Episode 170: Kangaroo Valley Bass With Ben O’Brien

Ben’s Top Tips For Kangaroo Valley Bass Fishing

• Don’t overlook the skinny water. Ben often finds bass holding in small pockets of structure or cover in ridiculously shallow water. Usually they can’t be seen until they hit the lure, and they rarely travel more than a few centimetres to take a lure.
• Stealth is key when it comes to the skinny water fish. Move slowly, quietly and deliberately and make long casts where possible to avoid spooking fish.
• Much of Ben’s Kangaroo Valley bass fishing is done walking and wading, but there are areas where the water is deeper and a kayak or canoe are good options. Look for public access points or contact farmers before leaving home and ask permission for access.
• This system has plenty of rock, timber, reed beds and sandy areas that all hold bass at times. Put a few casts into each of these areas to find fish, before moving on the the next spot.
• Ben finds the bass fishing is best on a rising barometer, especially if there is a rise in water level and a bit of cloud in the sky. If there has been significant rain it can pay to wait for a week or so afterwards for the water to clear a little.

Ben’s Bass Fishing Tackle

• Ben favours a 3-5 kg line class spin rod coupled with a 2500 size reel, 10lb power pro braid and a 10lb Samaki fluorocarbon leader for this style of fishing. Ben likes to put a Mustad clip on the leader to enable quick lure changes.

Ben’s Best Bass Fishing Lures

• The Tiemco Soft Shell Cicada is a top lure choice for bass in this area (and many others). Ben observes how cicada behave when they fall into the water and tries to mimic their reaction. He casts the lure close to structure, near branches, shadowy areas and so on, then allows it to sit for a few seconds before starting to work it back. Once he starts working these lures it’s simply matter of slow rolling them across the surface and they’re usually hit fairly quickly. First and last light or at night are the prime times to use this lure.
• A beetlespin jig head with a small soft plastic tail such as a small Z-Man grub or Strike Tiger Nymph is deadly effective and Ben likes to use this during the middle of the day when the fish can be down a little deeper. These lures are weedless and work well in the 1/8 or 1/4 oz sizes along rock walls, along the edges of rock walls and other structure. Sink them down and slow roll them back.
• A Lucky Craft Sammy 65 is a top bass lure and can be worked “walk the dog” style right through the day for skinny water bass due to their ability to be skip cast into structure, under overhanging vegetation and so on.