Deep Fly Bass

Once again I felt the all too familiar bump through the rod. This was about the tenth bump for the morning. The 1/8th black and purple spinner bait was failing despite the fact it had been the go to lure on Bass Electric tournaments. After trying soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and divers that littered my tackle box the fly rod was rigged. I was ready to try again. With a black and purple Bass vampire connected to the leader by a loop knot.
The ABT requirements for these tournaments are, two Bass per angler greater than 30cm to the fork. All anglers have six hours to fill their limit and penalties are enforced if anyone is late back. It may sound easy but when there are forty other top Bass anglers trying to do the same thing the pressure is on.
With the new fly rigged, I made the first cast and it was a rough cast at that, not a long cast, only about 40ft in length. As the fly line was sinking, I stripped the remaining line from the reel in preparation for the next cast. With the whole fly line neatly coiled on the floor of the boat the retrieve was started. Now the point I was fishing had a wall that was about 15m long and dropped off from 3ft to 30ft. the fly line was laying straight under the boat by the time I started the retrieve.

Strip, strip, strip, ‘BANG” fish on

I would love to say that the fly line was stripped through my hands and was losing backing at a great number of knots, but this is Bass fishing. Deep power surges were transmitted through the fly line and into the rod. The Bass made a few more last chance power dives before it was safely in the environet. Why did it take so long to pull out the fly rod? Within the next hour I had landed 15 fish and my limit of two Bass over 30cm was filled

Tackle Box
A fly rod outfit between 6wt and 9wt is recommended. 6wt’s are great for, the social/fun aspect but when its tournament time go for the heavier outfits. The wind seems to always be stronger on comp days. This is the world of the new age fast action fly rods. Full length sinking lines are heavy and require a high line speed to cast them effectively.
Reel need to be of the large arbor type. These reels help prevent line memory and have a quick line retrieval rate. Good if that monster takes the fly at the start of the retrieve you will be able to retrieve line quickly. Types of reels are a personal thing starting at the low cost graphite to full bar stock coloured anadised aluminum reels. Most guys when setting up their outfits for tournament fishing choose the low cost option and spend their money on other reels such as baitcasters and threadlines. If you are serious about fly, go for the best you can afford. Tackle bling is always a good thing.
Lines come in two form for deep fly fishing
1- Full length sinking lines which sink at around 6 inches per second
2- A shooting head system with a running line. Especially the lead core lines
Twisted fluorocarbon leaders are the most effective leader system. They help turn over the weighted flies used and they sink quicker than the more traditional tapered leader.

Flies
There’s not much that a Bass wont eat, therefore there are hundreds of flies out there that will catch them. Vampire styles, Pink things, Clousers, Deceivers, BMS Fuzzles and Bulletheads to name a few. These flies need to be tied sparsely as a bulky fly will sink slowly.

Counting down
For this technique to work you must know where your fly is throughout the retrieve. I am young (well young at heart) and didn’t go to school when inches and the old foot were used but these units make this style of fishing easier. The line sinks at six inches per second. Therefore with your sounder set up to show the depth in feet all you have to do is count down the fly to double the depth. Eg: if the fish are showing at 10 feet on the sounder simply count the fly down after the cast for 20 seconds. It’s that simple, I get confused if I try and work in metric units 150mm, 300mm, 450mm what’s next.

Retrieves

This can change from day to day and Dam to Dam. Two retrieves that have served me well are the strip, strip, strip pause technique and a consistent retrieve. Once you have counted down the fly to the depth the fish are holding at, start your retrieve with three 20 to 30cm sharp strips. Pause for five seconds and start the three strips again. Keep this up all the way back to the boat. Secondly, try to get the fly moving at a medium pace and keep it moving consistently with as little break in the retrieve as possible. The ability to lay out a long cast is a huge advantage for this technique. Bass are known to follow the fly almost to the boat and than strike. This makes for some white-knuckle fishing.

As always the rod should be facing straight down the line. Put the rod tip in the water or just above it. This prevents any slack line and increases the sensitivity between the angler and fish. If a bite or bump is detected just keep stripping and usually the hook will find its mark. Do not strike with the rod as this will end up being a very frustrating day.

With two of the biggest Bass in the live well, it shows how effective this technique really is. The long rod is now my go to technique for impoundment Bass. Pick it up and show others that the fly rod is still a force to reckon with.

Hong Kong Sea Bass

Good mate Kelvin penned this short article for the Mandarins Newsletter. Thought I'd post it here and share with y'all as well.

