebeen voel en vir hoeveel dae gaan ek sukkel om te eet – nou ja, die arme vis ook.

Kry die vis vinnig uit die water, hanteer die vis op die regte manier, neem jou foto en laat die vis vry. Enige taksidermis wat sy sout werd is kan vir jou ‘n getroue replika maak met die nodige afmetings (gemeet van kop tot stert, asook die omtrek) tesame

>> Hannes Lindeque* met ‘n paar goeie fotos om die regte kleur te kry. Hoekom? Geen boer slag sy stoetbul vir biltong nie; met ander woorde as jy vis wil eet, slag eerder die jonger vis en laat die stoetkoeie vry.

Dit word nou teeltyd en is dit baie belangrik dat ons swartbaarwyfies (broeimasjiene vir ons sport) behoorlik hanteer. Moet nie die vis met geweld teruggooi nie, die vis laat val nie, aan die lyf vat nie... nee, sit die vis versigtig terug vir ‘n volgende keer.

Die amptelike huidige SuidAfrikaanse rekord is oor die 6kg, maar die meeste hengelaars vang vis in die orde van 800 gram. Indien jou swartbaar swaarder as 2kg weeg dan kan jy dit begin reken as ‘n groot vis en bokant 3kg is dit beslis ‘n trofeegrootte vis. Neem ‘n foto en plaas die vis versigtig terug!

Wenk: Indien jy met drie-angelhoeke hengel is dit nie ‘n goeie idee om die vis te “lip-land” nie. As hy losruk, slaan die hoeke in jou vingers vas en is die hospitaal jou voorland. Gebruik eerder ‘n spesiale tang om die vis se kaak te gryp en haal die hoek met ‘n langbek tang uit. *Hannes Lindeque is die stigter en uitgewer van SA BASS sedert 2001, die hooforganiseerder van FLW SuidAfrika en SA BASS Cast-for-Cash swartbaarhengeltoernooie.

BASSIN KIDS OUTREACH PROJECT A Division of SA BASS Magazine & South African Bass Angling Sport Society

8 - 14 December 2019 We at SA BASS are inviting all avid young anglers between the ages of 7-16 years to join us for loads of fun and adventure.

Venue: Boskoors Farm, 30km North of Pretoria on the Moloto Road.

Bookings are essential!

We have limited spots available as we like to keep the number of campers at a minimum, to ensure that every child gets the necessary individual attention and guidance.

Please call Wilma on 087 808 5406 or 083 306 2718 to book your spot. For more information visit www.sabass.com or e-mail wilma@sabass.com SA BASS 23 August 2019

Fishing League Worldwide FLW South Africa Championship 2018 – Witbank Dam | August 28 - 31, 2019

RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION: StayEasy eMalahleni R895.00 BB (special rate for FLW Championship) – the breakfast/boat packs are included in the rate. The rate is per double room (double bed or 2 single beds) per night. Why not make a weekend of it with the whole family? The kids can have some fun with a round of putt-putt or ten-pin bowling and do shopping in over 180 stores in The Highveld Mall.

The hotel’s spacious en-suite rooms are tastefully furnished and well-equipped with amenities which include air conditioning, free WiFi, TV with '6WY FKDQQHOV LQ URRP WHD DQG FRÎ?HH IDFLOLWLHV and more. Additional amenities like 18-hour room service and in-room dining service add to the RÎ?HULQJV DYDLODEOH WR RXU JXHVWV )UHH HYHU\ GD\ Breakfast. Kids under 12 stay and eat breakfast free. The hotel’s breakfast room serves delicious EXÎ?HW VW\OH EUHDNIDVWV RESERVATIONS: 013-697 6969 24 SA BASS August 2019

The adjacent Ridge Casino and Entertainment &HQWUH DQG +LJKYHOG 0DOO RÎ?HUV GLYHUVH entertainment, dining and shopping.

Make the most of your experience with us every time you visit The Ridge Casino by signing up to our free Rewards Programme.

Members across Tsogo Sun Hotel Rewards (THRÂŽ) receive: Č? )URP GLVFRXQW RQ PRYLHV DW RXU FLQHPDV across the country Č? 'LVFRXQWHG HQWU\ DW *ROG 5HHI &LW\ 7KHPH 3DUN Č? %HWZHHQ DQG GLVFRXQW DW D ODUJH YDULHW\ of restaurants and bars across the group Č? 'LVFRXQWV RQ VHOHFW ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO shows and events Č? 8S WR GLVFRXQW RQ DFFRPPRGDWLRQ Č? ΖQVWDQW GLVFRXQWV DW WKH FDVLQR Č? $W VRPH VWRUHV LQ WKH +LJKYHOG 0DOO

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS ΖQ DGGLWLRQ WR WKH DFWXDO EDVV ȴVKLQJ WKH IROORZLQJ DUH RQ VKRUH DFWLYLWLHV SULRU WR DQG GXULQJ WKH HYHQW 6WDWLF GLVSOD\V RI WRXUQDPHQW VSRQVRUȇV JD]HERV EDQQHUV EDVV ERDWV DQG YHKLFOHV

WEDNESDAY – 28 August 2019

SATURDAY – 31 August 2019

Venue: The Ridge Casino 17:00

Registration of angling teams

Venue: Witbank Yacht and Aquatic Club and The Ridge Casino

18:00

Captain’s Meeting

06:00

Start launching boats

18:00

Pretournament meeting

07:00

19:00

Dinner after pretournament meeting

All boats launched, lined up according starting positions

07:30

Start of tournament – Third day of tournament

Rest of evening at leisure

All day: Potjiekos competition and small expo

THURSDAY – 29 August 2019 Venue: Witbank Yacht and Aquatic Club

15:00

Live entertainment: The Ridge Casino Eunice Kemp

06:00

Start launching boats

07:00

All boats launched, lined up according starting positions

16:00

Weigh-in at The Ridge Casino IRU ȴUVW ȵLJKW Entertainment: Eunice Kemp

07:30

Start of tournament - First day of tournament

16:30

15:30

Weigh-in at Witbank Yacht & Aquatic Club (WYAC) IRU ȴUVW ȵLJKW

Weigh-in at The Ridge Casino IRU VHFRQG ȵLJKW Entertainment: Eunice Kemp

17:00

16:00

:HLJK LQ DW :<$& IRU VHFRQG ȵLJKW

Knock out weigh-in at The Ridge Casino for third ȵLJKW +DQGLQJ RXW ȴUVW SODFH WURSKLHV

16:30

:HLJK LQ DW :<$& IRU WKLUG ȵLJKW DQG WDJ ERDUG closes

18:00

Live entertainment: The Ridge Casino â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Main artist - Martin Bester

Evening at leisure

19:00

Rest of prize giving and lucky draws at The Ridge Casino

Venue: Witbank Yacht and Aquatic Club

20:00

Prize giving dinner

06:00

Start launching boats

Organisers reserve the right to change the programme of events

07:00

All boats launched, lined up according starting positions

07:30

Start of tournament - Second Day of Tournament

15:30

:HLJK LQ DW :<$& IRU ȴUVW ȵLJKW

16:00

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16:30

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FRIDAY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 August 2019

Evening at leisure

SA BASS 25 August 2019

>> SA BASS STRATEGIES

Winter

strategies

Ned rig

for lethargic bass - Part 2

I

n the article I wrote last month, I mentioned a few key approaches and tactics for catching winter bass and in this, the second article in the series, we look a little bit more in detail at the proven methods of targeting these elusive fish we all love so much. In the previous article I mentioned these specific baits: Ned rigs, hair jigs, dropshot, blade baits, jigs and slow sinking cranks. Let’s add another and this being the ever popular jerkbaits. As this is part of a series of articles dealing with lethargic fish and how to target them, let’s start with a bait that is pretty easy to fish and master…

Ned rig As recently as a few days ago, I paid a visit to Witbank Dam and upon arrival found the water to be slightly murky and at around 12ºC. We all know that fish tend to be very slow when the water temperatures are this low and with this in mind, the first bait that came out was the Ned rig. As we launched at Maanlig, we slowly moved into the gorge and worked the left bank on the edge of the rocks just before the point. Within a few casts, my boat partner landed three solid fish for this time of the year in the 700 to 900g range.

