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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: BrisBassMan on September 27, 2010, 02:37:15 PM

Title: Surface at EMD
Post by: BrisBassMan on September 27, 2010, 02:37:15 PM
Guys,

Anyone know if fishing off the surface in EMD produces much goods.  Was there Last Friday week and hunted down around the spillway and round that bottom from the spillway mainly using surface NW Pencil and Sammys.  Didn't even get a look in.  Wasn't the best weather but curious about how fish respond to surface lures there.  Only dam I have had luck on the surface is at Hinze.

Cheers
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: aussiebasser on September 27, 2010, 02:50:49 PM
By EMD, I gather you are referring to Ewen Maddock Dam.  When considering surface luring for Aussie Bass, you need to consider the main food source for the fish.  The larger dams tend to have a large bio-mass of Boney Bream, hence Somerset, Wivenhoe, North Pine, Moogerah, Bjelke Petersen, Boondooma and Monduran having large relatively quick growing Bass and their schooling almost pelagic nature.  Those known as surface fisheries, Hinze, Maroon, Clarrie Hall etc. don't generally have Bonies and therefore the fish feed more on a terrestrial diet.  I don't know the main food source in Ewen Maddock, but I'm sure Dave Brace will.
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: BrisBassMan on September 27, 2010, 08:31:06 PM
Yeah thanks Dale makes alot of sense. Did they drain Ewan Maddock a while back ?  I thought the cabomba would make a great spot for the Saratoga to live but they didn't show. haha next time.

Cheers
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Sweetwater on September 27, 2010, 08:50:22 PM
Yeah thanks Dale makes alot of sense. Did they drain Ewan Maddock a while back ?  I thought the cabomba would make a great spot for the Saratoga to live but they didn't show. haha next time.

Cheers

Bass & Saratoga may can & will have two totally unrelated feeding patterns. Basser nailed it in his rely regading bass, but saratoga can be caught on surface lures at any time / location where they're found. Not saying they "will" feed topwater, but they "can".

In reality, you'll get alot more 'toga by even being a couple of inches subsurface.

Cheers,

fitzy..
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Bracey on September 27, 2010, 10:41:29 PM
More success of late has been fishing lures down deeper at EMD, blades and SB have been doing the damage. Another 50cm+ was caught by one of our members by locating schools and trolling his lures deeper in the water columns on Sunday morning. There are plenty of shrimp and smaller bait fish in EMD but if you're also wanting to chase the Toga, I've found that more balmy afternoons in the warmer months when the cicadas and other insects are hatching is the best time to locate them, finding them actively feeding on them on the surface. Getting them to take a lure is another thing.
 
In 2002 a stocking report was done on the dam by the DPI& F. The smaller baitfish that were found were the Glassperchlet, Dubolay's Rainbow Fish, Fly Speckled Hardyhead, Firetail Gudgeon and freshwater prawn, crayfish and shrimp.
 
Cheers Dave

Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: elops on September 27, 2010, 10:59:16 PM
The Toga may well have have other things on their mind at the moment Dave  ;)

cheers
Steve.
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Bracey on September 27, 2010, 11:27:49 PM
Too right Steve ;)

Saratoga are just a fasinating creature, food is just not a priority this time of the year for 'em. Toga are one species that are able to spawn successfully in a land locked invironment. They'll brood their young hiding them from danger in their purpose built mouths, hence the reason they can be a little quiet in Spring.

Dave
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Sweetwater on September 27, 2010, 11:49:27 PM
Dave what are the water temps there at the moment? Toga's spawning is temp driven, as it warms up, they start getting amorous. At this latitude that can be later in the season, sometimes not at all if inflows keep temps down.

fitz..
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: johnv on September 28, 2010, 01:13:20 AM
Spent a couple of hours on EMD on Sunday arvo. Using a barely subsurface minnow for zero result and also dragging a spinnerbait around just off the bottom. Spinnerbait was tapped tentatively a couple of times but no takers. In the five or so minutes it took to change two lures the lake went from glass to whitecaps and the sky blackened. I gave up and went back to the ramp. By the time I had got sorted and loaded the kayak up it went back to glass and the sky lightened up. Ewen Maddock does NOT like me.
Cheers John.