"Lo Yu" or Chinese Spotted Seabass (Lateolabrax Maculatus) have always been a bit of mystery to me, or so it was, until this past season when a friend and I decided to chase them in earnest. We came up empty on virtually all of our early "Lo Yu" expeditions -- I put this down to being too eager and fishing for them way too early on in the season, and not fully understanding or appreciating the habitat or behaviour of the "Lo Yu". Having spent countless hours fishing for them this past season, we're slowly piecing the puzzle together and manage to have moderate, but sporadic, success on them.

From what I can gather, most of the "Lo Yu" are not resident in Hong Kong, but swim across from the Pearl River Delta to Hong Kong to spawn during the Winter months. The season seems to peak from November to February. As with its close cousin the Japanese Seabass (Lateolabrax Japonicus) commonly found in Japan, the smaller fish tend to school up while the larger fish tend to be more solitary. Surprisingly, lure fishing for "Lo Yu" has really picked up in Hong Kong in recent years. Take a walk along any well-lit pier, dock, waterfront or bridge in Hong Kong on any given night from Chai Wan to Kennedy Town during the season and you'll probably see dozens of hopeful fisherman fishing for "Lo Yu" with the latest seabass fishing equipment.

Getting Kids into fishing

This is an article I put together last year for Pro-Angler, WHY it is a good thing to get kids into fishing.



If all you want is a relaxing fun filled day think twice about taking the kids fishing. It’s hard work and harder still if there’s more than one of them. Be warned IT IS HARD WORK. So why do it? It’s going to cut into YOUR fishing time and you are going to get annoyed because they wont stay still and “listen” even if they do understand that word. But despite the negatives the rewards are huge, now and especially in the years to come. There's quite a big responsibility on our adult shoulders to spark that first seed of interest in fishing. Whether it's our own son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandson or granddaughter we will be doing them a great favour by introducing them to this fantastic outdoor activity.


When you are frustrated and feel like packing up and going home try and think of it as a win, win, and win situation. The child wins because they experience nature first hand and are outdoors away from that TV screen. You win as you are out doing what you love as well as trying to pass on your passion to someone you love. The other win is for your partner as the little ones are out of the house allowing them to have some peace and quite.
As a Dad, and a stay at home Dad at that, with two boys four and three, there is plenty of time for outdoor activities. I like to call it Adventure Daddy Day Care. Fishing is one of the biggest adventures one can do. Get them involved in the whole process of going fishing and their enthusiasm level increases. Kids love fishing rods and the games they play with them away from the water can only help fuel this interest. They go from casting practice on the front lawn and pretending to catch that huge marlin to playing Power Rangers with the rods used as swords. Note-two piece rods are great for this as the tip section can be removed to help prevent breakages. Why does everything have to become a sword? With boys being boys this will be your first hurdle to over come.
Over the past two years I have tried two types of fishing trips with my boys.

1- The keep it very simple type with a small float, a hook and a loaf of bread as bait.

2- All the bells and whistles type like an all night prawn run, then home at 6am to pick the boys up and back on the water to try and get them into some quality fish.

Option 2 always produces the better quality but the kids don’t really care. It may help with your ego but they just want numbers and the simple techniques work just as well. It is the first few fishing experiences that will either hook a child for life (pardon the pun), or send them running back to their play stations. Get them hooked, and you are raising your life long fishing buddy. Remember the first fish you caught and how proud you were? Keep remembering that as that’s what the child you have just taken fishing will be feeling. They will gain a life long memory. Put it this way, you still get a buzz now going fishing and catching fish. Even if you get one child (your own or their mate) interested in fishing you will have done something positive for their future.

Following are ten tips to help get children keen on fishing and to make your life easier as well.

SAFETY FIRST!

Whether it is a big river or a small neighbourhood pond, water needs to be respected. Kids are vulnerable to the elements of nature. Show your child how to act safely around water, in a boat or on a jetty. Use your fishing outings to teach and rehearse what they should do if they get into trouble with water.

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES ON THEM.

These days I shouldn’t have to say it but kids need protection from the suns harsh rays. Slip, slop and slap are standard things. Take the hats off for that all important photo but get them straight back on. Don’t forget drinks, food and especially life jackets if in a boat or anywhere near water. Stay away from ocean rocks all together until they are at an age where they can be trusted. Be sensible after all you are the adult in charge.