With small isolated patches of weed next to these rocks, we opted to cast into the deeper water and worked these rigs on the outer, deep edges of these patches. Working up past the pub, we also fished the cliffs on the right where I landed a fine fish of exactly 1.5kg. The bite on the Ned rig can be a solid thump followed by a slow pull on the line or in this case, as we were slowly working the baits on 26 SA BASS August 2019

>> John Badenhorst* the bottom, it would feel as if we were snagged on some weed and with a gentle lift of the rod tip, would feel a very slight bump followed by a spongy feeling on the tension of the line. Sweeping up or sideways connected us to the fish and the fight was on. Later in the afternoon, we worked a rather shallow area of around 2m near the launch and having tried the Ned rig in the deeper water with limited results we moved closer to the shore and on the first cast my partner landed a healthy fish of around 1kg. I hooked up to a smaller fish but on the next cast felt a slight bit of tension and thinking it was weeds I might have been snagged on, a took a chance an swept the rod sideways. I connected with a fish and only once he realized that he was hooked, gave me a massive head shake. This fish pulled the scale down to 2.385Kg. On the very next cast on the outer edge of the weeds, I was rewarded with another fish of 1.635kg all the Z-Man Ned rig baits

while, my boat partner hooked three fish of around 1kg in about ten casts.

Using a Ned rig is not rocket science and just like any method of fishing, it takes practice and perseverance for it to succeed and work for you. There are a few varieties of this rig available and the two we use most of the time is the Hillbilly Poisen and the Z-Man range. The Hillbilly range of rigs are locally manufactured and is definitely good value for money with sturdy hooks and overall design. The Z-man range are slightly different than the local brand and in both these, they are supplied with standard weed guards attached. Some anglers keep the weed guard on while I prefer to remove it. Although the chance of getting snagged up increases with the removal of the weed guard, I found the positive hook-set better when removed.

A Ned rig can be matched with almost any kind of plastic bait you have confidence in although Z-Man has a range of plastics made out of elastic and this causes the bait to stand upright more often as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very buoyant.

With varieties of baits always improving with new designs, Z-Man also has what they call the Z-Man Shroom Head.

This is a slightly different take on the Ned but comes with a skirt attached and when you need maximum movement, this is an absolute killer.

Although some would opt not to throw these baits into cover, we recently found that even at places like Bronkhorstspruit Dam, working these baits through weed pockets would produce fish that would otherwise not have been targeted unless we opted to fish a standard Texas rig. With these types of baits, most anglers that have not used them before make a crucial mistake and as soon as

they have a bite, they tend to do the normal strike and although some fish are landed, many are lost.

Let me explain for a moment, because these rigs have relatively smaller hooks than other rigs, the weight of the rig can cause it to come unstuck on the first jump or head shake the fish might give. We have found that instead of striking, a powerful sweep to the side Z-Man jig tends to get a more solid hook-up either in the top of the mouth or in the side of the mouth with less fish being lost. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a solid hook-set, chances are that the fish will throw the bait as it shakes its head and the weight of the rig shakes loose.

With practice and experience, this has become one of my favorite methods and in terms of my tackle, I have a medium baitcasting rod of 6.6ft fitted with a slightly slower reel and loaded with 8.45kg line. Braid can also be used but when it comes to getting an overwind in windy conditions, it can also be very unforgiving indeed.

A standard spinning outfit is also suited for these rigs but here it helps to spend a bit more in terms of budget and buy a rod and reel setup that is light yet strong and can be cast for hours at a time.

Rocks, shale beds, clay bottom or weed lines, this method has produced some incredible fish when all else fails and with the pre-spawn period not too far off in the future, this is one of the deadliest methods to catch those finicky or lethargic fish as minimal movement grabs the attention of a hungry bass. *John Badenhorst is the sub-editor of SA BASS magazine, the Master of Ceremony for FLW South Africa bass angling tournaments, radio presenter at Vibez.Live and a specialist finesse angler.

013 243 9401 082 892 3029 www.olifants-river-lodge.co.za

SA BASS 27 August 2019

>> SA BASS INDUSTRY NEWS

Garmin®

G

armin International, the world’s leading marine electronics manufacturer announced its new Force Trolling Motor, bringing superior power and efficiency to the freshwater trolling motor market. More power and efficiency means anglers can cover more area and stay on their spots longer, even in tough conditions - and without spooking the fish. It’s also the first trolling motor to include built-in industry-leading Garmin CHIRP traditional and Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonars.

Quiet, powerful and efficient Anglers with Garmin Force get the best of all three.

Thanks to its quiet brushless motor, Force operates with nearly imperceptible sonar noise interference. It’s extremely quiet above water, too, without compromise in performance.

In fact, the Force trolling motor is 30% more powerful than existing freshwater trolling motors on the market today. It can move anglers from one dock or brush pile to the next more quickly, throttle back with ease when they need to fish slow, and stand up better to winds and currents. Even with all that power, Force is also the most efficient trolling motor available, so anglers can count on it to fish all day. Its highefficiency brushless motor operates at either 36V or 24V. When running at 24V, Force delivers comparable thrust to competitors’ 36V motors. It’s everything anglers want in a trolling motor and more.

Integrated Ultra High-Definition sonar The Force trolling motor comes with an integrated transducer optimized for freshwater use with Garmin CHIRP traditional and Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and SideVü scanning sonars so anglers can see more fish and structure clearly. The built-in transducer is user serviceable, and the cable management system protects the built-in transducer cables as well as additional accessories, including the full range of Panoptix™ and Panoptix LiveScope™ sonars.

The complete system for precise boat control Wireless integration with a Garmin chartplotter and built-in autopilot functionality allow anglers with Force 28 SA BASS August 2019

to get to the fish faster and stay in that same location while they fish. Thanks to its integrated heading sensor and GPS, Force offers precise virtual anchor lock to help anglers lock their boat onto their fishing spot quickly and with accuracy.

From the chartplotter, users can create routes to their favourite waypoint and follow tracks while they go.

Anglers can set their track, or select a suggested Auto Guidance route, and the Force will move them along the course.

Force includes a convenient wireless foot pedal that provides instant control and responsiveness yet feels and steers like a cable-steered pedal. The pedal resistance is adjustable, and features foot-actuated buttons to control speed, heading and anchor lock. It can be operated wirelessly using AA batteries, or with the included power cable for wired power installation. When battery-operated, the wireless foot pedal will remain charged through one year of typical fishing use.

