SA BASS May 2018 by SABASS

May 2018

Issue 205

Only nly Bait ait

The rt of lipping

F RSA: R39.34 (VAT incl.) Other Countries: R34.21 (Tax excl.)

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Contents

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: (065) 849 3264, Alternative: (083) 306 2718 Fax: (086) 234 5026

Postal Address:

SA BASS, PO Box 24938, Gezina, 0031, RSA

Publisher:

Hannes Lindeque - hannes@sabass.com

Editor:

John Badenhorst - john@sabass.com

Field Editors:

Bennie Wiese, Bryan Leppan, Colin Willmer, Derrek Stewart, Dewald Viljoen, Divan Coetzee, Gary Peter, Gareth Dryden, Gordon Brown, Joe Dreyer, Kevin Lofstedt, Louis Bezuidenhout, Mzi Tyhokolo, Neels Beneke, Philip Kemp, Roger Donaldson, Rowan Zerf, Rudi Dreyer

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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Hannes Lindeque - hannes@sabass.com

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Chris Greenland

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Storm Deezigns - dee@stormdeezigns.co.za

Distributed by RNA:

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 02 SA BASS May 2018

country’s people (including the youth), and to the practical conservation of the country’s natural resources. Copyright is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the permission of the publisher. All enquiries regarding editorial correspondence, manuscripts and photographs should be directed to: editor@sabass.com

REGULARS & FORUMS 06

MASTER CLASS “The Art of Flipping Part-1” Flipping is not just another technique, but a philosophy in itself. Speak to anyone who is serious about flipping and you will find that there is a lot more than just swinging a bait on a fixed length of line using a longer than normal rod. – Gordon Brown

08 14

STRATEGY “Bump in the Night” Night time is usually that mysterious time reserved for ghosts and the creatures of nightmares. The saying; “things that go bump in the night” has always been reserved to horror movies and tales of the dark side – John Badenhorst

BASICS “Kunsaaskleur” Wat is die basiese kleure van kunsaas en wanneer sal watter kleur gebruik?

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.

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.

SA BASS “Only One Bait” A good starting place would be to take a quick look at the most successful baits over the years that have probably won the most tournaments and caught the most fish both here and abroad… then it may help you answer this tr trivia question for yourself. – Andrew Court

FLW

CLASSROOM “Retrieval Techniques for Soft Plastic Baits” One would think that because we are able to coax bass into biting at a soft plastic lure that it would be easy to simply cast, retrieve and the bites would just follow. Not that easy is it. Turns out, bass are actually a lot more crafty than we know and a great deal of effort goes into the technique in retrieving the soft plastic lure. – Roger Donaldson

“Etiquette, Strategy for Fishing in a Crowd” Every now and then a pro finds a spot all to himself and cashes in for a tournament victory. When it happens, it makes a good story, but the truth is, pros – especially these days – rarely have any spot all to themselves – Sean Ostruszka

23 24

SA BASS

FLW

“Big Tournament 4 Big Anglers” I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, when looking over at monthly results of the various bassing tournaments in South Africa – Rowan Zerf

“Jig Design” Whether you consider yourself old school or modern, there’s something new for you in skirted jigs. That’s because many companies have reintroduced modern takes on classic designs, improved upon the basic elements of the jig and devised multiple techniquespecific models to suit a variety of situations – Tyler Brinks

“Trial & Error” Every angler that’s fishing a jig will agree that jigs can producer big bass when fished correctly and when asked to pick one lure, most anglers will pick a jig – Bennie Wiese

CLASSROOM

BASICS “Kies die Regte Stok” Vandag is veselglas- en grafietstokke in verskillende lengtes en diktes beskikbaar om in verskillende tegnieke gebruik te word. Hoe kies mens dan die regte stok? – Marlene Kemp

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 05

MY CAST

READERS-go-BASSING

Cast-for-Cash - Tournament Results

Garmin’s Ultra High-Definition Scanning Sonar

Mercury’s New 150 Pro XS Outboard

KLASKAMER “As Baars Kon Lees” Om bykans 80 baars met ‘n gemiddelde gewig van 1kg in 7ºC water te vang terwyl die meeste boeke sê baars gaan maar traag byt in sulke situasies, laat ‘n mens soms wonder oor wat dan nou werklik die waarheid is oor wat hengelaars sê rondom baarshengel en wat in die boeke geskryf staan – Philip Kemp

CLASSROOM “Bass Prey Fish of Southern Africa – Vlei Kurper” The Vlei Kurper or Banded Tilapia is a standard food source for bass all over southern Africa and is commonly stocked in bass dams as a fodder fish. In this issue we look at their natural habitat and breeding habits. – Rudi Dreyer

INTERVIEW

“The Story of Line Selection for Crankbaits” The most important consideration to make when selecting your line is that it needs to compliment the size of your lure. If your line diameter is too thick and ... – Roger Donaldson

FLW

“Deep Cranking” Using the correct fishing tackle for the specific techniques can play a major role in landing that big bass of a life time. Yes, and then that so called gut feeling, or natural talent, on deciding where and how an angler is going to fish for the day – Bennie Wiese

SA BASS “Backyard Bassin’ - Nigel Dam” In this series we visit various bassin’ venues suiteable for small craft anglers. Over the Easter weekend, it was time to visit the little town of Nigel on the East Rand – John Badenhorst

“Bassing Essentials” One list we sometimes regret not writing down or implementing is what I would call “A non-essential fishing checklist”. It’s a contradiction in terms as items on the list are not always needed or very rarely but without a certain item; a lovely day out fishing can become your worst nightmare – John Badenhorst

STRATEGY

INDUSTRY NEWS

ON THE COVER “Ronnie Thompson with a 4.22kg Midmar Dam bass” Image: Richard

SA BASS 03 May 2018

has gone digital !! GET YOUR FAVOURITE SA Bass MAGAZINE

DIGITALLY There is an old saying… “Worked to the bone and taxed to death.” This holds very true for our current situation in Southern Africa. I’m not a pessimist, imp rather a realist and the difference is seeing what is happening around and taking note of certain developments. This has been a couple of months with its ups and down on our political front too. “So, what does politics have to do with bass fishing?” You might ask… The answer is rather simple here my fellow anglers. Political change means that new people are in the game and with new people, comes certain changes in our economy too. A couple of months ago a clown left office to be replaced by someone who has a keen eye for business and this brought some stability to our currency which had been up and down depending on when the clown opened his mouth. We as South Africans all took a deep breath of relief and then the bombshell hit us. Value Added Tax (VAT) up by another percent, oh and let’s not forget that as I write this, we’ve seen one of the biggest jumps in the fuel price in recent times too. Higher VAT and higher fuel prices equate to us having to fork out more to enjoy the hunt for those green fish that we all love so dearly. Although the exchange rate had gotten better, one would be wise to take into account that added one percent to whatever it is we shop for on-line from the convenience of our PC or smartphone. It also means that due to the knock-on effect, we will be paying more for food, accommodation and all the other trimmings of our sport. For the foreseeable future though, it is not all doom and gloom and we can still enjoy our time on the water. Honestly, anglers in general will always somehow make a plan. We’re known for making plans. With the autumn bite in full swing, there have been some reports of good fish being caught at various places around South Africa and even with rain up here on the Highveld; anglers have been having a wonderful time out on the water. The bite does start to slow down from here on but that being said, it is now time to target those bigger fish as we head into winter. From big swimbaits to fishing with jigs, and every crank and soft plastic in-between, now is the time to hit the water and especially that late season top water bite can leave you breathless. Dress warmly, take some essentials, a rod and some baits and hit the water. Oh, and remember to send us your fishy pictures as once again we have some amazing prizes up for grabs by the local distributors of Savage Gear products. Until next time… go FISH ON!!

Y ONL pm R28

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SA BASS 05 May 2018

>> SA BASS MASTER CLASS

The Art of Part 1

>> Gordon Brown*

lipping is not just another technique, but a philosophy in itself. Speak to anyone who is serious about flipping and you will find that there is a lot more than just swinging a bait on a fixed length of line using a longer than normal rod. At any time of day, any season of the year, regardless of water temperature, barometric pressure, sunlight, oxygen content, water clarity and so on, some bass will ‘hold tight’ to cover in shallow water. Yes, some bass do migrate from shallow to deep and back according to the acceptable scheme of things. Some bass, usually the bigger ones, quite often remain in shallow water of between one and two metres. It’s often been said that shallow water fishing is only good in the morning and afternoon - not so with flipping. Understand that theory; believe it and you will catch bass when flipping. Flipping of course is not the total answer to the many challenges we face when bass fishing, but it is tremendously effective in shallow water. Fish in shallow water are biting fish. Lure presentation is everything in consistently catching bass. When your lure lands on the water it should not make a ripple. This

06 SA BASS May 2018

cannot be done as long as you’re casting. The lure must land precisely on target and fall perfectly vertically. ‘Flipping bass’ are easily spooked. A hooked fish must be pulled out quickly and if necessarily unceremoniously from the dense cover before it has a chance to wrap the line around an obstruction. Bites occur within five seconds of the lure entering the water. Only a few of the strikes you get will be ones you feel before you notice them. Watch for the line to stop sinking before it should, the line to flick or for the bush to move or the water to boil faintly when the fish strikes. Flipping is not a slow cumbersome method of finding bass when they’re scattered in shallow water – it’s quite the opposite, simply because one can make a flip every ten seconds. Some anglers may reckon that the bait is out of the water too much - true, but it is also so that whenever the bait is in the water, it is always in a productive and strike zone place. Don’t announce your presence. Because you are fishing close to the structure, echo sounders are not necessary and can be turned off as they do make a noise when sending pulses. All noise on the boat must be kept to a minimum.

<< US pro, Gary Klein flipping his bait into a target area

false cast like in fly fishing before allowing the lure to touch the water. Flipping is a very exciting and aggressive technique. It keeps the enthusiasm high all the time, because every flip is to a place where you know a ‘big fish’ ought to be. This is back to the flipping philosophy: isolated thick cover in shallow water often has room for only one bass to hide. Since bass play a form of ‘king of the mountain’ in staking out territory, the best cover goes to the biggest and meanest bass. Remember once this fish has been caught there are always others waiting to take its place. This has happened many times on the Vaal River when anglers have reported catching multiple fish off one piece of structure during a day’s fishing. By now your adrenalin must be pumping and your heart beating a little faster. I know mine is! I trust that, with all the information provided in this three part series, it will enlightening and assist you to catch more and bigger fish. In the next issue: ‘Part 2’ - The Flipping System. *Gordon Brown is a multiple Protea bass angler and a regular SA Bass contributor.

<< Scan this QR-code and see how flipping is made easy by Gary Klein

When fishing structure, say a thick bush, the norm is always to start fishing the outside first. This is not the case when flipping. One only needs to make a flip into the thickest part of the bush. Remember accuracy and presentation is everything. If when making a flipping cast and the bait is not going to land in the right spot or enter softly, make a

Texas rigged creature baits fished in thick cover is a good way to target bigger bass SA BASS 07 May 2018

>> SA BASS STRATEGY

Fishing at night with the moon giving some light

Bump in the Night

Night time is usually that mysterious time reserved for ghosts and the creatures of nightmares. The saying; â&#x20AC;&#x153;things that go bump in the nightâ&#x20AC;? has always been reserved to horror movies and tales of the dark side. >> John Badenhorst*

ronkhorstspruit Dam is one of my favourite dams to fish for bass and as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also written in the past that its best to visit this venue during the middle of the week as the constant boat traffic over weekends, especially during the warm summer months will probably drive you slightly nuts. Since it is technically illegal to be on public inland waters from sunset to sunrise, we decided to fish a private dam in the Bronkhorstspruit area. With all the boat traffic and activity,

08 SA BASS May 2018

it stands to reason then that our olive and gold denizens of the deep will become rather skittish and find spots to hide out during the daylight hours. Since it is technically illegal to be on public inland waters from sunset to sunrise, we decided to fish a private dam in the Bronkhorstspruit area. This changes dramatically once the sun goes down however. With less activity on the water, even on a private dam, our friend the bass will now venture out of his comfort

zone to start hunting for the night, especially this time of the year when we go into those early winter months with less wind and hardly any evening thunderstorm activity. Our friend is now busy eating for the upcoming colder months when their metabolism will slow right down to a crawl. In some parts of the USA they even host night fishing tournaments which have become extremely popular with absolute monster fish being caught in the dead of night. Although some of

our local anglers have down a spot of night fishing for our friend, it has not exactly caught on as it has overseas. A big key factor in this is that venturing out at night to your local pond alone carries its own and very real set of dangers, least of all from an ever present criminal element. This being said, there are waters where, with planning and some organizing with the local clubs, it is safe to venture out at night in search of bass or that possible PB. Bass do feed at night and with all six senses brimming, they are adept hunters when it is dark. It has been found that the big fish tend to feed way more freely at night as they also feel less threatened than during the daylight hours. Bass can use the cover of night to sit motionless in ambush and wait for unsuspecting prey to swim along. There are other creatures like crabs and eels that move around more freely at night and become key

targets for hungry bass. Smaller bass tend to also use the cover of darkness to hunt and they in turn fall prey to the larger fish. During the daylight hours, bass, especially the big bass will sit protected on isolated humps and rock piles or under bridges and submerged structure for protection but under the cover of darkness, these will venture out into the shallower waters where the temperatures are slightly warmer, drawing insects and smaller fish to hunt. Regular night fishing anglers will attest to their success using worms, flukes and soft plastics, however, those that have been doing it for longer will tell tales of incredible top water strikes on frogs, buzzbaits and poppers. Granted, it has to be one of those very still nights out on the water but, buzzbaits create enough noise to attract hungry fish. There are many that would suggest dark or bright lures with darkness in mind.

