Bass Electric Convention Lake Borumba

[Jewhunter]

G'day all.

I was lucky enough to score an invite to the ABT Bass Electric Convention which was held on Lake Borumba last w/end. My 6th place at the Clarrie Hall round was enough to get me in. Seeing as I only fished the one comp I thought I had better go.

Having never fished Borumba before I decided to go up last Thursday to fish that arvo & Friday before the comp.

Fishing a new dam can be daunting. The Queensland dams are very different to NSW dams. Jigging schooling fish is popular but not something I've done a lot of.

I decided to stick to what I know & targeted the edges, weed beds & timber.

I had read that Borumba was a great dam for Saratoga. Having not caught or even seen one in the flesh before I really wanted one! Sure enough my 1st fish of the trip was a 'toga of 56cm's. I then pulled 2 nice bass from the same stretch & then left it alone for the comp.

Friday dawned cloudy with a bit of rain. I fished an area that I spied the day before & came up trumps with a good bass. I left that area alone & then found another spot that produced a .96kg bass. The next area I fished gave up a nice 'toga of 63cm. The rain started pelting down so I got off the water around 12 p.m

So I had 3 areas that I knew held fish. These spots were in the main basin & at about the limits I could get to under battery power.

Saturday morning came around & the wind was blowing HARD! 45 knots from the south. The start was delayed & the organizers very nearly called the day off. A dozen boats decided not to fish as it was ridiculous!

I knew I was a shot duck. I didn't have the power or range of the other boats to get to the protected arms so had to battle away in the howling wind.

I got dusted by a very big fish in the timber early on & then really struggled just to be able to get a cast in. That fish hit & ran like a jack! I've never been dusted by a bass like that before! I tried to anchor but couldn't hold. I fell off the front casting deck a few times getting bounced off a wave. This is not fun!!! The last pic is of the windy lake on the back to the ramp. I had never fished in such bad conditions.

17 of the 76 anglers weighed fish for the day with the big bass going 1.76 kg.

I woke up Sunday at 4 a.m feeling like I'd gone 12 rounds with someone that hits hard! The wind was blowing again. No way, I thought, & climbed back into bed!!

A lot of guys didn't fish the Sunday. Comp or no comp I fish for fun. Saturday was no fun & Sunday wasn't going to be either.

The fish I caught in the prefish were all caught on 1/2 oz spinnerbaits ripped through the weed & timber. Borumba is a great place & I will go back again. 3 hrs from home to catch 'toga, big bass & yellowbelly is a great option to have.

Congrats to Freddy Sawyer for winning the comp with a 4/4, 2 day bag that weighed 4.41kgs. A great effort in those conditions.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Guest]

Geezus GRANT that water with the wind blowing on it would have me straight on the petrol motor...SOD THE COMP

Nice set of Saratogas as well and congrats on at least making the finals and fishing in such crappy conditions.

Cheers Stewy

[mako1]

Great effort Grant.

Even in the tough conditions you still managed some great fish.

Well done

[Hodgey]

Good on ya Grant. Made the best of a bad situation and caught some nice fish in the process. Congrats on your first 'toga mate. One of my favourite fish to catch and very entertaining on the rod! :thumbup:

Cheers

Skip

[DarkHorse]

Well done in such trying conditions! The pre comp day weather looks perfect. Congrats getting your first toga. Awesome fish, remind me of something prehistoric?? I use to like catching them just as much as barra when in the NT.

The chop on the water is amasing although I have had worse in Awoonga, like you said NOT a pleasant experience at all.

I take it that no petrol engines at all in that particular dam?? Hence battery/electric only?

[bassboy888]

Wow grant and i have thought i have suffered in some torrid conditions!!

Some great fish in your prefish day, thats unfortunate the weather took a turn for the worse.

[Jewhunter]

Thanks guys.

I was wrapped to nail a couple of 'toga. They're one of the reasons I'll go back!

Petrol motors are allowed on Borumba. We just weren't allowed to use them during the comp as it was a 'bass electric' event.

It was a real shame the wind kicked up. I was confident of picking up 2 bass on each day as I did it easily in the pre fish in less time on the water & didn't hammer the areas I found fish.

Ahh well, it was a great experience anyway. I reckon I'll fish the Clarrie Hall round again next year & see what happens from there.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Blood Knot]

Nice stuff Grant - shame about the comp blowout - Jeez those Saratogas are a prehistoric looking fish - would love to add to my list too

Cheers Blood Knot

[taloyoak]

WOW grant,

Those Togas sure look nice...well done mate, I'm jealous!

[paul.kenny]

Bad luck with the weather Grant, however those Togas would have certainly made the trip worth while.