we left home at 5 am...the drive to the dam is rat

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cranky

Senior Member
we left home at 5 am...the drive to the dam is rather hair raising...got to the dam to find there was not a breath of wind and it was cold so we knew we were in for a slow days fishing.

i only took 4 rods with today because i pretty much had a plan of action.

my weightless rod...a cherrywood 7 ft one piece with a coffee grinder spooled with 10 lb viper braid a small swivel...10 lb flu. leader and a no 2 light frame  EWG hook

frog rod...gloomis 7.2ft frog rod...calais 200 spooled with 50 lb power pro braid and a no5 owner  J hook

spinnerbait rod....gloomis 6.9ft rod...a core reel spooled with halo 12lb line (bad choice changed from 15 lb to 12 lb snapped today while casting never had a problem like this with 15lb)

last but not least important...the mix...7 ft medium crucial rod (rod to be upgraded once i find a 7.6ft rod with a medium action i like)...a calais dc reel spooled with 12 lb excalibur line and a norman speed clip...for clipping on a small crank...rattlin spot...top water...buzzbait...or basically anything.

started off with a small white norman crank and got a keepr on the first cast


the fishing was slow but the quality of fish was good...as i moved around the dam i fished a variety of baits.

weightless fluke watermeloen red seemd to be the flavour of the day...caught lots of keepers but nothing great.

tried a chartruese spinner bait but didnt even get a knock so i changed to a gold colour which producted a couple of keepers...

i tried a topwater prop bait but also didnt even get a knock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

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cranky

Senior Member
i fished the frog like we always do into the reeds with a fast retrieve but the fish were not interested...i moved down towards the dam wall trying different retrieves.

the bite was slow and i had to let the frog sink to get fish...they werent interested in hitting the frog on top until later in the day.

shaun managed to get a fish around 3.5 kg on a frog but he was persistant in one spot until he got the fish...pulling the frog along the top at a slow steady speed.

rory got most of his fish on a chartruese spinnerbait ranging from 500g to 1.5 kg

just as we were leaving the bass started hitting the  frog while pulling it over the reeds as fast as i could...we didnt want to drive in the dark so we had to pack up and leave the bass for another day.

i got the fish below on a frog next to the cliffs

the next time i go to wild acres i wll be trying jigs to see if pitching them into the holes will produce fish...i havent seen anyone try this at wild acres yet.

 
 

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YASTIR

New member
Sounds like you had a blast. Good report back.Do they allow boats over there ? Can you launch a boat? What do you mean by the journey being Hair raising? Sorry for all the questions?
 
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cranky

Senior Member
big potholes...16 people burnt to death from a head on collision on  the news....plenty big logging trucks...and wild drivers over taking 5 cars a time then dont make it back in so you are faced with a vehicle on your side of the road...and as for the condition of the road from the big trucks if you go over the raised tar you will loose your sump so you have to be careful.

there is no slipway...and so much weed i dont put my trolling motor on the kickboat.

the problem with this dam and i think this is why so few people go there is because it is a long drive and some days if the fishing is slow you only get one or 2 small fish...like yesterday it was slow but at least we managed to get some good fish.

i think the bass go under the weed and sit there...unless you know where they are you could waste the whole day looking for them.
 
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cranky

Senior Member
thanks...90 % of my time lately is spent fishing the frog and only 10 % other things...before i started fishing the frog it was 90 % crankbaits and 10 % others.

you can catch lots of fish with cranks if you are not scared to loose them...being sponsored norman cranks and using a lure retriever is a big help...saved 80 % of stuck cranks.

the frog is just a whole lot more fun watching the fish come up and take the frog makes my day even if i only get one fish the whole day... they are always nice size fish...and having a day like a couple of weeks ago...every cast hooking into a 2 or 3 kg fish makes you wana go back for more...unfortunately those days are rare.

there is an art to fishing cranks most people think you just cast out and wind in...

when i started bass fishing i noticed most people used carolina rigs for big fish...slow standing with hand in pocket like julian...brendon...keiron etc...now days everyone fishs cranks...i wonder what got them all started on cranks.

a bass can come up behind your crank take the whole crank in his mouth hooks and all then just open and release it without you even knowing...know your tackle...when you crank...slow down to point that you can feel every movement of the crank every tap on structure...get use to it so that when you speed up for faster retrieves you know what you are looking for...only when  you master that will your cranking strike rate improve...learn to use the rod to retrieve the lure and not the winding of the reel...in other words pull the lure throught the water using the rod tip....slow steady sweep then take up the slack with the reel...when fishing is tough this is how you catch fish on cranks...when the bass  are active or feeding anybody can catch fish on cranks...try it some time and let me know if it works for you...and always make sure your drag is set correctly and never wind the lure to the tip of the rod...rather lift the rod otherwise when the fish turns at the boat you can say cheers to your fish and lure...and the most important tools a lure retriever with short chains and a nice strong rope to get it back
 
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-dave

New member
I'm really keen to fish at Wild Acres... I keep saying that I'll make a plan, but seeing the pics of what you're catching and reading your reports are making me even more eager. I think I'll have to head up there within the next few weeks :) (hopefully I won't get too lost and find the place in time to do some fishing)
 
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cranky

Senior Member
and just to get you excited...a taste of what to expect
 

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cranky

Senior Member
thanks...we dont weigh any of our fish but i think the biggest fish to date is around the 4 kg mark..the weight is not important...watching them blowup on the lure gets the blood racing...thats what is important...keeps the old ticker going :wfish
 
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-dave

New member
I'm still a n00b, so I weigh everything I catch incase it improves my PB :)

Another question about Wild acres - are there toilets or braai spots there?
 
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Jos101

New member
There are toilets but bring your own TP.

There is a nice BIG lawn with huge blue gum trees for the Missus to relax under but there are no braai facilities - we normally take a small collapsable brai or a skottel to make a couple of boeries during the lunch break.

Just a tip - do not leave your meat unattended as the owner has a hyper active Jack Russel Terrier which will eat anything that remotely looks like food!!!
 
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-dave

New member
Jos101 wrote:
There are toilets but bring your own TP.

There is a nice BIG lawn with huge blue gum trees for the Missus to relax under but there are no braai facilities - we normally take a small collapsable brai or a skottel to make a couple of boeries during the lunch break.
Click to expand...
Thanks again :)
 
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cranky

Senior Member
dont waste time using light line otherwise you will cry long tears when that 4 kg goes thick and cant pull it out...

spinnerbaits

frog

spro frogs

and if you can fish a jig i have never tried one but i do believe this would be a good lure to drop intop the pockets.

fish fast and i mean fast i use a 7.1 ratio calais dc to ge the bait moving on the top...tjust remeber you cant cant pull the lure away from the fish no matter how fast you reel.

rory and co are going to craigieburn this weekend...damn mothers day on sunday...i wonder if mom wants to have a picnic at craigieburn :fbash

 
 
D

-dave

New member
cranky wrote:
dont waste time using light line otherwise you will cry long tears when that 4 kg goes thick and cant pull it out...

spinnerbaits

frog

spro frogs

and if you can fish a jig i have never tried one but i do believe this would be a good lure to drop intop the pockets.

fish fast and i mean fast i use a 7.1 ratio calais dc to ge the bait moving on the top...tjust remeber you cant cant pull the lure away from the fish no matter how fast you reel.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads-up cranky. I'm heading up there tomorrow to try my luck - hopefully I don't get lost and it's good fishing!
 
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