November 1, 2018
by Matthew Langford
It’s a good feeling to know that summer is finally on its way.
The water temperatures in both dams are rising considerably during the day, which makes for some pretty intense fishing at times.
Along with the temperature rise, we’ve had some much-needed inflow into our dams.
Boondooma’s water level currently sits at 41 per cent and BP Dam had a small inflow and sits at 17%.
This time of year is up there with my favourite times to fish for Australian bass and yellow belly in our impoundments because they can be caught thick and fast as the bigger bass and yellow belly become vulnerable.
* * *
Lake Boondooma
The water is discoloured in the Boyne arm, where most of the recent inflow has come in, and the flavour of the month is variety … but it does pay to move around a bit in search of the right spots.
The most productive areas recently have been the dam wall, the drop off from the shallower flats and the spindly timber in the Stuart arm.
Sound around the flats in search of the schools and cast 1/2 ounce rigged soft plastics, 12–20 gram spoons, tail spinners and blades.
The timber is the place I would head to first as the fish hit hard and it’s a real challenge to get them out with your gear still in one piece.
For this type of fishing I always use a stiff spin rod with some guts, a 2500 size spin reel for extra torque, spooled with 12 pound braid and 14 to 20 pound leader.
This may sound heavy but just imagine a 50cm bass hitting your lure as it’s rolled between two big clumps of spindly timber – it really counts for some exciting fishing!
The lure of choice for this type of fishing is a spinnerbait or a lipless crankbait, and I like to throw a Bassman Compact in 3/8 or 5/8 ounce.
Once you have a combo similar to this, head up the arms of the dam and cast in as close to the spindly trees as you can, let the lure sink for 3 to 5 seconds and start a slow roll.
Make sure the drag is done up solid so they can’t get you in the timber without a hard fight.
Once the bite comes, give him everything you’ve got to get the fish away from any structure otherwise the fight will be short and you’ll be left wondering what happened.
The added advantage when fishing the timber is the chance to catch a prehistoric Saratoga.
If the timber isn’t producing, the next place I’ll look is the deep water off any prominent points or parallel to any steep rock walls.
I’ll use my sounder to sound the fish sitting in that optimal depth, which is generally 20ft in the thermocline.
When I’m happy that I’ve found a good concentration of fish, I will pull up and begin casting 3” to 4” soft plastics rigged with a 1/2 ounce or 5/8 ounce head.
With a big, long cast over the areas where I found the fish, I will let the jig head sink for 7 to 10 seconds and then begin a slow retrieve back to the boat with a couple of twitches mixed in (the same can be done with a 12 gram Norries spoon).
Continue this technique until you start to feel a few taps on the plastic or spoon.
When you feel a tap, it’s important to keep that slow wind going unitl you feel weight on the line, then slowly lift the rod tip until you feel the weight of the fish.
At this point the fish will know its hooked and it will make some great runs back down into the deeper water.
Keep your drag fairly loose so that the hook doesn’t pull on the way back to the boat.
Trollers have been starting to pick up some nice Golden Perch and Bass trolling up in the arms of the dam, as well as the main lake points and edges using deep diving hard bodies.
Bait fisherman have also been bringing in consistent catches of yellow belly, bass and eel tail catfish from the timbered arms.
Best baits have been live shrimps, saltwater yabbies and worms jigged off the bottom.
Red claw have also just started to pick up a bit with the consistent warm weather around the rocky edges.
* * *
Lake Barambah
The fishing at Barambah has been spectacular lately, with lots of fish being caught on everything from casting lures to jigging a bait and trolling.
The key, however, is moving around to find the fish.
This month the fish have been moving around considerably, and I’ve found the fish will be on one flat or bank one day, and then a few hundred metres away the next.
This is not uncommon during the warmer months because the fish are active and moving around the dam with the bait they are feeding on.
I always love fishing BP and I always like to go and start on the banks in the morning.
I commonly cast lipless cranks or spinnerbaits to get an early reaction bite.
The banks I’ll fish will generally be fairly steep with a bit of rock or structure.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the sounder while you’re fishing a bank – it pays to make sure that there is bait or fish sporadically coming through, because this increases the chances of fish being caught on the bank that you’re targeting.
Later in the day when the sun starts to get high I move out to the flats and usually target areas in the 15 to 20 foot range.
The fish seem to really relate well to this depth in BP and it pays to visit multiple areas like this until you find a good school.
Another thing to note that during summertime in BP, the fish like to sit high in the thermocline (or comfortable water).
If you’re on the water and this is the case, slow roll any smaller bait like a blade through these suspended fish.
In this situation it’s not uncommon to have a great session when the fish are sitting high in the water column.
Trollers are having the same luck by trolling the edges of the dam and out in the 15 to 20 foot range with deep diving hard bodies.
Most trollers won’t have to go far before hooking up with a fish or two.
For those using bait, the fish are coming from most locations close to the bank using live shrimp, salt water yabbies and worms fished hard on the bottom.
Red claw are also on the comeback as the water warms up.
* * *
Fishing Charters
The fishing at BP and Boondooma has been fantastic over the past few weeks, with most sessions producing numbers of fish and some great quality.
BP dam is fishing well for anyone wanting to learn how to fish reaction baits to edges, and Boondooma has been producing a great mixed bag of species.
So if you’d like to learn more about targeting a particular species, all you have to do is ask and make a booking.
Don’t forget that you can book a fishing charter with me on BP and Boondooma dams and many other dams in Queensland.
If you’d like a great day out and all the info and knowledge to catch Bass or Yellowbelly in our great dams, make sure you give me a call on 0408-658-592 and I’ll be happy to take you out for a great day’s fishing.
You can also check out our website on australianfreshwaterfishing.com
Until next time, tight line and bent rods!
[Photos: Matthew Langford]