Getting ready for some night bass fishing at the end of the day

u p The choice of which lure to use is up to you as individual and what you feel comfortable with. There is not much difference between soft plastics used during the day as opposed to soft plastics used at night. The key to choosing the right lure for those dark hours is very much dependent on the water clarity of your chosen venue. The most popular lures used in our venues happen to be very similar to what anglers use in places like Lake Fork in Texas. Carolina rigged worms and twitch baits work extremely well

10 SA BASS May 2018

e g together with top water lures when the conditions are right and of course the ever present spinnerbait which creates a lot of vibration for the bass to pick up on during the night. A full moon is probably the best time to go hunting for bass at night as they tend to feed more actively and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fishing a clear section of water, the bass are more likely to see the bait presented easier with the aid of some moonlight. When fishing a dam with docs and jetties, its best to approach these holding spots without noise or as little as possible. If these jetties are lit up, so much better. Having lit jetties will attract insect, which in turn attract smaller fish and as we all know, these attract the bigger fish and here using a dark coloured lure is according to many anglers the best choice. A suspending jerk minnow in a dark colour will in most cases produce the goods in these situations. Around rocky areas, the best overall approach would be to use a jig with a trailer that causes a lot of vibration in the water. At night, bass hunt crabs probably even more than during the day and they can pick up the vibration and movement in their lateral line. The soft click that a jig makes as it bumps along the rocky area will help bass to zone in on where the lure is. Dark, shallow areas around weed beds are best approached using soft plastics or your top water frogs or poppers.

Raf Scremin planning where to fish for the night

When planning a trip out at night, be sure to make a list of essentials like insect repellent, a spare flashlight and even some surgical forceps as bass might eat the lure without you even knowing it and only once hooked and landed do you realize that the hook is deep. When checking your boat, ensure that your safety gear is in order and your running lights are working properly. Some caution here though as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to realize that if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to install LED lights on the actual deck of your boat, its best to stay with colours like blue and red. For some reason, the green and white LED lights attract a huge amount of insects and it is rather uncomfortable to try night fishing while spitting out bugs and trying to avoid things flying into your nose and ears. Never venture out at night on your own as accidents can happen and it is more fun to have a fishing buddy for company when the bite is slow. Launch the boat as close to the area that you plan to fish at night and avoid long runs in the dark. Remember to always check the detailed weather report for the evening at the venue that you are planning to visit. Be safe, stay warm and give night time fishing a try, you might be pleasantly surprised with the results. *John Badenhorst is the editor of SA BASS magazine, the Master of Ceremony for FLW South Africa, radio presenter at Platinum Gold Radio and a keen ultra finesse angler.

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.

DOUBLE I was featured in the article “Women That Fish” in the April issue and I noticed this comp you guys are running. We spent last weekend at Witbank Dam staying at a private venue (we saw the Cast-for-Cash boats flying by). On Sunday we went out along the eastern bank and managed to catch a lot of decent bass. We took one photo I think you will appreciate. I caught a nice bass and after my husband removed the hook we got everything ready to take a quick photo. I got my rod out the way and without realising my Watermelon Red Junior Fluke went back into the water next to the boat. While reaching to take the first bass a second one took the fluke and I almost lost my rod. Long story short, I caught the second one as well and managed to take this photo very quickly thereafter. Both fish safely released to scare someone else another day. – Linky Ferreira

This month ’s

WINN

BEAUTY My son Bryce (15 years) caught this 3.8kg beauty at Albert Falls Dam early December 2017. He was fishing a deep rocky point in about 8ft of water. He caught it using a Rapala DT10. Thanks for a great magazine. – Nolene van der Merwe 12 SA BASS May 2018

NEW PB This is my PB bass for this year. It was a 1kg (42cm) fish. I caught this bass at a friend’s dam near Scottburgh. I caught it on a Zoom Green Pumpkin Dead Ringer. It was the first time this lure hit the water. The fish took it on the fall. I love reading your magazine, it always give me good tips. – Wesley Bosch

BASSING AROUND I had a day out at a local pond and caught this guy. I would appreciate it if you can publish my contribution in the Readers-go-Bassing section, please â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pieter Steytler

READERS GO BASSING

Mail & Win E-mail your picture and details of your catch to editor@sabass.com and stand a chance to win Savage Gear baits (valued at R750) from local distributer RAD Fishing Gear. RAD Fishing Gear Darren 084-512-5091 Please send us good crisp pictures of good quality. Pictures send electronically must be of at least 250KB. (We prefer pictures of 1MB). Potential cover pictures must be portrait and at least 3MB.

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DV D PHWKRG RI GHIHQFH 7KLV VHHPV WR VZLWFK WKH EDVV RQ DQG WKH WDNHV DUH DOZD\V YHU\ SRVLWLYH RQ DQG WKH WDNHV DUH DOZD\V YHU\ SRVLWLYH $LU &UDZV DUH SDFNHG LQ EDWFKHV RI HLJKW ZLWK D KHDY\ GXW\ ]LS ORFN RQ WKH SDFNHW WR KHOS PDLQWDLQ EDLW IUHVKQHVV Visit jour nearest tackle store and ask for Damikiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Burn Grub loaded with Bass Juice

When things get tough, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to throw a grub

>> SA BASS BASICS

SA Bass help asb - wat is die basiese kleure van kunsaas en wanneer sal watter kleur gebruik? Byvoorbeeld; wanneer sal wit, pienk en oranje of rooi gebruik word en wanneer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n chartreuse (helder liggroen)? Groete Kriek

Kriek, dankie vir jou navraag. Jou vraag is egter wyd oop en daar is nie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n vinnige antwoord nie. Daar is ongelukkig nie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n een-wonder-doen-dit-alles kunsaas nie. Daar is wel hengelaars wat net aan een kunsgaas glo en baie sukses daarmee het maar die meeste swartbaarhengelaars het â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n verskeideinheid van kunsaas want net soos â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n ambagsman verskillende soorte gereedskap het, het â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n swartbaarhengelaar â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n verskeidenheid van kunsaas wat in sekere omstandighede beter werk. Kunsaas is nie net kunsaas nie. Daar is verskillende soorte kunsaas; â&#x20AC;&#x153;crankbaitsâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;soft plasticsâ&#x20AC;?, draadase soos spinnerbaits, â&#x20AC;&#x153;jigsâ&#x20AC;? en lepels. Onder elkeen is daar weer verskillende kategorieĂŤ met die gevolg elkeen se â&#x20AC;&#x153;basiese kleureâ&#x20AC;? sal afhang van die omstandighede waarin jy hengel. Is die water helder skoon of troebel; is dit sonskyn of bewolk; watter tyd van die dag; watter tyd van die jaar; wat is die weersomstandighede? Hengel jy van die oewer af of vanaf â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n boot? Dis hoekom swartbaarhengel so uitdagend is want elke uitstappie is anders. Pienk, oranje of rooi is nie basiese kleure in my arsenaal nie. Persoonlik sal ek wit en chartreuse in helder skoon water gebruik, rondom plantegroei wanneer die son skyn. Die beste aas om te gebruik is egter die aas waarin jy die meeste vertroue het en elke hengelaar het sy eie persoonlike gunsteling. Ek gebruik graag â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n Mr Jumbo Grub (Junebug) maar dit is nie al wat ek gebruik nie. Die beste is om SA BASS te lees wat elke maand hengelwenke gee.

>> Hannes Lindeque & John Badenhorst*

very valid question from a reader... I hope you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind my reply in English though. Lure colour has always been a topic of discussion and as bass anglers will tell you... there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to lure colours but rather a simple guideline practiced over the years by anglers here and in other parts of the world. There are very basic guidelines as long as we take the following into account... t $MPVE DPWFS t 5JNF PG EBZ t 8BUFS DMBSJUZ t 5JNF PG TFBTPO t 8BUFS UFNQFSBUVSF On a cloudy day for instance, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to use a darker shaded lure such as Junebug, as this will create a contrast in the water column if a bass happens to see it from the 14 SA BASS May 2018

bottom or the side. Here though, water clarity plays an important role too and if the water clarity is good, you might do better to fish with something more natural in shades of watermelon or green pumpkin. 5JNF PG UIF EBZ BT B SVMF PG UIVNC FBSMZ NPSOJOH BOE late afternoon heading into dusk is better fished with dark colours once again because of the sharp contrast created through ambient light as the rays of the sun strengthens or fades to darkness. During the brightest part of the day, especially in our mid summer season, bass will tend to shy away from too direct sunlight and probably hang BSPVOE TPNF EFFQFS TUSVDUVSF PS XFFECFE 8JUI NPSF MJHIU penetrating the water, brighter lures do sometimes produce better results as bass can see these from further away and if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right lure with the right action, it will grab their attention. 8BUFS DMBSJUZ JT B LFZ JO NBLJOH MVSF DIPJDFT BOE BT mentioned above, you want to choose something that will get the attention of hunting fish. In some dams in our

Spinnerbaits is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n goeie kunsaas wat heeljaar gebruik kan word

Verskeie Flukes in basiese kleure naamlik (v-l-n-r); Watermelon Seed, Junebug, Watermelon Gold en Green Pumpkin

country, the water itself might be crystal clear and yet yet, the dying plant materials give it a stain such as light tea. Here, reaction colours like pink and pearl or white can produce the best results. Something else to think about... bass are the predators here and fortunately the prey donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the option to change their own colour in order to hide or give themselves camouflage. As long as the lure gives the right vibration or action, a hungry bass will find it. 5JNF PG UIF TFBTPO FBSMZ JO 4QSJOH CBTT FBU DSBCT BOE other invertebrates to gain what they need for the upcoming TQBXO $SBCT BOE UIFJS DPMPVST XJMM CF BOZ TIBEF PG NJMLZ white to orange and purple. Bass will actively attack the right colour. After the spawn, they spend time recovering and will eat anything from insects, ducks, snakes, lizards, mice and almost any small fish they can swallow... match the hatch is a key here... this will last up to the final feeding frenzy around the beginning of May. 8BUFS UFNQFSBUVSF JO DIPPTJOH B MVSF DPMPVS JT important... colder water in most cases will be clearer and although bass like the average summer temps of our waters, they might hit brighter colours more aggressively. Remember, just as bass donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like water thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too cold, they also take a dislike to water thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too warm. Lures also change colour... for example... sunlight only penetrates to a certain depth... but part of natural sunlight is UV rays and these penetrate much deeper even in low light or murky waters. For instance... a red lure becomes orange, slightly deeper, it becomes yellow, deeper still, it

becomes beige, and in clear water to a depth of around 5 to 8ft, a red lure looks a dull grey... since purple is the base colour for most shades of our spectrum and contains elements of UV in its makeup, a Junebug lure will show itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Junebug colour up to a greater depth thus attracting fish. Soft plastics, cranks, buzzbaits, top water or jigs... whatever your own confidence bait or technique, there are no rules... just basic guidelines... and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to us as anglers to experiment... On a personal note... if someone asked me what colours of soft plastics I would have, it would be Black, Junebug, (SFFO 1VNQLJO BOE 8BUFSNFMPO XJUI B 3FE 'MBLF These four colours are the best suited to most situations you might find out on the water... Now, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to you to grab some lures, head out and experiment with different things to suit your own style of fishing. *Hannes Lindeque is die stigter en uitgewer van SA BASS sedert 2001, die hooforganiseerder van FLW Suid-Afrika en SA BASS Cast-for-Cash swartbaarhengeltoernooie. *John Badenhorst is the editor of SA BASS magazine, the Master of Ceremony for FLW South Africa, radio presenter at Platinum Gold Radio and a keen ultra finesse angler.

When selecting your baits and colours one have to take several factors into account for example cloud cover, time of day, water clarity, time of season, water temperature and wind direction

SA BASS 15 May 2018

>> SA BASS

Only

Bait

Only one bait! A tough ask on any given day and one that is most definitely shrouded in debate and opinion for any one angler. Maybe in the old days it was probably a lot easier but today there are just so many different successful bait designs and techniques around, that to single out just one bait that will do the job for you under all conditions, on any water, throughout the seasons and consistently catch fish, is more than a challenge. We all have our favourites maybe for one specific body of water, but today the modern angler is certainly spoiled for choice.

