SA Bass April 2017 by SABASS

South Africa: R39.00 (VAT included) Other Countries: R34.21 (Tax excluded)

April 2017

Issue 192

How to...

* Casting a Jig * Fall Fishing * Pre-fish

Video Game Bass Fishing >> Dag Saam Met ... Frans Swanepoel >> Understanding Pressure >> Useful Fishing Apps >> Destinations

For Everyone That Loves Bass Fishing

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DIGITALLY I don’t know about you but it’s not just about fishing for me, it is so much more, it’s about being part of nature. It’s about getting back on track. Fishing is part of my life whether I’m fishing or working. I tackle life like I’m fishing it. When tackling a new day you need to be prepared physically and mentally. You can’t go to either unprepared and might as well stay at home. If you have the mentality that you are only working or fishing just because, then you will fail big time. The man that goes to work or fishing with substandard preparedness will reap what he has sown. We are not doing this because we have to, but because we want to. If it is because you have to, then maybe you’re in the wrong line of work, or sport. Like being at work there is the opportunity to excel and strife to be the best, and when you get knocked down you don’t just go and say: “Well I tried”. No, you are going to get up and give it you all time best. If I had to quit every time I had a bad day at work, or every time a bass took me to the cleaners, I would have been a much lesser man and I would have stopped fishing when I was a youngster. Even on the days when the bass aren’t biting, just look around and soak up the beauty and majestic of nature and God’s creation. If that can’t make you feel positive in life then maybe you should take up knitting. Because off this passion of ours and perseverance this is why we have been going for so long. This April issue also sees the 16th birthday of SA Bass magazine… what an achievement! Once again we thank all our readers, our contributors and advertisers who have been supporting us for so long. This issue is once again packed with articles giving information for everybody. Bennie Wiese / Editor

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SA BASS 01 April 2017

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SA BASS Magazine

is published monthly (12 issues per annum) by WJ Lindeque cc t/a BB Print (CK99/23366/23)

Office hours:

Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 08:15 to 16:15

Contact numbers:

Office: (087) 808 5406, Alternative: (083) 306 2718 Fax: (086) 234 5026

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Publisher:

Hannes Lindeque - hannes@sabass.com

Contents

Editor:

Bennie Wiese - bennie@sabass.com

Assistant Editor:

Chris Greenland

Field Editors:

Bryan Leppan, Colin Willmer, Derrek Stewart, Dewald Viljoen, Divan Coetzee, Evert Laubscher, Gareth Dryden, Gordon Brown, Hendrik, Joe Dreyer, John Badenhorst, Kevin Lofstedt, Louis Bezuidenhout, Mzi Tyhokolo, Neels Beneke, Philip Kemp, Roger Donaldson, Rowan Zerf, Rudi Dreyer

Junior Field Editors:

Jean-Michel Gravenor

International Columnists:

Bertrand Ngim, Clint Skinner, David Swendseid, Gareth Rawlins, Matt Williams, Tylor Brinks

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Wilma Lindeque - wilma@sabass.com

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Storm Deezigns - dee@stormdeezigns.co.za

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Jannie Junius (011) 248 3536

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 sport among all the country’s people 04 SA BASS April 2017

(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.

REGULARS & FORUMS 06

ADVANCED “Video Game Bass Fishing” If any of you follow the B.A.S.S. Elite Series in the USA, you may have heard of “Video Game Bass Fishing”. – Rowan Timmer

BOAT REVIEW “ViperS Bass Boat” Gerry Jooste, a famous and well known competitive bass angler from Zimbabwe, is also known for manufacturing some of the best bass boats on the African continent – Hannes Lindeque

16 18 20

FLW “6th Sense Splashback” – Matt Williams

FLW

me. Every now and then, under sunny conditions in articular, a white one will out-fish the black.”

“Seasonal tips & tricks” – Paul Strege

Tom Monsoor’s homemade buzzbait

FLW “Casting a Jig” – Curtis Niedermier sloping bank

45˚

near-vertical bank

90˚

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.

22 24

BASICS

TECHNOLOGY “Moving With Time” Technology has always been a rather fascinating aspect of our daily lives. One simply has to use Google and do a basic search and you will be astounded with the inventions that are now available to anglers around the globe. – John Badenhorst

“Bass Fishing Basics, Start-up Tackle – Part 3 Retrieve Techniques” The difference between one angler and the next can all come down to their retrieval technique... – Roger Donaldson

HENGELAARS “‘n Dag Saam Met … Frans Swanepoel” Om net ‘n bietjie tyd by ‘n besigheidsman en formidabele hengelaar soos Frans Swanepoel te steel, is nie aldag so maklik nie – Philip Kemp

SA BASS “A Day On the Lake – Roodekopjes with Johann Zwarts (Jnr)” I think my first outing on Roodekopjes Dam was in 2009 with Darryl Quinton. – Roger Donaldson

“Pre-Fishing Success – Part 2” Preparing properly eliminates a lot of guess work and will allow you to establish a viable pattern quicker – Divan Coetzee

STRATEGY “Fall Fishing” In most parts of the country the water levels has risen substantially after a long drought and are now fishable again and it’s now again time to take advantages of the fall fishing – Bennie Wiese

SA BASS “Technology – Fair or No Fair?” This is probably going to be very controversial, but here goes: Manufacturers of sonars / sounders / echo locaters, and any other piece of electronic wizardry manufacturers are constantly telling us that this is the stuff, they say, will make us better anglers – Kevin Lofstedt

“NBAAA Hall of Fame” The NBAA pays homage to people that made the sport of bass angling in Namibia what it is today.

BASICS “As Good As a Holiday…” Maybe you’ve heard comments like: “I don’t through spinnerbaits or crankbaits because I just loose them”, or “I have never caught anything on them”. – Colin Wilmer

“Yeongsan River Tidal Assault Bass Fishing in Tidal Waters – Part 1” My first fishing trip on the banks of the Yeongsan River turned out to be an extremely meaningful learning experience. – Fishingboy

CLASSROOM “Understanding Pressure” Most people think when you say “pressure” they assuming you talking about fishing pressure – Robbie Olivier

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 01

MY CAST

READERS-go-BASSING

Cast-for-Cash - Tournament Results

GEAR UP

LIFESTYLE – Boating & Birding – “African Black Duck” u

DESTINATION – Thandabantu Game Lodge

INTERNATIONAL – NAMIBIA “Autumn Fishing at Von Bach” This story starts at a dam about 80km north of Windhoek very close to a town called Okahandja – Andrew Hall

INTERVIEW “Shaking It with Tony” If you had been fishing for the last decade the name Tony Lagesen might ring a bell and for good reason – Bennie Wiese

STRATEGY

INTERNATIONAL

PRODUCT NEWS 38

>> Garmin: echoMAP CHIRP Series

>> Southern Division - Vaal River Divisionals

SABAA NEWS READERS’ COMPETITION 29

>> Glenrock Game & Trout Readers Competition

INTERNATIONAL ZIMBABWE “Zimbabwe Bass Fishing” Mteri Dam in the Zimbabwean Lowveld - possibly the best fishing venue in the country. – Gareth Rawlins

ON THE COVER “Tobie Uys with a Harties bass” Image: Hannes Lindeque SA BASS 05 April 2017

>> SA BASS ADVANCED

Video Game Bass Fishing

>> Rowan Timmer*

I I took this screen at Clanwilliam a few weeks ago. It is about as good as it gets in terms of explaining what to look for

This is what you are looking for. A bait ball and indications of predator fish around. The fact that the bait is tightly compacted means they are nervous and seeking safety in numbers confirming that predators are present. Lowrance Structure Scan on the right hand screen helps to simply the “mess” and allows the user to clearly see that it is bait 06 SA BASS April 2017

f any of you follow the B.A.S.S. Elite Series in the USA, you may have heard of “Video Game Bass Fishing”. Don’t be fooled, this isn’t something you do at home when the weather is bad, this is a highly specialised technique that anglers have mastered through the use of their fish finders to tap into fish that would otherwise be uncatchable. In a nutshell this technique refers to seeing the bass on your fishfinder, seeing your lure on the fishfinder and then watching that fish bite on your unit. I’ll elaborate. Modern fishfinders have the ability to allow us to quickly find suspended fish in any body of water. Traditionally this technique is used in the USA to catch schooling smallmouth bass in big bodies of water (Great Lakes) but it is not limited to just that. Anglers sometimes spend more time idling their boats around looking for the right signs on their finders and then fishing. They have realized that by identifying the right schools of bass

Jacob Wheeler used this technique to win at Lake Cherokee last month. Scenes like this were typical of that event. Anglers fixated on their electronics making vertical presentations to suspended bass

on their fishfinders first, it increases their odds of success and offsets the reduced fishing time in the day. Once the correct school is located, the angler will basically position the boat directly above the school. At this point he will drop his lure down to the fish. I will discuss baits just now. As the bait falls down the water column within the sonar cone, it shows up on the fish finder at first as a diagonal line, then as a horizontal line when it has stopped falling. You can see it dropping down to the fish and stop it when it reaches the desired depth, depending on what depth the school is suspended at. From there you can see how the fish react to the bait. Often they rise up to meet it or follow it down to the bottom. Behaviour like that is encouraging because it shows you the fish are interested. A common trick is to test the school. If you lift the bait out of the school and a fish follows it you can then work on that fish to bite by shaking and jiggling your bait, but you know it is interested. If your bait

is not followed out, consider a change of colour or style and try again. If you still have no joy, then move on. Normally, if you manage to get one to bite, it will trigger the school and the rest will be easier to catch. If any of you watched the Live B.A.S.S. footage from the Elite Series event at Lake Cherokee, you would have seen the pros fixated on their fishfinders and shaking their baits for minutes at a time before reeling in and dropping down again. It can take a while to coax the fish into biting. The important thing to note is that you are fishing directly underneath you. Provided the fish hold in the same place, you must keep the boat still above them. If you move then the school will move out of the sonar cone and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to see them. This takes some skill especially if it is windy. The new MinnKota Ultrex with its spot lock feature is a massive game changer here. The motor will automatically adjust and hold you in the precise spot you told it to. This makes life so much easier.

Email: hillbillypoisen@gmail.com @gmaiil com @gm Available at leading tackle shops

Jacob Wheeler used this technique to win at Lake Cherokee last month. Scenes like this were typical of that event. Anglers fixated on their electronics making vertical presentations to suspended bass

What I like about this technique, is one variable is removed. You know that the fish are there. You can see them. If they are not biting, it is because you have not offered them what they want, but at least you know that they are there. Your ability to identify fish and bait balls on your fishfinder will help you a lot with this technique. In my experience if you can find a school of bass around a bait ball, those fish are far easier to catch than ones found with no bait present. This technique is not limited to

deep offshore school fishing, which is not very common in South Africa. I use this technique at Clanwilliam often. A lot of the time we are focused on the bank and the first 15ft of water at that dam. However, I always watch my Lowrance units because there are always fish sitting under your boat which you go over. If I spot an arch beneath my boat I make sure to setup directly above it and grab my dropshot rod and drop down to the fish. The possibility that the fish will eat it very quickly because I’m literally

dropping the bait in its face is 9/10. Those fish are otherwise missed if you don’t focus on your finders while you are fishing. This technique takes time to master and it takes time to get confident in what you are seeing on your fishfinder. You can practice this. What I recommend is to get a tennis ball in a sock and tie it to your marker buoy line about 3ft from the weight. This will show up on your fishfinder the same as a fish would as the sonar echo reflects off the air inside the swim bladder and the air in the tennis ball and makes an arch. Adjust your fish finder settings until you can see the tennis ball clearly below you. Then take your drop-shot rig and drop it down the trolling motor shaft (careful of your prop). You will then see what the lure looks like on the finder. You should be able to see the weight and the bait. Hop it around and see how it shows up on your unit. Once you get the feeling for it, you begin to understand what you need to look for and also what you are seeing. This technique was built around drop-shotting. It is the best way to present a vertical presentation to a fish. It also allows you to fish at any depth in the water column because the weight will allow the bait to lie horizontally above it. Other effective baits are jigging spoons and lead heads with a ninety degree line tie, which also allows the bait to be presented horizontally. If you have decent fishfinders and can master this technique, you are tapping into a unique style of fishing which I guarantee you more than 75% of anglers don’t know how to do. It will allow you to catch fish that others are unable to, and this will obviously increase your odds of success. PS: For those who are wondering what units I used to get these pictures: Lowrance HDS9 Gen3 with 83/200 HDI transducer and LSS2 Structure Scan transducer.

This image taken by Marc Bywater shows very clearly the perfect situation. Baitfish on a rocky drop off with a predator fish nearby. This is at Clanwilliam so that is almost certainly a smallmouth next to the shoal 08 SA BASS April 2017

*Rowan Timmer is a Protea Angler and a member of the Western Division. He is on the Varkenelli Customs and Lowrance pro staff teams.

>> SA BASS BOAT REVIEW

Review:

ViperS

Bass Boat SA BASS magazine had the opportunity to have a closer look at the standard issue ViperS bass boat. The ViperS is designed to deliver anglers fast to remote hotspots, even on bumpy days, thanks to the hull design and shock-absorbing seats.

The ViperS bass boat is available and affordable in Southern Africa

Scan this QR code and see the ViperS in action

>> Hannes Lindeque*

erry Jooste, a famous and well known competitive bass angler from Zimbabwe, is also known for manufacturing some of the best bass boats on the African continent. Some of the models in his stall included Maverick, Renegade and ViperS. When Gerry moved to Namibia Surf&Turf became the new owners of Ruffnek Boatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; moulds. The latest development is that Rutherford Marine took distribution of this range of bass boats under their wing through their vast Mercury dealer network throughout the Southern African sub continent. In future these high quality boats will be manufactured in South Africa, cutting down on costs and eventually offering complete boat packages at very competitive prices to the local market. The nice thing about it is the backup service that customers will receive.

SA BASS magazine had the opportunity to have a closer look at the standard issue ViperS bass boat. The ViperS is designed to deliver anglers fast to remote hotspots, even on bumpy days, thanks to the hull design and shock-absorbing seats.

Report The reputation of the ViperS is well known. It is a fibre glass hull construction and the nose has a V-cut that supports the electric trolling motor on three sides against any accidental collisions with under water structure. Another unique feature of the ViperS is the removable seats that make cleaning the boat a lot easier. There is enough space for wide screen fish finders at the front and the recess for the trolling motor pedal enables

Key features:

Specifications:

t 6OJRVF IVMM EFTJHO t )VHF GSPOU EFDL t "NQMF TUPSBHF TQBDF t 3FNPWBCMF TFBUT

Overall length: 5.84m (19ft) Beam: 2.34m Depth: 0.65m &OHJOF PQUJPOT )Q UP )Q 3FDPNNFOEFE )Q

10 SA BASS April 2017

The front end of the bow has a V-cut that supports the electric trolling motor, a recess for the trolling motor pedal and enough room for wide screen fish finders

The front deck is huge with deep, spacious lockers that are carpeted on the inside

Pictured are the big insulated cooler box between the seats, cup holders, flip down and removable seats, passenger grab handle and passenger glove box lid

anglers to stand comfortable and fish many hours on end. The front deck is spacious and two anglers can easily fish up front with ease without â&#x20AC;&#x153;rocking the boatâ&#x20AC;?. The four huge dry lockers are all carpeted inside and the finish inside the lockers are up to standard â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no rough edges that will cut your hands, equipment or fishing lines. The lockers are deep and the lids open wide making access a pleasure. On each side of the boat are carpeted rod lockers without rod organisers that can easily fit ten or more fully rigged rods each. There are two comfortable seats below deck level that folds down, both are removable, and enough leg space. On the passenger side there are grab handles when encountering rough waters and two soft rubber pads on the inwall protects the boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gelcoat from getting scratched. Between the seats is a bigger insulated cooler box and in front is a deep insulated cooler box, both fitted with drainage pipes.