KEEP IT SIMPLE!
The easier things are the better it will be. I’m talking a hook, a split shot and a small float. It’s a simple combination that kids can understand and the float gives a visual aspect to fishing that will hold their interest longer. The float also helps you keep track of where the bait is. Parents with little or no fishing experience will find this set up very convenient. Bread is a simple bait to start with as it is easy to obtain and can also be eaten (and it will be). If bait is to be used try and use live bait as it adds to the excitement. Children may find the bait more interesting than actually fishing.

NUMBERS, NOT SIZE!

Children need a quick pace to keep their interest. Doing your homework is vital as that way they start out fishing where bites will be easy to come by. Don’t target fish that are tough to catch on their first outing. Most kids would much rather catch a lot of fish rather than one big one.

GIVE PRAISE!

This is where some careful planning and understanding will come in handy. Children will no doubt make bad casts, fling the hook around and probably drop the rod a few times. That’s okay, it’s expected! Do yourself a favour and squish the barb of the hook flat with a pair of pliers. Not only does it make unhooking the fish easier, but it also makes unhooking yourself and others easier. You will be unhooking both, trust me. Let them know they’re doing a great job, and show excitement when things are going well. If they do something wrong, explain it to them and teach them how to do it the right way. This is the time to leave the short temper at home (note to ones self)

IT’S ABOUT THEM!
As much as you may be itching to join the kids, leave your rod and reels at home. That way you can focus exclusively on them. Give them your undivided attention as you are creating a life long fishing buddy here. There will be plenty of time in the future to try and out fish them. Bring your gear and their focus will shift. They will try to use your $1000 combo when you turn away to address a problem and the combo may never be the same again.

PRACTISE ‘CATCH AND RELEASE!’
Only keep what you're going to eat. This will ensure that when they get older, they'll have the same great fisheries that you have today. But don’t deny them the chance to take their fish home for tea. Teach them about the local rules and regulations that apply to your state and warn them in advance that they won’t be able to keep everything they catch. Use a fisheries ruler that has a picture of all the different species to help identify your catch and the rules that apply to it.

MAKE IT AN ADVENTURE!
For any great adventure, planning it is half the fun. Fishing is the same. While at home, study a map of where you're going. Break out the old photos of when you were a kid fishing to help build their knowledge. Exploring new lakes even without a fishing rod can add to the excitement. Use modern technology to help the process of finding new streams or beaches. Google Earth and Google maps are great for this. Digging for worms, pumping nippers and collecting bait really sets the scene for the whole process. Pretend you are on a treasure hunt while bait collecting. Get them involved in the food preparation for the outing be it making a picnic lunch, a BBQ by the waters edge or just a simple sandwich.

USE RELIABLE EQUIPMENT!
Quality fishing equipment is important to ensure that everyone has a positive, frustration-free experience. Stay away from the $20 kids combo that you can buy anywhere from your local service station or the $2 shop. These outfits only cause trouble and stress, from the reel falling off, the lack of a drag system for when a better than average fish grabs the bait, to the tangle after tangle as the reel has no anti reverse system. Quality tackle these days is not expensive and it will last a lot longer. Rods around the 6ft length are a great all-rounder to start with as they can be used anywhere from your local estuary or at a pinch on the beach with that gutter running right at your feet.

HANDLING FISH!
If a child catches a fish, don't force them to take it off the hook or to touch the fish. Do it for them as they will learn from you and copy your actions. It may take a few trips before they feel comfortable enough to touch or hold a fish. Place the fish in a live well if on a boat or a large esky, this way they can watch it swim around and learn about the different parts of the species.

CAPTURE THE MEMORIES!
Whether your child sticks with fishing or not only time will tell. But for now, what matters is capturing the memories so they have something to share with their friends, family members, and ultimately, with their own children. So take plenty of photos (you’ll need to to get a half descent one). With the new age of digital photography it doesn’t cost to take a heap of photos. You may only get one or two good pictures out of 20 but at least they’ll have them for life.

As a Dad myself I would much rather see my children fishing on a wharf or a beach than hanging out in a group around the streets with nothing to do. Who knows in five years time you may be fishing every weekend with your son or daughter and not getting harassed by your partner for doing so. Get out there and start them early. Teach them to respect nature and enjoy it for life.

The After Dark Pool

You may have one, you may know of one or you dint even know there was one near you. Its the after dark pool. The pool that only comes to life and shows its true beast after the sun goes down.

I have fished this pool on and off for the past 15yrs and it wasn’t until last year that I had any success. Before, I use to fish the dawn and dusk periods but now with two young boys and time restriction the latter nights were the only chances.

The beasts this pool produced over the year was mind blowing. BIG Australian Bass and EP's. A black surface lure has undone most.