Bass Classic on the horizon

Bass - Anglers have much to look forward to as the Albert Falls Bass Classic is almost upon us. On 30 and 31 August anglers will set out onto one of the most beautiful dams in KZN in search of the biggest bass of the weekend. Be sure to register online and be a part of this prestigious event. Albert Falls has been producing the goods recently which is just a taste of what is to come in the weeks ahead. As the water starts to heat up and the days become longer, bass will start to feed heavily in anticipation of the spawn. Inanda has been fishing well too, towards the mouth on shallow banks and drop-offs. The water has been relatively clean and crank baits have been working well.

Carp - As we move into prime time for the monsters, we have received some excellent reports from locals at many of the dams, one of which came from well-known specimen angler Oom Danie who camped for one week and landed 8 fish, the biggest of which weighed in at 14kg. Inanda has also produced very nice fish as per usual. Anglers fishing close to structure have been landing more respectable fish. Another reminder to anglers to take extra care of the fish from this point on as they will start filling up with eggs and will be prone to bruising and rupture. A carp of 16kg can be anywhere up to 20years old, so a bit of respect is always due. Just arrived is the range of Mustads Curved Shank Elite range of hooks. These hooks are the prefect specimen hook for an angler on a budget and have all the feature of the best on the market.

Fly Fishing - If it is scalie action you are after, then look no further than the Umkomaas River. From now until the first heavy rains fall, we will be in for a whopper of a time. With waters slowly warming up and water visibility staying good, these fish feed aggressively in the shallows similar to the behavior we see mid-summer with yellowish.  Using a 4 weight rod and a decent floating line such as a Snowbee XS 4/5weight line, fish a heavy caddis pupa and trailing hotspot or any other flash back nymph. A strike indicator is a must as the fish can often feed and not swim off, resulting in a spat out fly. In the slower moving pools, an intermediate line with small nymphs works wonders. Anglers must remember that scalies love dragon fly nymphs and crabs too, so do not be hesitant to try these patterns out. Be sure to check out Snowbees new range of extra distance lines, which have just arrived. These are available in 5wt and 6wt in a floating, intermediate and sinking.

(File Photo:Gallo Images)

Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @kingfisherdaiwa