Getting Bass on Drop Shot at Inanda Dam – 26/09/09

[Cpt. Hook]

Hi Guys,

 

I guided a father and son from Gauteng on Inanda Dam their Triton Bass Boat. The weather was sunny and it got very hot in the afternoon, the water was clear in mid and lower sections of the dam, and turbid in the river section. Water surface temperature started out at 20.4 deg. C and ended at22.7 deg C.

 

We launched at around 08h30 and fished until 18h30. We started at Cactus Point where we started by getting some good Bass on Drop shot with finesse worms, we also got bass at the S-Bends on Drop Shot and some more in the river section with the best being 2.0Kg (+/-4 ½ lbs). We tried flukes out inTaxi Bay and got several chases but only landed 1 fish there also of 2.0Kg (+/-4 ½ lbs).

 

In the end we landed 13 fish of which 12 were on Drop Shot and 1 on Weightless Fluke. 2 of the fish were exactly 2.0Kg (+/- 4 ½ lbs), 2 were around 1.5Kg (+/- 3 ½ lbs) several in the 1.0Kg (+/- 2 ¼ lbs) to 1.2Kg (+/- 2 ¾ lbs) range and 3 were small fish under keeper size. Most the fish came from isolated structure at around 6m (+/- 20ft).

 

FA

 

[Cpt. Hook]

And another

 

[Cpt. Hook]

And another pic

 

[DJP]

Nice report! Well done on getting some good fish!

In +/- 20ft water and using finesse worms I take it that you are talking about the Bass dropshot technique and not the popularised jig head fishing?

Just for interest sake how did you go about finding the fish in 20ft water. With the time of year and surface temperature started out at 20.4 deg. C / 22.7 deg C I would have been in the shallows to start of with seeing that LM bass feed optimaly between 18-21/22 deg C? Then move to the drop-offs for staging pre spawn females.

 

[Cpt. Hook]

DJP wrote:

Nice report! Well done on getting some good fish!

In +/- 20ft water and using finesse worms I take it that you are talking about the Bass dropshot technique and not the popularised jig head fishing?

Just for interest sake how did you go about finding the fish in 20ft water. With the time of year and surface temperature started out at 20.4 deg. C / 22.7 deg C I would have been in the shallows to start of with seeing that LM bass feed optimaly between 18-21/22 deg C? Then move to the drop-offs for staging pre spawn females.

I am sure they will be in the shallows early morning, but when it gets hot they go down. You need to use your sonar to find the structure and fish the structure, as Fishton always says, "find the fish, then fish the fish". They will go to the shallows soon, but the water levels are also so low that there is not much structure around the shallows, so they will only be there early and late to feed.

Will be there again tomorrow early and try the shallows.

 

[DJP]

OK, it's always interesting to here how people aproach their fishing. The one BIG difference from the dams you fish and the dams here in the Cape is that our dams are all 100% capacity. Good luck with your trip today and keep us informed.