What’s more, Force can also be controlled from anywhere on the boat via the included wireless remote. The remote gives anglers complete control of the trolling motor with precise virtual anchor lock, autopilot functionality and simple point-and-go gesture steering and includes userprogrammable keys for remote chartplotter control - plus it floats!

A reputation of reliability and award-winning support Garmin has a long-standing commitment to build products that offer a compelling design and superior quality, and its Force trolling motor is no exception. As the world’s leading marine electronics manufacturer, Garmin has been recognized for four consecutive years as the Manufacturer of the Year by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), an honour given to the most recognized marine electronics company for support of products in the field.

Led by decades of marine industry expertise and innovation, Force is built to last - it’s rugged and durable, yet easy to deploy and retract and stow with dual-gas springs. It’s backed by a 3-year warranty and a limited lifetime warranty on the shaft, along with support through an ever-increasing servicing dealer network.

The Force will be offered with a 50-inch or 57-inch adjustable shaft respectively and be available later this year. For more information, visit www.garmin. com or see a demonstration of the Garmin Force Trolling Motor at the FLW RSA Championship end of Augu.

Scan this QR-code and watch a short video

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© 2018 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

SA BASS 29 August 2019

>> SA BASS

Fly versus spin Searching for a winter take

When you mention the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;bassâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;winterâ&#x20AC;? together in the same sentence while conversing with any fellow angler you often get mixed responses. Everyone has their own views or perceptions and the advice you hear ranges from something between â&#x20AC;&#x153;best season for big bassâ&#x20AC;? to â&#x20AC;&#x153;donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste your time.â&#x20AC;?

Each art form to their own

I

t is obvious that bass angling is generally on a whole a lot less action packed during the colder seasons than during the warm, sunny months of spring and summer. The bass are operating mostly on super slow mode and usually this calls on anglers to try matching that pace in their tactics. So how slow is slow without falling asleep and how do we know we have covered all our bases, leaving no approach untested? Well the two most successfully, recognised angling art forms for catching bass are fly-fishing or spinning and this winter we briefly explore both!

Each of these styles of angling has their own advantages when it comes to targeting bass dwelling in icy conditions with unique techniques at their disposal. Everything from line choices, retrieval methods to lures and flies all have their place in the game of artificially deceiving one of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most intelligent species of freshwater fish. Firstly

>> Jay RĂśhm-Williams we consider our approach which in both cases will be very much the same in winter. Even though we are heading out towards the spring which is looming on the horizon the waters are not going to warm up straight away. Whether boating, tubing or walking the shore, targeting the deepest waters possible or any area close to some form of structure is going to be the best to aim for.

Shallow waters still providing

Winter fly-fishing advantages:

Winter fly-fishing disadvantages:

t 0ĂŞFST B NPSF EFMJDBUF BOE RVJFUFS GPSN PG CBJU presentation. t 'MJFT SFTFNCMF B MBSHF WBSJFUZ PG MJGF MJLF QSFZ XJUI SFBM mimicking motions. t 4NBMMFS MJHIU ĂŹJFT DBO CF DBTUFE BOE QPTJUJPOFE over longer distances with almost zero chance of spooking.

t 4NBMMFS IPPLT BSF MFTT SFMJBOU EVSJOH B ĂŤHIU SFRVJSJOH the help of a net to land big bass, especially from a boat. t /PU JEFBM GPS BMM DPOEJUJPOT XIFO JU DPNFT UP GBDUPST like weather or depths. t 3FTUSJDUFE XIFO BUUFNQUJOH UP DBTU GSPN IFBWJMZ vegetative areas.

30 SA BASS August 2019

Winter spinning advantages: t $BTUJOH JT NPSF NBOBHFBCMF BMMPXJOH ZPV UP DPWFS a greater area faster while maintaining a slow retrieval. t &BTJFS UP TXJUDI CFUXFFO MVSF UBDUJDT XIFO targeting different depths. t -FTT IBTTMF BDDFTTJOH UJHIU BOE IFBWZ DPWFS PS obstacles. t 3FRVJSFT MJUUMF UP OP TLJMM UP DBTU BOE SFUSJFWF MVSFT

Winter spinning disadvantages: t %JTUBODF DPWFSFE XIJMF DBTUJOH JT MJNJUFE t )BSEFS UP QSFTFOU MVSFT XIJDI are generally all larger than flies without spooking.

It will ultimately be the realistic design of flies and the subtle movements achieved while retrieving in fly-fishing that out classes spinning style lures. So these must be utilised to their full potential during winter while either searching above or below the waters surface for the next big hit. Timing in the colder months is crucial so anywhere from midday onwards is ideal when the daily temps are at the warmest. We can usually tell by the lack of activity visibly present that most of our green and gold targets are huddling deep where there are less temperature fluctuations.

It is here that a fly-angler might find some trouble getting down to such depths. That is not to say that the shallows or top water spots are a write off as a bass will go where ever he â&#x20AC;&#x153;dam wallâ&#x20AC;? pleases.

When it comes to choosing which lures or flies will best suit the day, the venue and water conditions themselves will paint a clear picture for you if know what to look for. There are two main kinds of flies which are either classed as dry or wet flies. Dry flies are predominantly fished along the surface with a floating line compared to wet flies worked underwater with the use of sinking lines. The leader lines used are more commonly heavier for targeting bass as combat can get rough sometimes. In winter the major buzz of insect life is on stand by and most species of prey bass feast on are not in a hurry to move around the waterways either. Taking note of factors such as the visibility in the water or what fauna and flora are present will aid with colour choices as well.

taking that chance by working the waters surface in winter time or going directly down to the bottom for a hook up, your retrieval needs consideration. In fly-fishing you can achieve really small, twitching movements which can fool any smart bass in hibernation to attack. There are a few different methods of retrieving with the repetition of short bursts in between lengthy intervals producing successful results. When it comes to spinning retrievals dead sticking or finesse methods often prove worth-while with small, jerk reaction movements generating bass contact.

Patience is key and even more so needed during the days of shadows and ice. A comforting thought though to take to the water each time we venture out in search of bass glory is that bass do need to eat and there is always more than one. At the end of a short day during these cold times it will always be an anglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill level and how often we take the time to perfect our craft which decides how many bass you catch. So whether you prefer punching lures in thick vegetative pockets or presenting a flawless, lay down cast pitching that fly right on target, angling for bass is always a great experience. Come rain or shine, fly or spin remember bass have no opinion.

Rods out and safe fishing everyone.

Winter lures choices Swimbaits - paddle tail styles Soft plastic creature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ribbon or big paddle Crank baits - deep diving

Winter flies choices Sinking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mrs Simpsons, Woolly buggers and Zonkers Floating â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blood worms, nymphs and hoppers The colours best suited for either flies or lures are subtle and natural ones relating to browns, yellows, greens, greys, black and reds mostly to match the hatch. Whether

Quinton Esterhuizen utilising paddle-style swim baits SA BASS 31 August 2019

>> SA BASS Deep diving crankbaits such as these DD22 Bill Norman lures urees ures Daam m were a secret weapon on a day fishing at Nandoni Dam

>> Roger Donaldson*

Pre-spawn & bedding tackle – Part 1 ose osed sed ed to o tthe he >> Many years ago, when I was first exposed

opportunity of targeting bass around the spawning wn wning n ng nin session, I had a belief that it would be far easier fishing than any other season. It is certainly not so.

he spawning season demands a great deal of attention to detail if you want to make a success of targeting bass at this time. There will be some very interesting lure options that will become far more accepted and you may need to break away from your norm, think out of the box, try something a little different to what you are accustomed to doing year-round.