Ps also spent a bit of time working a popper alternating fast and slow in likely looking areas
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Bracey on September 28, 2010, 06:05:54 AM
Dave what are the water temps there at the moment? Toga's spawning is temp driven, as it warms up, they start getting amorous. At this latitude that can be later in the season, sometimes not at all if inflows keep temps down.

fitz..

Good point Fitzy, at what temperature do they start to become amorous?

With EMD being a small and shallow dam of an average depth of about 4.5 metres water temps can fluctuate quite eratically. A couple of weeks back when we had some favourable weather, water temps. varied but in one shallow area I noticed temps around 21 deg.

Spent a couple of hours on EMD on Sunday arvo. Using a barely subsurface minnow for zero result and also dragging a spinnerbait around just off the bottom. Spinnerbait was tapped tentatively a couple of times but no takers. In the five or so minutes it took to change two lures the lake went from glass to whitecaps and the sky blackened. I gave up and went back to the ramp. By the time I had got sorted and loaded the kayak up it went back to glass and the sky lightened up. Ewen Maddock does NOT like me.
Cheers John.

Ps also spent a bit of time working a popper alternating fast and slow in likely looking areas

Don't give up on the place John, they are there. I have been there many times and returned home with a naught against my name. So much sweeter when you do have a great session.

Cheers Dave
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: StevenM on September 28, 2010, 06:29:46 AM
BrisBMan

Get a mazzy popper or run a 1/4 oz spinner subsurface for your toga
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: elops on September 28, 2010, 10:43:54 AM
Dave what are the water temps there at the moment? Toga's spawning is temp driven, as it warms up, they start getting amorous. At this latitude that can be later in the season, sometimes not at all if inflows keep temps down.

fitz..

Fitzy,
You are right temp is the key  ;)
Temps are warm enough on the coast, with full dams and the fairly mild winter we have had should be a good year for recruitment.
Have had pairs courting for a couple of weeks now in the ponds some may be holding but not 100% sure.

cheers
Steve.


Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: RandallG on September 28, 2010, 10:58:51 AM
Spent a couple of hours on EMD on Sunday arvo. Using a barely subsurface minnow for zero result and also dragging a spinnerbait around just off the bottom. Spinnerbait was tapped tentatively a couple of times but no takers. In the five or so minutes it took to change two lures the lake went from glass to whitecaps and the sky blackened. I gave up and went back to the ramp. By the time I had got sorted and loaded the kayak up it went back to glass and the sky lightened up. Ewen Maddock does NOT like me.
Cheers John.

Ps also spent a bit of time working a popper alternating fast and slow in likely looking areas

Not related John, but I love the script by Ratty at the bottom of your posts :)  My kids grew up with Wind in the Willows Stories. Toad was my favourite character. :)

Randall.
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: BrisBassMan on September 28, 2010, 03:29:27 PM
The Togas have proved difficult to catch for me so.  I have managed to drop some real rippers  >:(  but this is interesting an very informative.

I have a Jackall zero footer in my tackle box and it has shown it can tempt them so with this lure and the others suggested I'll form a good plan to hit EMD in the future.

Many thanks guys.
Title: Re: Surface at EMD
Post by: Bracey on September 28, 2010, 04:16:14 PM
Here's a few shots of the Saratoga I managed to lure, land based fishing on the western side of EMD last Spring and Summer just to keep you interested. None of them were too big, the largest being 65cm.

I would most definately prefer to release them from within the water shown in one of the photos however in the the other photos the terrain in which I was fishing was an extremely steep bank which renderred it impossible. You can see in one of the photos how scales on the fish were lost in the struggle, most probably catching the line on several occasions as it showd it's aerobatic skills, twisting back on itself.

Cheers Dave