>> Andrew Court*

think a good starting place would be to take a quick look at the most successful baits over the years that have probably won the most tournaments and caught the most fish both here and abroad...then it may help you answer this trivia question for yourself. The records show - in no particular order - that the Jig, Crankbait, Spinnerbait and a handful of Soft Plastics have accounted for most tournament wins over the years. Although the soft plastic accounted for the most varied - from ribbon tail worms to creature baits - they definitely made their mark as consistent fish catchers. The creature-type-bait probably accounted for the most success in the plastic category and has evolved dramatically over time. They still look as weird as they always have, from the highly successful tube bait to the more ergonomically designed oddities such as ‘The Beast’ or the ‘Sweet Beaver’. However somewhere in between were the pioneers of all creature baits such as the ‘Brush Hog’ and ‘Bacon Rind’ that are 16 SA BASS May 2018

still as successful as any creature bait ever was. Then of course there are the worm baits - from the more traditional action tail worms and straight tails to the more modern and popular stick baits such as the ‘Senko’ or ‘Dinger’ that have taken competitive plastic fishing to new heights. Staying with soft plastics, how could we ignore the success of the baitfish-style jerk baits such as the Fluke, for instance, which have accounted for many successful catches both in the social and professional arenas, and one that I think could be a likely favourite for many anglers. So if a soft plastic bait was your one and only choice...what would it be? For me personally it would have to be the Tube bait, an odd choice maybe but the versatility of this bait far outweighs its oddities. It’s great when fished weightless, on a Texas rig, Shakey Head, Carolina rig, Mojo and even a drop shot...it easily allows the addition of an internal rattle, weight, floatation or optional appendages transforming it into a monster creature bait. It can be fished fast or slow and they come

large, ribbed or small and finesse-like, yet even when they are dead sticked they pulsate and draw strikes. So that would be my choice...if it came to just one soft plastic bait! Then come the reaction-type baits such as the deadly spinnerbait and one of the oldest baits of all the crankbait which have been bagging bass and tournament wins for many a year... for good reason! The crankbait, as well as its closest cousins the lipless crankbait and jerkbait, have won major tournaments and continue to produce excellent stringers even to the point that some pro anglers, especially in America, have become crankbait specialists and hardly fish anything else. Both shallow or deep diving, the crankbait seems like a good one and only choice. However I think in a lot of situations, especially when really heavy cover comes intoplay, or when bass are being stubborn, they could become a bit of a hindrance. The spinnerbait on the other hand, with its more weedless capabilities tends to be a better option and I feel a firm favourite for the one and only bait to cover all situations,

The jig can be anything you want it to be.

All with very similar attributes the jig, chatterbait and spinnerbait are, I feel, the most versatile baits around today. conditions and waters. Here’s a bait that can be fished at any depth from the surface to the bottom, at any speed and produces all the attractive sounds, vibrations and profiles that would

stimulate any bass’ reactionary senses. With all its various and interchangeable sizes, colours and blade combinations it can be used to match the hatch in any situation and with a little creative

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application can be fished as an effective finesse bait as well. Let’s not forget the big fish capabilities of the top water family and I know a few anglers that would

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SA BASS 17 May 2018

probably make awesome lures such as the Buzzbait or Zara Spook their firm favourites. However I believe that at certain times of the year there would possibly be some limitations to these great baits especially when it comes to stubborn or deep frozen bass. For me what makes a good all round bait is not only the multitude of ways in which a bait can be fished, or the effectiveness of a bait both in cover or open water, but also as a bait that can be adapted to reveal many faces or profiles. This is where I think the jig and spinnerbait really stand out above the rest. They can be tinkered with in so many different ways to resemble anything that a bass would want to kill or eat on any given day

18 SA BASS May 2018

under practically any condition. They can both be swum, crawled, hopped, jigged, rolled, cast, pitched or flipped and if we add a little imagination, can turn them into anything you want. Now that I’ve convinced myself about which baits I would choose, it still leaves me with the choice to make for only one bait! Its still a tough ask and I haven’t even touched on the many other productive imitations out there such as the Chatterbait for example, which is an excellent combination of a jig and spinnerbait, or even the many exciting swimbaits available these days. Although I’m torn between the two...I think I would go for the Jig! Mainly because I feel I can apply this bait to all the above and fish it practically anywhere, anyhow and anytime. In the finesse, swimming and pitching variety they can be made to look like anything from a baitfish to a crab or frog, and can be fished aggressively or simply dead sticked. It can be fished fast or

slow, noisy or quiet and just by adding different trailers or other appendages can match any hatch. They are great around any type of structure and cover, no matter how thick and can be fished at any depth in any water, weather or seasonal conditions. For me this has to be one the most versatile baits around. By now you have probably made your own mind up about your one and only bait and it’s probably completely different to mine? What is more important however is your belief and confidence in that choice of bait, no matter what it is...if you believe you can adapt that bait to meet any situation and catch fish on any water under any condition...then that’s the bait for you! All I can say is thankfully we don’t in reality have to ever make that choice, as I believe versatility is the key to good bassing! *Andrew Court is an accomplished bass angler and a regular contributor of insightful and thought provoking bass writing.

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The monthly Cast-for-Cash bass angling money tournament trial is a social event for all those weekend anglers who are mad about bassinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and mad about FUN.

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Call 082-416-5524, or get all the rules, dates and venues on www.flwsouthafrica.com

>> SA BASS

Bassing Essentials Non-essential fishing items 1. 2. 3. 4.

Toilet paper Imodium Buscopan Box of mixed plasters 5. Headache or pain tablets 6. Anti-histamine tablets or cream 7. Sunscreen 8. Box of matches 9. Bottle of water 10. Salt tablets…

Humans... complex, diverse and sometimes plain stupid.

So stupid to the point where someone once remarked… “even duct tape can’t fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound”. >> John Badenhorst*

umans go through everyday life with tasks and duties since the beginning of time. Some of us perform better when we have a guide to follow. Something that makes sense of the mad world around us, something that guides us through the busy days. In this regard, we as a species have taken to making little lists to follow. A list ensures that we do tasks in accordance with our job requirements or even help to manage busy social lives. A list of bills to pay, clients to see, calls to make, friends to visit, things to do around the house, venues to fish, tackle to buy and more... One list we sometimes regret not writing down or

20 SA BASS May 2018

implementing is what I would call “A non-essential fishing checklist”. It’s a contradiction in terms as items on the list are not always needed or very rarely but without a certain item; a lovely day out fishing can become your worst nightmare. White gold has been given this name for a reason. Many of our angling brothers and sisters will confirm its value. There is nothing more frustrating than having to head off behind the nearest tree, bush, rock or to a public toilet only to realize that there is no paper to finish the job. This is but one example of items that are not always needed on a fishing trip but when the need does arise, you will be thankful for having it.

Over years of fishing and chatting to friends, I’ve come up with a list of basics that don’t take up much space but can and will save the day when things go pear shaped...

Toilet paper

Imodium and Buscopan

As mentioned, an absolute essential item to be kept near for when nature calls.

Going hand in hand with number one on the list are small little tablets available over the counter. With busy work lives, we plan our fishing outings carefully but live happens and to be gripped by nauseating and painful stomach cramps while out on the water can ruin the best of days. We all know that feeling... a slight sweat on the brow, that tingle up the spine followed by a growl and cramp that brings fresh goosebumps. Sadly, this is usually followed by the desire to stand as still as a soldier to avoid a nasty explosion. It’s a clear indication that something you’ve eaten clearly does not agree with you and if you don’t remedy the situation, you’re going to pay the price. Imodium relieves the runs and Buscopan will in most cases alleviate those excruciating cramps.

A box of mixed plasters

Also available at most supermarkets and cafes, this is lso ava nicks, cuts, scratches or even stings while out handy for nick hunting for bass. Accidents happen and in the wilderness hunt plasters handy in case of it’s best to have a box of mixed mi unique spray-on plaster small emergencies. There is also a un this can in most available from your local chemist and th cases cover llarger areas too.

Headache or pain tablets

Many times over the years, I’ve been out fishing and another angler or even my own fishing partner has remarked that he has a headache. Fishing becomes very unpleasant depending on the severity of the headache and if left untreated, can lead to something so blinding as to make fishing impossible.

Anti-histamine tablets or cream

More small tablets that can save your life. Many people are allergic to something out there. Some of us might not have encountered that which triggers an allergic reaction. Being out in the bush is not a nice place to find out that you have an allergic reaction to a red ant bite or a horsefly sting or in the worst situation a bee sting. Allergic reactions to these and other critters or something as simple as eating peanuts has caused people from around the world, an early departure to the pearly gates and that big bass pond in the sky.

Sunscreen

Even on a cloudy day, the African sun can be harsh and many anglers have made the dire mistake of leaving home without this form of protection against one of our harsh elements. Without sunscreen, you will pay the price and by getting burnt on the first day of a long weekend, you will ensure an unforgettable yet possibly horrible day to follow. Trying to be comfortable with a bad case of sunburn is not funny and even the slightest bit of sun on an already burnt skin can be a nightmare. With this, I suggest either some wet-wipes or even a small container of hand soap to wash and rinse your hands after applying some protection against the sun. SA BASS 21 May 2018

Em-eukal Sweet Range

fter an event, athletes can refresh dry mouths with the new, healthy taste sensation of Emeukal bonbons. These mouth-watering, sugarfree range of high quality sweets are aimed at the health conscious market. Em-eukal sweets come in four delicious flavours: Eucalyptus (fresh minty), Ginger-Orange (spicy citrus), Lemon (refreshingly tangy) and Salvia (zesty sage). Each flavour is a taste sensation and as the sweets slowly melt in the mouth, their distinctive flavours can be slowly savoured. Each Em-eukal’s premium quality sweet is individually wrapped with a “hallmark flag of quality”. This unique white and red flag helps to preserve hygiene during the unwrapping process of the sweet. Em-eukal sweets are produced by Dr Soldan’s in Germany, which is a family business started by Dr Carl Soldan over 115 years ago. The high quality confectionery is manufactured using the finest, natural ingredients and extracts of the highest quality fruit juices and oils. Em-

eukal sweets contain no artificial colourants or flavourants and are suitable for diabetics and vegetarians. Em-eukal confectionery is available from Dis-Chem and independent pharmacies in 50g packets.

NRF Buffered Vita-C 2000 Fizzy Tablets

RF Health has added a convenient tube of buffered vitamin-C fizzy tablets with bioflavonoid, to their popular and affordable range of vitamin-C supplements. Each handy pack contains ten effervescent Vitamin-C tablets which easily dissolve in a glass of water. Vitamin-C helps to protect the immune system which in turn helps the body to fight off colds and flu. NRF Buffered Vita-C 2000 fizzy tablets contain a higher dose than normal of vitamin-C which helps to both strengthen and maintain a sound immune system and keep the body in good health. Vitamin-C plays an important role in the body as it is vital for strengthening

cartilage, teeth, and bones. It also promotes healthy blood vessels by supporting the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. Vitamin-C assists in the protection of the body’s cells from damage and stimulates collagen which helps slow down the skin’s aging process. NRF Buffered Vita-C 2000 fizzy tablets with a delicious orange flavour provide the required daily intake of vitamin-C and are suitable for children and people who suffer with acid conditions. NRF Buffered Vita-C 2000 Fizzy tablets are convenient for travel and daily use. Available from Dis-Chem and independent pharmacies.

None of the above is absolutely essential to your enjoyment of our sport and yet, without it and if the need does arise, you might find that carefully planned day out on the water being turned to ruin. A spare box of matches for those that smoke, a spare bottle of water and some salt tablets, the list is as long as we want it to be. We all have our own little things we like to take with and I’m sure that by sitting down and 22 SA BASS May 2018

thinking about it, you could come up with your own list of non-essential goodies that would make life so much easier and the day on the water way more pleasant. *John Badenhorst is the editor of SA BASS magazine, the Master of Ceremony for FLW South Africa, radio presenter at Platinum Gold Radio and a keen ultra finesse angler.