During the pre-spawn season bass have vastly different objectives. It is not your typical day of targeting bass migrating to zones in search of food, be it schools of bait fish, crustaceans of any kind or any other food type which is available at the time, or prominent over the period. In fact, if you’re trying to imitate food you may have less chance of attracting a bite over this time.

A reasonable pre-spawn window is a time period which could only last two months, or even as little as one depending on weather conditions. During this time bass are particularly sensitive to other species of fish, our potential threats entering their habitat. They’re extremely defensive of their environment and react very aggressively toward anything alien.

Considering the above you will do well to take advantage of this destructive behaviour and search for ways to entice the bass to your lure other than for reasons of feeding. There are a few popular ways to do this and they include mostly the use of intrusive lures.

Fishing in mid-August on Nandoni dam near Thohoyandou I was cunningly holding back and gently, sensitively fishing through very calm, shallow water with 32 SA BASS August 2019

a lure I thought would most closely imitate resident den nt bbait fish. In most cases and during any other season this would be an irresistible option to our target species. Without any decent bites to speak of I was wracking my brain trying to find answers to improve my day.

In the corner of my eye I realized an angler was approaching me, which was unusual considering they normally keep their distance as a courtesy to the next fisherman. Surprisingly, the angler wanted to share with me what tactics had produced some really incredible catches for him over the past week. I listened I although it initially sounded a fair bit absurd, I still had to investigate the idea.

Backing off into deeper water and rigging up with a deep diving crankbait, I plucked up the courage to entertain the fellow angler’s idea. The DD22 crankbait whistled through the air easily covering a fair distance. The large lure plunged into the water and I started the retrieve, one wind, two winds, three winds… thump. There was a powerful surge on the end of my line and not five seconds later the sizeable gaping jaws of a large bass broke the water surface and tried to shake violently free of the bait.

Immediately after I felt the bite, I noticed the fishing line rising toward the surface and I quickly plunged my rod halfway beneath the water to prevent the fish getting leverage to shake its head and release the crankbait, it worked! I retrieved as intensively as I could to keep the fish off balance and unable to gain any momentum to fight.

Quickly the fish was at the boat and my fishing partner netted it swiftly. A lovely bass of 3,8kg, in the middle of nowhere, or so I thought.

On closer inspection of our sonar it was only barely visible, faint spikes and dots which seemed to resemble some delicate form of structure in the deep water. The large bass was using this structure as a staging point to access the spawning areas when the time was right.

I watched for a long time and noticed that the helpful angler was making his way out into deeper water and using a very similar bait and method he was also landing very reasonable size fish – over and over again. This was certainly a very unique fishing experience and one of the most rewarding ones too. Learning about bass and how they prepare to move into shallow water is going to add a very exciting dimension to your fishing and I hope you are willing to get out there and try new tactics and new areas.

As the fish move closer into the nesting areas, we’ll take a look into changing strategy in probing these exciting spots. *Roger Donaldson is an experienced journalist and knowledgeable bass angler who has enjoyed many enlightening hours with many of South Africa’s top, competitive bass fishermen. As a competitive angler himself, he also enjoys sharing his expertise with fellow bass fanatics in the hope that they find the same joy in this unique sport.

For all enquires contact Divan Coetzee 081 775 7765

www.sollysanglers.co.za

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SA BASS 33 August 2019

>> SA BASS

Rumble at Rusties Many anglers put away their fishing tackle during the winter months. Though fishing can be very difficult when the cold sets in – it can also be very rewarding. Often you won’t catch the numbers one gets in summer, but you have a good chance of hooking up with a few bigger bucket mouths. >> Rudolph Venter* his was the case for Koos and myself when we visited Rust de Winter, or as many call it “Rusties”, recently. We arrived at the dam quite late, around eight o’clock. We headed straight towards the river inlet.

The water level has dropped severely since our last visit. The river section was narrower and some of our “good” spots were now on dry land. I decided to start the day with a SPRO Bronzeye Junior Frog as this bait has been producing some bigger fish for me at this venue of late. Rusties has loads of frogs around and the ample vegetation combined with shallows makes this lure a potent option for lunkers on most days. Plus, these hollow body frogs are extremely weedless which allows you to fish them in areas where most other baits get stuck.

At Rusties you really want to get these hollow body frogs into the thick stuff. Another important aspect when fishing with these frogs is achieving maximum casting distance.

Rusties is known to have clear water which means that bass will become aware of your presence if you move to close to them. The vegetation of Rusties often makes it difficult to get close to the holding points of bass and this also highlights why casting distance plays a role in your success when you fish this venue with frogs. Taking into account that you will be fishing in the thickest of structure and you want maximum casting distance, fishing with a thin diameter, high breaking strain braid is your only effective option. Also note that bass often wrap you in the grass or snotterbelle after the take, therefore you need to fish at least 50 pound braid on a heavy action setup. You need to be able to pull the bass out of the snag and then force them over the structure so you can land it and prevent it from wrapping you again.

Many anglers prefer “Horny Toad” baits when fishing this venue, but I find they miss too many takes. Hollow body frogs allow you to suspend your lure in the strike zone which allows for more productive takes.

Taking all of the above into consideration, there is one snag. Though frogs have the tendency to catch big fish, one needs a lot of discipline when fishing these lures. You

T

Decent bass that fell for the Rattlin’ Sting jerkbait 34 SA BASS August 2019

have to refrain from setting the hook when you see the water exploding as the bass attacks your lure. There are various

After two short jerks I had the lure close to the fish and then left it to suspend. Slowly the bass swam closer to the lure and after a long pause, it hit the lure. So, it turned out that on this day, the bass was preferred a jerkbait in a natural colour which was worked at a slow pace with long pauses between jerks. We caught nine bass on these jerkbaits for the day and all of them smashed our lures during the long pause. It was also interesting to see that they mainly reacted to my bream imitation jerkbaits. Eight of the nine bass we caught on jerkbait was on the Real Yellow Perch colour and both of us were working the same area with the same technique – the only difference being colour.

We caught a total of 13 fish for the day and biggest five were just shy of 8kg. We can’t wait to fish these beautiful waters again. *Rudolph Venter is a well known Protea Artlure angler

This lunker swallowed a SPRO Bronzeye Junior Frog

theories regarding when to strike with a frog. Personally, I found that setting the hook once you feel the weight of the bass on a minimal slack presentation delivers the best hook-ups. You will need to practice restraint in order to convert takes to hook-ups.

I was lucky enough to open my account with a nice lunker of 1.8kg on the frog which is a respectable size for Rusties. Koos and I caught four bass on the frog pattern which included another 1.8kg specimen which surprised us late that afternoon.

Later that morning we came across several bass holding in the main channel of the river. These fish were concentrated in this area as they haven’t decided to move into the dam with the receding water levels. Both sides of the channel were covered with vegetation and the bass schooled in between these “green walls”. They didn’t show any interest in our frogs, so Koos decided to cast a weightless Zoom Fluke among them. A curve ball came our way as Koos didn’t get a single bump on the weightless fluke. Many regular anglers of Rusties would consider a weightless fluke as a go-to bait for this venue. We tried a few other plastic baits and different colours with no luck.

