Nothing Like a Native Watercraft
Ray joined us today to test our Native Watercraft Kayaks. Ray is looking to upgrade his fishing yak and was keen to test out the performance of our Slayer 10 Propels. I have been using these kayaks on our charters for over 5 years now and I have found the Slayers to be the ideal vessels for fishing those hard to access remote areas.
The Slayer 10’s are light enough to easily unload from the car and carried to the eaters edge. Using the unique pedal/propeller system, they can be pedaled forwards or backwards quietly with the feet and the hands are left free to concentrate on the fishing. They travel fast, track straight and turn on a dime when you need them to.
The Propel drive system is made from marine grade aluminium and stainless steel and powered by an aluminium propeller. The kayaker is able to pedal either forwards or backwards in an instant without having to pull a string or even lift a finger. This ability to maneuver both forwards and backwards, hands free, cannot be underestimated when it comes to pulling fish like Bass away from structure.
Most kayaks have the angler sitting awkwardly at water level. The Native Watercraft Slayer 10 Propels have elevated seating, providing an arm chair ride to the days fishing. They are fully adjustable and offer an elevated prospective which helps gain insight into the water you are fishing.
Needless to say, Ray was suitably impressed with the versatility and comfort of the Native Watercraft kayaks. He even managed to catch a number of healthy Tweed River Bass in the process.
Book your charter with us on a Native Watercraft Kayak or our Quintrex Boat today on 0409 760 380
Fly Fishing at Clarrie Hall
After a long lock down in Sydney Brian was super keen to get a bend in his rod under the weight of a good fish. A Bass Vampire fly fished on an intermediate line had Brian back in the zone when he pinned this solid Clarrie Hall Bass.
Nicola joined us in the afternoon for her first taste of fly fishing. After an introduction to the gear and some casting lessons on the grass we headed out onto the water It was soon evident that Nicola had a natural talent, casting nice loops across the lake. Message us to book your trip today!
Personal Best Bass at Clarrie Hall Dam
Ben from Canberra joined us today keen to beat his personal best Bass. We launched at Crams Farm Reserve and slowly made our way up the dam. Ben worked his soft plastic around the weed beds on all the likely points and banks in search of hungry fish.
It didn’t take long for Ben to tune in to the technique required on the day. The Bass were hitting the soft plastic on the fall and the bites would go undetected unless the line was carefully watched for any ticks or movement on the way down. Sometimes the bass would follow the plastic all the way to the bottom and pounce on it on commencement of the retrieve. This time of year a fast retrieve can elicit the trigger response needed as the Bass must think their meal is getting away.
Ben set the hooks on 3 out of about 10 hits and upgraded his personal best 3 times with 42, 43 & 44cm Clarrie bronze brawlers. Great work mate.
Clarrie Hall is looking great and fishing well. The water is crystal clear, the dam is 100% full and the fish are as robust and healthy as ever. Clarrie Hall is only an hours drive from Byron Bay which makes it the ideal day trip for those staying in Byron Bay looking for a fishing charter.
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Book Your Fishing Trip Today
We are now taking bookings for November and the Christmas/New Year period. To book you freshwater fishing trip in Northern NSW call/msg Simon on 0409 760 380
Golden Bonefish
Mulberry Madness
Each spring Carp line up under the mulberry trees waiting for the fruit to fall. The European Carp gorge themselves on mulberries at this time of year so fly choice is easy. Today I ‘matched the hatch’ with a mulberry fly which simply consisted of black deer hair tied on a #2 hook. These fish can be a challenging target, they grow big and fight pretty hard. They are also ace fun when sight fished with a surface fly. Stalking them and getting the eat isn’t easy. More than a dozen rejections today but managed to get 3 fish to commit to my freshly tied mulberry flies.
The Wilson River is teaming with carp. Carp 70cm+ are not uncommon. Gear of choice today was a floating line on a Loop Q 7wt combo from Loop Tackle.
Tweed River Kayak Bass Fishing Charter
Glen and Flo joined us today for a sweet morning session on the Tweed River in the kayaks. The boys caught fish on shallow divers and spinnerbaits, with most of the fish coming in the early morning. well done guys, a great trip!
Our Native Watercraft kayaks are the perfect vessels for targeting Bass amongst the snag piles in the skinny water. When casting at structure, kayak position is very important. The Propel Drive pedal system gives the angler the ability to fine tune their position on the water, thus enabling the angler to work the snag over from the desired angles. Hooking up in ‘tiger country’ can result in a big fish escaping back to its home. But with the Native Kayaks, instant back pedaling means the angler has better control over the fish.