The cooler box lids are carpeted to keep the refreshments cool for an extended period. Plastic cup holders will keep beverages upright protecting the carpet against spills and stains. The passenger has his own glove box and a rubbish bin. Moving over to the helm, all the instruments are clearly visible. The steering wheel is at comfortable distance from the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat and underneath there is ample legroom, FWFO GPS UBMM BOHMFST É¨F CPBU JT ĂŤUUFE XJUI B )PU'PPU GPS acceleration, putting the driver in control and allowing him to keep both hands on the wheel at all times. The dashboard is fitted with the latest Smart Craft digital gauges which are all fully functional, totally userfriendly and easy to read. The instruments covers dozens of boat and motor functions, including speed, rpm, trim, depth, alarms, water pressure, fuel flow, Skyhook digital anchoring and dozens of other incredibly smart and SA BASS 11 April 2017

Two soft rubber pads on the inwall protect the boat’s gelcoat from getting scratched. Below the step is a second insulated cooler box

useful digital control systems. With today’s technology it is possible for the outboard, trolling motor and fish finders to communicate with each other making the ViperS one complete competitive unit. On the right hand side of the dashboard is space for flash mounting a fish finder of choice. The pilot’s glove box is conveniently situated and will keep all personal belongings dry and safe. At the stern there are three dry hatches and a huge dual live-well fitted with bulge and circulation pumps. The inside of the live-well is white. The 100 litre fuel tank and batteries are installed in the outboard locker at the back of the boat with the refuel cap easily accessible even when the boat cover is fitted.

We reviewed the ViperS with a 250hp Mercury OptiMax with a Torque Master gearbox and four blade stainless steel propeller. The boat leaped on plane and the bow rise was minimal. The boat went through chop with ease and handled well through tight turns. Within seconds we ran out of water and had to slow down. It is advisable that inexperienced boaters do not go full tappets from the start as this is one mean machine, ready to take on any challenge in reaching the best fishing spot first. There was no spray in our faces when we went through the waves and no back spill, flooding the stern lockers, when

At the stern there are two dry hatches, a huge dual live-well and outboard locker. The refuel cap is easily accessible even when the boat cover is fitted

we made an emergency stop. The ViperS offers a stable fishing platform. When moving around on the deck we experienced minimal tilting and no threat of losing our balance. The lockers are well placed, easily accessible, carpeted to reduce noise and all lockers can be locked. In conclusion; we found the ViperS’s performance to validate its reputation as one of the best bass boats manufactured in Africa. It went quick on the plane and handled all manoeuvres well. Regarding fishability we can’t complain. The boat was stable and had enough room to fish comfortably two up on the front deck. When it comes to storage be careful not to take everything you own on the boat. The lockers are spacious, easy accessible and can be locked. Because ViperS boats are now manufactured within South Africa the production cost has been cut down and fine tuned. Extra trimmings are to be added and the standard issue can be upgraded by adding many optional features. Divisional Manager of Rutherford Marine, Craig Gutteridge summarized the ViperS in one sentence: “a really good bass boat which is now available, and affordable, to local anglers”. Visit your nearest Mercury Dealer and enquire about the bass boat packages they have on offer or call Rutherford Marine on (011) 878 2600. *Hannes Lindeque is the founder and publisher of SA BASS magazine since 2001.

The dashboard is fitted with the latest Smart Craft digital gauges, space for flash mounting a fish finder and below the console is enough room for even tall drivers

12 SA BASS April 2017

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.

KRANSKOP RELAX Some midweek relaxation in the school exams in Loskop Dam, caught this beauty from a boat with soft bait. – Caught by Henco Robberts, Groblersdal

Dit was ‘n baie warm, wolklose dag toe ek hierdie swartbaar van 2.36kg (my PB) by Kranskop in KZN gevang het. Die watervlak was laag. Ek het die stompe wat in die troebelwater teen die kant gelê het geteiken en het met ‘n wit sagteplastiek padda gehengel. Dankie vir ‘n goeie tydskrif vol handige wenke – Willem Heymans

TROPHY RAPALA Ek het hierdie vis (een van twee) op ‘n ‘n lekker sonnige vakansiedag by Pretoria Country Club gevang. Ek het ‘n Rapala gebruik wat ek vinnig ingebring het. Dankie vir julle “awesome” tydskrif – Hennie Kruger 14 SA BASS April 2017

Marnes Roux and a friend went fishing at Ebenezer Dam in February 2017. It was a long hot day for fishing. At 12:30 Marnes caught his PB of 3.5kg on a blue Zoom Frog. He was very excited when he saw the big fish in the crystal clear water and managed to land it.

Th mo is WI nth’s

BEAUT

MAGUGA I caught this trophy size bass of 5.62kg from the shore at Maguga Dam in Swaziland on a Junebug Senko. – Mohammed Esat

I caught this beauty at a private dam near Nelspruit. I’ve landed this 1.9kg bass with a Junebug Fluke in 6ft deep water. I caught the bass just past 2pm and it was safely released for another day’s fishing pleasure. Thanks for a great magazine – Mau van der Mescht

READERS GO BASSING Mail aiil & Win Wi n

E-mail your picture and details of your catch to editor@sabass.com and stand a chance to win a BASS HUNTER BAITCASTER REEL COVER & SPINNING ROD SOX sponsored by MIAS Woodmead

SURPRISE Thanks for an awesome magazine every month. All the tips and features are very helpful. Thought I’d share this experience. I’ve been fishing for a while at a private dam in Swaziland. A lot of small bass for good sport caught. I decided one night to go early in the morning. After a surprisingly big run and loss on a live bream, I decided to throw in my lipless baby bream crank. Second cast and I knew it was not what we were used to. Proudly landed this 2.3kg bass at 06:30 and have landed a few big ones since. – Wynand van Staden

Please send us good crisp pictures of good quality. Pictures sent electronically must be at least 250KB. (We prefer pictures of 1MB). Potential cover pictures must be at least 3MB. All photos published in Readers-Go-Bassing are for the exclusive use of SA BASS magazine. Any photos previously published, or published by other magazines will not be considered.

SA BASS 15 April 2017

GEAR

PRODUCT REVIEW

6TH SENSE SPLASHBACK POPPER 70

hen it comes to poppers, there’s no such thing as having too many of these lures. That’s because many poppers often deliver unique actions that might appeal to bass in different scenarios. Some spray or spit water, while others provide a classic “bloop-bloop” effect. A select few can even be made to walk like a stick bait with relative ease. The SplashBack from 6th Sense can do a little of each. It’s a multi-talented performer that gives you the ability to “test” the fish to see if they want the bait moving in a zigzag line across the surface or worked “in place,” without having to change lures. I’ve been throwing it on and off since September, and it has fooled schooling bass offshore and headhunting lunkers up shallow.

First Impressions One look at this bait and it’s clear that it was built to

16 SA BASS April 2017

The most noticeable feature of the popper when it hits the water is its near-vertical stance. When paused, the bait rocks slightly left-to-right to simulate a baitfish that’s been stunned or wounded, with the feathered treble dangling below. One of the most impressive action features of the SplashBack is how well it dog-walks across the surface

PHOTOS BY MATT PACE

too. Stop-and-go twitching with the rod tip worked at a downward angle causes the nose to scoop and throw water up to a few feet, depending on how hard you twitch it. It makes much more spray than it does noise, though. To make the bait “bloop” you have to hold the rod tip high and use more of a dragging motion instead of a twitch.

perform differently from other poppers. It’s equipped with a large V-shaped mouth that features a deep cup and a very serious overbite. Just as intriguing are the flat, wide sides, square back, and keel-shaped belly. The tall sides and nose angle give the SplashBack a noticeably large profile for a 2 3/4-inch bait, while the factory finishes look almost like custom jobs (a hallmark of the 6th Sense brand). A feather treble, 3-D eyes and raised gill plates round out the package.

On the Water

By Matt Williams

Final Thoughts with very little effort. It’s easy enough to walk that a beginner could perfect the technique in short order with a little bit of instruction. The knack for walking stems from its keel-shaped belly and flat sides, which help the lure to slice through the water easily – its gaping mouth spitting water along the way. The bait performs well with other presentations,

The wide mouth and deep cup provide a considerable amount of resistance when the bait goes in motion. I found that to be a huge plus when working the SplashBack around flooded bushes, laydowns, clumps of vegetation and other isolated targets because it makes the bait easy to walk in place. As castability goes, the fixed-weight chamber in the tail section really makes this baby sail for a 3/8ounce bait.

MOUTH A large, deep mouth cup catches and throws gobs of water while helping to prevent blowouts on hard twitches. It also helps for walking the bait in place.

DESIGN The keel-shaped bottom and flat sides make achieving a walk-the-dog action a breeze.

Performance Advice Like most topwaters, the SplashBack performs best with a floating fishing line of medium test strength. I tied it to 12-pound-test Berkley Trilene XT monofilament. It also works well with straight braid or a braid/mono leader combo. I experimented with a loop knot and tying directly to its eyelet and couldn’t tell much difference in the action either way. Equally important is rod choice for long-range casting and accuracy. The

guys at 6th Sense recommend a 7foot, 6-inch to 7-foot, 10-inch, medium-action rod with a fast tip for launching long casts in open water and a shorter 6-foot, 6-inch model for better accuracy around shallow targets. I used a 6-foot, 6-inch All Star Rods Zell Rowland Signature Series topwater special that I’ve owned for years for shallow applications and a 7foot JB Custom Rods Trap n Rap model away from the bank and saw excellent results on both counts.

HITS & MISSES + Works with multiple retrieves + Walks easily + Comes with premium treble hooks and excellent finishes + Casts well – It’s a little pricey compared to some of the old staples (yet moderately priced compared to many Japanese and custom models)

Silent Works Originally, the SplashBack was designed with a weighttransfer ball in the tail end that doubled as a rattle, but 6th Sense owner Casey Sobczak says that extensive field-testing proved that the bait drew significantly more strikes when the weight was fixed so it didn’t rattle. The difference was so profound that he altered the design and fixed the tail weight in place.

DETAILS

Size Reviewed: 70 – 2 3/4 inches, 3/8 ounce

APPLICATIONS

Other Sizes: 90 – 3 1/2 inches, 3/4 ounce Colors: 12

The multi-purpose design of the SplashBack allows it to perform in a variety of scenarios. In shallow water, throw it tight to cover to coax bass from bushes, grass patches, laydowns, shade or stumps. It’s also killer on offshore schools or for running and gunning along banks where wolf packs of bass are hunting bream.

MSRP: $9.99 for the model reviewed; $12.99 for the larger model Contact: 6thsenselures.com ■

SA BASS 17 April 2017

APRIL TAKEOFF IN SEASON

Seasonal tips and tricks

other odds and ends

By Paul Strege

PRO CHOICE: BEDDING BAITS

Think Natural for River Runoff Northern rivers play a crucial role in the spring, serving as natural pipelines for collecting water runoff. When air temperatures rapidly climb, melting the winter snowpack, rivers rage and water clarity subsequently deteriorates in a hurry. FLW Tour rookie Josh Douglas of Mound, Minn., takes advantage of adverse river conditions by bucking conventional wisdom. While bulkier lures might seem to be easier for bass to locate, Douglas favors a more natural presentation. “When the water is high and muddy in the spring, I like to present something natural and without much movement to it. The Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver is a good example,” he says. “In my experience, compact baits will out-produce baits with larger, more plentiful appendages and tails. Baits with streamlined profiles drop closer to your intended target, especially when the current is strong. Think of it as you bringing the bait to the fish rather than requiring the fish to come to you.” Under most conditions, Douglas pitches his soft-plastic offerings on a 1/4-ounce Texas rig.

DID YOU KNOW? Lake Cumberland, fourth stop of the 2017 FLW Tour season, boasts several Kentucky state fishing records, including sturgeon (36 pounds, 8 ounces), striped bass (58 pounds, 4 ounces) and walleye (21 pounds, 8 ounces). The striped bass fishing on Lake Cumberland is considered truly world class.

1. Jimmy Reese White 5-inch Yamamoto Single Tail Grub “While I usually rotate through three to four different types of lures, my favorite is a Single Tail Grub. It’s a simple but versatile bait that takes care of business for me on virtually any body of water.”

2. Troy Morrow Zoom Ultra-Vibe Speed Craw “It’s a smaller, compact bait without nuisance appendages that bass tend to grab. It looks realistic on the bed, and you can swim it on a Texas rig. Every now and then I will trigger a bonus strike by swimming it back to the boat.”

THROW THIS NOW: 1/4-OUNCE BLACK BUZZBAIT Wisconsin pro Tom Monsoor has used a small black buzzbait to earn big tournament checks from Wisconsin to Louisiana, and the bite starts early, even in his region. Monsoor says he’s caught fish with it at times when there was ice along the banks. “Early in the season, you can simply run the bank. It doesn’t matter what type of cover you’re fishing, either,” notes Monsoor. “If the fish are there, they will bite it. “My go-to color has always been black. That seems to work 99 percent of the time. Every now and then, under sunny conditions in particular, a white one will out-fish the black.”

Tom Monsoor’s homemade buzzbait

18 SA BASS April 2017

3. Jeff Gustafson 2 3/4-inch Northland Impulse Fatty Tube “For smallmouths, I keep it pretty simple: a short tube, in green pumpkin color, Texas-rigged with a 2/0 Gamakatsu hook. It’s the one I used at the Lake Champlain Tour stop last year. The smallmouths just can’t resist that bait.” ■

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TAKEOFF

TECHNIQUES

CASTING A JIG

THIS SEEMINGLY SIMPLE TECHNIQUE REQUIRES CAREFUL TIMING AND CONTROL TO MASTER By Curtis Niedermier

n the hills of central and eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, casting a compact, wire-weedguard jig and slowly crawling it down sloping rocky banks is a timeless technique that works pretty much year-round. FLW’s own Bill Taylor, senior director of tournament operations, was among the pioneers of the technique, and FLW Tour pro John Devere of Berea, Ky., continues to cash checks with it on the national tournament trail. Casting a jig is a simple-enough technique to try, but it requires some time and skill to perfect. Devere offers his best advice.

The Jig Stan Sloan’s Zorro Bait Co. Casting Booza Bug Devere prefers 3/8 ounce for most scenarios but upsizes to 1/2 ounce when the fish are really aggressive.

Dual wire weedguard

A black and blue skirt gets the call for largemouths, but Devere prefers green pumpkin or brown for smallmouths.

