Wivenhoe Dam, 29 August 2009
I fished today at the Dam,
launching at the Brisbane Valley Sailing Club Site from the Hayes
landing entry point. I was fishing with my long time Friend PDO (Paul)
who had asked me the day before to tag along with him. Driving out to
the dam the view ahead was through some heavy fog and when I arrived at
the Dam it was even worse.
I met Paul at the locked gate and we made our way down to the launch site. We quickly set up and we were on our way at about 6.30am to some areas that I had caught bass a few days earlier. Navigating the dam would have been difficult today if I had not had my GPS, however seeing I had mine with me it was easy to work out where to go. On arriving at the spots no bass could be found, I dropped my buoy over to mark the position of the GPS way point and began to investigate the surrounding area. PDO stayed close to the marker buoy after seeing a few sounds of fish on his fish finder. I looked around for ages and I could not find a thing, so we decided to move on.
We decided to head towards Platypus Cliffs, again we could not see the cliffs and the GPS was required to make our way over there using previous way points I had saved. On our way over we stopped a few times after noticing bass on the sounder, but they were deep down in seventy feet of water. What ever we dropped down to them, they were not interested. I saw a massive flock of birds resting in the water ahead so I made my way over to them, about one and a half kilometers away. The bottom here was undulating between thirty and seventy feet with the odd scattered fish. PDO called out to say he was on, only discovering it was a catfish, I heard a few grumbling words in the distance. I was getting close to the bank and the birds had long gone and I was on too, initially I thought it was a bass, but then I thought it could only be a catfish and to no surprise at all, a catfish it was. For this to happen both of us must have been fishing to slow.
We had a deadline to be off the water today so I suggested we make our way over to the other side of the dam which was a good two and a half kilometers away. We both rigged up trolling lures and gently paddled across. The wind was starting to pick up now and the fog was finally starting to lift at around ten o'clock. it took us about half an hour to get back to the other side, I had told Paul of a way point and he continued past it while I tried on the stop for a while, again no bass.
I had about thirty minutes left before I had to go back in so I set a course for one last way point seven hundred meters away back towards Platypus Cliffs a little but on a northerly heading. I noticed Paul had decided to head back to the cars and was parallel to me but much closer to the bank, so I was heading to this spot on my own. On nearing the mark I knew I could be in for some Bass here as there were alot showing on the sounder and they were very active. I dropped my marker buoy on the mark and straight away the bass were starting to school, I thought to myself "this is going to be good"
I cast out away from the school using my bait caster rod rigged with a bladed lure, a few burns of the reel and then a pause then another burn and I was on, bass number one. I fought the fish to the kayak released it and cast again. This time I cast away from the school, did the same burns and pauses, but then free spooled the lure back to the bottom. On the free spool the blade was hit, i knew this as the line was peeling from my bait caster at a frantic pace, I engaged the reel and I was on again. Another bass come to the kayak, well this continued for the next twenty minutes, fishing these same techniques, with a total of seven bass in nine casts. The bass were not that big but it was fun and it made my day as I was not looking forward to going home without a bass which it looked like up until thirty minutes from the end of my session. As I had a deadline I had to be home today I had to leave the school and make my way back to the cars. The way the bass were schooling in a very active feeding state I could have caught a whole lot more, it was tuff to leave them and paddle back.
Back to the cars, pack up, a debrief and we were heading for home at eleven thirty. Well for me another great bass session but for Paul, well buddy better luck next time....
I met Paul at the locked gate and we made our way down to the launch site. We quickly set up and we were on our way at about 6.30am to some areas that I had caught bass a few days earlier. Navigating the dam would have been difficult today if I had not had my GPS, however seeing I had mine with me it was easy to work out where to go. On arriving at the spots no bass could be found, I dropped my buoy over to mark the position of the GPS way point and began to investigate the surrounding area. PDO stayed close to the marker buoy after seeing a few sounds of fish on his fish finder. I looked around for ages and I could not find a thing, so we decided to move on.
We decided to head towards Platypus Cliffs, again we could not see the cliffs and the GPS was required to make our way over there using previous way points I had saved. On our way over we stopped a few times after noticing bass on the sounder, but they were deep down in seventy feet of water. What ever we dropped down to them, they were not interested. I saw a massive flock of birds resting in the water ahead so I made my way over to them, about one and a half kilometers away. The bottom here was undulating between thirty and seventy feet with the odd scattered fish. PDO called out to say he was on, only discovering it was a catfish, I heard a few grumbling words in the distance. I was getting close to the bank and the birds had long gone and I was on too, initially I thought it was a bass, but then I thought it could only be a catfish and to no surprise at all, a catfish it was. For this to happen both of us must have been fishing to slow.
We had a deadline to be off the water today so I suggested we make our way over to the other side of the dam which was a good two and a half kilometers away. We both rigged up trolling lures and gently paddled across. The wind was starting to pick up now and the fog was finally starting to lift at around ten o'clock. it took us about half an hour to get back to the other side, I had told Paul of a way point and he continued past it while I tried on the stop for a while, again no bass.
I had about thirty minutes left before I had to go back in so I set a course for one last way point seven hundred meters away back towards Platypus Cliffs a little but on a northerly heading. I noticed Paul had decided to head back to the cars and was parallel to me but much closer to the bank, so I was heading to this spot on my own. On nearing the mark I knew I could be in for some Bass here as there were alot showing on the sounder and they were very active. I dropped my marker buoy on the mark and straight away the bass were starting to school, I thought to myself "this is going to be good"
I cast out away from the school using my bait caster rod rigged with a bladed lure, a few burns of the reel and then a pause then another burn and I was on, bass number one. I fought the fish to the kayak released it and cast again. This time I cast away from the school, did the same burns and pauses, but then free spooled the lure back to the bottom. On the free spool the blade was hit, i knew this as the line was peeling from my bait caster at a frantic pace, I engaged the reel and I was on again. Another bass come to the kayak, well this continued for the next twenty minutes, fishing these same techniques, with a total of seven bass in nine casts. The bass were not that big but it was fun and it made my day as I was not looking forward to going home without a bass which it looked like up until thirty minutes from the end of my session. As I had a deadline I had to be home today I had to leave the school and make my way back to the cars. The way the bass were schooling in a very active feeding state I could have caught a whole lot more, it was tuff to leave them and paddle back.
Back to the cars, pack up, a debrief and we were heading for home at eleven thirty. Well for me another great bass session but for Paul, well buddy better luck next time....
