Australian Bass on fly.
Australian Bass are great fun to catch and often hit hard and fight hard, they are very strong and a fast fish through the water. Any angler's first large bass will be remembered for a lifetime, the surface strikes can be spectacular to watch and also very aggressive!
Wild Stream Bass - Surface Strike.
One of Australia's most truly outstanding freshwater sports fish, Australian Bass respond to most methods of fly fishing. Australian bass are the native fisherman's answer to trout. Bass will respond to most fly fishing methods used by trout fishermen and will easily outfight trout of a similar size, as well as being better adapted to Australian conditions.
This species is now becoming extremely popular amongst the angling community especially in inland streams, rivers and impoundments where it is stocked by fishery departments and local angling groups.
For new comers to fly fishing, Bass are a realistic target species that are generally quite easy to catch if you’re willing to do a bit of homework and put some effort in. So get stuck into a few Bass - it will not only boost your confidence, it will also help hone your skills, preparing you for more difficult species you might aspire to target on fly in the future.
The most essential attribute you will require to consistently catch Bass while surface fishing is low light. The best surface sessions are usually just on sunset although low light throughout the day can be productive and is not entirely restricted to dawn and dusk. Bass will hit surface poppers under the midday summer sun, so target any dark shaded water.
Ken Gordon - Targeting the structure in the shadows.
Like every river system, the systems holding Bass will have their own idiosyncrasies but most wild Bass habitats are in the upper fresh reaches of a river that will have a lot of overhanging trees along its banks and large snags protruding from the water. Accurate positioning and casting will be rewarded, as Bass seldom venture out from the protection of shade to hit a surface fly.
Surface fly-fishing at night can be quite difficult to fish, however, the full moon can provide enough light to surface fish relatively open areas. The biggest problem is that substantial accuracy is lost due to poor visibility when fishing in these conditions, but still great fun.
Greedy little bugger.
Catching these iconic Aussie battlers on fly in beautiful country is food for the soul, (click here) book a Bass session in the Illawarra with Reel Fly Fishing.