Hi Guys!
I am gonna try to add some input here since I run a private farm dam management syndicate for some farmers in my area!
1. Firstly determine with a compass or GOOGLE EARTH where the northern banks of the dam are. In the Southern hemisphere bass usually spawn on the northern banks due to the angle that the sun penetrates and heats up the shallow water. This is not always the case,but it is most of the time...
2. If there is silt ( the black smelly type ) but it is now exposed or dry due to the low water levels,you can get the big bags of agricultural chalk ( landboukalk ) and rake it into the areas. This will lessen the black silt buildup if the dam fills up again.
3. I notice that you placed most of the trees upright, just remember bass tend to relate more to horizontal structure than vertical structure ( overhead cover and hiding places from predators and ideal stalking hideouts ) , so anchor some stumps or branches horizontal to the vertical ones.
4. Those tyres lying loose will float away if the dam fills up due to air pockets in its concave sidewall structure. Tie some bricks or put in some cement to them.
5.If you can purchase a bag of gravel pebbles ( like the type they put on graves once the soil has settled ) and get a area with a hard solid floor not deeper than 1.5 to 2 metres ( depending on water clarity ), you can throw them in a square or circle of about 3 m in diameter. This makes some interesting bottom structure for phytoplankton , crustaceans and fish to relate to.
6. Also see if you can get some waterlillies for a nearby vlei or so.
Remove them with roots intact ( dont get locked up though for theft, trespassing or
damaging sensitive ecosystems! ) and some soil , put it in a pot or pantyhose ( prefferabally your wifes' or you neighbours' wife's....hopefully not your own !LOL!)
dig a hole where the soil is damp, in a silty bottom with some fine sand over it and put the lillies "with roots and all into the hole"...
Once the dam fills up voila instant plant structure! Do this close to the trees if possible,so that the treestumps one day can be surrounded by lillies!
7. Put some horizontal treestumps into the bullrushes in the backgroud too,they will pay their dividents!
8. If you have and old big green PLASTIC Christmas tree ( usually a 2 piece about 2 metres tall ) glue the joint so it becomes a one piece. Now mix cement ( enough to fill a 5 litre bucket ) and let the tree stand in it. After about a week or so take the whole setup and go to the dam. You can either sink this vertically from a canoe / boat or wade it in. Bass absolutely love this stuff! You can easily make your own secret deepwater / offshore structure like this in public dams too ( for competitions ) just remember to plot it on your GPS!
Hope this helps!
regards
Herman
