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Clarrie Hall Magic

loomis

By loomis
in Saltwater

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loomis

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It was Friday morning and the air was filled with the tension that comes before a weekend chasing Bass. Hopes were high as we began the treck south towards this little piece of paradise.

The Australian Bass Association/Tweed Shire Council/DPI Bass Catch was on again and this gave us the chance to fish Clarrie Hall over the entire weekend...whenever we wanted. No waiting for gates to open, no time restrictions...the dam was ours!

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After setting up camp, my attention turned to the fishing...So we took off for a short 2 hour stint to recon the waters that we would target for the next two days. The first fish didnt take long and it was a steady catch rate that saw Jaime and I boat 12 Bass between us. All taken on shallow divers cast close to the edges of the lillypads.

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Back on the water early Saturday morning looking for the surface bite. I was using a Zara Spook and Jaime was throwing a Jitterbug. The morning didnt really feel like a surface bite, but just one fish would be enough. 15 minutes in and the first victim fell for the day on the Zara Spook. Not a bad size either at 41.5cm.

During the next 30mins or so I noticed that I was getting a lot more hits when the lure was twitching under the surface...but being a floating lure, it proved hard to keep it there on a regular basis. Surely I had something in my arsenal that would do the job...and I did. The Zag Stick!

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Once this was tied on and the pattern worked out I didnt change lures for the rest of the session. Working the lure in the top 2' of the water colum the Bass were simply loving it. Nailing it on the pause meant for heart stopping fishing. What made it even better was the gin clear water, combined with the fluro yellow back of the lure, meant I saw every strike, every take...and every miss!

At one point I looked away to check out the scenery and when I looked back the lure was gone...not sitting motionless like it was when I looked away. Feeling no weight on the rod is a weird feeling when you know a Bass has taken your lure...So I struck and came up solid to a good size fish.

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But then it happened...The dang Southerly turned up and brought with it the end of what was a brilliant session of Bass fishing. I boated 24 fish in the morning session, with sizes ranging from high 20s' to low 40s'. But as soon as the first fart of wind came, the fish dissapeared. This brought an end to the morning, so we headed back to camp.

The wind only got stronger as the day wore on and thoughts of an afternoon surface bite were laying in tatters. But the time came to head back out and the first priority was finding somewhere out of the wind. So as fate would have it we ended up back where the fun was had that morning.

3rd cast and I was on. Not a bad start to the session. Very next cast and I was on again. Using the livewell, instead of just releasing them definately affects the catch rate when the fish are easily put off I reckon. We would get our 4 in the well, then drive out to open water and release the fish...then return to our spot.

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The catch rate was down however due to the Southerly that was doing its best to ruin our plans. The fish werent as playful, but to some degree they were still biting. We were just starting to think about heading back when we noticed a lot of activity around one point. Surface activity that is!

We silently motored over to find a huge school of fish simply going beserk on the top. Small divers were brought into the action as no results came from any of the surface lures we threw at them. The fun was non-stop for about 20mins. The fish were on the smaller size, mid 20s' was the average, but when you have trouble getting the lure back to the boat without catching a fish it certainly made for a fun stint. Double hookups and hat-tricks were acheived...but just as quickly as they turned on...they turned off! So back to camp for a BBQ feed and a few drinks.

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With rain falling for most of the night, it was unsure whether we would hit the water come morning...The alarm went off and it was still raining. Back to bed! We woke later at around 7am and found the rain had stopped, leaving a heavily overcast sky, and beautifully glassed out conditions. We hit the water in no time.

Sunday morning saw a repeat of Saturday morning...The Zag Stick was leathal as the Bass simply couldnt resist this twitching morsel. Accounting for another 12 Bass during the shorter (due to the late start) morning session.

But the highlight was the two 44cm Bass that I boated during the morning. These fish play hard and fight like their lives depend on it. I simply love catching the Bass at Clarrie Hall. But the 45cm mark still remains un-popped!

All up I boated just under 60 Bass for the weekend. Not a bad effort if I dont say so myself[:P].

Leigh.

P.S Normally you can not camp at Clarrie Hall Dam. But because of the nature of the weekend, the Tweed Shire Council grants us permission to do so. Approximately 30 catch cards were handed in with some great information that will help the ABA and DPI/F in regards to future stockings.

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