“Nose-hooked” green pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk

The Cast On flat and slowly sloping banks, or banks that slope as much as 45 degrees, cast at a 45-degree angle out in front of the boat. If he’s searching, Devere casts as far as he can and spaces his casts a good distance apart. Once he finds fish, however, he’ll space his casts no more than 10 feet apart. On sheer bluff-type banks, cast straight toward the shoreline and nearly to the bank. “Just let it fall. Let the pole down, and let it have line – but not slack – until it hits,” Devere says. “Most of the time those straight-down banks will have a little ledge at 8 or 10 feet deep. The fish will get around that little ledge.” sloping bank

45˚

near-vertical bank

90˚

20 SA BASS April 2017

The Initial Drop

Short Rods

The casting technique Devere employs was developed to fish snaggy rock bottoms. To avoid hanging up requires careful timing and control, starting with the initial descent. “You want to try to twitch it at the same time as it hits the bottom,” Devere explains. “It’s kind of a timing thing. You don’t want to let it lie there or you’ll hang up usually. You just barely want it to touch a rock or whatever you’re fishing.”

It’s unusual these days for a professional bass angler to use a 6-foot rod for nearly any technique, but Devere says that’s just right for casting a jig. “I’ve been trying to use longer ones, but the longer it is the less control you have on the jig,” he says. “When you pull it, if you’re not careful you’ll jerk it too fast.”

Working the Jig The twitch described above is accomplished with a short lift of the rod tip that pulls the jig over the rocks. It’s not a horizontal drag, like many anglers use to cover water with a football jig. Exactly how far you pull it varies based on the area you’re fishing. “It all depends on how steep the bank is,” says Devere. “If the bank is pretty steep, like a vertical bank, you don’t pull it much at all [because it’ll fall farther after each pull]. I would guess it moves maybe 6 inches to a foot at the most each time. You don’t want to swoop it real fast. Keeping it going enough so it doesn’t get hung up is the main thing. “As soon as it hits a rock or the bottom you move it,” he adds. “You don’t just let it sit there. Just keep it crawling as a crawdad would. You’re pulling it to make it pop off the rock, and that’s when the fish hit it usually.”

When he encounters brush, Devere tries to work the jig around the edges of the cover first. Then he casts right to it. That way, if he does hang up, it happens after he’s already made a productive cast. A jig with a heavy fiber weedguard might come through wood cover better than a jig with a wire guard, but Devere says a fiber weedguard jig’s action just isn’t right. He reserves a heavy fiber weedguard for flipping. “With that Stan Sloan jig, with just two little bitty wire guards on it, the wire does protect it from snags a little bit, but if you pull it really fast into a log it’s hung,” Devere adds. “If you run into something like a log, don’t jig it really hard. Just use a little pressure to bring it over the log.” ■

PHOTO BY CURTIS NIEDERMIER

Wood Cover

SA BASS 21 April 2017

>> SA BASS BASICS

Bass Fishing Basics, Start-up Tackle – Part 3

Retrieve Techniques

Crankbaits retrieved rapidly can deliver a far more attractive swimming action

Soft plastic lures are often best fished on a ultra-slow retrieve

Top water frogs have different retrieve techniques both deadly for attracting the big bite

Walk-the-dog type lures generate an irresistible sideto-side swimming action worthwhile perfecting

>> Roger Donaldson*

he difference between one angler and the next can all come down to their retrieval technique; too fast and they don’t give the bass a chance to be convinced, an ill-performing spinnerbait, a lipless crankbait retrieved too slowly, a Zara Spook without it’s deadly side-to-side (walkthe-dog) swimming action, or the Skitter Pop… without the “pop”. Furthermore, your line diameter and rod selection will also have an effect on your retrieve technique and the performance of the lure. Let’s look at the lures we selected for the various conditions in last month’s issue and understand a little more about how we can get them to achieve the results we’re looking for:

Windy days: The surface is rippling, oxygen is churning and you’re armed with a spinnerbait and a crankbait. So far you have a winning combination. Spinnerbaits can be a little tricky to cast into the wind, but this can be made easier by selecting a line diameter that fits with the weight of your lure. Although you wouldn’t often be fishing a light weight lure (1/16oz or similar) in windy conditions a line diameter found on a line with around 6 to 8lb breaking strain will suite better. On the other end of the spectrum a heavier spinnerbait (3/4 or 1/2oz), perfect for windy opportunities, will be fished quite comfortably on anything between 10 to 15lb line. Crankbaits work similarly to spinnerbaits in that the lighter (smaller) lures will be more comfortably cast and retrieved on lighter (thinner) line and vice versa. The techniques are quite easy to get used to and rely on you understanding the swimming action of the lure you are fishing. The spinnerbait’s blades are designed to spin continuously and without hindrance of any kind. If the blades are interfered with by an out of shape lure or vegetation trapped around the working parts your chances 22 SA BASS April 2017

of getting a bite are virtually none. Crankbaits work the same. In fact, it is most often than anglers are retrieving these lures too slowly and not allowing the force of the water to impart action on these specially designed lures. A great example was had during a fishing event on Rhenosterkop Dam. My fishing partner and I were both casting lipless crankbaits in 3 to 4ft of water – that’s pretty shallow. I was getting a bite per cast, yet right next to me my partner had none. We decided that his retrieval speed was too slow and then made the next cast to test the theory. The roles all of a sudden switched. He said he could feel the difference; with more speed the lure vibrated more erratically, improving the swimming action and with a slightly elevated rod tip it also held up off the bottom and reduced snagging with vegetation.

Calm conditions: As mentioned last month, calm conditions demand a different type of retrieve and attention. Soft plastic lures are not the only choice, but they can produce impressive bites when the weather is calm. Super Fluke’s and Senkos were our lures of choice for open (sparsely) covered water. Use the same example with light and heavy weights as we spoke of above and adjust your line accordingly – this well help a great deal when feeling the bite and reacting in time as well as for the ‘natural’ swimming action of these exceptional plastic baits. There is actually very little effort that goes into the retrieve of these lures and that is where they are most dangerous. Cast in, let the lure sink down to the structure, let it lie a few seconds, then slowly lift your rod tip and twitch the lure out of the structure, letting it fall straight back to the bottom again. Do not rush! Repeat the process over until the lure is close to the boat if you haven’t already hooked up on the fish you’ve been looking for.

Brush Hogs or creature style lures we suggested using for heavy cover (not forgetting that you will need to add weight to the lure). Now that you’ve added weight to get the lure right down into the structure allow it to reach the bottom and repeat the steps mentioned above. The slower the better and often just shaking your rod tip gently and not retrieving at all will give the bass a chance to seek out your offering and make its move.

Dawn, dusk and backwaters: The Horny Toad and SPRO Frog are both top water frogs yet they each have a completely different retrieve technique when used for top water applications. Importantly, you should be rigging up with a monofilament or braided line in order to keep the bait on the surface and prevent it from sinking. This is where the lures swimming action can be affected greatly. If the lure is dragged beneath the surface it will lose its characteristic swimming action. The Horny Toad requires a consistent retrieve and an elevated rod tip which allows the lure to kick and fight the surface as it runs, while the SPRO Frog can be fished with a downward jerking motion to get the lure to ‘dip and pop’ in the retrieve. And then lastly you’ll have the pleasure of fishing the Zara Spook or Rapala Skitter Walk. These baits require you to learn the technique called “walk-the-dog”. It’s actually fairly simple to get the lure to dart to the side and only Tel 0861 282 282 info@armaiuris.co.za

requires that you jerk your rod tip (upward or downwards) in a consistent retrieval pattern. As soon as you jerk the line the bait will dart to one side. When jerked immediately thereafter the lure will characteristically dart in the opposite direction. It’s an undoubtedly irresistible action that will leave you staring in awe and the bass with no option but to investigate! *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.

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

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02 - 08 April 2017 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

Tel: 078 548 1301 Email: hotreeltec@gmail.com Service Center SA BASS 23 April 2017

>> SA BASS TECHNOLOGY

Moving With Time

>> John Badenhorst

echnology has always been a rather fascinating aspect of our daily lives. One simply has to use Google and do a basic search and you will be astounded with the inventions that are now available to anglers around the globe. This technology has helped anglers to up their catch rates; improve on their PB’s and even win tournaments. From basic and simple fish finders we have moved rather rapidly into a strange new world where SideScan, StructureScan and 3D-imaging are common terms. Obviously this new hi-tech has come at a substantial price, but in our pursuit of those that dwell in the deep, we will continue to take advantage of what’s available to us. For over two decades I personally didn’t use a fish finder at all, simply doing research and going by gut feel and instinct, and believe me, I’ve had some incredible catches. But one has to move with the times. As gadgets become more popular, thankfully their price seems to have come down a tad too. Recently I took the plunge and had a fish finder and chartplotter/ GPS fitted to my boat, essentially it’s not to see the fish but rather to have

24 SA BASS April 2017

a better view of the structure and layout under my boat. This gives me the advantage of choosing what to use next, or how to approach a certain spot. For almost a year before doing this, I used a cheaper technology available to every single angler with a smart phone. Just because it’s cheap, does not mean it has no place in the modern world of bassin’. These days most anglers and even school kids have smart phones and with that comes options... Options of weather forecasts, barometric pressure readings, best fish days and time predictions based on the user’s individual GEO location. I’ve used and tried many of these apps available and have found a few to be absolutely spot on. Some of these apps are so advanced that not only can you log a catch but it will give you the options of saving the GPS location as a strike marker, and then allow you to take a photo in the app just in case you need it for later reference. Most of the good apps are available with Google Play service or for IPhone on IOS. Now, with the technology available at your fingertips, even a youngster starting out with a float tube or canoe

or kayak has an edge. The advantages are even there for use by the weekend bank angler. Most of these good apps are freely available but the best of these would cost you a couple of bucks and trust me, it’s worth it. In over a year of using various apps, I have found a couple that would hopefully work for you as it has done for me. The free versions are available for everyone and it helps to install the app, run it and give it a test. Some anglers prefer different things and different key information that would help them to succeed. There are hundreds of apps available for weather conditions and a firm favorite is AccuWeather and another is the South African, AfricaWeather and South Africa Weather. I’ve used all of these and it gives you up to ten days predictive forecasts showing barometric pressure. With these apps, you will have access to basic information as it becomes available with up to the hour updates. For a couple of bucks you can unlock other features and even more advanced information. Recently a friend of mine introduced me to an app called Weather Bomb, this is probably one of the best I’ve come across. With extremely accurate wind, humidity and rainfall predictions updated on the hour, every hour. Easy to operate and navigate, this is probably one of the most used apps on my phone or tablet. Fishing apps are a dime a dozen and yet, here we have something simple right at your fingertips that when used, in conjunction with your chosen weather app, help to improve your catch rate. Fishidy is a social app that allows members to record catches and data about a trip, share with mates and other anglers, and links all of this to real time locations through an interfaced Fishing Hot Spots map. The app also allows the member to access pro tips from top anglers, and they can even upload catches to an online bragging board. In short, this is a simple yet very user friendly map based fishing log. Available for free to both IOS and Android users.

GoFree Hooked is an app that allows an angler to record catches by GPS location, save photos, fish details and notes about each catch. Once saved, this information can be shared with friends or even on social media. By keeping track of your catches it help in the future to go back into the log history to find specific patterns and to identify strategies for better results. The app also allows the angler to see how their performance stacks up against other anglers in their area. This app is also free to IOS and Android users. Fishbrain is an app that keeps popping up on social media and the list of users grow on a daily basis and is the world’s largest community based fishing app. With this app, the angler can upload catches, fishing reports and observations. These can then be viewed by only themselves, or can be shared with friends or the fishing community at large. Anglers can also view catches from other anglers in their area or a specific spot to get some info and tips. It’s a great tool for clubs or groups of friends to help each other out and learn. It also helps anglers that are new to the game to view reports from more experienced anglers. The app has loads of information regarding baits, techniques and water conditions, and is a great resource for someone wanting to try a new venue or a new technique of fishing. I’ve installed this app and have to say the information is spot on. Although most of the users of this app happen to be based in the USA, I think it’s just a matter of time before many more South African anglers join this world wide community. As more local anglers are joining each day. This is also available for free to both IOS and Android users and does offer inapp purchases which opens up more possibilities. FishingMobile is an app that I have personally been using for over a year and what makes this app slightly different is its interface with a live GPS map tracker and strike marker. It allows you to take a photo to match your specific hot spot for easy identification at a later stage. With automatic Date,

Time, GPS location and weather conditions for every catch, this is truly a great app to have and even features a live compass. The app also includes Solunar tide charts from over 7000 locations, advanced weather reports, live tracking, waypoint creator, trolling speed calculator and complete illustrations for different rigs, tips and more. This app is available to IOS and Android users for free but does contain in-app purchases. Last but not least; AdventureBuddy Fishing is a true South African app with over 5000 users already, and growing daily. It features GPS, fishing spots, weather information for most popular dams and resorts, what baits are working, articles and videos from professional anglers. It even has information on tackle shops with their GPS locations. And for those wanting to bring out their social and competitive side, it has information on all the fishing clubs in South Africa. This is a must have app. Available for free to IOS and Android users. Whether you’re a weekend angler or someone that spends most of his or her available time out on the water, the above apps have been developed by people that understand the need for accurate information, and thankfully this information is now right there at your fingertips. Some apps might not be to your liking or taste but they are all functional and user friendly.

SA BASS 25 April 2017

>> SA BASS STRATEGY

– Part 2

Pre-Fishing Success

>> Divan Coetzee In last month’s issue, Rowan Zerf emphasised the importance of isolating key areas before you even get to your venue.

26 SA BASS April 2017

reparing properly eliminates a lot of guess work and will allow you to establish a viable pattern quicker. Let me take you through the next part of the process. So, prior to every tournament, Rowan would painstakingly create a detailed map of the venue using Google Earth and other programmes to overlay topography or contour maps onto the HDS-units. With homework completed it’s time to get on the water, not to fish, but to meticulously map the areas we had identified at home by using SideScan or down imaging. We would purposely seek out areas that can only be identified by using decent electronics, in the hope that it remains hidden from others. This map then gets converted and superimposed over the existing maps. Now we have a bird’s-eye-view of what it looks like in that area (along with drone footage from when water levels were down). You can’t ask for more. Next, we would idle over the areas using standard sonar to determine if there are fish holding in those areas at the time. Taking note of the depth the fish are holding at and what they are relating to. Now it gets tricky, identifying different fish species on the electronics can be difficult, so we look for showings that clearly relate to the bottom or baitfish. These would typically be bass. Now we start to fish, but all hooks removed. If we get a lot of bites in an area only then might we decide to pin one or two fish to see what size they are. This is in high contrast to what we’ve seen other anglers do of late. Due to the fact that there is no cut-off date for money tournaments, we’ve seen anglers arrive at a venue on the Thursday, race to every known hotspot, and then proceed to catch every bass willing to bite. Even worse, they repeat the process on Friday. Come Saturday afternoon weigh-in, these fellas return burnt and broken, struggling to come to

terms with why their spots did not produce three days in a row. “We should have held the comp yesterday” he utters, “the fish were biting lekker then”. Sure buddy, if only you hadn’t caught them all before Saturday... This is part of the reason why we spend so much time scanning the water - to find concentrations of fish that the man on the street would miss. We don’t have the fastest boat in all the land so we had to adapt. If we can’t out race them, then we would outsmart them. This worked out quite well for us, while the masses squabbled over the known hotspots, we would go silently about our business, with no one paying us any attention. Back to the point; so after checking the size of the fish we would debate whether five of similar stature would be enough to win. (Consult historic catch results available online) Also, if the area in question is able to produce five fish of such a size. More debating follows... We would make educated guesses on which areas we thought would be better in the morning versus the afternoon, and which areas might attract unwanted attention from other anglers before we had chance to get there. Next we would discuss weather, will it remain constant throughout? Or will tournament day be the polar opposite of what it was like during pre fishing? Which is the case more often than not? What then? Your pattern that you’ve established has gone out the window. To recover from this on tournament day is difficult, especially if your pattern is a shallow one. You need a backup plan in the form of deep

and stable water that will be less affected by frontal weather. What I’m saying is: try to determine what your fish will do if the weather turns foul. Is there deep water in close proximity to your primary areas? If so, then good. If not, then you’ve been found wanting. Bass do two things during a front: they move out or they shut down. If bass have to move too far to get into deeper water they will simply conserve energy and shut down i.e.: lock jaw. Thus ensure that you have a pattern for shallow and deep water in order to avoid disappointment. On days like these catching five fish becomes crucial, even paramount. A little bit can make a big difference. We set nothing in stone and to be adaptable is key. Small adjustments can be the difference between failure and success. The advancements in technology with regards to electronics and wireless sneaker motors has absolutely and undoubtedly revolutionised the way we fish. The anchor mode on XI5 motor has been a game changer for us specifically. Being able to tell the motor what to do and where to go at the touch of a button, has afforded us the opportunity to focus on the fishing without having to worry about drifting off the spot and constantly having to make corrections to keep the boat in position. If you haven’t jumped on the band wagon yet, you will soon be left behind. Learn to interpret your electronics properly, it will serve you well. In next month issue, we’ll take a look at establishing a solid pattern through proper bait selection.