Big Tournament 4 Big Anglers I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, when looking over at monthly results of WKH YDULRXV EDVVLQJ WRXUQDPHQWV LQ 6RXWK $IULFD 7KHUH LV D GHȴQLWLYH GLYLGH DW HYHU\ single result. Barring the odd win from a team that usually never features, the top ten seem to be the same angler’s over and over at all the money events countrywide. >> Rowan Zerf

his got me to thinking, these folks obviously have a knack for figuring it out, or have such a depth of historical knowledge that they will always dominate these mid level tournaments, but if I was in their shoes it would have me somewhat frustrated as I would feel that my skills were not really tested against worthy adversaries. Simply by going through the motions and showing up for every event I would have a guaranteed place in the final in which ever trail I have chosen to fish in. Furthering my thoughts I wondered. If only there was a tournament trail where we could get top anglers to compete against each other with raised stakes. As these events go, it is a low risk, low yield scenario. We all know that you can’t really make a career being a bass angler in South Africa, and even if you had to win every single event in your mid level trail, you still wouldn’t break even. Surely there are fierce competitors out there that are willing to put their money where their mouths are and compete for serious bragging rights as well as a hefty purse compared to what we are used to seeing out there in these mid level tournaments? After much thought and deliberation with the powers that be within FLW both locally and internationally I am proud to announce that the official FLW Tour Africa is here. We are running a short length tour for 2018 to test the waters so to speak, and we would like to invite

the cream of the crop African competitors to come on test their skills against anglers of equal skills throughout Africa to compete for the top spot and to be crowned as the best anglers in Africa. We are trying to equip our angler’s by giving them a small taste of what fishing in the United States is like. The FLW Tour Africa will be multiple day events and we are steering away from the traditional small bodies of water that we are used to seeing in the various tournaments and instead we will be hosting the events on bodies of water with ample shoreline to level the playing field. Although we simply don’t have the vast shorelines of dams like they have in the US, there are bodies of water that hold a lot of fish that will replicate the feel of a United States tournament and in doing so prepare the angler’s for a situation wherein they could potentially compete against other anglers internationally.

PRIZE MONEY: First prize R25,000 (based on a field of 35 boats) We look forward in seeing you at our FLW Tour Africa tournaments! Dates and venues are available on our website www. flwsouthafrica.com SA BASS 23 May 2018

OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL IN JIG DESIGN CLASSIC SKIRTS, MODERN WEEDGUARDS AND TECHNIQUE-SPECIFIC DESIGNS MAKE THE JIG EVEN MORE VERSATILE By Tyler Brinks Whether you consider yourself old school or modern, there’s something new for you in skirted jigs. That’s because many companies have reintroduced modern takes on classic designs, improved upon the basic elements of the jig and devised multiple technique-specific models to suit a variety of situations.

STRIKE KING J-LEE COMEBACK JIG

ROUND RUBBER MAKES A COMEBACK Round rubber is a classic jig skirt material that has been around for years, but it’s back in the game in a big way now. Strike King has gone round with its new J-Lee Comeback Jig ($4.99), which was inspired by Jordan Lee’s come-from-behind win at the

NUTECH LURES PRO SERIES LIVE RUBBER

2017 Bassmaster Classic, where he used a round rubber football-head jig to get the big trophy at Lake Conroe. It had been one of his secrets and favorite jig styles, but the word’s out and it’s available to everyone. NuTech Lures also added a round rubber option in its Pro Series Live Rubber ($7.29) lineup. It’s hand-tied with flowing Living Rubber material.

A Decidedly Non-Specific Jig While everyone else continues to expand their collections of technique-specific jigs, Greenfish Tackle (greenfishtackle.com) bucked the trend and introduced a jig designed for just about anything. Called Brandon Cobb’s All Purpose Jig ($4.89), it features an Arkie-style head that allows it to be flipped, pitched, skipped or swum. The skirt is handtied, and all of the colors were selected by FLW Tour pro Brandon Cobb. 24 SA BASS May 2018

NUTECH LURES NUJIG ELITE

THE SINGLE-STRAND WEEDGUARD IS CATCHING ON The standard fiber weedguard is a mainstay for bass jigs. It comes in various colors, thicknesses and degrees of flexibility, but the concept has remained the same for years. Two companies in the jig game are questioning the status

STRIKE KING HACK ATTACK FLUOROCARBON FLIPPING JIG

FITZGERALD RODS MEGA JIG

quo, however, with single-strand weedguards – paired together into dual guards – that are made of unique plastic-like materials. Theoretically, a singlestrand guard could be engineered with just the right amount of flex or resistance for any situation. The double-guard design is said to deflect snags without preventing the hook from penetrating, while

FITZGERALD RODS TEXAS JIG

also keeping the jig from rolling during the hookset for better hook alignment. NuTech Lures has adopted the design on its series of jigs. Likewise, Florida-based Fitzgerald Rods manufactures the MEGA JIG and Texas Jig ($8.99) for heavy-cover flipping. The Fitzgerald weedguards are made of twisted weed trimmer line.

NICHOLS JT KENNEY GRASS WIZARD

NICHOLS LW FINESSE SWIM JIG

Z-MAN CROSSEYEZ POWER FINESSE JIG

V&M PACEMAKER SKIPPING JIG

TECHNIQUE-SPECIFIC JIGS EXPAND

Jigs have always been techniquespecific to a degree, but these days the degree of specificity in jig design has really improved. For instance, Strike King designed a new Hack Attack Fluorocarbon Flipping Jig ($4.99) with a thinner-wire hook for better penetration when using fluorocarbon versus braided line. It has the same head design as the original and features a corkscrew wire keeper to secure a trailer. As its name suggests, the Nichols JT Kenney Grass Wizard ($4.99) is for fishing heavy grass. It has a unique arrow-shaped belly on the jighead and features Nichols’ toothpick keeper system to secure a trailer.

“Finesse” is creeping into more traditional jig styles, too, so anglers can entice fish with different sizes rather than the traditional mouthfuls. The Nichols LW Finesse Swim Jig ($4.99) is a downsized version of the common swim jig with a fine-cut skirt and lightwire hook, and the Z-Man CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jig ($4.99) is small in

profile, but built tough like standardsized flipping and pitching jigs. Finally, V&M expanded its Pacemaker series with the new Skipping Jig ($5.29), which is built on a 30-degree hook and features a larger weedguard to protect it better when fishing cover. The head of the jig is broad for better skipping, too. SA BASS 25 April May 2018

TAKEOFF

TOURNAMENT LIFE

ETIQUETTE, STRATEGY FOR FISHING IN A CROWD CODY MEYER’S TAKE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH FISHING PRESSURE

very now and then a pro finds a spot all to himself and cashes in for a tournament victory. When it happens, it makes a good story, but the truth is, pros – especially these days – rarely have any spot all to themselves. The reality is that in tournaments with hundreds of boats in the field, the majority of an angler’s time is spent sharing areas, or even fishing in crowds. With so many competing, it’s almost guaranteed that at least one

other angler – or several – will find the same pattern, spot or school as you. That’s big-time pressure, but being able to manage and adapt to that pressure is what separates top pros like Cody Meyer from the pack. “You talk to guys all the time who get spun out because they’re sharing water throughout the day, or who are intimidated to fish in a crowd of 10 or 20 boats,” says Meyer. “It’s never bothered me. Unless I have something better, I

Crowds are part of tournament fishing, and how well you learn to deal with the added pressure that comes with fishing near other competitors can have a big impact on your success.

26 SA BASS May 2018

By Sean Ostruszka never mind fishing in a pressured or crowded area. My thinking is the fish are there. I don’t have to worry about finding them; just catching them.” With so much fishing pressure, catching them isn’t always easy, regardless of how many fish there are. Meyer’s answer is to downsize or do something different from everybody else. For instance, at the 2017 Potomac River FLW Tour event, he was rotating through community holes with as many as 40 boats in them, and

“Unfortunately, there are anglers out there who don’t always show people respect. They’ll get up on guys who are catching them; or the second that guy leaves, jump on his spot. I’ve also seen guys get frustrated and get up on pad right in the middle of a crowd. That’s just poor sportsmanship. We all know those guys, and it comes back on them.” One thing Meyer says to remember when it comes to dealing with crowds

noticed most guys were flipping with braid. So he flipped with 15-pound-test fluorocarbon, made the top 10 and credits at least part of his success to the added stealth of clear line. Being observant like that – whether it involves locations or patterns of other pros fishing nearby – can often help whittle down the guessing game or make it easy to set yourself apart. However, Meyer says there is also an unspoken etiquette when fishing and being observant in crowds; one that some pros follow while others don’t. “It all comes down to respect; respecting your other anglers,” says Meyer. “I’ll watch what guys are doing to see if I should be doing something similar or switching it up and doing something different. We all do. But if someone gets to an area first or has figured out something no one else has, that’s his area, in my mind. I’m not about to go in on top of him.

RULES OF CONDUCT

and fishing pressure is that the crowd isn’t always the deciding factor in the outcome. Sometimes catching fish or not comes down to simple dumb luck. “I’ve had times where I was the one catching them in a crowd, and I’ve had times when I was doing the same thing as everyone else and I watched them catch them,” says Meyer. “You just have to understand that’s the luck of the draw sometimes.”

By Curtis Niedermier

PHOTO BY PATTERSON LEETH

FLW Tour rules do not specifically restrict anglers from fishing close to one another, with one exception: If a contestant’s boat is anchored (with anchor and rode or Power-Poles or similar devices) and the trolling motor is stowed, other anglers must stay at least 50 feet away. The details are outlined in rule No. 14, “Permitted Fishing Locations.” However, according to FLW Senior Director of Tournament Operations Bill Taylor, contestants are also expected to maintain a high level of sportsmanship and courtesy during tournaments, as dictated by rule No. 10, “Sportsmanship,” which gives the tournament director the authority to impose a penalty for “Any other words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship,

fair competition and compliance with tournament rules …” Acts such as casting across another angler’s line, fishing so close that boats drift into one another or aggressively cutting off fellow contestants, as well as any act deemed to be unsafe, such as running on plane through a crowd of boats, could lead to disciplinary action. Taylor says he hasn’t fielded many written protests regarding this type of situation, but he’s heard plenty of verbal complaints, particularly since anglers have become so skilled at locating the same schools of fish with electronics. A stickler for the rules, he says he plans to monitor a little more closely in 2018 to make sure the crowds don’t become a little too crowded this season. ■

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Gauteng

L-t-r: Peet vd Schyff, Shaun John, Johan Cloete, Hennie du Preez, Frans Swanepoel, Lesley Montgomery, Richard Dunn, Henry Peterson

7.135kg Venue: Witbank Dam Winning team: Gel Events Team Members: Shaun John & Peet van der Schyff Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 7.135kg Heaviest fish: 2.150kg Best time: Early morning Depth: 4 - 8ft Structure: Reeds Lure: Horny Toad fished top water Colour: Junebug Rig: Weightless Next venue & date - see our website: www.flwsouthafrica.com >> Tournaments >> Regions & Dates

Results: 1: Team Valet Storage - 7.875kg 2: Team New Anchor - 7.055kg 3: Team Viper - 7.000kg 4: Team Boom Shaka Laka - 6.875kg 5: Team Stompie - 6.575kg VisitVisit www.flwsouthafrica.com www.flwsouthafrica.com for entry for entry forms, forms, dates, dates venues and and venues. results. For general enquiries phone 082-416-5524 28 SA BASS May 2018

March Limpopo

O.F.S.

Back: Andy Kyriacoudes, Stefan Badenhorst, Wessel du Toit, Billy Eastman, Brenda & Hilgard Greyvenstein Front: Riaan Bam, Alexis Kuisis, Kobus Snyman, Wayne Eastman

O.F.S. Cast-for-Cash winners

6.740kg

6.120kg

Venue: Tzaneen Dam

Venue: Klerkskraal Dam

Winning team: Selati Team Members: Gerhard NortjÃ© & Louis Joubert Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 6.740kg Heaviest fish: 3.360kg Best time: Midday Depth: 5ftft Structure: Grass banks near rocks Lure: Zara Spook Colour: Baby Bass Rig: -

Winning team: Picasso Team Members: John Bulpitt & Rob McNielage Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 6.120kg Heaviest fish: 1.650kg Best time: Midday Depth: 9 - 15ft Structure: Reeds Lure: Spinnerbait Colour: White & Chartreuse Rig: -

Next venue & date - see our website: www.flwsouthafrica.com >> Tournaments >> Regions & Dates

Results:

1: Team Selati - 6.740kg

1: Team Picasso - 6.120kg

2: Team Beli VC - 6.155kg

2: Team Free PK'S - 4.050kg

3: Team Beli Farming - 5.005kg

3: Team J&J - 3.810kg

4: Team JV Hidrolies - 3.885kg

4: Team Jogi - 3.670kg

5: Team Vhav enda Bricks - 3.710kg

SA BASS 29 May 2018

North West

SA BASS Cast-for-Cash North West - February 2018 - Vaal River Back: Lourens Joubert, Juan du Toit Front: Shane Bacon, Alan Scholefield, Hansie van Niekerk, Charles Hapgood, Giulio Nolly

Kwa-Zulu Natal

L-t-r: Ashraf Shaik, Neil Button, Robbie Olivier, Neels Beneke, Ronnie Thompson, Ross Summerell

5.620kg

3.120kg

Venue: Roodekopjes Dam

Venue: Hazelmere Dam

Winning team: Secret VC Team Members: Giulio Nolly & Juan du Toit Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 5.620kg Heaviest fish: Best time: Mid morning Depth: 4 - 10ft Structure: Grass and rock combination Lure: Secret Bait G30 Colour: Tilapia Rig: Drop-shot

