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3 Day Bass And Flathead Trip


brendong

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I managed to convince the :wife: that a three day weekend away with my cousin would let her bond with the kids, so off we set....don't ask me why but she took the bait....

We set ourselves a challenge to not pack any fresh or frozen bait and just use sp's and hard bodies and not a kill a single fish over the three days.

First stop (Friday), upper reaches of the Shoalhaven River. Never targeting Bass before we thought we'd be in with a chance in the brackish stuff but a faint hope was all we held out given neither of us had ever fished for them before.

Lobbed at the boat ramp about 12.30pm overcast, bit of breeze around and worked a few areas for a couple of legal flathead and bream. Started throwing 2' Gulp Shrimp in Natural and got belted by our first bass,

then another...then another....turned into a cracking session with some EP''s in the mix and I managed to pull out this 44cm model.....yea ha....PB I guess given I've never bass fished before...this guy was taken on a 3' Gulp Shrimp in Natural...

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In the middle of this red-hot Bass session, my cousin hooked this 80cm plus Carp (had to destroy him, so technically our goal to not kill a fish ended right there but for good reason). Again on a 2' Gulp Shrimp. PB Carp, actually his one and only.

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Packed up very pleased after a super session. In all nailed 7 species those mentioned above plus a tailor and a long tom in brackish water and headed to the in-laws holiday house in Lake Conjola for the night. 4 am

alarm goes and headed off on the 1.5 hour drive to Tuross.

Cracking weather after what appeared on BOM to be an ordinary couple of days in store.

Waved hello to Hodgey fellow Raider (thanked him for the PM re the boat ramp situation in Tuross) and started throwing 140mm Bloodworm Squidgy wrigglers. Half a dozen legal Flathead 40 - 50cm before my cousin landed this 91 cm crocodile....not his PB, would you believe he nailed a 100cm job at the aged of 6.

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Caught up with Hodgey at lunch time to see he'd smashed two monster bream on poppers...supper effort...

Fished the rest of the day with varying results but still basking in the glory of the lizard we didn't really care.

Spent the night in Tuross and fell into bed about at 8.30pm. Felt like my head had only just touched the pillow and the 5.00am alarm was ringing.

Back to the same spot and electric'd all around for another 91cm model but it wasn't to be.....and few legal flathead but nothing to write home about and then the south east wind kicked in...yuk...

Decided to pack up and headed back for another Bass session up at the Shoalhaven....on the water by 12.30pm back to the same spot to throw the same gulp shrimp but the fickle things that they are, didn't re-appear. In a last ditched effort threw on poppers and smash....they were back on....that was our first fish on hard bodies ever...well worth the wait...

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Moved to some flats nearby and blew out our 2.30 pm home time deadline by an hour and half because the action was frantic....how good is Bass and Bream on poppers....

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Closed the weekend with about 40 plus legal fish in the boat, all but the Carp lived to tell the story....

Back home to tuck the kids into bed.

Awesome weekend, one that will stay in the memory banks for some time to come....Might try and make it an annual pilgrimage.

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What an unbelievable weekend of fishing!

I was fishing within casting distance of the fellas when they struck gold with the lizard, and was highly entertained by the fish giving 'em curry all the way to the boat. A quick photo, then back she went to the briney depths.

Mate, it was terrific catching up with you and your cousin, and I look forward to having a fish together the next time you are in my neck of the woods. That was a brilliant report ... Congrats to you both!

Hodgey

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What a cracker weekend eh? :yahoo:

That flatty is one huge momma...A head like a shovel and

shoulders like a front rower.

Enter her in the FOTM won't you.

I can see an annual pilgrimage to there again.

Great effort.

Cheers,

Pete.

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Thanks all....it was an awesome weekend....one of those ones you plan in advance and are busting a gut for it to arrive and when it does its just like being a 6 year old on Christmas morning...

It was the first time we'd used an electric too and even though it was a rear mounted hand steer Jarvis Walker Water Snake, I reckon it contributed to over 60% of the fish.....how good is stealth.....

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Thanks all....it was an awesome weekend....one of those ones you plan in advance and are busting a gut for it to arrive and when it does its just like being a 6 year old on Christmas morning...

It was the first time we'd used an electric too and even though it was a rear mounted hand steer Jarvis Walker Water Snake, I reckon it contributed to over 60% of the fish.....how good is stealth.....

Stealth is greatttttt. Nice report thanks for sharing it with us all.

Looks like a top couple of days. What a shame your wife couldn't join you :thumbdown:

Cheers mrsswordfisherman

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What a shame your wife couldn't join you :thumbdown:

Cheers mrsswordfisherman

Actually she loves fishing, as do the kids...not quite as much as I do...so she'll get into it at Christmas at Lake Conjola and Nambucca Heads for the last two weeks of January....

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cheers for the report.

a great read + fantastic pics

don't worry 'bout the carp re your no kill policy - its a technicality. and if u think about it you're probly providing for the survival of more natives anyway.

Good point....we did talk about that at the time....

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