Page 87 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine

Predatek Bass Bug
* from P86
was the distance they often need to be moved across the surface be- fore they kicked into the desired paddling action.
sions were in streams well upstream of large lakes where the fish wouldn’t be part of any spawning migration.
Many would slide along for a while be- fore commencing that seductive ‘freestyle’ swimming motion with the associated sound.
Surface lures work best in shallow water, which was easy enough to find, but they are also most effective in summer when cicadas, grasshoppers and other winged terrestrials are about in numbers.
The bright hues of the Wasp coloured Bass Bug are ideal for angler visibility in low light.
Tight water can see them glide out of the prime strike zone be- fore generating the son- ic attraction that bass and many other fresh- water predators love.
Not expecting too much in the way of fish action in mid-winter, it came as a pleasant sur- prise to take a chunky 40cm bass within an hour of hitting the river.
AFish hotel in Oakey Creek
N innova- going support from of up to 100-fold in tive project the Australian gov- small-bodied native based on ernment, Murray- fish including species
partnerships between Darling Basin state such as carp gudgeon
government, com- munity and industry will result in positive outcomes and restor- ing native fish in the Dewfish Demonstra- tion Reach.
governments, with strong support from community and in- dustry groups.
and Murray–Darling rainbowfish.
The DDR is a joint government and community initiative demonstrating how incorporating sci- ence, adaptive man- agement and stake- holder engagement can deliver real ben- efits for native fish.
At the inception of the project, a robust monitoring program was introduced to evaluate the response of native fish to in- dividual and cumu- lative rehabilitation activities.
Hyrtl’s catfish – al- so known as moon- fish – have returned to the reach for the first time in many years.
The DDR is lo- cated near Dalby in Queensland and stretches through parts of Myall Creek, Oakey Creek and the Condamine River.
The response of na- tive fish populations to the application of multiple intervention activities has been outstanding.
The DDR project supplements and helps build on efforts that support native fish across the Basin, with a coordinated approach to recovery.
The project com- menced in 2007 and focuses on recover- ing native fish fac- ing a range of threats including poor water quality, connectiv- ity, loss of instream and riparian vegeta- tion, instream habi- tat complexity, bank erosion and pest fish species.
At the intervention sites, abundances of large-bodied native fish species increased significantly – up to 20-fold – for species such as golden perch, eel-tailed catfish, Murray cod, span- gled perch and bony bream.
The Australian gov- ernment has joined with Basin state gov- ernments to develop a new native fish recov- ery strategy, which is set for release in coming weeks and will continue to focus on recovering native fish across the Mur- ray-Darling Basin.
The initiative has continued with on-
Rehabilitation of bankside and in- stream vegetation also resulted in sig- nificant increases
This information formed an adaptive management frame- work.
The DDR has in- spired the com- munity and land- holders within the Condamine River catchment to become more interested in restoring their local waterways and has provided them with the tools to be able to do just that.
More frustrating was the habit of paddling lures to tumble in flight allowing them to tangle on the leader, veer off target and cast like a toy parachute.
Subsequent trips have all produced quality fish despite low water temperatures – a testa- ment to the fish attract- ing qualities of the Bass Bug’s action.
Predatek’s 60mm Bass Bug has been de- signed with modern science and materials to effectively eliminate both of those flaws.
There are 10 colours available in the 60mm Bass Bug size, in a mix of natural hues and bright, attractor pat- terns.
This has been the ethos of the company’s lure designers since day one, making lures not purely to be different, but to be better than contemporary models.
If you are looking for a surface lure that casts well, paddles perfectly and attracts fish even in less than ideal condi- tions, do yourself a fa- vour and grab a few of Predatek’s 60mm Bass Bugs.
On the day mine ar- rived in the post, I took them to a local stream for a test swim.
Bugs are available through select tackle shops or direct from the Predatek online tackle store predatek.com/ shop
Immediately impres- sive was the way the Bass Bug started pad- dling with the first hint of movement on the re- trieve.
I’m now keen for a trip to the tropics to give the Bass Bug a swim in waters that are home to sooty grunter, jungle perch, mangrove jack, barramundi and tarpon, where I’m con- fident they’ll produce the goods!
The crisp, noisy ‘plip- plop’ acoustics created by the paddling bib were equally awesome, echoing along the pool in the still afternoon air.
Being the closed sea- son for bass in tidal wa- ters, my fishing excur- www.bnb shing.com.au
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2020 – Page 87