Winning team: R&R Team Members: Ross Summerell & Ronnie Thompson Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 3.120kg Heaviest fish: 1.200kg Best time: Whole day Depth: 8ft Structure: Grass banks Lure: 1/4oz Revenge Spinnerbait Colour: White Rig: -

Next venue & date - see our website: www.flwsouthafrica.com >> Tournaments >> Regions & Dates

Next venue & date: www.flwsouthafrica.com

Results:

1: Team Secret VC - 5.620kg

1: Team R & R - 3.120kg

2: Team SA Rare Game Breeders - 5.580kg

2: Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365 - 2.745kg

3: Team Raptor - 5.460kg

3: Team Peter Maskell Auctions - 2.660kg

4: Teams GreensÂ² - 5.330kg

4: Team Bass Warehouse Fishtec - 2.620kg

5: Team I & J - 5.000kg

30 SA BASS May 2018

March Mpumalanga

Small Craft

Gauteng - TBC

SA BASS Cast-for-Cash Mpumalanga - March 2018 - Nooitgedacht Dam

Top 5 anglers at The Bass Challenge Leg 8 that was held at Bronkhorstspruit Dam

Results:

2.240kg Venue: Nooitgedacht Dam Winning team: Woollybugger Farm Team Members: Adrian Leite & Yono Yearsley Number of fish weighed: 5 Total bag weight: 2.240kg Heaviest fish: 0.735kg Best time: Late afternoon Depth: 18ft Structure: Rocky banks Lure: Super Fluke Colour: Watermelon Pumpkin with Gold Flake Rig: Mojo rig

1st: Dean Fourie - 4.220kg 2nd: Derek le Roux - 3.840kg 2nd: Mohammed Abramia - 3.840kg 3rd: Juan du Toit - 3.820kg 4th: Isak Oliv ier - 3.630kg 5th: Konrad Muller - 3.600kg

Next venue & date - see our website: www.flwsouthafrica.com >> Tournaments >> Regions & Dates

KZN Small Craft Bass Leaque Rudi Hermann finished first at Baynesfield Dam

Results: 1: Team Woolly bugger Farm - 2.240kg

Results:

2: Team Core - 2.070kg

1st: Rudi Hermann - 114.5cm

3: Team Viskoors - 1.830kg

2nd: Juan Pretorius - 106.0cm

4: Team J&B - 1.370kg

3rd: Daniel Farmer - 102.5cm

5: Team RTM - 0.915kg

4th: Tjaart Fourie - 97.5cm 5th: Webster Geekie - 95.5cm SA BASS 31 May 2018

>> SA BASS Stunning reed beds provide the perfect ambush cover for hunting bass

Backyard Bassin

Nigel Dam

A decent slipway at Nigel Dam makes launching any boat an absolute pleasure

>> John Badenhorst*

Beautiful colour on a feisty bass

Bassing can be a challenge. Make no mistakes, bass are just like many other fish and they might be there and you might be able to see them swimming around happily giving you the proverbial middle fin to anything you might throw at them except a stick of dynamite.

ays like these can drive you to drink or heaven forbid, golf or even knitting. Blanking can be like everyone gets ice cream but you don’t. And you watch others eating away and you can almost taste it but you’re not having any. It’s like walking outside and smelling the aroma of a braai at the neighbour’s house while you eat a stale salad. There are ways to change your approach especially with places like Murray Park, Homestead, Bronkies, Nigel

32 SA BASS May 2018

and Witbank dams where lure choice, colour, rigging and fishing it the right way can and will make a difference. In this series we’ve spoken about the above mentioned dams and over the Easter weekend, it was time to visit the little town of Nigel on the East Rand. My usual approach to this venue would be for a bit of bank bashing with some small little twitch baits and grubs. Having Kevin and Nicus with me on the trip, allowed us to launch the Crackleback 360 Lite with ease and get on the water. Driven by the 15hp Yamaha, it was a short ride to the top part of the dam where we started working the very edges of the reeds with small paddletail baits on a light Mojo rig. Soon, we had a couple of bites and for some reason; it seemed that the fish in these parts were more inclined to snack on something dark like Junebug. After a few casts, we managed to land a few small fish and decided to move down the west bank of the dam, slowly working pockets into the undercut of the standing reeds. We found isolated pockets of fish and even dropped two big fish by simply not being prepared for that quick pull on the line. Unfortunately, the weather did not play along and not long after launching, thunder started rumbling and boats, lightning and water don’t play nicely together and so we decided to call it for safety and get the boat back to the launch and onto the trailer. Nigel Dam has two slipways to launch from and as these are solid and made out of

concrete, we didn’t experience problems with clay beds and getting stuck like some other venues. Baits that work very well for Nigel Dam are four inch flukes or minnows, either Texas-, Carolina- or even Sliding Mojo-rigged. Three inch grubs also perform very well and if you’re a fan of throwing cranks, a small lipless crank or shallow diver in natural colours will do the job very well indeed. Soft plastic colours that work well are Junebug, Watermelon Red, Green Pumpkin Gold and Spectre, a new colour from local manufacturers Wolf Lures. Vary your retrieves until you find what works and then stick with that for a while. We found the best retrieve to be a slow vertical walk-the-dog. Nigel Dam has a couple of coves hidden amongst the reeds and these seem to produce the better bites together with the wall near the outlet and the bank running adjacent to the factory on the left. There is not too much structure in the dam and the bottom consists mainly of rocky gravel and sand with patches of silt in-between. This venue is best fished during the week as it can get a bit busy with boat traffic from time to time and this can be a bit frustrating for bass anglers. Also keep an eye out for carp anglers as the majority of the open spots between the reeds are where they will have their lines out into the water. Safety has never really been an issue at Nigel Dam but don’t tempt fate, keep your eyes open and don’t leave valuables on display in your vehicle.

Nicus Venter with an average sized Nigel Dam bass

Because of its close proximity to the town of Nigel and a mere couple of minutes from the town of Springs, this venue sees many anglers heading to its waters for a quick couple of bass. There are big fish in the dam with reports of fish up to 4.6kg, but like all big fish, it takes way more time on the water and skill to get those brutes to bite. Nigel Dam has plenty of fish and given the right baits, anglers will have no problems catching them. *John Badenhorst is the editor of SA BASS magazine, the Master of Ceremony for FLW South Africa, radio presenter at Platinum Gold Radio and a keen ultra finesse angler.

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SA BASS 33 May 2018

>> SA BASS INTERVIEW

Trial and Error

(YHU\ DQJOHU WKDWČ&#x2021;V Č´VKLQJ D MLJ ZLOO DJUHH WKDW MLJV FDQ SURGXFHU ELJ EDVV ZKHQ Č´VKHG FRUUHFWO\ DQG ZKHQ DVNHG WR SLFN RQH OXUH PRVW DQJOHUV ZLOO SLFN D MLJ

L-t-r: Springbok jigs with trailers; Summer Craw, Autumn Craw and Cotter Brown

>> Bennie Wiese*

ig fishing has been around for many years and not every angler understands the fish-catching capabilities or even how to correctly use them. I needed to find out more and decided on spending a day on Roodekopjes Dam with Gareth Dryden. You will see anglers with one or two jigs tied on, Gareth starts off with five rods with different sized jigs and colour combinations with matching trailers. Gareth starts fishing a rock pile in the shallow water that has a big drop-off on the one side. Gareth makes his first cast and states; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe the best anglers are those ones that are always aware as to where their lures are, with jigs itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same. Where the jig is in relation to the water you are fishing is important. Is it falling, on rocks, grass or in the brush? We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see under the water and the more you are tuned in-to what you are doing, the better you will know what the jig is doing and the better results you will have.â&#x20AC;? Gareth tells me that he did not always fish jigs and had to learn the hard way through trial and error. It was only after he decided to look for bigger bass, that he turned to jig fishing. Gareth just expresses amusement; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where and how to find jig bass and after 34 SA BASS May 2018

getting some advice from my friend, Tony Lagesen, the game changed for me. Even when the fishing was tough, I forced myself to go out and spend time fishing the jig, building up my confidence. Learning the bait and understanding how it worked was the key.â&#x20AC;? Inspection of the jig hook or lure is something everyone should do. If you're getting bites but coming up empty, this might be the reason. Even new hooks can be dull if the plating is poor. You should check for sharpness by pressing your hook's point against a thumbnail. If it sticks, you have a winner. Keep a file handy to sharpen hooks that need it, and always check your hooks after dragging them through structure. Gareth grins; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, after I got hit by my first big bass I was instantly hooked and never looked back, they eat it or they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eat it! I was still a new jig angler and still had lots to learn.â&#x20AC;? After a few years fishing mostly with jigs, Gareth can proudly say his PB of over 5kg comes off a Hillbilly Poisen jig and he had landed many other big fish on jigs. He will be first to tell anglers that some jig-fishing strategies have worked better than others. Gareth says if anyone asks him about jigs he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop

talking about it. “Yes, that’s true. I enjoy fishing so much that I will share some tips with anglers that want to learn more. As I stared jig fishing, black and blue was the only colour available and to this day many anglers will only believe in using black and blue. This colour works very well I do agree. In the beginning I did not change and the one day I changed the trailer to Junebug and got more bites. The next step was a Junebug jig with a matching colour trailer. This worked even better I got bigger fish. I must say that this colour worked in more than one venue. Trial and error will help you to find the colour combination that will work for you. If you find that colour that works for you stay with it. On the Vaal River, anglers will fish black and blue or black with red flake and Green Pumpkin with orange. I will give two new colours that work great on the river, Springbok with a Speed Craw in Summer Craw and Autumn Craw with a Yum Big Show Craw in Cotter Brown colour. See how close you can match the jig to the colour of what the bass are feeding on. You will always hear these words… be a line watcher, believe me if I tell you some that some of the biggest bass that I have caught on jigs when I didn’t feel the bite and the only detection was the line moving or the line jumping. Watching your line must become second nature while jig fishing for bass, and any type of fishing off the bottom.”

When you are using jigs you cast a jig over the target area or either flipping it into open water, let the jig fall on a free line and watch it all the way down to the bottom. Most of time, bass will take a jig as it’s falling so if you’re not watching your line the whole way down, you could easily lose a bass of a lifetime. “Keep in mind, the lighter the jig, the slower it falls in the water column. Using a lighter jig early in the year is better as it matches the mood of the fish. As the water starts to warm up, a faster jig presentation will work better. When you do see a bass hit your jig on the fall, your line will suddenly jerk on top of the water. Take this as your sign to instantly engage your reel, reel up the slack, and strike as hard as you can. But when the water starts to warm up, it’s an entirely new game. The bass, along with the other fish in the river or dam, begin to wake up and move around faster. So should your jig. I like to incorporate a couple of hops, along with drags, when the water starts to warm. As it gradually warms, swimming a jig becomes a deadly presentation, too. Be unique with your jig and trailer combinations. The more unique you are, the more bites you will get. It’s that simple.” *Bennie Wiese is an experienced provincial bass angler and regular Cast-for-Cash contestant.

All our products are designed and manufactured by our team locally in South Africa. We test and design our jigs based on PXOWLSOH ȴVKLQJ FRQGLWLRQV DQG H[SHULHQFHV :H FKRRVH RQO\ quality resources to construct and manufacture our products, ensuring you that our products meet the standard of both angler and bass.

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SA BASS 35 May 2018

>> SA BASS CLASSROOM

The Story of Line Selection for Crankbaits

major part of the excitement of bass fishing is not knowing exactly where the fish are going to be – it is part of the thrill of the hunt I guess. This is where a crankbait is extremely valuable and will assist you in quickly establishing a pattern and where the bass are locating to. These areas could be out in open water with a channel break or sunken yacht as the only form of structure such as that you’d find in Inanda Dam or Bronkhorspruit Dam, or you could be fishing between shallow submerged brush piles or wattle trees similar to that in Witbank or Albert Falls Dam. It will go a very long way if bass anglers considered the structure they are fishing and their choice of line more carefully when rigging for the changing conditions.

Note: all these lines are 10lb breaking strain yet their diameters are all different

>> Roger Donaldson* The most important consideration to make when selecting your line is that it needs to compliment the size of your lure. If your line diameter iss too thick and breaking strain to high gh you will very likely destroy the lure’s e’s swimming action. The crankbait is designed to perform in a specific ific manner beneath the water and the more cognisant we can be of that the more successfully we’ll get the bass to bite. A line diameter which is too thick will also reduce the crankbait’s ability to dive to its desired, or specified depth. On the opposite end of the spectrum choosing a line diameter which is too thin and breaking strain insufficient will dampen your ability to react to a bite and reduce the amount of pressure you are able to Mteri is notorious for it structure (see the many trees in the background)

deliver to keep the hooks imbedded when the fish is hooked. Seasoned anglers have become so accustomed to choosing line that something as simple as the above comes naturally. However, these anglers often have many rods rigged to suit the various situations they may find themselves in, sometimes even three or four rods ready just for fishing a crankbait. Although some may view this as an obsession I can honestly say that I’ve seen how the intricate changes between rod and line can benefit you when competing at the levels which these anglers do. For the most of us however, the following two essential considerations will produce the required results and keep you catching bass time and again.