PRETO RIA

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SA BASS 27 April 2017

>> SA BASS STRATEGY

Fall Fishing ΖQ PRVW SDUWV RI WKH FRXQWU\ WKH ZDWHU OHYHOV KDV ULVHQ VXEVWDQWLDOO\ DIWHU D ORQJ GURXJKW DQG DUH QRZ ȴVKDEOH DJDLQ DQG LWȇV QRZ DJDLQ WLPH WR WDNH DGYDQWDJHV RI WKH IDOO ȴVKLQJ >> Bennie Wiese*

ass will start to feed aggressive to build up for the winter months, and will go on feed frenzy’s especially if there’s consisted weather. Fall fishing can be difficult at times, but for most part it means intense strikes, fast moving baits, and a variety of techniques to take advantage of. Fall is the time of year when fish can be found and caught in 15cm (six inches) of water, stacked up on riprap shorelines, especially when the wind is blowing up on to the rip-raps. The following are my fall arsenal but please keep in mind that these lures don’t perform the same on all dams (or in all seasons).

Jigs Big jigs have always given me quality fish although finesse jigs will give bigger quantities of bass; but make no mistake jigs work throughout the year. You can use any type jig as long as you have confidence in it. These days I prefer to use a jig that will stand up when it hits the bottom armed with a wide gap hook it just gives me a better hook up ratio. The trailer selection can be the key and it is crucial to find a pattern similar to what the fish are feeding on. This can often be fodder fish imitations moving across flats and hopped under docks, or a grub imitation moving over timber and rock. Some of my favourite jigs are Terminator and Hillbilly Poisen jigs.

Buzzbaits Fall brings intense weather changes and can change the feeding habits off the bass instantly. As soon as the fodder moves to the shallow, the bass will follow. I have experienced countless days where the bass were sitting in a few inches of water, absorbing the sun and chasing small schools of bait down the banks. When they are so shallow buzzbaits 28 SA BASS April 2017

are great for picking these shallow water spots and effective when ripped over remaining weed clumps. Windblown banks can be another great buzzing’ spot, especially where the wind is ripping and cornering baitfish against the rocks. I prefer double bladed buzzbaits but the downside of these lures is that it is difficult to get long casts with them, if you can find the correct rod tip action you casting distance can improve. I suggest using Booyah or Revenge as they have worked for me.

Lipless crankbaits You can’t go fishing in the fall without the faithful lipless crankbait when you search for active fish. Bass will be found in the shallow flats searching for food and warmth from the sun. Lipless baits can be cast a mile with just a flick of the wrist and the noisy rattles call in the fish with each movement of the bait. The most used sizes are 3/8oz to 3/4oz and come in an assortment of colours, ranging from funky colours to realistic patterns to mimic baitfish. During extreme cold front conditions you will have to downsize to 1/8oz baits; especially if you notice big schools of small baitfish. When big fish are beating the ¾oz bait, go up in size to the one ounce baits. Be brave and bounce these baits off cover and rip them through weed to trigger reaction strikes. Here are a few of my favourite lipless crankbaits: Red Eye Shad, Excalibur XR50 and Cotton Cordell. Every brand has its own unique ratting sound that can trigger the fish on a different day.

Spinnerbaits I fished many autumns; when the leaves on trees start to change colour that’s the sign to use the spinnerbaits more

often. The vegetation in the water also starts to die off. The fish gravitate toward any remaining healthy vegetation because it not only holds baitfish, but also provides a great ambush point for bass to feed on their prey. Spinnerbaits are ideal when fishing around remaining plant life. Unfortunately there isn’t just one particular style of spinnerbait that the bass prefer. There are times when they want a 3/4 oz double willow blade burned past weed edges and then there are times when all they will hit is a small 1/8oz Colorado blade bumped across a lay-down. Either way, these baits are proven fish catchers and it helps to have a wide variety of weights, colours and blade patterns to precisely dial in on what the fish want.

Jerkbaits There are two seasons for jerkbaits, namely spring and autumn. Jerkbaits have the power to trigger strikes from inactive fish, as well as greedy schools of bass that are stacked up and eating everything in their path. What makes jerkbaits so successful this time of year is their ability to be fished with different retrieves on every cast, to correctly identify the mood of the fish. There are times when the fish may want the lures ripped hard and fast, as well as times when they want a slow jerk and pause, even dead sticking - letting the bait sit for thirty seconds. This bait is a must for your autumn arsenal. My favourites brands include Pointer, X-Rap and Rogues.

Drop-shot Most anglers would not turn to drop-shot fishing in the fall, but there is one area in particular where I find it to be very handy. There are often times when I fish shallow water with spinnerbaits or cranks and I can actually see fish strike the bait. Often less aggressive fish will only bump or flash at these fast moving baits. With the drop-shot I can cast back to the exact target where the fish are holding and entice them into striking a less threatening bait. This approach has helped me land plenty of big bass.

Finesse worms Don’t overlook the power of the fineness worms this time of the year especially on the day the bass are finicky to hit other lures. The normal straight tail worm can work wonders when other lures fail. Most of the time finicky bass trouble resisting a finesse worm. The small profile and slow wavering action, such a worm simply looks like an easy meal. These small straight tail worms are very versatile in the many ways to fish. One way to fish these worms are to rig them on a 1/8- or 1/16-ounce jig head and present it with a combination of shakes, hops, drags and pauses. Don’t forget to rig them on a Mojo or Carolina and drag them across the bottom. Play around with the distant of the leader. I prefer to use natural colour Green Pumpkin, Road Kill and black. *Bennie Wiese is an experienced bass tournament angler and editor of SA Bass magazine.

Here’s another easy e-mail competition for SA BASS readers! Answer the easy question below and stand a chance to win FREE two night’s accommodation at Glenrock Game & Trout in their fishermen’s cottage. This cottage is a three bedroom unit next to the dam. It can accommodate ten people. The prize includes fishing fees. Glenrock Game and Trout is the ultimate destination in the KZN Midlands, 2 hours from Durban, and 4 hours from Gauteng, between Mooi River and Greytown off the R622. Their beautiful dams are stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout and add to the picturesque surrounds. Glenrock Game and Trout has 7 fully equipped, self-catering units and three lovely dormitories. A total of 160 people can be accommodated, 80 people in our dormitories and a further 80 people can be accommodated through-out the cottages. Besides the Camp facilities they also offer some very exciting activities and things to do: animal farm; play park, 250m zip-line, tree climb, hikes, mountain bike trails, fishing, bird watching and game viewing to name a few. They cater for young and old and specialize in teambuilding, leadership, school curriculum excursions, adventure camps and group bonding.

For more information or bookings, please contact Glenrock Game and Trout on 087-808-5757 or e-mail them at douglas@glenrock.co.za Visit their website www.glenrock.co.za

QUESTION: Glenrock Game and Trout is situated between which two towns? To enter simply e-mail the word “DESTINATION” and your answer followed by your name and telephone number to: competitions@sabass.com to reach us before 17 April 2017.

RULES:

Regretfully no pets are allowed. The winner must make the booking directly with the sponsor. The prize may not be exchanged for money To enter simply e-mail the word “DESTINATION” and your answer followed by your name and telephone number to: competitions@sabass.com to reach us before 17 April 2017. The first correct entry drawn on the closing date will be the winner By entering this competition you agree to all rules and accept that the decision of the publisher is final and that no correspondence thereto will be entertained SA BASS 29 This competition is open to all readers of SA BASS except employees ofApril SA BASS, 2017 BB Print and Glenrock Game and Trout and their immediate families.

>> SA BASS

Technology Fair or No Fair?

>> Kevin Lofstedt*

his is probably going to be very controversial, but here goes: Manufacturers of sonars / sounders / echo locaters, and any other piece of electronic wizardry manufacturers are constantly telling us that this is the stuff, they say, will make us better anglers. We are being convinced to spend our hard earned cash on hi-tech equipment to put more fish in the boat. Apart from the fact that this inevitably creates the situation where those with large bank accounts have better stuff than the “opposition”. Okay, so what’s the problem? Well, call me old school, but I am of the belief that there needs to be an element of “art” involved in the pursuit of the game. (Whatever that “game” may be). It’s interesting; when hunters sit in the comfort of a helicopter, and pursue, let’s say an elephant with huge tusks (awesome trophy, right?); this is frowned upon as un-sportsman like. However, if the elephant population is busy eating itself into extinction, then culling from a helicopter is okay. (Or not). I don’t know who decides what the criteria for what is considered “sportsmanlike conduct”, but I suspect that we’re all born with an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong, and

30 SA BASS April 2017

deep down I believe we all know the difference. There are of course exceptions, and these exceptions are often what some people use to justify their transgression of what is right or wrong. Let me give you an example: If the guy is shooting elephants because they need to be culled, he, or she, will tell you that they are doing what is, in the long term, good for the general elephant population. As such, why should they do the cull the hard way, on the ground, and at the same time put themselves in harm’s way? Good point. Okay, so we’ve established that there are certain circumstances where “dubious methods” are used and might be considered by some to be acceptable. Now let’s take all the facts into consideration. The option of birth control for elephants is available – fact. Why are we traumatising the whole herd that usually is in utter confusion whilst hunters exterminate each animal one at a time? This happens because someone (not an elephant) said that the most humane way to cull is to cull the whole herd. Less trauma they say? I’m not an elephant, but I think it safe to say that that theory is utter b… s… So what has this got to do with us as bass fishermen and women? Well,

all I am trying to illustrate is that I believe bass fishing is a dying art. Yes art! If you make your living by fishing for food, or fishing as a business, then you definitely need all the hi-tech stuff you can lay your hands on right? I mean in order to put food on the table, you need to be as productive as you possibly can be. If you speak to the owners of long line tuna boats, they will justify the use of long lines up to ten kilometres! (According to Greenpeace information). They will tell you that this is what is required to keep the price of tuna down (while it still is out there), and also they need to do this to remain competitive. Now let’s talk about all the electronics you absolutely must have to be competitive. Having a GPS is, if for no other reason, a safety requirement. You need to know where you are going, and also where you have been. You catch a fish on a spot, and add a waypoint. Good! No problem. Knowing the water temperature – a must! Knowing how far you have travelled, and how far you still can travel on your available fuel - great to have. Built in barometer – fantastic! HD-360 degree “Vision”, HD-SideScan, HD-Down-Scan, etc, etc... Like I said, I’m “old school” and am

convinced that some of us are busy buying our way to success. In the process, the real “art” of bassing is being lost to “big budget” guys that are more proficient in using electronics, than are capable of fishing using their bass intellect and their past experiences to put for fish on the boat. I remain unconvinced that highly sophisticated electronics are a blessing to bassing as a sport. As for the poor bass – well those poor guys are getting it from all sides, and it is my opinion that they need all the breaks we can give them. We already have waaaaaaay more choice of tackle to fool these guys into biting. The question is: Do we want bassing to be easier are harder to succeed at? What happened to “paying your dues”? Whether or not you opt to spend your hard earned cash on expensive electronics, or financing actual time on the water fishing is a question only you can answer. Both way; there is always going to be this difference of opinion, and both sides will do all that they can to justify their chosen option. My son plays golf at a high level, and I asked him what the situation with technology within that sport is. Apparently, when you are practicing, you can use almost any gadgetry available, however, during the course of tournament play, yardages, wind factors, humidity, weather forecasts and green speeds are all calculated manually and I can only believe that this is the interests of a “level playing field”. Call me stupid, but golf has been around for a while, and maybe they know something we don’t.

Words of wisdom: If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there! Lewis Carol. *Kevin Lofstedt is a regular writer and a well known veteran bass angler with three times Southern Gauteng Colours since 1985. He is also the main founder of Clearwater Bassmasters Bass Chapter (1994).

Driving through the river instead of taking the bridge? Amarok can. Now with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

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February 2017 Results Gauteng 1: Team Nev er Giv e Up - 5.985kg 2: Team Hill Billy Poisen - 5.64kg 3: Team Lucky Strike - 4.415kg 4: Team Madfin - 4.125kg 5: Team New Anchor - 3.815kg

Back: Chris Minney, Vincent Muller, Lesley Montgomery, Frans Swanepoel, Calman Grobler, Wesley Smith Front: Gareth Dryden, Tony Lagesan, Nigel Potgieter, AndrÃ© Pretorius

1: Team Mav erick - 3.600kg 2: Team Snot Rocket - 2.440kg 3: Team Oupa - 2.340kg 4: Team 5X4 - 2.065kg 5: Team Bass Reapers - 2.000kg

Back: Frik Strydom, Ian Boswell, Tony Ernst, Koos Visagie Front: Ian van Rooyen, Herhold Venter, Tim Welbeloved, Steven Jones

34 SA BASS April 2017

Mpumalanga 1: Team Mercury Pro Team - 3.975kg 2: Team Knotts Nissan Woodmead - 3.700kg 3: Team Cube Design Innovations - 3.635kg 4: Team R&R - 3.470kg 5: Team Berkley ABU - 3.400kg

VLNR: Roche Fourie & Rico Lewis, Hennie Schoeman & Ruan Wahl, Slade & Shandon Hawman, Joao Mendes & Bennie Wiese, Leonardus Harmse & Stephen Williams

1: Team X-Factor - 3.165kg The rest caught nothing

FLW Membership Benefit Provider: Bass World On presenting your FLW membership card: ?An FLW member is allowed ten percent (10%) discount on any purchases made from Bass World. ?An additional ten percent will be given to an FLW member who makes any purchases of at least R1,000 or more within seven days of his date of birth.

