Shore fishing the Nepean this time of year

[PSi]

I'm new to this forum, as well as bass fishing so please bear with me.

Over the past week, i've been fishing the Nepean (or at least attempting to!) at Devlins and Yarramundi, anywhere between 7 - 9pm. I've been quite a number of nights now and all i've got to show for it is a little 20cm bass.

I'm using a black jointed jitterbug (with crushed barbs) which i've read is great for night topwater fishing. I've also got a rebel teeny pop-r but haven't tried it yet.

I've tried casting out into open water (i've read bass roam out of cover at night), as well as along the shores, reeled in at a constant speed so that it makes that popping noise.

Is it just me or is it bad at the moment for shore based bass fishing on the Nepean?

I've seen other forum posts of members catching huge bass but they all seem to be doing it from boats or kayaks.

Am I doing something wrong perhaps? Any help would be appreciated

Edited April 18, 2012 by PSi

[gibodfisho]

You seem to have all the theory worked out, but like all fishing its the fine tuning that gets results.

Bass are agressive and will hit a surface lure year round but its definately better in summer.

The jointed Jitter Bug is a classic bass lure but it may be to big and in your face for 95% of the bass in the Nepean especially at this time of year. A more suttle surface lure like a walk the dog style or hard body crankbait may be a better option. Also make sure you add plenty of pauses to your retrieve which gives the bass plenty of time to work themselves up and smash a lure.

Do a search on Penrith weir on the forums or better still go down and see what others are doing its pretty popular and you are bound to pick up some information.

Cheers Dave

[Hooked-Up]

I'm new to this forum, as well as bass fishing so please bear with me.

Over the past week, i've been fishing the Nepean (or at least attempting to!) at Devlins and Yarramundi, anywhere between 7 - 9pm. I've been quite a number of nights now and all i've got to show for it is a little 20cm bass.

I'm using a black jointed jitterbug (with crushed barbs) which i've read is great for night topwater fishing. I've also got a rebel teeny pop-r but haven't tried it yet.

I've tried casting out into open water (i've read bass roam out of cover at night), as well as along the shores, reeled in at a constant speed so that it makes that popping noise.

Is it just me or is it bad at the moment for shore based bass fishing on the Nepean?

I've seen other forum posts of members catching huge bass but they all seem to be doing it from boats or kayaks.

Am I doing something wrong perhaps? Any help would be appreciated

cast that lure out and just let it sit there for a good 20 seconds before starting your retreive (wait for the bass to find whats just fallen into the water)

works a treat go slow on the retreive give it a pop then let it just sit there 5-10 seconds then another pop and so on.

your fishing the right time of day with the right lure im sure youl nail something decent soon enough,

try really slowing down that retreive with long pauses and short pops.

[PSi]

It did cross my mind that the jitterbug was too big. I'll have to give the teeny pop-r a try as its smaller.

Failing that, I'll go pick up a smaller lure and try the suggested techniques.

Thanks for the advice, muchly appreciated

[PRED-ATOR]

cast that lure out and just let it sit there for a good 20 seconds before starting your retreive (wait for the bass to find whats just fallen into the water)

works a treat go slow on the retreive give it a pop then let it just sit there 5-10 seconds then another pop and so on.

your fishing the right time of day with the right lure im sure youl nail something decent soon enough,

try really slowing down that retreive with long pauses and short pops.

Mate this is exactly what i got told by Stewy and got a bass on the next cast.

Works really well as i was in the same situation as your self. keep at it dude, i did and got bass : )

Use this advice and you will hook up

[PSi]

Armed with this new knowledge, I headed down to the rowing club this time and fished between the bridge to the weir between 8ish and stayed till around 10pm.

Nary a bite.

There were no fish jumping, no swirls in the water, it was like the place was dead. I passed a few other anglers and they hadn't caught anything either.

I wonder if all the flooding and fast flowing water are causing them to go off the bite, or if I need to start fishing deeper, which i'm a bit hesitant to do due to all the weed and snags at the bottom of the nepean (shore fishing here remember).

In either case, it was a nice walk along the river down to the weir and seeing the thing overflowing like a madman.

Edited April 19, 2012 by PSi

[PRED-ATOR]

probably from all the extra water coming in the river. was it really dirty?

Are you also using spinner baits? they go hard over there

[PSi]

It was pretty dirty, but understandably so.

