Doing a walk in.

[Member]

I had to get my bass fix this weekend and with a slight window of opportunity

After going up to the inlaws and mowing their lawn and doing the hedges for them I set off looking for some clean water to chase some bass..

With all the rain that we have had and all the local water still brown I made the decision to head up into the hills. You know the place, where there is not  uncovered land or development, where the grass runs all the way to the creek edge. Only one place like that right. Head to the mountains



So after parking the car and grabbing my rod and putting my backpack on it was walk the edges of the crystal clear water and see how we go. As I fired a few casts into the area it was deceiving in trying to determine the depth. The difference between shallow and deep almost impossible to distinguish.

The water was running fairly fast but eventually I found a snag that was holding a few fish. They were only little tackers but it was fish on. Actually three bass of the same size came from that very snag.



This pool ended up being rather productive and the very next snag about 5 meters up produced a couple more fish. These guy just got a in water shot.



After a few missed strikes I head up stream a bit more and had  few taps and eventually landed this guy. All were about the same size.



No further bass came from that pool and I had gone as far as I could and the natural landscape with steep banks and fast flowing water halted my progress.
I walked back to the car, firing a few casts as I went but they were all well and truly lure savvy by now.

I loaded the gear back into the car and drove back down the road till I found another spot that was accessible. By accessible I mean that I did not want to cross any fences or consider myself to be on someone’s property.

I found my next entry point that suited my conditions and scrambled my way towards the water through the thick growth. The landscape dropped quickly and the water was fast and shallow. I nailed a few cast into the odd back eddy and was on. Unfortunately the fish was better than me and used the swift current to its advantage and the next minute I was winding slack line back onto my reel with a shredded leader.

I moved further down stream and searched for a section that I may have a chance getting them back out. Finding the next such point I under hand cast towards the other side bank and started my retrieve.  Just as I reached the fast flow I was on. A reasonable battle due to the current made the fight enjoyable. This guy came and said hi in the end.



The very next cast into the same area came up with the goods again. This guy was a better fish and really put on a turn using the stream flow and hit the turbo button to head down stream.  Eventually turning its head and working him back up. I found this one to be well schooled in the natural instinct of survival and it continued to dog its way back into the main flow to gain an advantage.  It then head towards the reeds to get me tangled up and with the short rods it was difficult to steer it in the direction I wanted. In the end it was at my feet and with such a fight I left her in the water and removed the hooks. This one was just over the 40cm mark and the best fish landed for the day.



Once again I reached a point of no further downstream access and turned back and scrambled up the steep bank to the road.

I accessed one more pool on the way back home but lost my spinner bait to a quick thinking fish again.  I did try a few different hard body but due to the flow found them not effective from the bank. So I called it a day and head home.

Thanks for reading. Off to the tackle shop to get some replacement spinner baits.

[Member]

Sounds like a great session!

[Member]

Well done I just love this type of fishing, might have to visit my son .

Dino

[Member]

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice 

[Member]

A great report Steve. Wish I wasn't working all weekend or I would have been doing something along the same lines.

[Member]

Very nice arvo, bet u slept well.

Pete

[Member]

I know where that is

[Member]

I know where that is

SO DO I SO DO I !!!

now what do i win ?

I know each tree in the photo's... 

[Member]

great report mate!! 

[Member]

That's good fishing in anyone's book. I love walking the banks, and leave the boat/canoe/kayak behind. It's bushwalking with a fishing rod. Did the same thing yesterday up near the very top of the Clarence. Unfortunately the water was still a bit high with plenty of flow. We still managed a few fish and one that busted me off on the strike!
JD

[Member]

Nothing better than a few hours  walking the banks , fish is a bonus