Made in the USA the Slayer 10 Propel Native Watercraft are our kayak of choice in tight access waterways. Book a trip to try one today 0409 760 380.
Spring Bass Sessions
The Compleat Clouser Minnow
Grabbed an old DVD copy of the Compleat Clouser Minnow just to see if I was tying them the way Bob intended. So I followed along with the video and spun up a couple of red & gold ones. Out on the lake, the lead eye Clouser sinks nicely to where the bass are usually holding. Fished with an intermediate sink line I can strip the fly through the top of the weeds. I find this the best way to triggering a response. The Clouser is such a versatile fly. If I could only have one fly this would probably be it.
Winter Schooling Bass
During the winter months, I like to leave the bass alone in the rivers. This is because at this time of the year the bass move from the freshwater and into the estuary to gather and spawn. It just makes sense to leave them alone to do their thing and make more baby bass!
So winter is a great time to turn your fishing focus to the lakes and dams. The fish in these ‘lentic’ environments are are unable to reach the spawning grounds in the estuary, so they spend their time schooling up and ‘socializing’. If you are able to locate one of these schools on the sounder the fishing can be great.
Southern Cross Lures
A big thank you to Southern Cross lures for providing us with some of their lures to try out on the dam. It didn’t take long for the bass to give them the tick of approval. Cant wait for the water to warm so we can test the surface lures out too!
NDIS Fly Fishing
Cold Day Cod’n
Fish of a thousand casts. Cold New England day and no joy until cast 997 young Luke got his first cod ever and on the surface. The smile says it all, bucket list ticked. No monster but such a joy to see someone absolutely appreciate the moment and get emotional. Well done mate you didn’t give up, glad we made that dream come true on a hard day.
Winter Brawlers
This chunky winter bass snatched my bass vampire and bricked me in the weed licketty split! The fly line then wrapped around the propeller which was on spot lock, then wrapped around the transducer pole on the Garmin. When did fishing get so complicated 😉
Winter Nibbles
The bass have schooled up at Clarrie but they have other things on their minds. But there’s always a few around the edges looking for a feed.
An Introduction to Fly Fishing
Fly fishing is great for the mind, body & spirit so no wonder more & more folks are giving it a go! The shores of Clarrie Hall Dam offer the perfect platform to learn to cast a fly and the scenery makes for a pretty special day.
Gisella & Clayton joined us today to learn the art of fly casting. After a bit of practice waving the ‘wand’ it wasn’t long before they were casting tight loops into the winter air. With their new skills in hand, we headed out onto the lake in the boat. We soon found some nice weed beds where the sun had warmed the water. The sounder lit up with bass milling around the edges of the weed.
The couple took turns on the casting platform and were successful in presenting the fly to a number of cruising bass. A twitch in the line indicated that a fish took a liking to Gisella’s fly, but the fish spat the hook before the strike set home. Clarrie bass can be challenging at the best of times when using conventional fishing gear, but with fly gear the challenges are multiplied.
Anyone can catch fish by drowning a bunch of worms or a pilchard, but lure and fly fishing adds a challenge to the hunt that makes the rewards much more special. Especially when you’re fishing in the beautiful Northern Rivers. Although the fish eluded us today, a great day was had by all.
If you would like to learn the art of fly fishing, contact Simon on 0409 760 380
Hinze Charter
Peter from Victoria joined us at Hinze Dam today. A few nice ones hitting the brag mat including this 47cm model. Thanks for a great day out on the water mate!
Hinze Dam Saratoga
Hinze Dam offering up some gems today…..
With unique features that have evolved over the eons, the Saratoga is a stunning fish!
Awoonga Dam Barra
Always nice to head north and do battle with these brutes. Boated 2 out of 3 fish this morning 96 & 97cm and loosing the third in the weed. Jackall Squirrels doing the job nicely.
If catching big Barra is on your bucket list, we would love to help achieve your dream. Give us a call 0409 760 380
A Morning Session at Clarrie
Goodoo Guru
Australia Day
The Loop Q 7wt combo is ideal for launching bulky deer hair flies at Aussie Bass. Especially on Australia Day
Hunchback of Hinze Dam
Anyone seen anything like this?
Peter’s First Bass
Such a buzz helping folks tick fish off their bucket list. Today Peter from Wollongong caught his first Aussie Bass. A proper chunk too…….. and on the fluffy stuff no less.
If you would like to catch a big bass on fly or lure, give me a call (Simon 0409 760 380)