I haven't tried spinner baits yet. Got any recommendations that won't get stuck in weeds?

[PSi]

What do you think about the TT Vortex....

[Jew Stalker]

I have a good place on the Nepean which never gets fished and there are plenty of fish around (I grew up in Leonay) and since I don't live near there anymore hehehe I will share my secret spot with you fellow raiders. All I ask is you treat it well and take your rubbish home with you. It is a beautiful place and should not be abused. I might also mention it is a national park there so National park and wildlife rules apply.

Just thought I would change the post so it isn't a permanent list on FR, you know it now though.

Enjoy the spot and the tight lines there as I did growing up.

Luc.

Edited April 29, 2012 by Jew Stalker

[PSi]

woot! Thanks for sharing Luc

I'd like to think that most of the people on this forum are passionate enough about fishing to clean up after themselves.

[Jew Stalker]

woot! Thanks for sharing Luc

I'd like to think that most of the people on this forum are passionate enough about fishing to clean up after themselves.

You are very welcome .

I'd like to think that too hence why I shared it. The technique listed above is the way to go also. It is killer. I'd also like to say that they are a beautiful fish and grow quite slowly much like bream so chances are if you are hooking onto a decent fish it is well into its 20's (it might even be older than you hehehe).

"Australian bass continue the trend present in the larger native fish species of SE Australia of being very long-lived. Longevity is a survival strategy to ensure that most adults participate in at least one exceptional spawning and recruitment event, which are often linked to unusually wet 'La Niña' years and may only occur every one or two decades. Maximum age recorded so far is 22 years."

Thanks Wiki.

They are pretty good on the tooth but to be honest they are such an awesome fish I find it hard to kill them. These days if I feel like a feed of fish I will hit my local estuaries for a flatty or two or try to hook a kingy off the rocks).

[PSi]

It's a good thing I do catch and release only, along with barbless hooks so the little beauties live to see another day

[Jew Stalker]

Give a few a go though. Trust me, they are delicious. I just find it hard to but the food chain does prevail sometimes and the hunter gatherer mode kicks in hehehe. Now I live on the far NSW coast just before the Victorian border about 400m from the beach and 4km from my nearest estuary and about a 25 minute drive to my favourite river system down here (the Bega River). I get the odd EP here and there and it reminds me of the bass on the Nepean. I need to go on a hunt further upstream into the Bega in the freshwater and look for some bass here too. They are great fun on ultra light gear.

[PSi]

Right! Got myself a TT Vortex spinnerbait (1/4oz) and am going to give it a good thrashing tomorrow. From what i'm reading spinnerbaits are a good fallback lure when nothing else works.

We shall see

[PSi]

Gave the spinnerbait a flick at jew stalkers secret site, walked from there all the way to glenbrook creek, didn't get anything

But then went to yarramundi and caught a 30cm Bass. It was only one but still! Better than nothing.

I'm loving the spinnerbait.

Thanks for the suggestion Stan

[bassboy888]

Gave the spinnerbait a flick at jew stalkers secret site, walked from there all the way to glenbrook creek, didn't get anything

But then went to yarramundi and caught a 30cm Bass. It was only one but still! Better than nothing.

I'm loving the spinnerbait.

Thanks for the suggestion Stan

Congrats on the bass, Must have been good fun to catch. I love the TT vortex, it has caught me some good bass and yella's since getting onto them.

[Jew Stalker]

Nice work on the bass mate Did it put up a good account of itself? Bummer about the spot I suggested, it used to work for me pretty well. Spinner baits are good value, the bass love them for some reason. I generally rip the skirts off and throw a soft plastic on them, they seem a bit more realistic then and the fish don't get thrown off by the unusual feel of the skirt on the bite.

[PRED-ATOR]

Gave the spinnerbait a flick at jew stalkers secret site, walked from there all the way to glenbrook creek, didn't get anything

But then went to yarramundi and caught a 30cm Bass. It was only one but still! Better than nothing.

I'm loving the spinnerbait.

Thanks for the suggestion Stan

Hey no problem dude, I know how it feels to catch your fist bass, mine was also on the banks of the nepean.

Try using the berkley big eye fat dog in the diver. there really good on bass. let me know if you need pics of it.

Cheers Stan and well done on your 30cm model!!