Size of the crankbait The medium to larger sized crankbaits are often the ones which dive deeper, they will also have a larger lip than others and will be that much heavier too. On average a line breaking strain of around 12 to 16lb will be sufficient to fish these deeper diving lures. To get the lure to dive deeper, it will help to choose the line with the thinnest diameter. Also, for the more flexible rod try to move toward rigging with fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon line is less flexible than a monofilament line and will compliment the soft rod 36 SA BASS May 2018

ac action, as well as the lure’s natural swimming action. na Smaller to almost m medium sized lures require so some pretty delicate de d decision making and are aals also often fished far more su u successfully on a spinning ro o and reel. For this reason rod yyou would need to select from 6 to 12lb copolymer and monofilament lines as the fluorocarbon line retains far too much energy and does not stay on the spool easily. With small ler crankbaits, the first thing smaller you’ll n notic notice if you have rigged up the wrongg line is that you will find it very difficu ult to cast you lure easily - the difficult thinn thinner your line the better in this instance.

Structure to consider It goes without saying that taking into account the type of structure you are fishing around will be an important factor. It makes sense that

when fishing open water you would not need to think too much about the abrasive qualities of your line as there will little or no impact with structure. However, what would you do if you were fishing between flooded brush piles or tree stumps? Now, the game changes quite dramatically and the abrasion resistant qualities of your line becomes a crucial factor. Trying to select lines to capitalize on their abrasion resistance is a very difficult task and you’d do well in asking your tackle shop expert to advise you. Good fishing line is honestly a very worthwhile investment and in the past few years I’ve never opted for the least expensive. In fact, I’ve always purchased the most expensive option and the line has lasted me many years and has never failed me once. This decision was easily made shortly after a trip to Lake Mteri in 2008. While fishing around the flooded trees, which Mteri is renowned for, I found myself tussling with what would possibly today be my personal best. The battle lasted all of ten seconds

It will go a very long way if bass anglers considered the structure they are ȴVKLQJ DQG WKHLU choice of line more carefully when rigging for the changing conditions. and was lost due to the grossly inferior abrasion resistance of my line. Lesson learned! *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 37 May 2018

>> SA BAARS KLASKAMER Die skrywer met ‘n swartbaar wat hy in die reën gevang het onder uiters moeilike omstandighede

As Baars Kon Lees Baars lees nie boeke nie! Dink net hoeveel makliker dit sou gewees het as hulle maar net die artikels gelees het wat ons lees. Ons sou almal op dieselfde bladsy gewees het en baars sou so maklik aan ons aas gebyt het soos uit ‘n boom uit val. Hoe geneig is ons as baarshengelaars tog nie om alles presies te doen soos die boeke sê nie, en te vergeet dat ons as mens maar nogsteeds uitgelewer is aan die natuur met al sy onvoorspelbaarheid.

>> Philip Kemp*

m bykans 80 baars met ‘n gemiddelde gewig van 1kg in 7ºC water te vang terwyl die meeste boeke sê baars gaan maar traag byt in sulke situasies, laat ‘n mens soms wonder oor wat dan nou werklik die waarheid is oor wat hengelaars sê rondom baarshengel en wat in die boeke geskryf staan. Dit het my laat besef dat sommige dinge wat ek altyd geglo het as waarhede rondom baarshengel, nie altyd noodwendig die waarheid blyk te wees nie. Een van my eerste kunsase wat ek aansit as ek hengel is gewoonlik ‘n groot grub. Dit is ook gewoonlik die laaste

38 SA BASS May 2018

aas wat ek gebruik aan die einde van ‘n dag se hengel. My seun, Maurice, sal egter weer die hele dag net swaailemme en paddas hengel. Op die einde van die dag is ek en hy ewe suksesvol of onsuksesvol. Dit maak ook nie saak watter tyd van die jaar dit is, of wat die faktore op die spesifieke dag is nie, ons bly volhard met ons sogenaamde vertrouensase. Waarom het almal van ons ‘n tipe aas wat ons glo die ware Jakob is om te gebruik, terwyl iemand anders weer op ‘n heeltemal ander tipe aas net soveel sukses behaal? Hierdie word ons gunsteling ase en ons glo so in die aas dat ons nie besef dat dit in werklikheid onsself is wat die

krediet moet kry nie. Dit is tog die hengelaar self wat besluit op die kleur van die aas, die spoed waarteen dit gehengel word, die diepte wat dit gehengel word, en dan natuurlik die area van die dam of rivier waar daar met die spesifieke aas gehengel word. Ons besef nie altyd dat hoe meer kunsaas jy het waarin jy ‘n groot vertroue het, hoe beter is jou kanse om in alle omstandighede moontlik baars te vang. Ek wil dus die lesers aanraai om soveel as moontlik vertrouens ase te hê, om dus soveel moontlik omstandighede te kan hengel. Moet dus nooit die aas wat jy gebruik die krediet gee vir jou sukses nie, maar eerder jouself wat die omstandighede reg gelees het, en die spesifieke aas reg gekies het en korrek gehengel het. Soveel hengelaars weet ook nie hoe om oor te skakel na kleiner kunsaas nie. Hulle keuse van kleiner aas is ook soms verkeerd. Dit is belangrik om altyd met ‘n kleiner replika van die aas te hengel as waarmee daar aanvanklik gehengel was. Indien die baarshengelaar met ‘n groot plastiese kunsvissie hengel, moet hy probeer om met ‘n kleiner replika in dieselfde kleur te hengel. Dit is dan ook belangrik om onmiddelik nog

Maurice sal altyd ‘n mooi swartbaar aan die hoek kry met ‘n padda

stadiger te hengel omrede die kleiner aas logies gesproke, nie so vinnig soos die groter aas behoort te beweeg nie. Dit is waar baie van ons die fout maak en die veskillende grote ase teen dieselfde spoed probeer hengel. Indien jy dus kleiner hengel, onthou dus ook om stadiger te hengel. Een van die groot mites rondom baars is dat vis bykans altyd, as gevolg van weersomstandighede, of dieper of vlakker in die dam geposisioneer is. Ons is soms te geneig om die weer die skuld te gee as die baars nie so fluks byt nie, sonder om werklik te besef dat die weer eerder veroorsaak het dat die voedselbronne van die baars eerder elders verskuif het, en die baars hulle bloot net gevolg het. Daar is egter uitsonderings soos die skielike daling in watertemperatuur wat baars sal laat verskuif na dieper water waar die temperatuur meer konstant is. Ek het egter gevind dat die verkuiwing gewoonlik nie so ‘n drastiese verskuiwing in diepte sal wees nie, maar eerder net ‘n paar voet, dieper of vlakker. Indien die baars skuif sal dit ook nie oor groot afstande wees nie. Baars sal nie van die een kant van die dam na die ander kant van die dam beweeg nie. Dit gebruik die baars se energie reserwes om skielik ‘n groot afstand te beweeg. Daar is soms ook baie misverstande oor die kleur waarmee ons hengel. Ek het al op mooiweersdae en mooi helder water al die natuurlike kleure gehengel, en vir al my moeite net ‘n paar kleiner baars gekry. My vrou, Reniece, het op so ‘n dag saam met my gehengel, en die kennis van baarshengel wat sy het is dat ‘n pienk wurm darem te pragtig lyk en mooi by haar pienk visstok pas. Sy het op daardie spesifieke dag soveel sukses gehad, dat ek ook oorgeskakel het na die pienk wurms. Baars doen nie altyd wat jy wil hê hulle moet doen nie. Indien jy dus ‘n sekere kleur aas hengel en jy vind dat die baars jou aas volg maar nie gryp nie, verander dadelik die kleur. Een van die ander mites is dat hengel altyd moeilik is na ‘n koue front. Dit is egter so dat die hengel wel stadiger sal wees, maar die hengelaar moet nooit aanneem dat dit wel die geval sal wees nie. Ek het al op sulke dae net soveel baars gevang as op goeieweers dae. Dit is so dat die vis nie so aggressief sal wees op sulke dae nie. Dit is dus belangrik om oopkop te bly in sulke situasies en ons nie altyd te veel te steur aan wat die vis veronderstel is om te doen nie. Onthou dus die onvoorspelbaarheid van die natuur en dat baars nie altyd noodwendig doen wat die boeke en kenners sê hulle moet doen nie. Ek wil graag afsluit met ‘n aanhaling van die meester in baarshengel, Kevin VanDam: “I’m amazed by how many fishing myths are being repeated by fishermen or are being reported as facts by journalists. I understand how many of these old wife tales were started years ago before equipment and angling skills were developed. Unfortunately, many anglers rely upon information they hear from others and won’t trust their personal experiences. Those are the fishermen who only catch fish when the fishing is easy.” *Philip Kemp is ‘n gesoute swartbaarhengelaar en ‘n gereelde bydraer. SA BASS 39 May 2018

>> SA BASS CLASSROOM

Creature baits are great for rigging up Texas, Carolina and Mojo style for excellent results

for Soft Plastic Lures (Part 4)

ne would think that because we are able to coax bass into biting at a soft plastic lure that it would be easy to simply cast, retrieve and the bites would just follow. Not that easy is it. Turns out, bass are actually a lot more crafty than we know and a great deal of effort goes into the technique in retrieving the soft plastic lure. There are a host of different soft plastics, but I’m going to keep this very straight forward and simple. In order to start dedicating the most appropriate retrieval techniques to each will require that we separate their categories:

JERKBAITS These are all your slender ‘fishy’ shaped lures including stick/pencil shaped baits. There is such a variety available now that I cannot simply label them “Flukes” and “Senkos” for example. These cleverly designed baits are very popular and may turn out to be your favourite very quickly if fished in the desired manner. Let’s keep it simple with three very easy retrieves. 40 SA BASS May 2018

>> Roger Donaldson*

Fast and furious Although this retrieve is the quickest one there is certainly still method in the madness. It will be most likely that this technique will suit shallow water (1 to 3ft deep) where the fish are in fairly close proximity and can see the lure. There are two reasons why the retrieve will be quick, namely to excite the bass and also to prevent the bass from getting a really good look at what it’s eating. You would simply cast the lure two or three metres past the desired target area, and begin retrieving while jerking your rod tip upwards, or downwards in 45cm jerks. Keeping the rod tip up means the lure will swim shallower and rod tip down will allow the lure to swim slightly deeper. The length of time you allow between jerks is entirely up to you, but keep your eye on your line to spot the bite although sometimes it is often explosive!

A small range of soft plastic jerkbaits to select from

Pause and retrieve Generally this techniquee will suit slightly deeper water, err, perhaps 3 to 8ft deep and where the fish willl not have immediate sight of the lure as it lands in the t water. n immediately allow the After casting in you can lure time to flutter to the bottom. ttom. There would likely be some sort of structure here ree that you are targeting beneath the water, or perhaps rh haps you’re fishing between vegetation of some mee kind. Once the lure has reached the bottom and provided you haven’t already been swallowed weed up (because it often happens on the first cast a while letting the ast lure n a short two second sweep sink) then lift your rod tip in from parallel to an inclined an angle. ngle. The lure should rise off the bottom 40cm or so and then h drop again. hen (P.S. You haven’t reeled up line li yet – only l lifted lif d your rod d tip.) Now that the lure has settled on the bottom and you notice the slack developing in your line you can casually reel up the 1.5 to 2m of slack line (allowing the lure to ‘pause’) and then repeat the process. How long you choose for the lure to sit paused is entirely up to you. Also, how high you choose for your bait to rise off the bottom is also a strategy you need to decide upon on the day.

Dead stick This is very self-explanatory and widely used amongst seasoned anglers. It’s not to say that you should now be using the technique everywhere you go though, but it certainly does work predominantly well when fishing around difficult conditions i.e. post frontal weather, very calm/slick water conditions. The strategy is simply to cast as close to, or directly on top of your target area, allow your bait to flutter down into or onto the structure and not move the lure at all. Any weary bass will spend a little time (even up to a minute) just staring the lure down. Only once it is finally convinced that the lure won’t escape then only will the bass inhale it confidently.