Limpopo CAST FOR CASH BASS FISHING TOURNAMENT TRAIL

1: Team Beli VC - 3.95kg 2: Team 13 - 3.475kg 3: Team Fear no Fish - 3.155kg 4: Team Limpopo Fuels - 3.09kg 5: Team Filterman - 2.626kg

Back: Reed Eastman, G. de Wet, Stefan Badenhorst, Andy Kyriacoudes, Kobus Snyman Front: Justy Varkevisser, Lourens Matthysen, Alexi Kuisi, Terry Papadopoulos, Marcelle de Beer

SA BASS 35 April 2017

KZN 1: Team Strike King Bass Warehouse - 4.585kg 2: Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365 - 4.27kg 3: Team Venom - 1.825kg 4: Team R & R - 0.88kg 5: Team One 3 Fishing - 0.395kg

L-t-r: Bryan Leppan; Michael Cannon; Robert Olivier; Neels Beneke; Shane Estran; Rajen Govender; Ross Summerell; Alistair Moores-Pitt; Rob Veldhuizen

W-Cape 1: Team Berkley Hav oc - 4.585kg 2: Team Nagel & Barnard - 4.27kg 3: Team Varkenelli - 1.825kg 4: Team Picasso SA - 0.88kg 5: Team Finesse - 0.395kg

Western Cape Winners

36 SA BASS April 2017

Cast-for-Cash Tournament Trial The SA BASS Cast-for-Cash bass tournaments are qualifying rounds to the FLW SA Championship. Each team consists of maximum two persons per boat who are allowed to weigh five fish per day. Because it is a catch-andrelease event, teams are penalised for weighing any fish that cannot swim away from the way station. The top five heaviest bags for the day are declared winners at prize giving. Apart from the cash prizes contestants also have a chance to win various lucky draw prizes, but they have to be present at prize giving to receive the prize. Next event: Visit our websites for full results and tournament dates www.sabass.com and www.flwsouthafrica.com

Mpumalanga >>Corné Schoeman

his was the third leg of our journey and probably the one we anticipated to be the toughest, due to our past experience on RDW dam. Rust de Winter taught us a good lesson last year in August by unveiling the vegan bass situated in the so-called “Salad Bowles”... This grass-line again proofed to provide the winning bags, but alas we still struggled to produce a bite from there once again. One thing is for sure, Rust de Winter is not one of our most confident dams, but each time we fish there, we learn. We were greeted with a downpour early morning, but as we started off, the rain subsided a bit. Full cloud coverage for most of the day though and with two downpours soaking you to the bone in between. It was honestly the most difficult weather condition I have fished in. Let me put it like this, if I had makeup on I would have looked like Batman's Joker. As we vowed the previous time, we followed the crowd. Every single boat proceeded to the “Salad Bowles” early morning. We were spread out all along this grass-line, still not sure how to produce bites in this area. We received tips the previous time, but conditions was very different than August. The water has risen and the whole area looked like a different scenario. The bank that was exposed previously was now submerged.

We spent here about one and a half hour, proceeding from deep to shallow and shallow to deep into grasspockets, casting curly tail natural coloured lures on Texas rigs, chatter baits, topwater lures and spinnerbaits, not producing a single nibble. We made a call to move to the next spot people had success previously. The rocky points that leads into Crocodile Bay. Here our story made a turn for the better. At least it did for Jacques. He used a drop-shot rig with a Zoom Watermelon Red Curly Tail and caught the first fish at around 9am, throwing parallel with the bank. We were about five metres inwards. This was honestly a breakthrough moment for our morale. We however still had a long way to go to our limit. I was working the whole area alongside with everything he was casting, but hey it is in the end how you wiggle your worm. My wiggling and jiggling was only attracting the beady eyed attention of a huge crocodile... Amused and in high spirit I said to Jacques “hold my Energade and watch this move”. If I am not going to get a bite from a bass maybe I can catch myself a leatherface. The only thing I could think which will be suitable for hooking a croc was his bass in the live-well and some mini sausage rolls I brought with for snacks. I opted for option two because we still needed the bass. I hooked a

sausage roll on and slinged it towards the croc. It fell just in front of its snout and immediately it looked like the Hunt for Red October. Dive, Dive, Dive... The croc dived in fear of this crazy lady and was never to be seen again to my utter despair. Still think Crocodile Schoeman has a nice ring to it. Back to serious business of bass fishing. Jacques managed to catch two more fish in this area using the same strategy and adding a fluke into the mix. I was his ultimate cheerleader. I did not give up though and manage to produce a few nibbles which I could not produce fish for. In the end thanks to Jacques we did better than the previous time on Rust de Winter. It hurt us in our rankings on the log but still we had fun. After weigh in coming in at the same spot our starting tag was drawn, we felt very disappointed but still motivated to do better in the next events. To sum up our goal was to do better than in August and just not to blank. We achieved this although we felt a bit devastated in our poor performance. We even questioned our expertise afterwards if we belonged in this series or not. Then we looked at how far we have come and grown as anglers and know anything is possible if you put your mind and effort into it. You cannot learn without failure from time to time. It is what helps you grow in anything you want to achieve. SA BASS 37 April 2017

>> SA BASS INDUSTRY NEWS

s e i r e S P R I H C P A M o h ec

armin, the global leader in satellite navigation has been successful in creating navigation and communication devices which embrace lifestyle needs and enrich the lives of customers’ since 1989. The brands innovative products span various areas of interest, including automotive, marine, fitness, outdoor recreation, and aviation and wireless applications. Garmin are excited to announce the echoMAP CHIRP series – a new line of affordable chart plotter/sonar combination units with built-in CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP DownVüTM and SideVü, the clearest scanning sonar on the water. The new echoMAP CHIRP series 7” and 9” offer support for Garmin Panoptix transducers and all units come standard with Garmin QuickdrawTM Contours, a new software feature

CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies and interprets them individually upon their return, creating crisper fish arches with better target separation 38 SA BASS April 2017

that lets mariners instantly create personalized high definition fishing maps with one-foot contours on any body of water. With NMEA® 2000 compatibility*, the new echoMAPs can also receive information from sensors, engines, autopilots and more. “With integrated CHIRP sonar, premium mapping options, built-in GPS, and support for Panoptix and NMEA 2000, the echoMAP CHIRP series is a powerful step forward in the evolution of combination units for anglers,” said Chris Gillitt, Garmin Southern Africa’s Marine Category. “We’re excited to bring these units to market and believe that they truly provide the best fishing experience possible, and at price points to meet the needs of the value-minded customer.” Like previous echoMAP models, the CHIRP series is available in bright, sunlight readable 4”, 5”, 7” and 9” colour displays with an intuitive, keyed interface. All models are equipped with a built-in, high-sensitivity 5Hz GPS antenna that updates location and heading five times per second for extremely reliable position accuracy at all times. For the clearest scanning sonar of fish and structure on the market, this new series offers built-in CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP DownVü and SideVü technology. Instead of just sending one single frequency, CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies and interprets

them individually upon their return, creating crisper fish arches with better target separation. For anglers who want to see objects and structure below the boat, DownVü provides a nearly photographic view with excellent resolution and target separation in both freshwater and saltwater. The echoMAP CHIRP SV models also add SideVü scanning for customers who want to see what’s located on both sides of the boat. Additionally, the 7” and 9” echoMAP CHIRP models provide support for Garmin Panoptix; an all-seeing sonar. With Panoptix on board, fisherman can see real-time sonar imagery at video-like speed. It shows an image of fish swimming and moving toward or away from the boat – even while stationary – in real time and up to 100 feet away. The echoMAP CHIRP series will support all Panoptix models, including the new PS21. A worldwide base map comes preloaded on all models and they are compatible with optional BlueChart® G2 and BlueChart G2 Vision maps. BlueChart G2 Vision offers Garmin renowned Auto Guidance, 3D-views, aerial photos and more. *Available in the 5-inch, 7-inch, and 9-inch models. Contact Garmin Southern Africa for unmatched direct services and support on (011) 251 9999 or visit their headquarters in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

>> SA BAARS HENGELAARS

‘n Dag Saam Met … Frans Swanepoel

Lourens Vorster, eienaar van Sediba Kwele, Frans en Maurice voor ons oggendhengelsessie

>> Philip Kemp*

m net ‘n bietjie tyd by ‘n besigheidsman en formidabele hengelaar soos Frans Swanepoel te steel, is nie aldag so maklik nie. Frans se maatskappy, wat veselglas en gom versprei, en sy besige kompetisierooster, is reeds genoeg om hom besig te hou. Ontmoet jy hom egter, ervaar jy sy geduldige, rustige geaardheid en dan besef jy hoekom hy dan juis so ‘n suksesvolle hengelaar en sakeman is. Frans en sy bootmaat, Lesley Montgomery, het in 2016 die Cast-for-Cash Kampioen-van-Kampioenereeks gewen. Hierdie is ‘n besonderse prestasie as daar in ag geneem word dat hulle tussen ‘n klompie uitgelese baarshengelaars was wat alles sou gee om met die titel weg te stap. Daarbenewens was Lesley nie juis ‘n groot baarshengelaar nie en het hy alles by Frans geleer. Nou ja, ek moes Frans reeds die oggend sesuur by Sediba Kwele se hekke ontmoet. Vroeg uit Pretoria, het ek gedink dat ek Frans sou voorspring. Hy moes van Benoni af ry, ‘n entjie verder as ek. Frans was my een voor. Hy het reeds by die ingang vir my gestaan en wag. Ek het daar en dan besef dat Frans een van daardie spesiale hengelaars is met ‘n ongelooflike passie en dryfkrag vir baarshengel. Ek ken die waters van Sediba Kwele se veertien hektaar dam al vir bykans twintig jaar. Sekerlik sou ek ‘n voorsprong hê bo Frans. Ons was skaars op die water of Frans se stok staan ‘n boog. Hy was vas met ‘n pragtige vis, en dit met ‘n boloper aas wat ek nog net oor gelees het op die internet.

40 SA BASS April 2017

Frans voer baie van sy aas direk in uit die buiteland, maar vervaardig ook van sy plastiese asies self. Die dag was nog in sy moederskoot en helaas, ek ken mos die dam, of altans, so het ek gedink. Ek het opnuut weer besef hoe belangrik goeie toerusting, veral katrolle moet wees. Frans verkies ook om net met een spesifieke model katrol te hengel sodat daar nie onnodige aanpassings gemaak moet word nie. Dit het nie saak gemaak hoe ver ek my aas kon gooi nie, Frans was my altyd ‘n meter of twee voor. In die koffiekleur water was dit belangrik om groot areas te dek en daarvoor moet ‘n man darem ver kan gooi. Een van Frans se gunsteling tegnieke, en ek hoop nie ek verklap hier ‘n geheim nie, is die ligter Carolina-strop. Dit was nie lank nie, voordat Frans sy tweede baars aan die hoek gehad het. Natuurlik met een van die plastiese asies wat hy self vervaardig het. My seun Maurice sou later die oggend by ons aansluit juis om ons te help om ‘n paar baars in die bruin “koffiewater” vas te trek. Gewoonlik sal baars styf teen die struktuur en dekking gaan lê. Frans het selfs groot klippe in drie tot ses voet water geteiken en was suksesvol deur gedurende die oggend en later ook die middag twee baars van een spesifieke klip af te vang. Dit was vir my duidelik dat Frans homself terdeë begin geniet het in die “moeilike” waters, en ek… ek kon maar net toekyk. Selfs Maurice het nie hond haar-af gemaak nie. Natuurlik is ek een van die hardkoppige soort hengelaars wat weier om die

“Ek het opnuut weer besef hoe belangrik goeie toerusting, veral katrolle moet wees... Frans h et die hen op ‘n moeilike gel mak d lik laat ag lyk

“One fish wonder” - die skrywer met sy enigste vis

Lourens Vorster, Frans en Maurice gesels hengelsake

helpende hand van ‘n ander te aanvaar - trots het mos sy prys. Frans, die heer wat hy is, het sy bes probeer om my gemoedstemming hoog te hou. Hy het my herinner dat dit beter is om niks te vang nie as om een baars te vang. Om een te vang word jy dan herdoop as ‘n “one fish wonder”. Dis dan nou ‘n hengelaar wat maar net gelukkig was om een baars te kon vang. Om niks te vang, is dan eerder die beter opsie. Frans het vir die dag ses baars geland, almal groot genoeg om by enige kompetisie geweeg te word. Die meeste van die baars was styf teen klipformasies in drie tot ses voet water gevang. Die vuil kleur van die water het die baars vir ons, of sal ek sê, vir hom, gepas. Sediba Kwele het as borg werklik hulle bes gedoen om die naweek so aangenaam as moontlik te maak met heerlike etes wat aan ons voorgesit is en natuurlik die vyfster verblyf. Sediba Kwele het ook ‘n pragtige gastehuis vir agt mense teen ‘n billike tarief vir baarshengelaars wat ek ten sterkste kan aanbeveel. Groot baarsbote soos Frans se boot is welkom solank as wat die hengelaar net met die sleepmotor of teen luierspoed met die groot buiteboord motor sou vaar. Ons het Frans se groot halfton boot met gemak te water gelaat en weer uitgehaal. Die oggendstond is soos goud in die mond of so het ons die volgende oggend gedink. Ons was reeds van vroeg af op die water en was vas van plan om ‘n baars of twee vas te trek voordat ons ‘n lekker ontbyt kan geniet. Die lugdruk het gedurende die oggend gestyg en ‘n wolklose oggend het die baars net nog moeiliker laat byt. Frans het bly hengel met die patroon wat die vorige oggend vir hom

gewerk het en hierdie keer ongelukkig met minder sukses. Dit was duidelik dat ons ander tegnieke moes probeer. Ek het volhard met ‘n harde liplose kunsvissie (rattletrap). Uiteindelik kon ek ook my naam op die telbord plaas met ‘n mooi Sediba-baars. Nou was ek ‘n “one fish wonder” soos Frans sou sê. Was ek dan werklik net gelukkig om die vis te kon vang? Die res van die oggend het verbygesnel sonder enige verdere vis op die boot. Met ‘n swaar hart is die boot op die sleepwa getrek. Frans se kennis en meelewendheid sal ‘n mens moeilik by alle hengelaars kry. Ons wens Frans net alle sukses toe vir die komende jaar se kompetisies en ek glo dat ons hierdie jaar ook sy naam tussen die voorlopers gaan sien. *Philip Kemp is ‘n gesoute swartbaarhengelaar en ‘n gereelde bydraer. SA BASS 41 April 2017

>> > > SA SA BASS BASS

Roodekopjes with Johann Zwarts (Jnr)

Johann Zwarts (Jnr) with a very well fed Florida bass caught on a crankbait on Roodekoppies Dam

>> Roger Donaldson

think my first outing on Roodekopjes Dam was in 2009 with Darryl Quinton. It was essential that a reasonable fish must be caught as a fishing article just doesn’t quite have the same impact without a picture of a chunky bass held proud, glistening in the sunlight. Roodekopjes has some impressive structure beneath its water surface; massive rocky boulders abound and flooded timber plays a major role too. Recently I was rambling through my Facebook friends’ News Feeds and Timelines admiring all the impressive fish being caught in our local dams. One particular catch struck me, mostly because the angler seems to constantly be able to produce incredible fish on a regular basis. So what better idea than to sit down with Johann Zwarts (Jnr) and probe him for his recent tactics on his local dam, Roodekopjes. 42 SA BASS April 2017

“During a recent social outing in preparation for our upcoming club fish-off at Roodekopjes Dam early in February my father and I got a couple of nice bites fishing all the well-known “sweet spots” as early as possible. We moved quickly from one spot to the other, not wasting too much time at each. We were targeting structure in 8 to 10ft of water. At about 10:00 the bite switched off suddenly and we started to look at other possibilities. After the recently heightened water levels and flourishing vegetation our attention was focused on anything out of the ordinary. We noticed swirls and splashes of baitfish (small tilapia) close the Chicamba weed (snotterbelle). Without wasting any time we moved in closer toward the bank in around 3 to 4ft water depth to get a closer look and a few casts.