At this stage I decided to move over to reaction baits.

Past experiences have taught me that winter bass often react well to reaction baits, especially jerkbaits. I decided to tie on a Rattlin’ Sting jerkbait in Real Yellow Perch colour.

This lure is a good imitation of the canary kurper which bass prey on in the dam and at this stage I saw a few of this species in the area.

With my third cast I went tight with the first bass, another decent size specimen. I then missed two and notice a small bass lying on the bottom close to the boat. I decided to jerk the lure past this bass to see how it reacts to the lure.

Koos with one of his bass for the day SA BASS 35 August 2019

>> SA BASS BASICS

BASICS FOR BEGINNERS

>> Hannes Lindeque

Trolling motor tips It is easier to pull a boat along (bow mount) rather than push it (stern mount) because boats do not generally travel in a straight line.

Advice for beginners When buying lures, don’t be overwhelmed by the huge selection of bass lures. Make a shopping list of what you need and stick to it. (There is a difference between what you need and what you want)

Bass vocabulary:

Bass behaviour Small bass, those under 1.8kg, are more aggressive feeders than the larger fish. They roam around a lot and are quicker to strike than big fish.

Big bass tackle The rod needs a little bit of tip action, but not so much that it collapses under stress. The power has to start at the tip and work uniformly down through the butt. A fast-taper rod with a strong butt and a whippy tip won’t let you set the hook right, but a rod that’s too stiff will kill you when it comes to casting.

Crankbait tips Check your line above the lure frequently when fishing crankbaits as rock, gravel, stumps, etc. will quickly fray your line.

36 SA BASS August 2019

Disgorger - Device for removing hooks deeply embedded in the throat of fish.

Drag - Device on fishing reels that allows line to pay out under pressure, even though the reel is engaged; set correctly, it ensures against line breakage.

Drop-off - A sudden increase in depth, created by gulley washes, small creek channels, land points, and the general lay of the land.

Ecology - The branch of biology dealing with the relationship between organisms and their environment.

Euthrophic - Highly fertile waters characterized by warm, shallow basins.

Farm pond - Small manmade body of water.

Feeder creek - Tributary to a stream.

Filamentous algae - Type of algae characterized by long chains of attached cells that give it a stringy feel and appearance.

Feeding cycle - Certain regular intervals during which bass satisfy their appetites. Examples: Major or minor solunar periods; sunrise, sunset.

Finesse fishing - An angling technique characterized by the use of light tackle - line, rods, reel and artificial baits (often tube worms, grubs, or other small-sized softplastic lures); often productive in clear, fairly uncluttered water.

>> SA BASS

iCast winners ICAST 2019 The 2019 ICAST Best of Show fishing tackle awards have been announced.

Here are some of the category winners at the 2019 ICAST Show in Orlando, Florida.

Best Boating Accessory

Garmin Force Trolling Motor

Best Kayak Accessory

Hobie Mirage 360 Angler

Best Eyewear

Costa Water Woman

Best Footwear

Frogg Toggs Skipper

Best Electronics

Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging

Best Fishing Accessory

American Tackle Company MW20 Finesse Set

Best Fishing Line

PowerPro Moonshine Braid

Best Tackle Management

Plano Edge

Best Terminal Tackle

VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble Short

Best Freshwater Soft Lure

Lukerhunt Phantom Spider

Best Saltwater Soft Lure

LIVETARGET Slow-Roll Shiner

Best Freshwater Hard Lure

LIVETARGET Erratic Shiner

Best Saltwater Hard Lure

LIVETARGET Flutter Sardine

Best Freshwater Reel

Shimano SLX DC Baitcasting Reel

Best Freshwater Rod

St. Croix Rods Mojo Bass Glass Rip N’ Chatter Rod

Best Saltwater Rod

St. Croix Rods Avid Surf

Best Rod & Reel Combo

Lew’s Mach Smash Baitcast Combo

Costa Water Woman

Garmin Force Trolling Motor

St. Croix Rods Mojo Bass Glass Rip N’ Chatter Rod

Lew’s Mach Smash Baitcast Combo

Plano Edge

LIVETARGET Flutter Sardine

Lukerhunt Phantom Spider

PowerPro Moonshine Braid

Shimano SLX DC Baitcasting Reel SA BASS 37 August 2019

>> SA BASS ANGLING INTERNATIONAL

>> Anthony Hawkswell*

Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth Sales in Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marine segment grew by 18% as the navigation technology company reported first quarter revenue and profit growth compared to the same period last year.

The company, whose Panoptix LiveScope won both the Best Marine Electronics and overall Best of Show categories at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ICAST, recorded first quarter revenues of $766m across all divisions, an 8% increase.

Other highlights for the quarter included: t (SPTT NBSHJO PG DPNQBSFE UP JO UIF QSJPS ZFBS quarter; t 0QFSBUJOH NBSHJO PG DPNQBSFE UP t 0QFSBUJOH JODPNF PG N BO JODSFBTF PG Revenue in the marine segment was driven by strong demand for Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chartplotters and Panoptix LiveScope 4POBST %VSJOH UIF RVBSUFS (BSNJO XBT OBNFE Supplier of the Year by the Independent Boat Builders Inc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Revenue and profit growth was led by strong, doubledigit increases in marine, aviation, fitness and outdoor on

Gary Burrell Gary Burrell, cofounder of Garmin, has died at the age of 81.

The former aviation QJPOFFS SFUJSFE JO but continued to serve as Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Co-Chairman VOUJM He helped create Gary Burrell Garmin with Dr. Min ,BP JO XJUI B NJTTJPO UP DSFBUF QSPEVDUT QPXFSFE by the then emerging technology, GPS. Today, Garmin is a global location and DPNNVOJDBUJPO JOEVTUSZ MFBEFS XJUI NPSF UIBO FNQMPZFFT JO offices. It was this creation of jobs that Burrell was most proud of. Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President and CEO, Cliff Pemble, was among his first hires. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While Gary will be remembered by many as one of the great entrepreneurs of our age, I will remember the unusual way in which he led our company, something he called servant leadership,â&#x20AC;? said Pemble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether it was about creating the best product or his behavior as a leader, Gary always considered the impact to others before himself.â&#x20AC;?

Previous to launching Garmin, Burrell held leadership positions at marine and aviation companies, including Lowrance Electronics, King Radio Corporation and AlliedSignal.

38 SA BASS August 2019

a combined basis,â&#x20AC;? said Cliff Pemble, President and CEO of Garmin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are optimistic as we enter the important mid-year selling season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our product portfolio is very strong, bolstered by recent introductions, with more to come throughout the year.â&#x20AC;?

The company was also named supplier of the year by OEM customers and industry groups in both the aviation and marine sectors, and was recently recognised by Forbes JO UIF UPQ ĂŤWF PG "NFSJDB T #FTU &NQMPZFST GPS

Anglers Ejected from bass boat Scan the QRcode and watch the video. This is one of the scariest boating videos (and scenarios) imaginable. Michael Broussard was fishing with his father on Toledo Bend when the accident occurred. The driver took a turn to sharp and it looks like the bow hooked before both occupants were ejected. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all though; Broussard wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wearing his kill switch and the boat stayed in gear after the anglers went overboard. It seems as if some nearby anglers saw the incident and Broussard boarded another boat and chased down his runaway boat. He jumped from one boat to another to take his boat out of gear.