CREATURE BAITS We’re going to group many baits here as the most obvious techniques work so similarly with the variety of curly tail worms, grubs, lizards, and crustacean style lures. Two great strategies work with these exciting plastic baits:

The Texas Rig Here’s the option which will get you fishing very effectively into the depth of structure such as trees, jetties, lily pads, brush, reeds and much more. The bullet shaped weight enhances your ability to cast accurately into the heart of these structures and also allows your bait to stay there if you so wish. The retrieval technique is quite straight forward. However, I would like to stress that anglers allow the lure time to sink to the bottom, even if this means that you

must feed the line off your reel for a few metres. Bass really like ambushing their prey and hiding in these areas which you are targeting so it is vitally important that you keep the sharpest eye on any movement in your line. Once the lure has hit the bottom your line will produce some slack. Now you can engage your reel and prepare to slowly lift your rod tip 30 to 40cm and in turn you will rise off the bottom, ideally bumping it into the structure you have located. In deeper water you may want to lift the bait far higher and in order to fish through the chosen structure that you are targeting. Now just drop the lure again and allow it to flutter to the bottom again, and then repeating the procedure until you’re satisfied to move to the next spot nearby.

Mojo and Carolina rigging Most often used in deeper water (12ft and deeper) this technique will draw some impressive bites around the structures you have identified. With a long cast allow your lure and weight to reach the bottom not being too impatient before starting the retrieve process. The strategy is to move your plastic lure along the bottom by 40 to 50cm at a time. This is done in exactly the same manner as the “pause and retrieve” option spoken about earlier. By lifting your rod tip first you will move the lure along the bottom and through your chosen area. The bait will come to rest and then a little slack will develop in your line. Now you can reel up the slack while dropping your rod tip and then repeating the process until the lure is close enough to cast again, or so that you can remove your hooked fish and smile about your progress gained. Enjoy bass fishing! *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. SA BASS 41 May 2018

>> SA BASS STRATEGY Deep diving crankbaits have >> very long, thin bills

Deep

Cranking

For the first ffew years off cranking, ki iit was only l on the h V Vaall Ri River that I had started fishing deep diving crankbaits. I can’t remember how many DD22’s I’ve donated to the Vaal River on deep structure or big barrels. Every time I went back to Bass World to replenish my cranks, Leon Lategan, who owned it back then just smiled and said “I like anglers that use DD22’s in the river. You will make me rich.” >> Bennie Wiese*

here was no down- or side- imaging or GPS available, just the normal sonar, using it to find structure and depth. Then when GPS was available, it obviously made it much easier, but also made the subtle deep-water areas reachable to more bass anglers. At that stage most anglers were relying most of the time on landmarks to locate their deep water spots. With all the new technology available it is of no use if you don’t know how to apply it correctly. Know how to differentiate between bait fish, carp, bass and variations of hard and soft bottoms. These days, technology has made it much easier for anglers to find these deep water honey holes and has revolutionized the game in a big way. Even these hidden spots get fishing pressure like never before. As a result, the angler will only have a few things left in his arsenal to outfish his competitors, or to have a great day’s fishing. Spending time on the water will give anglers the experience, to make the correct decisions of where and how to fish specific areas like; the angle in which you position your boat in relation to the fishing spot and the way in which you present the specific lure to the bass has changed too. Using the correct fishing tackle for the specific techniques can play a major role in landing that big bass of a life time. Yes, and then that so called gut feeling, or natural talent, on deciding where and how an angler is going to fish for the day.

Tackle and lures We are not discussing specific brands as each angler has his own brand preference. It’s very easy for anglers 42 SA BASS May 2018

and we do not have to go into depth on all the different brands of reels and rods every angler has. Each angler has his own brand that he likes and will not change their view on it, it’s that easy! This is why the tackle companies and industries have grown to the size they are. It is to suit the personal preferences of the individual’s choice for individual needs. When doing techniques such as deep cranking, selecting the correct tackle for a particular use is important as there are certain inherent qualities that you need to take into consideration. With deepwater cranking you will need to get your crankbait in the 16 to 25ft strike zone for as long as it’s possible. To achieve this you will have to consider the following:

Rods The biggest debate of deep cranking must be the choice of rods to be used. I prefer to use composite rods, which are a combination of composite or E-glass and carbon to deliver perfectly tuned parabolic glass actions, as well as the added sensitivity and backbone that carbon provides. These cranking rods offer more flex in fighting fish and causes crankbait treble hooks not to dislodge easily in a bass’s mouth. Yes they are heavy, and not as sensitive as the graphite rods. On the other hand, graphite rods offer the angler much more sensitivity in feeling bites and you can feel the structure better, but its stiff and can tear the hook free when fighting bass that are hooked on crankbaits. I will recommend no less than a 7ft rod when you are going to do deep cranking. Personally I prefer the KVD 7’11” heavy power rods for this technique.

Reels With reels, you optimally want a slower ratio reel than when fishing other techniques for the following reasons. Fast, 7:1ratio or faster bait casting reels, are excellent for many bass fishing techniques, but deep cranking isn’t one of them. Deep diving crankbaits places a lot of resistance in the water on the retrieve and with a fast ratio reel, places a lot of pressure on the angler’s wrists. Reels that are geared between at 5.4:1 to 6:1 will not only make turning the handle less of a chore, but will allow the crank to work effectively. Fast reels create a lot of torque under the load of a big crankbait, and after a few hours, your arms and back will feel it. Models with gear ratios down to 3.8:1 work even better to keep the lure in the strike zone for longer. The down fall is that you can’t move the bass quickly away from the structure when you need to. Personally, I prefer a gear ratio around 5.0:1. It is more of an all-rounder and will allow you to maintain contact with the bass after it was hooked and trying to speed off.

Line Line will always play an important role in this technique. The thinner line diameter the angler uses, the deeper his crankbait will be able to run. Having a deeper running crankbait provides the angler with the advantage of placing it in places many other anglers fail to reach and allowing the crankbait to reach and stay in the strike zone longer. You can also use fluorocarbon line because it sinks. It will allow the lure also to run deeper and is more sensitive to feel the bites. Many anglers will tell the same story, that their first line size choice of preference is ten 10lb, and in special cases some may even turn to 8lb when and if they are fishing in open-water situations. I believe for every line size you go up, you will lose around one foot in diving depth, so if you go from 10lb to 12lb the bait that could have gone down to the 15ft mark will now only reach 13ft on 12lb test line. By holding the rod’s tip as close as possible to the water, you can get the lure to run even deeper. For every foot you raise your rod’s tip above the water’s surface, you will take a foot away from the diving depth. So, as you can see, crankbait fishing isn’t just about throwing out a bait and reeling it in, hoping you get a bite. When fished correctly crankbait fishing is a great way to find deep-water bass and get them to the boat.

technique. Replace it. The crank must stay as long as possible in the desired and correct strike zone to give you the best chance of successes. As for myself, I classify water for suitable deep-cranking 12 to 25ft. It must be kept in mind that deep water structure situated in water deeper than this can reach up from the bottom to an accessible depth for your crank. Many anglers will give up easily on fishing these structures with deep crankbaits. Why you ask? Simply put, it’s too tiring.

Colour If you are fishing very clear water, go for natural colours that match the bait fish. In dirtier water, go for darker or chartreuse colours, or what you have confidence in. Using deep diving crankbaits is a technique that can be very effective when the bass are holding to offshore structure. It’s important to repeat cast to isolated pieces of offshore structure. This is what it is all about and changing the angle of your retrieve will often be rewarded with quality fish. Bass tend to scatter on deep structure in late summer and deep cranking not only catches them, but it helps you to cover more water in trying to locate them. *Bennie Wiese is an experienced provincial bass angler and regular Cast-for-Cash contestant.

Depth In Gauteng, deep water is classified to be between 16 and 25ft. If the crankbait you are using can’t get to the desired depth quickly enough, it’s the wrong bait for this SA BASS 43 May 2018

>> SA BASS CLASSROOM

Bass prey ﬁsh of Southern Africa

Tilapia Sparrmanii Limpopo

North-West

Gauteng

Free State

Mpumalanga

Kwazulu-Natal

Northern Ca No Northe Cape

he Vlei Kurper or Banded Tilapia (referred to as a “Vlei” among artlure anglers) is a standard food source for bass all over southern Africa and is commonly stocked in bass dams as a fodder fish. This species is on the bass’ menu list in all the major dams in South Africa and Zimbabwe including Lake Chicamba in Mozambique. See the distribution map above. The Vlei Kurper, like the Red Breast Kurper, is part of the tilapia family that commonly occurs throughout Africa. Vlei Kurper does extremely well in dams with abundant vegetation. Only juvenile Vleis school and sexually mature fish pair off as male and female. Vleis can be easily caught using earthworm, a small curly tail grub or even a small spinner. On ultra light tackle a big Vlei can give you a fantastic fight but they are too small to be of real angling interest and it is only the artlure fraternity that target them as an angling specie. Most bass fishermen know how a Vlei looks and is probably the major reason why Watermelon and Pumpkinseed colours work so well throughout the country. Bass anglers however know very little about their behaviour and habits and this article is aimed at providing a deeper insight into the Vlei Kurper as bass prey fish species.

Description The colours of the Vlei Kurper can range from silver to olive-green, with the sexually mature fish invariably olive-

Eastern Cape

Western Cape

>> Rudi Dreyer* green. They can have up to nine vertical stripes of a darker green or black. These stripes are a real trigger point for bass. During the summer breeding season, both sexes of Vleis become more colourful and the vertical stripes become dark to black. It is very difficult to distinguish between the male and the female and the only real difference is that the male Vlei develops a red edge on his dorsal fin and tail and blue-green spots appear on dorsal and anal fins during the breeding season. Vleis have a roundish body, small head, round tail and its dorsal fin is the most forgiving of all the tilapia species in terms of causing injuries to predators - you can find a dead bass with a Red Breast or Blue Kurper stuck in the throat but vary rarely a Vlei Kurper. When looking at them in the water you can recognise them by their elegant movements, dark greenish colour, distinctive bars or stripes along the sides and often blue lower lip.

Food source

Notice the distinct vertical bands on the side of a Vlei Kurper from which its name stems. Bass will zone in on the bands as a target point when hunting in vegetation 44 SA BASS May 2018

Adults feed preferentially on filamentous algae, aquatic plants and vegetation on the water edge like leaves, plants and seeds. They will also not say no to small crustaceans, midge larvae, water insects and even small fish, but prefer plant material. If you find a Vlei in an area with no vegetation, it probably means there is no vegetation in the dam.

Size

Breeding habits

There is no difference in size between the male and female, which can grow to 23.5cm in ideal conditions. The South African record of 445 grams was caught in Roodekopjes Dam on a small plastic grub. The average size of the sexually mature Vlei is around 12cm (5 inches).

The breeding months are from November to March. Vleis are not ‘mouth-brooders’ like the cichlid family, but are dedicated parents that will aggressively protect their nest, their eggs and their young. The male selects a spawning site and hollows out a nest at the base of a rock or an underwater plant. The male Vlei will then entice a female to lay her eggs, after which he will fertilises them. Both parents stand guard over the eggs, and fan water over them with their fins. Both the Vlei parents continue to keep a close watch on their young after they hatch and swim around in a silvery shoal while feeding on microscopic organisms. When there is danger the young will take refuge in the mouths of the parents. I have always been amazed at the behaviour of the Vlei parent during this period. They aggressively protect the young while they have them in their mouths. A Vlei will for instance hit a spinner with a mouth full of young and still try and keep his/her mouth closed even after you have taken him/her out of the water. It is the breeding parents we want to imitate to improve our bass fishing success. They are aggressive and defend their territory. They are however well camouflaged in their little underwater forests. If you can get a Vlei imitation to suddenly appear in front of a bass cruising the weed line you can be sure of an aggressive strike.

Habitat Vlei Kurper occur in a widely diverse habitat. They favour areas where plant cover exists along the edges of rivers, dams, lakes or swamps. They prefer shallow sheltered waters and do not colonize the open water of large lakes. They love to enter newly flooded areas and feed on the vegetation and organisms now covered by the water. The picture illustrates typical Vlei habitat in sheltered bays. They relate to and live on the bottom around the vegetation. They are comfortable in freshwater and brackish water. They prefer standing or slow-flowing water and thrive in impounded waters (dams). They will relate to any kind of structure that has got plant or filamentous algae growths and this includes areas with vegetation, trees, lay downs, manmade structures and launch ramps, but predominantly in shallow water unless the water is very clear. The weed line shows you how deep they will go, normally not much deeper than 12ft, but if you fish deeper and find any vegetation stuck to your lure you can use a Vlei imitation with confidence.

Research ﬁndings While most of our baitfish species relate to the edges of vegetation in the open water, the Vlei Kurper is very comfortable inside the thickest of the underwater vegetation you can find. When you catch a Vlei on light tackle, it tries to escape in the shallow water vegetation and does not rush off to deep water. I have spent hours watching small groups of bass hunt Vleis in a clear water quarry. On one particular afternoon, the Vlei were hiding or eating inside thick grass newly covered by the water after some good rain. The water was only one to two foot deep in the grass. A group of four bass had no chance of catching the Vleis in the grass and used team work to secure their meal. Three of the bass would wait just outside the edge of the grass while one rushed into the grass with speed.