My father kept fishing a soft plastic bait to the deeper water while I directed my cast toward the movement in the shallows with Baby Fluke rigged on a drop-shot – immediately resulting in a very nice bite from a kerriekurper! The next cast claimed a hand sized bass, a chunky Florida strain with its tummy full from all the baitfish. It was clear that the bass were taking full advantage of their prey up in the shallow, warm water where the baitfish were unaware of the lurking danger. The water temperature was around 27ºC and due to the summer heat the water had coloured to green from all the algae bloom - a maximum visibility of around 2ft. These factors forced me to make a switch from the drop-shot to my crankbait rod spooled with 12lb fluorocarbon line. Also, due to the fact that there were a lot of baitfish (tilapia) present the switch to a crankbait made sense in my search for a bigger bite. Still in the shallow water I opted for a Rapala DT4 (Dives To 4ft) in a natural colour to try and match the baitfish size and colour. I only had to make one cast and – BANG! That all too familiar aggressive, tearing strike and the backbone of my rod was put under full pressure. This beast was just waiting for that erratic swimming, scurrying action imparted by the crankbait which perfectly imitated a distressed or injured baitfish. Large bass are finely tuned opportunists of the worst kind.

It was evident that the bass had located to the place where the baitfish were most plentiful. In this case it was a combination of shallow, warm water boasting mostly vegetation (providing shelter) and a couple of loose, scattered rocks. This is great habitat for summer bass fishing. It’s essential that anglers stay fully aware of their surroundings as there is so much that can be learned on the fishing day that produces more than any learned information you can use. Nevertheless, the large fish took a lot of line and gave me an exciting 360 degree run around the boat. Fortunately dad is really handy with a landing net and luckily did not miss the first scoop on the large fish – we could see that the lure was just pinned in just a small section of the fish’s upper lip. The fish was finally boated - a beautiful true Florida of just over 3kg. What an incredible highlight to a warm summer day on my favourite piece of water. We are truly blessed; sunshine, temperate waters, flowing rivers boasting some incredible natural waterfalls and rapids, and abundant wildlife. Amen! *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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SA BASS 43 April 2017

>> SA BASS INTERVIEW

SHAKING IT IF YOU HAD BEEN FISHING FOR THE LAST DECADE THE NAME TONY LAGESEN MIGHT RING A BELL AND FOR GOOD REASON >> Bennie Wiese*

ony Lagesen is a member of “Team Hillbilly Poison” that fishes the Gauteng leg of the Cast-for-Cash tournament trial, and others, for many seasons. When it comes to bass fishing he is one of the most serious competitive anglers in Southern Africa. If you look at past results you will note that he had many five fish limits. SA BASS interviewed Tony to find out what is his secret. “Fishing Shakey Heads must be one of the best ways to quickly put a limit in the live-well. Most anglers believe that Shakey Heads only work in clean water. For me this rig works even in stained water, especially when the venues are under heavy fishing pressure.” said Tony. When anglers fish it correctly they could get many more bites and do well in tournaments. Tony believes that there is no bad time to use Shakey Heads. It can be fished throughout the year in any condition. The only hindrance is water grass as it will interfere with the presentation. 44 SA BASS April 2017

During spawn anglers will stand a better chance to get bigger bass. “A Shakey Head-rig can be very effective when searching for bass in spawning areas as it can cover lots of water quickly” he said. “Just cast the rig out and bring it back while keeping contact with the bottom. You will be surprised on how many bites you get”. Tony keeps it simple when it comes to selecting tackle. He uses a 7ft medium action spinning rod and reel, spooled with 10lb fluorocarbon line. When the water is really clean he will even consider 8lb line. He prefers to start off with a 3/16 Shakey Head in most conditions. When it is windy, or need to fish in deeper water, he will use a heavier size, up to 3/8. He suggest that anglers keep to basic colours and prefers Green Pumpkin or Junebug straight tail or cut tail type plastic worms; as long as the tail can float. There are different shapes of Shaky Heads with different

retrieves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Firstly I use the rounded Shakey Heads if I am covering water by dragging the lure and maintaining contact with the bottom. You are trying to mimic fodder feeding from the bottom. Every now and lift the rodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tip to the 12 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock position and give it a twitch or two. It will create a different action to the baitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement. Bass that has been following the bait will, most of the time, react on this change of direction. When the lure makes contact with any structure you need to lift the rodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tip and give it a twitch. This makes the lure go easier through the structure. Because of the round head design you can rock the lure on the spot. It will give the plastic worm more action. This will work best in open water and gravel banks. Tony prefers to use stand up Shakey Heads when he needs to fish slower and more thoroughly, or when the bass arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so aggressive. The stand up Shakey Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest advantages is that it helps to keep the plastic lureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tail in the air and mimics a crustacean feeding. This can be seen when you take any type of creature bait, rig it and test it in a swimming pool. Use this rig when fishing rip rap, or areas with scattered rock on the bottom, or when you are targeting spawning bass. Just leave the bait longer in the strike zone, especially when the bass are moving in and out of the spawning area. The 1/4 and 3/16-ounce stand up Shakey Head will work better if you are fishing the shallows. Fishing deeper

water up to 15ft he will go to 5/16-ounce or 3/8 when probing water deeper than 15ft. When fishing four inch finesse worms, use a 3/0 or 4/0 hook, but switch to a 5/0 hook for six inch or larger worms.

Last tips t % PO U ĂŤTI JU UPP GBTU BOE NBLF TVSF ZPV LOPX XIFSF your Shakey Head is at all times, t ' BO DBTU UIF BSFB o OP OFFE UP ĂŤTI FWFSZ JODI PG UIF bottom, t 'JOE TUSVDUVSF BOE UIFO TIBLF UIF MVSFT UIPSPVHIMZ t %FBE TUJDL JU MFBWF JU GPS BT MPOH BT QPTTJCMF t ' JTI PO B TFNJ TMBDL MJOF OPU UP QVMM UIF CBJU GPSXBSE when you are shaking the lure, t 6 TF RVBMJUZ IPPLT UIBU BSF TIBSQ ĂŤOF XJSF IPPLT HJWF UIF best penetration. When setting the hook and your hooks are sharp, you only need to reel in the line and keep it tight. No need to strike. You can use Shakey Heads around rocky areas, laydowns, grass beds, brush and slipways; these areas will normally produce fish. So next time you go fishing give the Shakey Head a try. *Bennie Wiese is the editor of SA Bass magazine and an experienced provincial bass angler.

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SA BASS 45 April 2017

Aerial photos of Von Bach Dam

>> SA BASS INTERNATIONAL â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NAMIBIA

Autumn Fishing at Von Bach

James van Rooyen with a bass caught at Von Bach Dam 46 SA BASS April 2017

This story starts at a dam about 80km north of Windhoek very close to a town called Okahandja.

Alec Williams with bass caught at Von Bach

>> Andrew Hall artorius von Bach or more commonly known as Von Bach Dam is nestled elegantly in the bush, covering an area of 4.89km² and on occasion offers the sighting of some early morning antelope having a drink at the water’s edge. This is Namibia’s oldest bass fishery and an absolute paradise to any bass angler. Von Bach is a rock filled impoundment in the Swakop River catchment system, the dam has a total lack of aquatic vegetation. The Swakop River is the main river feeding to the dam. The average precipitation for this area is about 410mm per year. Von Bach is the primary water source of Windhoek and Okahandja and has a total capacity of 48.560 million cubic meters. The dam has faced some tough conditions during the drought the last couple of years and hit a low of about 9% before the rainy season started in December 2016. Since then the dam has received quite a bit of inflow and stood at 42.8% end of February 2017 with some good rain prediction still ahead. There are a multitude of fish species in Von Bach namely, carp (Cyprinus carpio), African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus), our beloved largemouth friends (Micropterus salmoides), straightfin barb (Barbus paludinosus), blue curper (Oreochromis mossambicus) and redbreasted curper (Tilapia rendalli). Bass was introduced to Von Bach in the 1970’s by the Ministry of Fisheries to control the expanding carp population. This dam has evolved into a unique eco system over the last 47 years with some exceptional bass fishing. The last Zone-6 tournament held on Von Bach yielded a catch of about 450 fish for the tournament, truly a memorable event to every angler that attended. As autumn starts we enter into a very exciting time for bass fishing at Von Bach. Water temperatures slowly start to decrease which causes the baitfish to move into the shallow waters in the back of bays. Bass follow this baitfish into the back of these bays and it is here where they will be most commonly found in the autumn months. Bass

become very active during this period as they start to feed for the upcoming winter and prey on almost anything. It is during this time that the faster moving baits work exceptionally well. The number one bait for Von Bach during this period is a lipless crankbait. You will surely bag a few beauties with this bait as well as some catfish in the process. A couple of alternative baits to consider that also work well during this period are jerkbaits, square bill crank baits for those shallows as well as regular crankbaits to cover the deeper water. The colour of choice would be canary kurper or any natural colours that mimic the baitfish as closely as possible. As mentioned earlier Von Bach has little to no aquatic vegetation and majority of the bass relate to rock structures and piles. There are a few dead trees but these are usually only submerged during high water levels after a good rainy season. Any of these submerged trees and stick ups are also good places to go hunting for bass and are sure to produce a fine specimen or two. Alternative places to target for bass would be tapering rock points that have access to deeper water, boat docks in shallower water as well as river channels and edges. The bigger fish start moving into the shallow waters once the water temperature reaches about 20ºC. As autumn progresses and water temperatures drop even lower it is recommended to downsize your baits for the most effective fishing. The dam offers its visitors the option of camping or luxury chalet accommodation. There is also a restaurant available to guests. If you are ever in the area, make sure to schedule a fishing trip to Von Bach to make this dam part of one of your most memorable bass fishing destinations.

NBAAA Hall of Fame The NBAA pays homage to people that made the sport of bass angling in Namibia what it is today. People that have gone out of their way to improve the sport that we all love. People that have spent many hours and have spent thousands of dollars just to make a difference for our future generations. These people are heros. The first LEGEND OF THE NBAA to be honored is Dr André

van Vuuren (Fires). A true ambassador of the sport. He has been making a difference since before 2000 which means that he put in over 1½ decades of his life into his passion. Fires was part of the team that stocked Oanob Dam with the largemouth bass that we all enjoy catching today which is one of the NBAA’s most impressive success stories of all. SA BASS 47 April 2017

>> SA BASS BASICS

AS GOOD AS A

Maybe you’ve heard comments like: “I don’t through spinnerbaits or crankbaits because I just loose them”, or “I have never caught anything on them”. >> Colin Wilmer

hese thoughts unfortunately lead to a mental block and sometimes stay forever. I have seen anglers cast the same baits over and over; no matter when or where they are fishing. For example; conditions in the Vaal River change between seasons and water levels. “But last week (or in practice), I caught them on a fluke under that jetty and now there’s nothing!” Yes but have you noticed that the water temperature has dropped five degrees and changed in colour? Think about this for a moment … Top water baits in the middle of the day in 25ft of water; is it possible or does it work? Yes, because the water was clear, warm ere. and bait fish where busting everywhere. ear Fishing pink jerkbaits in crystal clear k? water at great speed; will this work? (Great speed means - if water runss over its back, you are going to slow). Watching Jerry Jooste win a Rust de Winter tournament with this techniquee made me doubt everything I thought I knew about bass fishing. When last have you wacky rigged a Senko 48 SA BASS April 2017

in 3ft of water, or maybe you have never fished a wacky rig before? That is like being a fly half that can only pass in one direction. Many bag limits were filled like this. One of my favourite examples comes from a couple of years ago when anglers were preparing for national championships. The phones were ringing and the information turned into a great commodity. Only after nationals it was revealed that the most unlikely lure came back to shows its true value - the inline spinner. The pointt I aam trying to make is that the bass specie of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s were still caught. So, th thinking of this before leaving for a two day pract practise session a couple of years ago, I decided to remove everything that I normally use – al all my trusty go-to-baits. I only took spinnerbaits and left ffeeling so uncertain about what I was ggoing to do. The interesting part of this is that for the first time I actually had to make it work because there was no othe other option. All of a sudden pitching accura accurately and retrieving speeds became a priority. Som Some fi fish were caught and I had something

new to “go-to” when things got tough. After doing this a couple of times I had confidence in this bait and couldn’t leave home without it. I did the same using crankbaits, jigs and Shakey Heads with the same results. In fact Shakey Heads will now easily be the first bait I cast. The one thing that does affect this mastering approach is when you are standing in front of the shelf in your local tackle store; how to decide which spinnerbait or crankbait to buy? Spinnerbaits for example rely on good quality wire and swivels to make them function properly, so don’t buy the cheapest possible imitation and expect the same results. There are also so many cranks that look alike with great paint jobs, but do they last, or do they really wobble, or roll like they should? This will influence your catch rate and could put you off throwing a specific type of bait forever. Your tackle box, like so many other tackle boxes, has some “old timers” rusting away. Remember why you bought them in the first place. Maybe because it was the greatest thing to have then. Just replace some split rings, trebles and have a second look at the old faithful dying to go for another swim. The worst part of fishing is when you know some anglers always get fish, no matter where they are. They go to your local waters and catch the fish you only see on social media. So, start over and trust your instincts.

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Vaal River Divisionals

Southern Division

>> SA BASS SABAA NEWS

The biggest fish of the divisional, a 2.2kg

February 2017 - My Perspective >> Rudi Dreyer*

he good rain inland has been a blessing to South Africa but it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the preparations for our Divisional on the Vaal River very easy. Fast flowing dirty water on the Vaal River makes it a very challenging piece of water. In the time leading up to the tournament the river was flowing hard and dirty in early January and started slowing down in February and definitely starting to clear up a bit.