In his YouTube video description, Broussard states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I bypassed donning my usual safety precautions because I was distracted and it almost cost us our lives.

Despite having been on the water my whole life, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t truly know how unforgiving the water could be and how quickly things can go wrong. Always wear your kill switch, life jacket and other PPE and know your equipment! Big thanks to the guys who picked us up that day. They probably saved our lives.â&#x20AC;?

Electronics giants went head-to-head at ICAST

Two of the biggest players in the fishing electronics market â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lowrance and Garmin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; went head to head with new trolling motors at the ICAST show.

Both companies have kept their products largely under wraps, but the news in both cases has been leaked on social media.

A YouTube video has pro bass anglers Brandon Cobb and Ish Monroe praising the virtues of the Lowrance launch, admiring its sturdy build and ability to cut through the

thickest vegetation. But the manufacturer has not been forthcoming with more information.

Earlier this year, bass fishing legend Bill Dance, a member of Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pro staff team, revealed on Facebook that the DPNQBOZ XBT JOUSPEVDJOH B WPMU BOE WPMU USPMMJOH motor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When bass fishingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eldest statesman canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t contain his excitement and wants to tell the world about it a few weeks prematurely, who are we to stop him,â&#x20AC;? said Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carly Hysell. But again the company has been reticent to talk further about the launch until the official announcement date.

The market is now speculating how the newcomers might change a category dominated in the past by Johnson Outdoorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Minn Kota and Brunswickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Motorguide, along with several smaller manufacturers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is likely good news for the consumer,â&#x20AC;? Gary Yamamoto told insideline.net. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An arms race to claim supremacy should lead to better products and possibly better pricing.â&#x20AC;?

Garminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Force won the category and was awarded best of show boating accessory.

US and China restart trade talks

Fishing tackle manufacturers across the US will be breathing a huge sigh of relief with the news that the US and China have agreed to resume trade talks after a seven-week breakdown.

The Trump administration has â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; decided to QPTUQPOF BEEJOH B OFX UBSJĂŞ PO CJMMJPO JO imports from the Asian powerhouse, which would have included items of fishing tackle, apparel and footwear.

The news was announced following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping during the annual summit meeting of the Group PG OBUJPOT JO 0TBLB +BQBO *Anthony Hawkswell is the editor of Angling International since 2013

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically, we agreed that we are going to continue the negotiation,â&#x20AC;? said Trump. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are going to work with China on where we left off to see if we can make a deal.â&#x20AC;?

In exchange China has agreed to increase its purchase of agricultural products.

The temporary postponement of tariff increases does not end the trade dispute between the two parties as 5SVNQ IBT TBJE UIBU UIF UBYFT DVSSFOUMZ JNQPTFE PO CJMMJPO JO $IJOFTF HPPET XJMM OPU CF SFEVDFE China has retaliated by taxing US exports, while at the same time reducing tariffs on competing products from other countries.

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has revealed that companies and consumers paid an extra $1.1 billion EVF UP OFX UBSJĂŞT JO UIF QFSJPE GSPN 4FQUFNCFS UP "QSJM i5BSJĂŞT PO QSPEVDUT WJUBM UP "NFSJDB T outdoor recreation economy, which supports 7.6 million American jobs, are sapping the strength of one of our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important industries,â&#x20AC;? said Patricia RojasUngar, Vice President of Government Affairs for the OIA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are significant taxes on an industry that fuels economic growth and healthy communities across America. To date, these tariffs have caused so much unpredictability for outdoor companies that many have had to slow or cancel job-creating investments and have resulted in higher costs for businesses in every corner of the country.â&#x20AC;?

SA BASS 39 August 2019

>> SA BASS SMALL CRAFT

Stroke of the paddle…

(part 2)

previous issue we started off discussing the stability of kayaks and gear setup. >> InIn the this issue we look at scupper holes and transporting your kayak. kayak

E

veryone that wants to get onto a kayak for the first time has the fear of getting wet and the reality of the matter is that they have the right to think that way. Most kayaks on the market, be it a fishing kayak or recreational kayak, will have holes through the boat. These are called “scupper holes”. They are there to let any water that splashes onto the kayak run freely back into the dam without forming colligations of water on or in your kayak.

But… scupper holes pose a different threat to the kayaker as if you drop something, like let’s say a hook, on your kayak and it slips down one of these holes it’s going to be lost to the dam forever. Also, it means that there are not really kayaks on the market that has a full dry deck if I can put it like that. Majority of them will be wet deck systems.

My advice to work around this is to embrace it. Let’s face it, if you are sitting on a kayak you have a sense of adventure and thus would not mind or care to have a bit of a wet

>> Ivan Sonnekus bum once you are done for the day. But… if your missus won’t be very happy with you sitting in your luxury vehicle with wet clothes, you can alternatively make use of any high density foam. I like to use pool noodles as they are cheap and easy to come by. Cut the foam or noodle to a size slightly bigger than the scupper hole and then stuff it into the hole, it would create a seal and you can sit dry for your whole trip out on the water. I would however recommend that you leave the scupper holes at the back of the kayak as well as at your feet open for any splashed water to freely run out of your kayak deck cavities.

Generally, your fishing bag and cooler box on the back of the kayak will tend to get wet so make sure if you do not want them to be wet – especially the fishing bag. Make use of a dry bag or get a waterproof kit bag. My bag is made from a rip stop canvas that has a type of latex coating and rappels water to a big extent, but water still seeps through the seams when spending long hours on the water in search of that ever illusive big bass.

Loading and going

Scupper holes let any water that splashes onto the kayak run freely back into the dam 40 SA BASS August 2019

If you do not find a kayak at one of the dams you are fishing at, you will most likely end up having to transport the kayak to the dam you would like to fish. To many this can be quite a daunting task depending on the kayak. Many recreational and smaller fishing kayaks are mid-size plastic kayaks and usually weighs around 20 to 26kg and would be less than three metres in length.

The larger kayaks would weigh in at around 32 to 38kg empty, and can measure lengths in excess of 4.2 metres.

These will usually be double seat recreational or the solo fishing/adventure kayaks. They can prove quite a challenge to load and unload, especially by yourself no matter how big or small you are built. My advice in this category would be to figure out a system that works well with your vehicle and surroundings. I know people that make use of a pulley system that suspends their kayaks from garage or carport roof and thus they can lower it with ease onto their vehicle and then just strap it down. Other good ways of doing it is to make use of pool noodles on your roof rack and or vehicle edges. Old towels also help where you can load the nose of your kayak, letting it rest on the roof rack or vehicle then grabbing the back part of the kayak, push it so that it slides up and onto the roof rack to then tie down. When strapping kayaks to cross bars on a roof, you do not want to over tighten the straps.

It would fold your kayak around the bar and may leave a dent if its transported on a very hot day for long amounts of time. As soon as the kayak does no longer move when strapping it you are good to go. When offloading, one can make use of the sliding technique again until one end is on the ground. The kayak can then be gently dropped to the ground.

you will be contaminated with a special kind of sickness that leaves you with the lust to be out there on the water, paddling new places and experiencing new things. It will enable you to reach so much more within your local dams, that you will find yourself out there more often than you think for as soon as you hook onto that first fish you would not want to stop.

