albert falls 3 jan

[cranky]

hope you all had a good christmas... remebered what christmas is all about and got lots of presents....i got everything i wished for and more

and a happy new year to everyone...hope it goes as well as last year ended.


we left for the dam around 6 am...sun was up...launched the kickboat.

the fish were getting hammered in the shallows so i thought we were going to have a great days fishing...not.

fished frogs...cranks...flukes...spinnerbait...in various colours...not a touch...in desperation i changed to to a weightless junior fluke in w/m red...got 1 small fish 300 grams.

what i did notice was the amount of bait fish...huge shoals...every now and again there would be a blow up...so i put the fluke on the spot and let it sink... not a touch.

so we decided to pack up and go to a private dam further along the road... the fishing was alot better...caught fish on the frog and weightless fluke w/m red...tried a spinnerbait but never even got a hit.

just as i got to the end of the lily pads close to where we launch i had a huge blow up...set the hook i could feel the fish was hooked but it ran straight at me so i reeled as fast as i could...i managed to wind up the slack but as i felt the pressure again the fish came loose...by now my ticker was pumping but it was time to leave.

i went across to the dam wall where i had caught fish earlier...first cast got a small fish...last cast for the day another huge blowup...reeled down and set the hook...click the 50 lb braid snapped at the hook...tied another hook and had a few more cast...tried a small fluke but i had pinned the fish and it was gone....a massive storm broke out so we packed up and left...

 

[cranky]

things to remeber when heading out for a day on the water on a kickboat...

frame

potoons (you can get potoons with inner bladders incase you get a puncture)

patch kit

flippers (not big diving ones they break your ankles) cheap set works fine

electric pump... to make life easy.

hand pump to get the potoons to required pressured.


big hat to protect your face and neck from the sun

sun tan lotion for those who use it...i prefer a big hat and wearing a long sleeved shirt and long shorts.

dry set of clothes and a warm jacket in the car... just in case it starts pouring down with rain you have something to change into.

rain coat (frog toggs if you can get one)

water to drink

food if you plan on spending most of the day on the water...i keep a half litre water and a couple snackers just in case.

fishing tackle...(i spend time sorting the right tackle for the dam the night before to keep it simple and use basic colours)

the basics depending on the dam...if i fish a dam full of weed...i use frogs and weightless lures...a texas rig with a pegged sinker...i would carry a jig but dont have confidence using them for now...a very shallow running crankbait (works great when fished correctly)  and a spinnerbait.

bigger and more open dams...frogs...weightles...mojo rigs...small cranks - dlns...topwaters (zarra spooks prop baits etc)...chatterbait and spinnerbait.

5 rods

1) frog rod

2) light plastics

3) cranking (used also for spro frogs) on dams with plenty weed

4) spinnerbait rod also used for buzzbaits and topwaters

5) medium heavy for texas or mojo rig

lip grip (for the whisker fellas or any other species like eels etc)

garlic dip for the tails...to make them bright.

kvd spray for the reels and line ( i use it mainly for the braid)

a pair of rapala braid sissors

long nose pliers in case i have to remove a deep hook

i have experimented with a trolling motor on the kickboat for large dams but find it becomes a mission on the smaller dams

i do plan on fitting a fish finder onto my kickboat at some stage for the bigger dams...this will help locatate the drop offs and channels...still trying to decide if i need an hds 5 or 8...will be using it on the boat and kickboat...just fit the transducer and power cables to both then use the unit on either.

 

this pretty much covers the basics...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fray]

hey man,

I was at Albert Falls for the new years eve, and we went out on the water on new years day, we managed to catch quite a few fish between us, nothing spectacular, but a number of fish nonetheless...

pity you didnt manage to land the fish, better luck next time!