50 SA BASS April 2017

In the pre-fish I focussed on two different plans, one for a flowing river and one for a stagnant river that is slowly clearing. I just had no idea what we were going to get. My flowing dirty water plan revolved around shallow reeds and inlets and my cleaner slower flowing water plan revolved around lay downs. On the Saturday afternoon before the cut-off I thought my plans were finalised and told my wife, that I will

take her birding on the river. This has two advantages for me. One, my wife is very happy and two, I get a chance to see where all my competitors are hanging out. While messing around I threw a spinnerbait over a rocky area when a 1.8kg bass smashed my bait. Suddenly I realised that there were a whole bunch of rocky areas I did not check. Early Sunday morning just before we left the river, I quickly went to check three of them. On

the first stop and within a couple of casts I landed another 1.8kg fish. I also got bites on the other two spots. Astonishingly, there was a new plan. During the cut off week I continually changed my mind over what I should do. There was quite a lot of rain during that week and I sort-of expected the river to go back to the dirty and fast water plan. After my Roodekopjes victory I had the number one start which is great but also increases the pressure of making the right decision first up. I eventually decided to start with the dirty flowing water plan because there was a particular inlet that, when it was on, could easily give up the winning bag. On day one of the tournament I pulled away first and ran straight to the inlet. When I arrived, I met my first disappointment; local fishermen were all over the place, with their lines covering the inlet. It took about fifteen minutes to convince them to give me a little space to fish in. I made quite a few casts in the mouth with only undersize fish giving me a few nibbles. I eventually moved into the inlet and suddenly realised that the river had dropped by more than half meter. Probably preparing the river for the heavy rain coming. The water was so shallow that my boat got stuck and I struggled for a while to get out of the inlet. Not the start I wanted. First hour gone and nothing to show for it. I proceeded to run to various other spots higher up in the river, still following my dirty water plan, but to no avail. At 09:00 my trolling motor started giving problems, working for a few minutes and then not working, this continued for the rest of the day. At 11:00 I still had no fish and knew it was time to change my plan completely. It turned out to be the worst start to the divisional possible; no fish, broken trolling motor and the 11:00 wake boats running the river ragged. I decided to change my game plan to a combination of the rock and lay down plan. When I arrived at the first rocky area I was very relieved to not find any other boats there. I picked up a crankbait and on the very first cast and

Jo and I with 4 of the 5 fish that made up my final day 7.25kg bag

after a few winds of the reel, it felt like I was getting stuck and I leaned back just to make sure. It was a good call as I leaned back into a 1.7kg fish which I netted shortly after. One in the boat and it is a good one. I spent a while there without another bite and ran to the next rocky area. Unfortunately, another boat was occupying the area and I went to a lay down close by. My third cast on the lay-down gave me a small keeper. The other angler left and I ran to the rocks but had no bites for the next twenty minutes. I ran back to the lay down and immediately got a proper bite. The fish jumped and I was convinced it was over 2kg. I carefully fought it to the boat but every time I tried to net it, it would dive down again. On the fourth attempt the fish came off, I was devastated. Things were not going well at all. I ran to the next lay down and got a proper thump on the first pitch. The fish was already underneath the lay down when I set the hook and I was immediately stuck. The fish was on and swam when I gave it line, but I could only pull it to the lay down and then it would get stuck again. Eventually my line broke. Unreal! At the next lay down, again on the first pitch, I had

another good bite and it was swimming away from the lay down. I gave it a moment before setting the hook. The fish was on and hooked solid. A few minutes later the fish was in the net. A good 1.5kg fish. As I took it out of the net I saw in horror that blood was pumping out of its gills. I put some Coke on, threw Catch-and-Release in the live-well, put the fish in and moved back to the second rocky area. When I arrived, I opened the hatch to check on the fish and it was stiffâ&#x20AC;Ś dead, three minutes after catching it! It was time to sit down and talk to myself as this had to stop now. I got nothing on the rocks and went back to the lay down where I lost the 2kg. Second pitch and I am on again and this time landed a 1.7kg. I now had two good fish, a small keeper and a dead one, and time was running out. I decided to go and fish an area closer to the launch where I got lots of keepers during the pre-fish just to make sure I got limit. In the last half an hour before weigh-in I got three small keepers off the area and at least had limit. I ended up weighing only 4.59kg as I opted not to weigh the dead fish and was lying seventh. I was not happy but still thankful that I had made it into SA BASS 51 April 2017

the top ten after such a disastrous day, reminding myself that this is a two-day tournament. That night Mo came out to the river to attempt to fix the trolling motor and found that it was a problem that needed some serious time to solve but he got it going nonetheless. I was very motivated to make up for the day one disaster. At the launch as I was parking my boat on the jetties, the trolling motor cut out again, but this time my mindset was right. Nothing was going to affect my motivation and determination. I went back to the rock lay down plan and on the second rocky stop, set the hook into a 1.8kg fish which I swiftly landed. Early morning and one good one in the boat! A much better start. I rotated my areas for the next two hours without anything but a few undersize fish and decided to run to the third rocky area which I did not visit on day one. When I arrived, I saw Johan Cloete sitting on the hump I wanted to fish and stopped at some willow trees close by. Johan was the leader from day one and was clearly also on the rocky plan. I pitched deep into the willows, felt some weight and set the hook hard. It was a 1kg fish and a bonus as it wasn’t really part of my plan. I moved to some rocks to the left of Johan that saw me catch the fish in the trees. I fished there for a while and Johan started moving to the trees. He clearly decided I didn’t fish them properly. As he moved away I moved onto the hump. I saw Johan throwing crankbaits so I started fishing some plastics. I caught a couple of undersize fish and then got a good thump. I set the hook, felt the weight and then it was off. I was disappointed but now knew there was a good fish on the hump. I messed around for about twenty minutes with the trolling motor which was not working and idled back to the spot every time when I drifted away too far. I got the bait into the right area, got stuck a little, carefully wiggled the bait out and then got another good thump. This time the hookset was perfect and I carefully fought the fish. As it jumped I saw it was a 2kg plus and started praying out loud. A few heartstopping minutes later, that felt like 52 SA BASS April 2017

forever, I slipped the net under the fish and it was in the boat - not bleeding. It was a 2,2kg donkey. Three fish in the boat and all three good ones. Time was ticking though and I ran back to my lay down where I lost the 2kg on day one. I immediately got a small keeper. I ran back to the first rocky spot and got another small keeper. At 11:30 and I had five fish. Weigh-in was at 13:00 and I decided to run all the way back to Johan’s hump to see if there is another big fish. When I arrived both Johan and Justin Karan were on the spot. I hang around for a bit, lost a small keeper on a crank and then decided to go elsewhere to catch a big one. During the pre-fish, I caught my personal best Vaal River bass of 3.42 kg’s all the way upriver and decided to run there for a couple of casts. After a 25-minute drive I arrived at the spot. I put my bait into the exact hole where I caught my PB and got an almighty thump. I set the hook hard into a 1.7kg fish and was almost disappointed that the 3kg wasn’t home. But it was great to cull a 300 grammer for a 1.7kg. On the way back to the launch I had enough time for one cast on some brush where I broke a good fish during practise. First cast, fish on, but I immediately got stuck again. I moved till I was on top of the fish but just couldn’t get the line loose. Eventually I took the line in my hand while moving the net up and down under water to try and get to the fish. The water was dirty so I just moved the net around in hope as I couldn’t actually see where the fish was. Eventually the line broke, but as I took the net out of the water I was astonished to see that the fish was still in it. It was a miracle after all my bad luck! Not a big fish but I was still culling a 300 grammer for an 800 grammer! Jo was waiting for me at the weighin and got very excited when I told her I had a big bag. I loaded the fish into the weigh bag and listened to the oohs and aahs as I emptied my bag into the weigh basket. The scale stopped at 7.25kg. A big bag for the river and the biggest bag of the divisional by almost one kilogram! These are the moments we bass anglers live for. What a feeling of satisfaction.

Darryl Quinton arrived at the weigh station. He was lying second after day one with a 6kg bag. As his fish were placed on the scale I had already done the calculation of how much he needed to equal my score. The scale stopped fourteen grams heavier! Well done DQ! Two very consistent bags and a flawless performance as always. I came second, which was a great comeback from seventh position and I also had the biggest fish for the divisional. We can never control everything that can go wrong in this sport, but we can control our emotions and our attitude and I was very proud of what I had achieved despite my many misfortunes, including a broken trolling motor. Hopefully I can keep this attitude going for the rest of the season. *Rudi Dreyer has Protea colours in art lure fishing; is the 2014/2015 Southern Division Angler of the year, Presidents team nomination in bass fishing, was 2013 SA BASS Cast-forCash Champion-of-Champions winner and is a pro staff angler for AfriBaits and Mercury outboards.

A 3.42kg caught during practice

>> SA BASS INTERNATIONAL ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe Bass Fishing Mteri Dam in the Zimbabwean Lowveld - possibly the best fishing venue in the country, and every angler’s best chance of catching a giant largemouth bass. >> Gareth Rawlins*

ow fishing pressure, amazing structure and plentiful fodder food ensures that the bass here are always in top condition and very aggressive. I had planned three days of fishing over the Christmas break, and the excitement was building for the whole month. Between my partner, Dave Evans, and I we had more than a hundred packets of plastics and trays of all sorts of exciting new reaction baits to hammer the fish! A very early departure to avoid the myriad police looking for Christmas handouts and holiday traffic led to an uneventful drive which put us on the water mid morning on a sweltering cloudless summer day. Despite the good rains we had so far in the season, the water levels had dropped from our prior visit a few months before to the lowest either of us had ever seen. It was certainly not encouraging to see bare banks and weed free water on most banks. Temperatures on the boat were over forty degrees centigrade, and the water temperature on the depth finder showed thirty six degrees! No matter how excited you are to fish, that kind of heat is very uncomfortable at first, and then five minutes later becomes unbearable. Going on past experience and a bit of blind hope as we moved out the harbour we tried the shallows with a frog and buzzbait for an hour with predictably negative results. A couple of lacklustre bites from small fish led us to move deeper where Dave picked up a beautiful seven pounder caught on a Senko in the middle of a patch of trees. Despite our best intentions and efforts that was our only fish caught the entire day. Not caring about the giant crocodiles known to live there, Dave spent half an hour holding onto the main motor in the water to cool down but we eventually couldn’t take any more and returned to the lodge for some air conditioning and sleep.

Dave Evans with a 3.22kg largemouth bass caught on Senko in 8ft water

The author with a 3.62kg largemouth caught in 20ft water

The water temperature had obviously driven the fish deeper into the cooler water, but we couldn’t find them. That evening a cold front came in and the temperatures dropped and the wind started howling, which at least gave us a half decent excuse for our poor fishing performance. Day two temperatures were down to twenty degrees coupled with rain and strong gusting wind. Not the greatest fishing weather but at least it was cooler, and we hoped that the bite

would pick up at least. With the wind blowing we thought it would be ideal to throw spinnerbait and buzzbait but that proved fruitless. Several hours of trial and error later and we picked up a bite pitching creature baits very tight to trees in eight to ten foot. This lasted sporadically through the whole day in random patches of trees and we ended up with each of us having four fish in the boat. Day three the temperatures picked up slightly, the wind dropped and the rain slowed to a drizzle. Compared to the previous two days we were right where we wanted to be! The pitching bite of the day before still held on but we finally found the famed Mteri Senko bite. The fish seemed to know exactly what we wanted, which was to throw a seven inch Senko against a big tree in eight to twelve foot of water, wait for the line to start moving, reel up the slack and set the hook. Bass fishing doesn’t get much better than that! By the end of the day we had more than thirty fish in the boat, most averaging around a kilogram but with several over two kilograms and one exactly 3kg. The final morning’s fishing was slow but resulted in a two kilogram and three and a half kilogram fish, both on Senko, to wrap up the trip. Zimbabwean summer fishing should be some of the best you can get, but when the weather turns, even the best fishing venue in the world can get very tough. However, tough fishing teaches you to improvise when things get difficult, and by a process of elimination and listening to the feedback the dam gives you, you can eventually get onto a decent pattern and hopefully a great bass. *Gareth Rawlins is the Vice President of the Zimbabwean National Bass Federation and Chairman of the Harare Bass Chapter. SA BASS 53 April 2017

>> SA BASS INTERNATIONAL

Yeongsan River Tidal Assault

(Part 1)

Bass Fishing in Tidal Waters

I caught all my fish on a pack of recycled 8â&#x20AC;? Zoom Magnum Lizards

54 SA BASS April 2017

My first fishing trip on the banks of the Yeongsan River turned out to be an extremely meaningful learning experience. In this latest installment, let me give you an insight into my first actual experience on a tidal river bass fishery in South Korea. >> Fishingboy >> Images by Fishingboy and Kang Hohyeong

irst, let me tell you why I chose to bass fish in South Korea. I am sure that everybody who fishes for bass knows Japan is one of the top bass fishing countries in the world. Not only that Japan has produced some of the coolest tackle innovations and baits on the market today, Manabu Kuritaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 22lb 5oz largemouth bass from Lake Biwa in 2009 is currently certified by the IGFA to tie the longstanding world record held solely by George Perry for 77 years. However, angling pressure is well-known to be tremendously high all over Japan and that is a fact. So, when you plan your next overseas angling vacation, it is important that you weigh up your expectations against reality. If you do not fully understand what it takes to fish on pressured waters for trophy size bass in Japan or anywhere in the world, then you have lost it. Second, though South Korea may not be as high-profile as Japan in the world of bass fishing, it surely does not lack quality. The country has had a large population of northern strain largemouth bass transplanted in the 1970s that are currently well established. Importantly, angling pressure is known to be a lot less and that is what drives me to visit South Korea. Do not get me wrong, Japan is high on my bucket list of places to bass fish. Maybe one day. Though angling pressure may not a key factor in most of my fishing trips in South Korea, you will see that there are as many opportunities as there are obstacles on the Yeongsan River. One of the major challenges is finding fish

It took me a couple of hours to get dialled-in and to catch quality fish

in the river delta system because it is an incredibly massive fishery that could easily overwhelm unsuspecting anglers.

The Yeongsan River delta Yeongsan River and its delta system are situated in the south-western region of the South Korea. It has a length of approximately 130km, with a surface area of approximately 3.5 million square kilometres and runs through Damyang, Naju, Gwanju and other regions, eventually flowing into the Yellow Sea in Yeongam. The river is well-known for producing big largemouth bass and other species such as carp and even seabass in the estuaries. The riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fertile delta makes it one of the most productive rice-farming regions in South Korea.

We had to navigate through a shallow stream under an overpass to get to the river

SA BASS 55 April 2017

The backdrop of the Yeongsan River is magnificent

For that reason, we had to rely on that all important local knowledge to gain access to one of the strangest launch sites. On that occasion, we utilized a makeshift ramp Mr. Lee of M-Craft Marine had constructed to accommodate larger bass boats. To the uninitiated, the launch site is no more than just an ordinary stream that runs under a highway overpass, but take a closer look and you will find a gap that is wide enough to fit most mid-size bass boats. Make no mistake, launching bass boats on a bare river bank has never been and will never be a straightforward process, especially in tidal rivers. There are always unknowns such as fluctuating tides, unstable ground conditions and etc. Fortunately for us, the water level was near optimal and it did not take long for us to execute a problem-free launch that day.

A day of long runs My South Korean host, Mr. Kang catches a small bass in one of the irrigation channels

The road from north to south Setting off from Yongin City, south of the Seoul Capital Area, my road trip down south to Jeollanam-do in Yeongam County and South Jeolla Province, where my host and I would be based for the week for the rest of our trips, was approximately 300km on predominantly the #15 SouthNorth Seohaean Expressway. For this trip, Mr. Kang had his 2,800lb 17’ Tracker aluminium bass boat towed behind his SUV that is fully loaded with tackle and supplies.

