Page 95 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing magazine
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ISensational springtime surface strikes
N the spring, a Anglers who prefer to ther away from snags, young man’s fan- shop online or enjoy a which may claim a lure cy turns lightly to bargain can purchase when distance is mis-
Fishing for Sport
by NEIL SCHULTZ
thoughts of surface fish- the Krickett direct from judged in the darkness.
ing – I may not have quoted Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem word for word exactly.
One of our first en- demic species to be commonly targeted with surface lures was the ever-popular Aus- tralian bass.
easy storage in tackle boxes.
the manufacturers at predatek.com/shop at factory prices.
When fishing surface lures in freshwater, pad- dlers in particular, think ‘slow’.
In the realm of sport- fishing anglers, almost inevitably they will find a scenario to which they are drawn repeatedly.
Bass feeding habits in the natural environment perfectly suit an angler wishing to enjoy surface action.
Paddler style lures such as those, with their natural swimming ac- tion and melodic plip- plop sounds, seemed perfectly at home on a quiet bass stream.
Periods of low light are most productive for surface fishing, with dawn and dusk being prime times.
The retrieve should be made at the most sedate pace possible in order for the lure to achieve its desired action.
For several it’s a pre- ferred species, for oth- ers it may be a location and for many it’s a tech- nique that finds favour through their fishing career.
Our large, deep lakes aren’t ideal locations for topwater – as it’s become known – but streams and shallow, weedy lakes are perfect.
Fortunately, there are numerous home-grown surface lures on the market now and none more effective than the new Predatek Krickett.
During these hours and through the night, bass will often leave their secure positions and actively prowl open water.
This sees your offering remain in the strike zone longer and gives a cruis- ing fish time to hone in on the disturbance.
Many anglers experi- ence nothing more ex- hilarating than the sight of a fish taking a lure presented on the surface.
When I first started casting lures for ‘perch’ during the late sixties, surface lures were by necessity imported and usually from the US.
Following on from the success of their 60mm Bass Bug, the little 45mm Krickett is scor- ing plenty of runs on east coast bass streams.
Mid-stream shallows can be hotspots at night, where they’d be devoid of fish during daylight hours.
Though the explosive strikes make controlling reflexes difficult, try not to strike because this will skip the lure away from any short strikers.
W hether it’s a blue marlin crashing a skirt on the continental shelf, a tuna, queenfish or gi- ant trevally belting a popper inshore, a sooty grunter or jungle perch crashing a tiny fizzer, even trout sipping down a fly – the adrenaline rush is assured.
Arbogast Jitterbugs were a very common sight on Aussie bass streams, as was my per- sonal favourite the Hed- don Crazy Crawler – mainly because its fold- ing wings allowed for
Like its larger sibling, the Krickett flies true on the cast, starts pad- dling the instant the re- trieve commences and generates the same fish- attracting acoustics.
Of course, that knowl- edge doesn’t mean we should ignore traditional bass hideouts such as snags, overhanging banks and edges of weed beds.
Instead, keep the rod tip low and maintain a steady retrieve until the fish is hooked.
It does give anglers the luxury of being able to place casts a little fur-
Try a surface paddler on your favourite bass stream this spring, you are sure to find it exhila- rating.
DAM LEVELS
CURRENT AS OF 12/10/2020
DAMS PERCENTAGE
JUN AUG SEP OCT NOV
Atkinson Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen * Boondooma * Borumba * Burdekin Falls * Callide *
Cania *
Coolmunda *
Dyer/Bill Gunn *
Eungella *
Fairbairn *
Glenlyon *
Hinze*
Julius
Kinchant *
Leslie *
Macdonald*
Maroon * Monduran/Fred Haigh * Moogerah *
North Pine/Samsonvale * Peter Faust/Proserpine * Somerset *
Teemburra *
Tinaroo*
Toonumbar
Wivenhoe *
Wuruma *
Wyaralong*
For updates on dams, visit sunwater.com.au or seqwater.com.au
5 5 13 5 5
66 65 18 17 35 34 96 93 95 92 30 28 50 58 29 28
64 63 61 16 14 12 34 32 31 92 82 84 90 84 79 27 25 24 50 49 45 29 32 29
3 3 88 87 13 12 13 14 95 93 91 88 86 85 13 13
3 3 3 87 86 85 11 10 10 14 15 15 93 91 89 87 85 82 84 80 26 13 13 12
100 102
57 56
59 58
30 27
62 60
68 67
78 78
99 99
72 71
66 67
49 48
60 60
96 95 959493
*This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to  sh these dams.
102 101 94 56 54 51 57 55 54 26 24 21 59 57 54 66 65 63 78 77 76 99 98 97 69 65 61 68 67 63 46 45 43 58 57 53
Surface lures are at their best in low light, though they can be quite effective during daylight, espe- cially around weed beds.
Many anglers prefer black or dark coloured surface lures. The author likes light and bright colours for their better visibility for the angler in low light.
www.bnb shing.com.au
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, November 2020 – Page 95


































































































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