I leave you with these wordsâ&#x20AC;Ś if you come across the opportunity to use a kayak, take the leap and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid.

Go find those hidden places and land the monster fish for at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair should be messy and your eyes should be sparkling! Have fun out there!

Take the leap Being able to make use of a kayak, be it for fishing purposes or recreational, is a true adventure every time. Once the bug bites, SA BASS 41 August 2019

>> SA BASS

SA Baars het die geleentheid gehad om ‘n draai te gaan maak by Schalk Walters. Hy is een van die ou hande in die baarshengelbedryf. Vir Schalk is herwinning en ons natuur ‘n prioriteitsaak en wil hy ook graag ‘n bydrae lewer tot bewaring en het hy besluit om te begin met die herwinning van plastiekase vir hergebruik. chalk Walters se liefde vir baarshengel het in 2004 begin. Voor dit was Schalk ‘n voortreflike kurperhengelaar, maar omrede kurpers seisoensgebonde is, wou hy graag ‘n vis begin teiken wat regdeur die jaar gevang kan word. Kunsaashengel is natuurlik sy groot voorliefde en daarom was baars net ‘n natuurlike keuse.

Nadat ‘n goeie vriend hom saam genooi het om in Zimbabwe by die alombekende Mteri-meer te gaan baarshengel, en hy op die koop toe ‘n pragtige baars van 4,9kg daar land, het die gogga behoorlik gebyt en het Schalk die spesie behoorlik begin jag.

Jare later, in 2014 sou hy egter ‘n pragvis van 5,49kg by die bekende Letsibogodam in Botswana vang.

Die belangstelling vir die maak van sy eie plastiese aas het begin toe hy besef dat daar soveel stukkende plastiese ase verlore gaan en net weggegooi word, en dan op een of ander manier deur die natuur geabsorbeer moet word wat net nie moontlik is nie. Herwinning was dus die wagwoord, en benewens dit, was die ase wat hy van die rakke kon koop baie beperk in vorm, grootte en kleur.

Die proses hoe Schalk te werk gaan om ase te herwin en dan sy eie ase te vervaardig het ons baie geïnteresseer, en daarom wil ons dit, met Schalk se toestemming, deel met die lesers.

1

2

3

4

5

Die proses: 1. Schalk sal eerstens al die plastiese ase wat stukkend en verweer is, begin sorteer.

Dit is belangrik om die ase in kleure te sorteer sodat daar met die smeltproses nie ‘n vermenging van kleure is nie.

2. Die verskillende kleure aas word nou in fyn stukkies opgesny om te help met die smeltproses waarna die fyn versnipperde stukkies in ‘n 250ml glasbeker gegooi word, kleur by kleur.

42 SA BASS August 2019

6

>> Philip Kemp 3. Die plastiese snippertjies word nou in ‘n mikrogolfoond, wat op ±190o gestel is, gesmelt.

4. Sodra die plastiek in ‘n vloeibare vorm gesmelt het, word dit in ‘n 100ml spuit opgetrek.

5. Na gelang van die tipe aas wat Schalk wil vervaardig, word die vloeibare plastiek in die nodige vorms ingespuit.

6. Die plastiek moet ten minste 2 tot 3 minute gelos word om te set in die vorms.

7. Die vorm word versigtig oopgemaak en die aas vewyder.

Schalk Walters moedig ook hengelaars aan om hulle plastiese ase wat nie meer gebruik word nie, eerder te herwin en nuwe plastiese ase daarmee te maak.

Dit is ons almal se verantwoordelikheid om die natuur te beskerm en daarom is dit belangrik vir elke hengelaar om te sorg dat ons alles in ons vermoë sal doen om ons helgelwaters skoon te hou vir ander hengelaars en ons nageslag.

Ons wil graag volgende jaar ‘n projek begin waar ons aan elke boot- of hengelaar ‘n plastiese sakkie gee waarin die hengelaar vrywilliglik sy stukkende plastiese ase gooi.

Hierdie ase word dan aan Schalk gegee om nuwe ase daarvan te maak. Die hengelaar se naam, van en kontaknommer word met ‘n etiket aan die sakkie geheg. Die hengelaar kan teen ‘n verminderde bedrag die nuwe plastiekaas by Schalk koop. Indien ons die hengelaars se ondersteuning kry, kan so ‘n herwinningsprojek voorkom dat heelwat minder gebruikte plastiese kunsaas in asblikke beland.

Indien hengelaars enige navrae het rondom Schalk Walters of ons voorgenome projek en dalk voorstelle wil maak, kan hulle my kontak by philip@sabass.com

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>>

SA BASS MASTER CLASS

Jerkbait fishing is a great way to target winter fish

DEAD OF WINTER TWITCHING Opportunities for successful winter fishing usually occur during the end of fall and beginning of winter.

But what about the dead of winter, noted as maybe the most difficult time to target bass. This time frame can be difficult, yet extremely rewarding.

>> David Swendseid*

I

n fall you have falling temperatures and mixing water causing cooling water and water warmer to churn.

This is called the “turn-over” phase of the thermocline.

The bait-fish attempt to seek the best environment during this phase. But at the end of this phase things begin to slow down and fish begin to find their more permanent depths.

On the other side of the spectrum, the end of winter has warming fronts mixing cool and warm air. More sunlight occurs over longer days. Animal and plant life begins to activate. Bass start their migration and staging behaviours.

What about the dead winter phase? It is noted as when the “world stands still”. Finding waters in your region that have episodes of stability are favourable for winter twitching. Protected waters not receiving heavy exposure of cold fronts can carry more consistent temperatures. Waters with constant sun penetration and mild nights will attain favourable baitfish groups, insect life and crustacean. But, if an angler has an opportunity to winter fish with a jerkbait during stable conditions it is possible he could hook some quality fish.

Vegetation is life This time of year look for giant thick weed-lines, near deep water. The weed lines that stay greener longer will be best as they continue to release oxygen. “Life” around these eco-structures sustains populations of fish. They can 44 SA BASS August 2019

be difficult to find. The trophy fish don’t like to move a ton if they can have it all (forage, temperature, and protection) they won’t move much. They can prefer a more vertical disposition, which gets them to warmer temps faster. Deep diving rip baits work well here” says FLW-pro Roy Hawk.

Taking a jerkbait that has extra diving capability can allow the lure to be worked along the deeper walls of grass is productive.

Using a presentation to drive the jerkbait, a technical angler can put the deep lip bait into the 18-foot zone.

This “drive” technique requires a long cast. Then reeling the lipped jerkbait to its deepest position, then with semitight line tension, abruptly force the line to drive the lure’s lip down. You are basically using the upper third of your rod tip to place constant tension on the lure and forcedragging (if you may) the lure down in short bursts. Then, stop abruptly and repeat the sequence. The pause is just long enough to gather slack in the line. The weight transfer systems improve this presentation verse a fixed ballast system.

Finding winter bass is difficult and when you do find them your presentation is critical on how to target those fish. Winter bass hold in areas that are best related to bait when the opportunity allows. These fish are lethargic and expend less energy. I will use a slender pointer and time my pause with the conditions and behaviour of the fish. A slow

Deep diving rip baits work well around thick weed-lines near deep water

long pause is the best way to start out. Locations conducive to wintering bass may be replicated through targeting “bottle neck areas” (areas that work like a funnel for bait. If you can find these areas, wintering bass can be had but please understand, winter bassin’ is tough and requires time on the water. Finding narrow highways or funnels increases the possibility to catch some big fish.