Conclusions Next time you fish any vegetation try imitating one of the bass’s favourite food sources, the Vlei Kurper. Fish into the vegetation as that is where the bass will hide to ambush an unsuspected Vlei. Very few bass will reject a Vlei venturing so close to it. Make sure your imitation shows the dark bars along the sides that act as a trigger for the bass in this underwater forest.

Any Vlei leaving the grass in an effort to escape the bass that rushed into the grass got smashed by the three bass waiting. The bass would take about 20 minutes to regroup and repeat this process. I was convinced that they alternated positions to all get a good meal. When bass cruise the edges of the weed line you cannot go wrong with working a Vlei imitation along the edge or out into the open from the thick vegetation. It is recommended to weight your imitation and fish it close to the bottom. Pitching Vlei imitations into small openings in thick vegetation allows you to present a food source to big bass that probably attracted them to the area in the first place. Bass will hide motionless in the shade inside the vegetation waiting for an unsuspected Vlei to get close enough for a strike. Remember – a smaller bass is not very fussy, but if you want to trigger a big bite consistently, do everything you can to put the odds in your favour. Don’t only match the hatch with the bait you choose but also by the way you fish it and where you fish it. *Rudi Dreyer is a Protea angler and a highly accomplished trophy bass hunter who has an intimate knowledge of local prey fish species. SA BASS 45 May 2018

>> SA BASS BASICS

Kies Die

Regte Stok >> Marlene Kemp

ns lees in die Bybel van hengelaars wat nette gebruik het, maar dit was moeilik om ver langs die oewers af te stap opsoek na vis. Al meer hengelaars het visstokke bo nette begin verkies. Meer as 3,000 jaar gelede is die eerste handgemaakte visstok alreeds gebruik. Min het hierdie hengelaars geweet dat hierdie instrument tot vandag toe nog deur hengelaars gebruik sou word en dat tegnologie so ver gevorderd sou wees dat die hedendaagse visstok maklik deur mans en vroue gebruik kan word. Vandag is veselglas- en grafietstokke in verskillende lengtes en diktes beskikbaar om in verskillende tegnieke gebruik te word. Daar is basies twee verskillende baarshengelstokke op die mark beskikbaar, naamlik: â&#x20AC;&#x153;spinningâ&#x20AC;?en â&#x20AC;&#x153;castingâ&#x20AC;?. Die stokke word aan die volgende bepaalde kenmerke onderskei: Koffiemeelkatrolstokke (spinning) t %JF TUPL TF PHJFT JT HSPUFS t ,PĂŻFNFFMLBUSPMTUPLLF IFOHFM CBJF NFFS HFNBLMJL NFU ligter kunsaas, t %JU JT EJF NFFT FĂŞFLUJFGTUF TUPL XBBSNFF IFOHFMBBST LBO leer hengel, want die katrol wat saam met die stok gebruik word, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;beginners-vriendelikâ&#x20AC;?, t )JFSEJF TUPLLF JT HFXPPOMJL UXFF TUVL TUPLF NBBS JT XFM beskikbaar in een-stuk lengtes, t 0OHFMVLLJH LBO EBBS OJF CBJF BLLVSBBU NFU AO koffiemeelkatrolstok gegooi word nie, t %JF IFOHFMBBS LBO PPL NFU AO LPĂŻFNFFMLBUSPMTUPL BBT onder oorhangende bome inskiet deur die aas op die water UF MBBU XJQ TLJQ XBU OJF NFU AO iDBTUJOHw TUPL HFEPFO LBO word nie, t .FU LPĂŻFNFFMLBUSPMTUPLLF JT EJF HFCSVJL WBO WJTMZO beperk en kan fluorocarbonlyn byvoorbeeld nie werk nie. Draaispoelhengelstokke (casting) t %JF TUPL TF PHJFT JT CBJF LMFJOFS t "BO EJF POEFSLBOU WBO EJF IBOEWBUTFM TBM EBBS AO iTOFMMFSw tipe lippie wees waar die hengelaar sy middel- of wysvinger LBO JOIBL WJS AO CFUFS HSFFQ PQ EJF TUPL t %SBBJTQPFMIFOHFMTUPLLF IFOHFM CBJF NFFS HFNBLMJL NFU swaarder aas, t )JFSEJF TUPLLF JT OJF HFTLJL WJS MJHUF LVOTBBT OJF t )JFSEJF TUPLLF JT HFXPPOMJL OFU JO FFO TUVL MFOHUFT beskikbaar, 46 SA BASS May 2018

t )JFSEJF UJQF TUPLLF IFU CBJF WPPSEFMF - Die stok is heelwat sterker omrede die stok met die ogies na bo gehengel word en die meeste krag deur die stok geabsorbeer word, - Gooi meer akkuraat, - Is meer sensitief en daarom kan jy ook maklik voel wanneer die baars aan jou aas pluk. Die hengelaar kan met die laeprofiel katrol sy vinger op die lyn hou om die byt beter te voel. .FU AO ESBBJTQPFMTUPL LBO FOJHF UJQFT MZO HFCSVJL XPSE Daar is verskillende tipes stokke wat vir verskillende hengeltegnieke ontwikkel is; byvoorbeeld indien daar in struktuur gehengel word soos watergras, riete, waterlelies, CPNF FO LMJQQF XPSE AO TUFSLFS BLTJF TUPL CFOPEJH Swartbaarhengelstokke se aksies verskil almal en indien die hengelaar onseker is, sal daar instruksies op die stok gedruk wees met meer inligting omtrent die spesifieke stok se eienskappe en beperkings: t %JF TUPL TF BLTJF 9) CBJF TUZG ) TUZG .) NFEJVN TUZG M-medium, en L-ligte stok vir ligte lyn. Nie aanbeveel vir groter baars nie. t %JF .) BLTJF JT EJF NFFT BMHFNFFOTUF TUPL WJS CFHJOOFST en kan vir die meeste hengeltegnieke gebruik word t %JF TUPL TF MFOHUF 4FT WPFU TFT TFXF WPFU FO TFXF WPFU twee is die mees algemeenste. Vir vroue sal ek eerder AO w TUPL BBOCFWFFM BMIPFXFM AO w TUPL EJF BBT AO bietjie verder en meer akkuraat sal gooi. Dit bied aan die hengelaar ook beter hefboom-aksie wanneer met die vis gestoei word. t %JF NJOJNVN FO EJF NBLTJNVN EJLUF MZO XBU PQ EJF spesifieke stok gebruik kan word is ook aangedui en moet slaafs gevolg word. t -FU XFM EBU AO TMBQQFS TUPL OJF TP TFOTJUJFG JT TPPT AO TUZXFS aksiestok nie. Kies jou stok reg, want net-nou swem jou baars dalk weg!

>> SA BASS INDUSTRY NEWS

Ultra HighDeﬁnition Scanning Sonar

armin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), announced Ultra HighDefinition scanning sonar, a new technology that uses a higher frequency range to deliver stunningly clear images and detail of structure and fish below and around the boat at greater depths. Clarity and detail of fish, rocks, brush piles, structure and beyond are redefined with this new scanning sonar system that includes Ultra HighDefinition ClearVü and Ultra High-Definition SideVü sonar with frequencies ranging from .8 to 1.2 MHz. The superior ClearVü image clarity lets anglers see up to 200 feet below the boat – much deeper than other high-frequency scanning sonars – so fish really have nowhere to hide. “Our Ultra High-Definition scanning sonar will give inland and nearshore anglers the greatest detail available from a Garmin system to date,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “It’s available as a standalone system that’s compatible with all of our current GPSMAP and select ECHOMAP Plus multi-function displays, further proving our continued commitment to offering the best sonar technology in the market to both our existing and future customers.” Scanning sonar is redefined with Ultra High-Definition as it delivers greater resolution by putting more power on the targets with a higher frequency range than before. To see what’s below the boat, Ultra High-Definition ClearVü scans with a downward-facing element that provides clear images at depths of up to 200 feet. For a detailed look at

what’s around the boat, Ultra-High Definition SideVü shows clear images of structure and fish off to the sides of the boat. Imagery from the Ultra High-Definition system can be shared seamlessly across multiple networked displays so anglers can easily see the information they need at a glance from different locations on the boat based on preference or the fishing situation. Using the included extra network expander on the GCV™ 20 sonar black box, Panoptix™ allseeing sonar can also be distributed to multiple networked displays. The Ultra High-Definition scanning sonar system includes an easy-to-install, networkable GCV 20 sonar black box, a GT34UHD transducer and both transom and trolling motor mounts, and is expected to be available in Q2 2018. It’s compatible with the GPSMAP 8400/8600, GPSMAP 7400/7600, GPSMAP 10x2/12x2, GPSMAP 12x2/12x2xsv Touch and GPSMAP 7x2/9x2 series chartplotters, and the 7- and 9-inch ECHOMAP Plus combo series. For thru-hull installation, the GT34UHDTH is also available; the GT34UHD-THP includes two transducers. To learn more about Garmin Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd visit: http://www.garmin.co.za p

Scan this QR-code and see Garmin’s Ultra HighDefinition Scanning Sonar System in action

SA BASS 47 May 2018

New 150 Pro XS Outboard

ercury Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion and technology, is pleased to introduce its new 150 Pro XS outboard at the 2018 Miami International Boat Show. Building on the successful launch of the Mercury 115 Pro XS in 2016, the new 150 Pro XS sets a new standard in the 150hp high-output category and lives up to the legendary Pro XS reputation for superior hole shot, top-end speed, and durability. Fishing enthusiasts and professionals alike have long considered Mercury’s Pro XS outboards to be the most durable, reliable and best-performing outboard engines for tournament fishing. This new four-stroke will continue that tradition, but is also an ideal fit for performanceoriented fiberglass and aluminum multi-species boats, bay boats, and pontoons. “The new 150 Pro XS is based on one of Mercury’s most successful and widely adopted engine platforms, the Mercury 150,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine vice president of category management. “Building on this solid foundation, Mercury engineered the new performancetuned 150 Pro XS to be the quickest, lightest and most advanced high-output outboard in its class.”

The new Mercury Marine 150 Pro XS delivers: t Quickest acceleration - The engine features classleading 0 to 20 mph (0-32km) heavy-load acceleration. In competitive angling tournaments, mere fractions of a second can make a big difference. Quicker acceleration gives anglers an edge, as it allows them to get out in front of the pack and avoid getting stuck in the wake of competitors’ boats. t Lightest weight - At 207kg, the new 150 Pro XS is 20lbs. lighter than the nearest competitive offering. Tournament anglers know that every pound counts. t Largest displacement - At 3.0l, the new 150 Pro XS also boasts the largest displacement in the 150hp category. t Extra torque - Mercury’s exclusive Transient Spark Technology optimizes spark timing, resulting in additional torque during hole shot. The additional torque translates into quicker acceleration - an essential advantage in the “drag race” scenarios that are common to competitive tournament fishing.

t Higher full-throttle RPM - Increased maximum engine rpm from 5,800 to 6,000 allows for a wider selection of propeller pitches and the ability to dial-in performance for superior hole shot or top speed. t Improved fuel efficiency - The new Mercury 150 Pro XS continues Mercury’s mission to produce new technology that is sustainable and more fuel efficient for the consumer. t Performance gear case - The new 150 Pro XS features a 2.08:1 gear ratio that delivers more torque to the prop shaft for improved acceleration. In addition to the standard water pickups on the side of the gear case, this engine also features four extra water pickups on the nose of the gear case torpedo. This provides greater flexibility to mount the engine higher, install a jack plate, or trim the engine more aggressively while running, allowing boat owners to optimize performance without sacrificing water flow for engine cooling. t Optimized mount package - Performance-tuned engine mounts provide for improved high-speed handling characteristics. t Superior charging output and battery management The new 150 Pro XS features a class-leading charging output of 60 Amp as well as idle charge batterymanagement capability, which protects consumers from draining batteries while operating multiple electronic devices and trolling. t Smooth performance - The new 150 Pro XS boasts significantly lower seat and helm vibration levels compared to leading competitors in the 150hp highoutput segment. Additionally, the new 150 Pro XS provides superior protection against corrosion. Mercury’s proprietary ultralow-copper alloys make this outboard better able to withstand the elements, including the rigors of saltwater operation. Mercury provides an industry-leading standard threeyear warranty against damage due to corrosion. The New 150 four-stroke Pro XS will be available to the South African market in the coming months.

For further information please contact Craig Gutteridge at Rutherford Marine on 011-878-2600 or visit the Mercury website www.mercurymarine.com

48 SA BASS May 2018

R16 350

FULL THROTTLE TOWARDS THE FISHING GROUNDS. ONCE THERE...OH YEAH.

10” OR 12”

PROGAMMABLE

BUILT-IN*

HOT KEYS CHIRP SONAR + CLEARVÜ + SIDEVÜ

PANOPTIX™

COMPATIBLE