Bass Tactics

Today’s mission was to guide Glenn and Helda onto their first Bass on fly. Heading out on the water the plan was to focus on all the usual areas one would expect to catch fish. Looking at the sounder, the fish were holding in around 5m of water. The boys diligently stripped their flies past the suspended arches, but the Bass were playing hard to get. We cycled through the fly box but the fish just appeared to be ignoring our offerings.

Like other native fish, Bass can be active and hungry one day and shut down the next. After weeks of northerly winds, a cool change had arrived the night before and the wind was now blowing from the south. Recognizing that the changed conditions may be dictating the mood of the fish, we changed our tactics. The boys picked up the spin gear and threw skirted jigs out among the fish. We could see the Bass following the jigs on the sounder, but again they wouldn’t commit to the bite.

Again, switching tactics we tried crank baits. Sometimes a more aggressive bait is needed to trigger a response. But that response never came. After exhausting a number of other lures in the tackle box we finally succumbed to trolling. Whilst not the preferred method, trolling is one of the most productive methods. It wasn’t long before Glenn hooked up his first bass on the troll. He finished the day with 3 more.

Bass fishing is a challenging sport. Catching Bass consistently on any given day is like cracking a code. You will need to draw upon all your past experience, ingenuity, tenacity and plenty of luck. But the rewards are certainly worth it.