À la South African style Bass boats are pretty common all over South Korea. Bizarrely, the country also lacks boat launch amenities and ramps. This meant that boaters had to improvise and launch their boats from shore, à la South African style. As a case in point, I have done that before in South Africa on the banks of old Witbank dam and somewhere in Dinokeng Game Reserve. I can tell you that it was tough. At the Yeongsan River, however, finding a suitable bank to launch a bass boat was not that simple. 56 SA BASS April 2017

The first waypoint of the day was about a thirty minute ride from the launch site. We emerged from the stream into the river and made a right turn towards north-east, passing underneath two bridges towards the GeumgangRi area. The backdrop of the Yeongsan River was simply magnificent as you could really feel the vastness of the delta system in all its natural glory. The plan that we had in place was to cover three prime areas around the Geumgang-Ri area, the shoreline along Yeongsan Road in the south-west, as well as a third area somewhere upriver where we will be fishing a ledge beside a bluff bank, as we will see in part 2. To be continued…

Acknowledgements A big thank you to all my sponsors for their support and contribution:TCE Sports Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia) – http://www.tce-sports. com/ Nice Fish! Distribution (UK) – http://www.nice-fish.co.uk/ Bitez (Singapore) – http://www.bitezstore.com/ SportyFish (Singapore) – http://www.sportyfish.com/

IF YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT YOUR LOUNGE WOULD LIKE IN A SHADE OF WATERMELON RED.

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE A CAST-FOR-CASH KIND OF ANGLER

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>> SA BASS CONSUMER NEWS

1. GARMIN STRIKER 7DV

2. DAMIKI MAUSRIN JIG HEAD

>> Distributed by Garmin SA

>> Distributed by Sensational Angling Supplies

Finding fish is easier than ever with Striker 7dv fishfinder. Mark and return to your hot spots, boat ramps and docks. You also can share your favourite waypoints and routes with other Striker and echoMAP combos. It has a built-in flasher and displays speed data. Includes tilt/ swivel mount plus transom and trolling motor mounting hardware and cable.

The Damiki Mausrin Jig Head features an innovative free-swinging design, which consists of a super sharp EWG hook attached by a split ring to the centre of a unique bullet shaped weight. This provides your bait with a free range of motion for increased fish attracting action and maximum movement. Ideal for fishing through rocks and a variety of structure, or in place of a shaky head, simply rig the Damiki Mausrin Jig Head like you would a standard Texas-rig and go to work. It’s another killer creation from Damiki of Korea.

3. HILLBILLY POISEN STAND UP SHAKY >> Distributed by HillBilly Poisen

The HillBilly Poisen Stand Up Shaky Head is manufactured in South Africa. The Stand Up Shacky Heads come with Mustard black nickel hooks and available in black, brown. The Stand Up Shaky Head also has a heavy duty spring to keep your worm locked securely in place, which makes it excellent for skipping. They enable plastic baits to stand on end and are great for 58 SA BASS April 2017

spotted bass. These work well for deep water largemouth and smallmouth bass and are excellent for bedding fish.

4. MEGASTRIKE FISH ATTRACTANT >> Distributed by Mias Angling and Scuba

MegaStrike Fish Attractant has accounted for hundreds of thousands of dollars on the USA Pro Tour. This scientifically formulated attractant took years to develop and is now ready to help you catch fish. The developer identified specific amino acids that trigger a bass’ feeding response. He then formulated the smells and tastes to be identical to a bass’ favourite creatures. Endorsed by bass fishing legend Roland Martin and Lee Bailey (Jr), this is the attractant you’ve seen on TV and heard about on the dock. MegaStrike is a thick gel that stays on your lure longer and comes in a convenient squeeze tube. Try the newest, most scientific fish attractant on the market today.

5. TERMINATOR WALKING FROG >> Distributed by Mias Angling and Scuba

Ready-to-fish right out of the package, the Terminator Walking Frog is rear weighted to provide long-distance casts and a walking action that is completely dialled-in. To help facilitate the best possible strike-to-hook-up

ratio, the Terminator Walking Frog is equipped with a heavy-duty VMC double hook and the body is designed to compress easily, so you get the most out of every heart-stopping blow-up. Fitted with round rubber legs, the Terminator Walking Frog provides all of the detail, action, and functionality to tempt big fish around the thickest cover.

6. TERMINATOR POPPING FROG >> Distributed by Mias Angling and Scuba

Tested and proven at the highest levels of tournament bass fishing, the Terminator Popping Frog was designed to meet the demands of top water enthusiasts, as well as, hungry bass. Constructed with a cupped face, the Terminator Popping Frog is specifically engineered to produce a bass attracting “pop” with each jerk of the rod tip. Incredibly easy to manipulate as well, the Terminator Popping Frog is fitted with a custom weight, which is sized and positioned to impart an almostautomatic walking action. Additionally, the weight position and the razor-sharp double frog help to turn strikes into fights. Offered in a number of detailed colours, the Terminator Popping Frog is a must-have for frog fanatics.

7. SAVAGE GEAR 3D SUICIDE DUCK >> Available from Knott’s Outdoor Paradise

Every spring, baby chick’s hatch and hungry

bass are treated to an easy meal just waiting to be plucked from the surface, which is why Savage Gear has developed the Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck. Based on a 3D scan of an actual duck, the Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck features two spinning feet that throw water in all directions, alerting hungry bystanders to an effortless snack. Whether you’re trying to call bass from deep water or exploring the tops of vegetation, the Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck is designed with both a top and bottom hook hanger, so anglers can customize their presentation to match conditions. Backed by two razor-sharp feathered trebles, the Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck delivers unparalleled anatomical accuracy that big bass won’t be able to discern from the real-deal.

8. SAVAGE GEAR 3D RAD RAT >> Available from Knott’s Outdoor Paradise

In nature, one thing is certain; rats and water don’t mix when hungry bass are near. Capitalizing on this link in the food chain, Savage Gear has developed an astonishingly lifelike, jointed rodent imitation with a pension for big bites. Mimicking the unlucky field mice that find their way into lakes and streams, the Savage Gear 3D Rad Rat features three mesh-connected segments and a durable lip, which work together to create an ultra-realistic swimming action. Included with two tails, the Savage Gear 3D Rad Rat features detachable feet, arms, and a tail for unequalled anatomical authenticity.

>> SA BASS LIFESTYLE

African Black Duck

>> Jo Dreyer

cannot believe how fast the year has gone. We are almost at the middle of the year and it feels like time is flying. It seems like a very long time ago that we were concerned about the drought that crippled parts of South Africa. It’s like a distant memory. Now, we have more rain than we could have ever hoped for, filling dams rapidly to over their 100% markers; breaking river banks and all is almost back to normal. Apart from sections of the Western Cape that are still suffering from the drought, it almost seems like the drought never happened. We went to De Hoop in December and stayed at a lodge which has a small river flowing past the front of it. When we there, it had a slow flow of water slowly making its way down the narrow river. The kids struggled to make the tubes they were using to slide down river and go over the tiny rapids the river was creating. You could see the pebbles and river sand that had collected in the bends starting to make little beaches. Little waders were running across them catching the insects and shallow water crustaceans in between it. Today, you cannot even see the rocks that the water was flowing over and going down the rapids with the float tubes is loads of fun. Getting back up again from down the rapids is a completely different story all together. It is incredible how nature works; we have no control over it and are completely at its mercy. These very rapids were a challenge for a very persistent African Black Duck which clearly insisted on feed60 SA BASS April 2017

ing in these rapids. When we first encountered the bird in December, he was happily walking up the slippery rocks, very comfortably and finding it easy to feed in the slow flowing water. Today, it is quite entertaining watching how this same bird, battles to get up the rocks and keep its balance as it tries to feed in the same areas of the river. His tenacity is quite refreshing. He could feed in the smaller easier pools, but no, where he was eating was clearly a richer food source. Who needs a television in the bush when you have crazy birds like this one to keep you entertained? The African Black Duck is a medium to large sized duck. It has dark, sooty-coloured feathers with small white patches on the wing feathers edges when not in flight. The beak is black with a faint pink tinting at the base and the eyes are black. When in flight it has a similar wing pattern to the Yellow-billed Duck. A white stripe, followed by a black stripe, followed by a large green band which is then ended off with the same black and white stripe just reversed. The underwing is a whitish colouring. Its feet are a brown-orange colour.

The female gives a quack when in flight and the male give a high-pitched peeping whistle. They are fairly common throughout South Africa, save for a few parts of the Northern Cape. They are found along streams and rivers; less frequent on ponds and dams. Their diet consists of aquatic invertebrates and plants obtained by dabbling or up-ending. African Black Ducks forage mainly at dawn and dusk. They are monogamous birds and stick to one partner at a time. They lay between 4-6 eggs in a nest placed close to the water and well hidden; either in dense grass or other ground cover on the bank. The nest can also be caught up in flood debris, tangled roots or in a hollow stump; occasionally in an old collapsed Hamerkop nest or on a low cliff ledge. Both male and female tend to the nest and young. The female will mainly sit on the nest for very long periods of time and will sit tight on the nest to protect her eggs and only flies up at the last second. She will feign injury to attempt to lure predators away. This particular African Black Duck became our evening entertainment and we couldn’t wait for him to challenge the rapids when we sat down for sundowners. We have been so blessed over the last few months and I hope that you will still use water sparingly as with Mother Nature being so unpredictable, you never know when she’ll decide to switch off the taps again. Happy Birding

>> SA BASS CLASSROOM Most people think when you say “pressure” they assuming you talking about fishing pressure. But no, I am talking about one of the biggest and most over looked fishing factors.

they do not know it is Saturday with a massive amount of boats approaching for a big competition and decide not to bite to spite you. They are living organisms and respond to their surroundings. Bass do not have the comfort to create their surroundings and make it suitable for their liking; when it’s cold they are cold, when the water is warm they are warm. Understanding pressure along with the factors that follow is the key to a good or bad day. The key times are either rising or falling air pressure - this is when the big ones bite. The pressure I am talking about is called barometric pressure (air pressure). Air pressure affects fish massively. I am no scientist and there is a big scientific explanation but every fish has a gall-bladder and air pressure affect this.

General observation: Low pressure equals less weight pushing down on fish. The air is cooling down which helps forming clouds. Less weight affects the fish’s gall-bladder in a good way. Bait fish are pushed up to the surface and in turn makes the bass aggressive. Pre-frontal conditions are the best time to fish and if you find the right school you can catch big bags in no time. This is the time to visit your big fish spots. Look for falling or low barometric pressure; that is the time to cash in on some big bites. Also, deteriorating weather, or some form of precipitation such as wet and/or windy conditions and thunder in hot weather are associated with falling pressure. As storms approach air pressure begins to fall and this can happen very quickly. Storms are associated with low air pressure. Low pressure days can be identified with general apps and weather websites. Normal pressure at sea level is 1013.250hPa.

Approach:

Understanding

Pressure

>> Robbie Olivier

any factors come into play but the first thing I look at before I look at anything else is the weather. Once I have established the weather conditions I will apply my knowledge of the seasons and these two go hand in hand. Let me elaborate and give you the basic understanding of what you need to know. Bass do not follow a calendar and

Bass will be moving around; during autumn they will be cruising the flats and fast moving baits would be my goto baits. Pre-frontal, or a sudden change, would send me straight to my big fish spots, or straight after a passing storm. High air pressure equals more weight pushing down. Clear skies are associated with high pressure. The air column is sinking with less humidity. The general effect is that the bass are a bit more lethargic and the bait will be in a lower water column and less likely to be up and seen. These are your extremely hot and calm days.

Approach: I would be rigging up baits that can be fished a bit slower and stay in the strike zone longer. I would fish the same areas I found fish before, but a bit deeper and keep my boat out of the area by making longer casts. As the storm passes the air pressure will tend to rise gradually and the bass will be feeding. This is associated with approaching fairer weather. Understanding the influence of air pressure on fish behaviour will improve your success and help you to become a better angler. SA BASS 61 April 2017

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS The size of each classified advertisement block is 44mm (w) x 40mm (h). Advertisers can book one or more blocks per issue. The cost is R271.00 VAT excluded, per block, per issue and is payable strictly upfront. Advanced payment can be made into our BB Print bank account at ABSA, account number 404 881 8651, branch code: 334 645 before the 25th of each month to appear two months later. Proof of payment plus a contact number must be faxed to 086 234 5026 or e-mailed to advertise@sabass.com

SELF CATERING COTTAGE

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Glenrock is the ultimate destination for your family holiday in the Midlands (Mooi River). The beautiful dams are stocked with Rainbow, Brown Trout and Black Bass. There are 4 fishing dams on the farm. We stock the dams once a year and we do not feed the fish. The fishing is fun and child friendly. Glenrock Game and Trout has 7 fully equipped, self-catering units. We have a large Lapa that is ideal for larger groups who wish to celebrate birthdays, reunions and any other gatherings. We also do catering and function planning. Contact us at douglas@glenrock.co.za Visit our website at www.glenrock.co.za

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CONGRATULATIONS TO Ralie Beckers Reebok, Cape Winner of the Ballistic polarised sunglasses from Brentoni Eyewear readers competition

Championship â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 13-15 July 2017

62 SA BASS April 2017

Accommodation

12km from De Hoop Dam

SA BASS 63 April 2017

>> SA BASS DESTINATIONS

SA BASS PRESENTS FISHING

DESTINATIONS As a service to readers Fishing Resorts and Lodges are invited to place their information in this section. Readers who discover other destinations are invited to place the information on this page. Each entry consists of one photo plus no more than 200 words. Om ons lesers ingelig te hou word Hengel-oorde en Lodges uitgenooi om hul inligting in hierdie afdeling te publiseer. Lesers wat nog bestemmings ontdek word uitgenooi om die inligting op hierdie afdeling te plaas. Elke inskrywing beslaan een foto plus nie meer as 200 woorde. Stuur aan: editor@sabass.com.

Thandabantu Game Lodge

he name Thandabantu translates as “the man who loves people” in the indigenous languages of the area and is synonymous with the owners of the

lodge. The luxurious Thandabantu Game Lodge is situated on a 300 hector farm in the Roossenekal area in Limpopo; only 12km from De Hoop Dam, 50km from Dullstroom and 100km from Middelburg. The lodge caters for weddings, conferences, team building, year-end functions, birthday parties and accommodation to anglers. Currently the lodge consists of eight 4 sleeper chalets; two 8 sleeper family chalets and one family wooden house. All chalets have fully fitted kitchens with complimentary tea and coffee making facilities. Towels and bedding are also provided. The lodge offers the following facilities: two swimming pools, a restaurant with an a la carte menu on a

wooden deck overlooking the river, licensed bar, braai area, DStv, card facilities, jacuzzi, horseback riding, game drives, kiddies zip line, hiking and biking trails. The setting is tranquil and perfect for relaxing while also providing a perfect atmosphere for unwinding from the hustle and bustle. More than 250 hectors on the reserve has been demarcated as conservation areas, providing a refuge to the rich variety of local fauna and flora, various bird and wild life species. Thandabantu also offers personal interaction with carvel (rooikat) and serval (tierboskat) which were raised by hand. Thandabantu is a personal account of the life and work that they would like to provide to their visitors who have a love for Africa and its people. The practical ways of serving people can be the most powerful witness to God’s love and a means of transforming lives.

For more information or bookings, please contact Thandabantu Game Lodge on 013-656-2868, or 082-568-9338, or e-mail them at admin@thandabantulodge.co.za 64 SA BASS April 2017

E C H O M A P â&#x201E;˘ CHIR P

Available in 4â&#x20AC;?, 5â&#x20AC;?, 7â&#x20AC;? and 9â&#x20AC;? models Garmin.co.za

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