Bass Still An Option?
With experts now believing that not all bass will make the migration to spawn, bass that decide to maintain residence in the upper reaches are still fair game, despite being a little scarcer in these areas and less active than during the warmer months.
I make big use of soft plastics a lot at this time of the year, using little or no weight at all and casting these into snags and weedbeds. Using a good quality graphite rod is the best choice for these types of presentations. I’ve been selling a lot of little used fishing gear and saving my dollars and have been enjoying the qualities of some Loomis rods and fine braid lines. Sure this costs some money, but if you buy quality gear as you can afford it, you won’t waste hard earned dollars on gear you’ll be looking to get rid of down the track. These rods will cast light weighted plastics with ease.
Slowly sinking into likely bass haunts, the plastics look like an easy meal and attract attention. My favourite plastics for the task are Slider 3” Bass Grubs, and have been using resin jig heads with good results. The best technique for working these is to work them dead slow.

I’ve also been having a lot of fun with clear Heddons Torpedoes. These have been standout favourites from the start of the year, especially in heavily fished areas. The bass, along with the odd kingfisher, haven’t been able to work out exactly what they are being clear and have been suckered into taking them.
Dawn and dusk will be the better times to use surface lures this month around weedbeds and other typical bass structure. Other surface lures to reach for will be fizzers and poppers.
Suspending lures have also been producing well at times when all else is drawing a blank. Halco Sneaky Scorpions have been drawing bass from weed and other cover, but is sometimes takes a little patience. I often imagine that a bass will be where I have just cast and try and draw it out of the cover. It’s part of the challenge and while it doesn’t always work, believing that a bass in a particular spot helps me keep suspending lures in front of the fish I suspect is there.
That’s the beauty of suspending lures. They stop dead still when the retrieve is ceased, but sometimes have a slight rise. They stay right in the fishes face just annoying the heck out of them. Sometimes the bass just see the lure as an easy meal and dash out and smash it. At other times it’s a case of experimenting with the lure to see what gets a fish to slam it.

For some, bass are now off their radar, as these anglers make a conscious decision to let the bass breed in peace. There are others who still target bass, but leave the areas considered to be the spawning areas of western Sydney well alone, and fish the upper reaches of the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers. For these anglers, Sackville to Wisemans is a self-proclaimed out of bounds.
Other guys will target spawning fish and release them without believing they are harming the reproductive cycle of our bass. I know some of these guys personally, and I can vouch for their love of bass.
Whether you choose to agree or disagree with this activity, the activity we should all be outraged at is the totally indiscriminate mauling of spawning bass by those that have no respect for bass at all. Netters and those who take large numbers of big bass by other means, do far greater damage to the future of bass than those who target them with lures, plastics and flies.
It goes on at this time of the year, and if you happen to see any suspect activity, you need to get as much information as possible. Boat registrations, descriptions of anyone involved, car registrations etc should be passed onto Fishermans Watch on 1800043536. There’s a traditional resistance to putting people in, but think about what is being done and how it affects you and future generations of other anglers and it shouldn’t be too difficult to make a phone call. Be very careful about getting involved in any confrontation with any offenders. Don’t become a victim of violence trying to do the right thing. Be discrete about what you’re doing and pass the information on.

Species on Tap
There’s plenty of other species available to target if bass aren’t on your hit list for the next few months.
Jewfish should be lying in wait after any reasonable rains with nearly all-fresh and live baits taking fish at some time. Heavy rain and discoloured water will often get the fish on the bite.
Big jewfish of around twenty kilos are also a possibility again this month in the Wisemans Ferry area, with larger fish baits being a proven method.
Big jewies will hunt alone, but smaller fish will form schools and lay in gutters and eat crabs, while small to medium size fish like mullet either dead or as live baits.
Smaller jews fall for prawns, fish pieces, crabs and worms. Fish bits that are meant for flathead and bream will often attract mulloway.
Well known mulloway haunts include the mouth of the Macdonald River on the run out tide and off the wharf at Wisemans Ferry. Rosevale, Webbs Creek, Lower Half Moon and up to the mouth of the Colo River will sometimes be the spots for mulloway. Dad’s Corner out in the middle is also worth a go.
Last year there were plenty of blackfish about in the Wisemans Ferry area, much to the surprise of many anglers. Any rock walls where there is good weed growth will attract them. They’ll take both green and cabbage weeds, and in some situations can even be tempted into taking brown weed. Light trace line and exceptionally well-presented baits are they keys to a good haul.
Bream will also be on the hit list and will take lures, plastics, and bait such as prawns, chicken gut and steak, and will often be caught on the bottom around Wisemans Ferry by using bait.
Other favourite bream locations are around Rosevale, Macdonald River, Webbs Creek, Walkers Beach, and Lower Half Moon and all the way up to Windsor.
Flathead can be caught right through the year, while those that inhabit the rivers and estuaries are caught in the greatest numbers in late spring, summer and early autumn. There will still be flathead taken during the cooler months, especially during the run-off tide, as the fish will often position themselves at the mouth of any small channels and creek mouths that drain into the river.  Most anglers will look for flathead during the day, although bright sunlight in clear shallow water is not considered a very productive time. Discoloured water will still provide enough of a happy medium for flatties to remain in shallow water during the day looking for a feed.

Gentlemen’s Agreement
Last month I made mention of the usual bickering and nasty chat in chat rooms about the pro’s and con’s of targeting spawning bass. Having witnessed it and been on the receiving end of some of the rubbish, it’s been reassuring to see people being willing to agree and disagree without it degenerating into unforgivable rabble.

The best place to keep up to speed on to date on all things bass is at www.ausbass.com.au and from what I’ve seen there, it’s all been very gentile behaviour. This is a great site that doesn’t seem to attract the stirrer's that other sites have been soured by. Well done to all concerned at Ausbass!