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Inhabiting this magnificent river are some of the
most prized native freshwater fish, the Australian Bass, legendary
amongst keen sportfishers. With fish to 50cm commonly caught and
specimens up to 62cm showing up periodically, these trophy fish are
what Clarence River Bass are all about.
 Two
classes of Bass inhabit this river - solid, deep-flanked fish which
spend many years well upstream, well conditioned and solid, moving
only every few years. Other fish swim downstream to spawn and will
head back upstream during the first river rise of Spring. These are
long, lean, tenacious battlers that spend a lot of time on the move.
Battle - scarred from the long swim, these females put on condition
during the summer months when the food supply is optimum.
Shrimp, herring and mullet make up the early season
diet of the river runners. When the days heat up, terrestrial
insects hatch and become a prime food source. A hapless cicada
floating on the water is likely to be met with a savage strike from
a hungry bass. During high summer, Bass are actively feeding on
floating food and this is the very best time for fly fishing.
Time of the Day: Bass, by their
nature, are low-light feeders and so traditional times of early
morning or late afternoon are the times to expect strikes. During
high summer, night is the time to be on the water. During bright
sunlight, fish deep and away from the penetrating rays of the sun.
Extra-deep diving lures make good sense at these times - bumped
around submerged boulders and cover, they are sure to attract
attention.
 The
warmer months are when the fishing is at its best. In the height of
summer, severe electrical storms accompanied by hail and torrential
rain do occur and can result in flash flooding. It is wise to take
care when selecting a campsite - too close to the water and a sudden
rise of two metres can mean inconvenience and lost gear - not a
recipe for happy angling.
There is now a wide range of quality
lures on the market designed for Bass. They all work and catch fish,
so selection is a matter of personal choice. Fishing conditions are
a major factor in choosing lures on any given day. No lure is best,
so the keen angler will carry a wide selection of styles, shapes and
colours.
Surface lures have always been a
traditional choice for the late evening, night and early morning
Bass anglers. They also work well when the sun is up, particularly
if there is some cloud cover. To fish the surface during the day the
angler has to make a few adjustments to lure size, retrieve speed
and colour. A more subtle approach and presentation is needed than
at night - the lure that makes only a slight dimple and not much
noise is the one that will entice a strike during daylight hours.
Downsizing the lure is the key and fizzers in the smaller size range
are perfect. Usually only one blade is needed to make a slight
disturbance on the water. Conversely once the stars are shining in
the night sky, switch to the large double bladed models that create
more noise to alert the hunting Bass to the whereabouts of the
“tucker”.
In the interest of maintaining a top class fishery, true
sportsfishers release all large bass which are the females, thus
ensuring genetic diversity and stocks for the future. All bass from
the Clarence occur through natural selection and breeding - there
are no hatchery bred fish released here. If a fish is needed for the
table, then fish around half a kilo are ideal. A bag limit of two
fish per day per angler applies and only one of these fish may be
over 35cm. Only 4 in possession at any one time are allowed. |