Professional angler, Roy Hawk, speaks of jerkbait fishing as a great way to target winter fish. “The key is the bait fish… in winter it is imperative to target the bait when possible.

Cover and topography can play key in this search… I look for grass (when possible), remember grass or vegetation is key especially for jerkbait fishing. This also means relative shallow presentations are possible. Deep fishing is always a pattern but find grass and you find bass. It can be a gold mine.” says Hawk.

I like to use a Duo Realis 110SP jerkbait in shallower locations. It possesses a darting action under any imparted cadence and has an advanced weight transfer system making long cast. It is also key to be patient. In winter, it takes many seconds for the bass to reach the bait even if it is only five feet away. I do believe erratic action is imperative but attempting to keep the bait in the area (long pauses between twitches) is just important… winter fish don’t want to travel great distance.” says Hawk.

“In winter, I pay attention to lake temperatures. For example it may be 46ºF on the main lake but back in the creek, it maybe 50ºF. I will begin working my way to these transitional points.”

Catch more, bigger bass, read...

SA baars BASS MAGAZINE Since 2001

Conclusion The dead of winter is considered one of the most difficult conditions to pursue bass therefore winter twitching is a strategic, waiting game requiring timing and poise. You may not yield a ton of fish but quality can surely be present. *David Swendseid is a professional bass angler in the USA and is currently the Research and Development specialist for DUO. He spends a great time teaching other professional anglers on how to execute techniques or learn new ones and also assist the international community on bass angling presentations. He pursued trophy bass records and held two lake records and an official state record. The study of fish behaviour and lure action is his forte. He currently contributes to about 16 international bass angling magazines, including SA BASS.

www.alphalaboria.co.za

VisitVisit www.flwsouthafrica.com www.flwsouthafrica.com for entry for entry forms, forms, dates, dates venues and and venues. results.

For general enquiries phone 082-416-5524

TM

Mpumalanga

KwaZulu-Natal

Back: Riaan Spangenberg, Henk Venter, Adrian & Darian Leite Front: Divan Coetzee, Francue Smit, Ursula & Clayton Miles

L-t-r: Roy & Michael Cannon, Neels Beneke, Robbie Olivier, Dirk van der Merwe, Bruce Turner, Dennis Lutge, Brad Hunter

11.075kg

6.670kg

Venue: Rust de Winter Dam

Venue: Inanda Dam

Top placings:

Top ten places:

1: Team Graceland Outdoors 2 - 11.075kg

1: Team Zman Fishtec - 6.670kg

2: Team Rage - 7.475kg

2: Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365 - 6.305kg

3: Team Six 8 Custom Baits - 5.005kg

3: Team D & H Engineering - 5.055kg

4: Team Fishing Focus - 4.435kg

4: Team All The Gear, No Idea - 4.370kg

5: Team SA BASS MP - 4.130kg

5: Team Strike King Fishtec - 3.885kg

6: Team Sukkelaars - 3.585kg

6: Team Kazmarine - 3.610kg

7: Team X Factor - 3.525kg

7: Team Halfw ay - 3.410kg

8: Team Stay Aliv e - 3.495kg

8: Team R & R - 3.345kg

9: Team Yellow Bass Eagle - 3.385kg

9: Team NP Auto Electrical - 3.195kg

10: Team Old Cranks - 3.320kg

10: Team Nitro Circus - 2.955kg

For the complete results and next venue: see our website www.flwsouthafrica.com McCarthy Volkswagen Wonderboom

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T: 012-567-9345 F: 086-573-4246 www.mastercars.co.za

Confidence, peace of mind and customer satisfaction. That's what you can expect when you purchase a MasterCar - thanks to our professional Network, a long trusted South African brand and our ten point customer brand promise.

A MasterCar is a demo or used Volkswagen that is less than 5 years old, or has less than 120 000km on the clock.

Lavender Road Annlin, Pretoria, 0182 46 SA BASS August 2019

Championship 2019 Witbank Dam, 29 - 31 Aug

June Results North West

Gauteng

L-t-r: Giulio Nolly, Greg Schluep, Pieter Senekal, Anton Vogt, August Lingnau, Pieter Khourie

L-t-r: Nuno Oviedo, Juan du Toit, Shaun John, Gareth Dryden, Tony Lagesan, Stephen Jones, Tim Wellbeloved

6.330kg

4.760kg

Venue: Boskop Dam

Venue: Middelburg Dam

Top seven places:

Top ten places:

1: Team Secret VC - 6.330kg 6.33kg

1: Team Timols* - 4.760kg

2: Team Bassw orld - 5.830kg 5.83kg

2: Team Gel Ev ents* - 3.970kg

3: Team Khourie - 3.630kg 3.63kg

3: Team HillBilly Poisen - 3.655kg

4: Teams Greens²* - 3.400kg 3.4kg

4: Team All Lift / Wolf - 3.560kg

5: Team VC Botcon - 2.890kg 2.89kg

5: Team Mav erick - 3.340kg

6: Team Greens* - 2.320kg 2.32kg

6: Team Av tech - 3.335kg

7: Team Terminator - 1.440kg 1.44kg

7: Team RS* - 3.175kg 8: Team Trim Dow n For What (MP) - 3.050kg 9: Team Snot Rocket - 2.910kg 10: Team Hit & Run - 2.870kg

For the complete results and next venue: see our website www.flwsouthafrica.com

For the complete results and next venue: see our website www.flwsouthafrica.com

T: 011-251-9999 E: info@garmin.co.za W: https://garmin.co.za Garmin is the world leader in GPS Satellite Navigation and a global manufacturer of in-car GPS systems, portable navigation devices, handheld GPS units, and GPS products for the marine, aviation, outdoor and fitness sectors . In your car, on your boat, in the air, in the great outdoors or training in the gym - there's not a single area of your life where Garmin isn't welcome.

The Mall Offices 11 Cradock Avenue Rosebank, South Africa

ANGLER OF THE YEAR 2019 The top rangking teams from each Cast-for-Cash region will compete at the FLW RSA Championship for the title “Angler of the Year”

SA BASS 47 August 2019

>> SA BASS

Bassin’

p m a k r u u Avont

HAPP Y!

WOA H!

!

N FU WOO HOO !

!

NDS E I FR

go go go! go

A

pparently there is no such thing as reality, only perception. What people now accept as normal was earlier abnormal. Children played outside and kept themselves busy. Today most children are so caught up playing video-games, or spending time on their phones that they don’t know what it is like to be children.

At BosKoors children can enjoy fresh air, the great outdoors, adventure activities, fishing, and there you have a great recipe for more enjoyable and constructive school holidays for your children.

On the BosKoors adventure camp, kids can enjoy activities such as: paint ball, fufi sliding, wall climbing, 48 SA BASS August 2019

bush walks, obstacle courses, compass navigating, campfire games, target shooting, splashing in the dam, fishing, potjiekos cooking competitions, and much, much more.

BosKoors is all about clean, wholesome fun, come rain or shine! The reason for starting our Bassin’ Kids adventure camps in July 2003, was to get children rather hooked on fishing, than on drugs.

The dates from the next camp are from 8 to 14 December 2019 - booking is essential.

For more information, visit www.sabass.com or call Wilma on 083-306-2718.

R16 900

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