Bass Forage – Yellowfish

There are 6 sub-species belonging to the Yellowfish (Labeobarbus) species, nanely the Largemouth, Smallmouth, Smallscale, Largescale, Natal Yellowfish (Scalie) and the Clanwilliam Yellowfish. The Smallmouths have the largest range and because they are prolific breeders form part of a bass’ diet in many dams and rivers across the country. As juveniles they are challenging to identify apart as all Yellowfish appear similar in colour and profile. Smallmouths are common throughout the Orange-Vaal river system and are a common bass food source from the Vaal Dam all the way to Sterkfontein Dam and all the tributaries and rivers in between. Small- and Largescale Yellows are more commonly found in eastern parts of the country in the Limpopo, Nkomati, Olifants and Elands rivers. They are highly sensitive to pollution but large populations are still present in the Crocodile River and in dams such as Hartbeespoort and Roodekoppies. Adult Smallmouth Yellowfish exhibit bright colouration in clear water. Where to find them? Yellows have adapted surprisingly well to still waters across the country and spawn successfully on gravel banks where you would expect to find bass doing the same. Very little is known about their behaviour in dams as opposed to their attraction to slower flowing water in rivers. In dams such as the Vaal and the Vaal Barrage they can be found relatively shallow close to shore, whereas in dams such as Taung with scattered vegetation they can be seen actively feeding in shallow bays amongst the grass, and even in timber during early morning and late afternoon, dropping off to secondary cover such as rock or submerged timber as the sun rises. Expect bass not to be too far away. During the rainy months both Yellows and bass will gravitate toward inlets while prime targets include channel bends, flats, the edge of eddies and current breaks such as big boulders and laydowns. Yellowfish at Taung Dam in the North West relate to the exact same cover and structure that bass do. Behaviour: Juvenile yellows probably only form part of a bass’ diet from December onwards, as fry and fingerlings with larger specimens becoming a part of a bass’ diet around winter. As the season draws on around April to May, yellows begin to key in on significant insect hatches and bass are attracted to this feeding behavior, particularly in shallow bays. Yellowfish also tend to school in smaller groups around prime habitat so it is common to catch numbers of bass that are keying in on them in very small areas. A Vaal Dam Yellowfish eater that chomped down on a white swimbait paired with an Owner Flashy Swimmer. Colouration: Juvenile Smallmouth range in colour from silver with a darker back in stained to muddy water, and in clear water exhibit the characteristic subtle yellow hues of adults. Small- and Largescale Yellow’s are either predominantly silver or in ultra-clear water olive in colour with silver flanks. Matching your bait to imitate Yellowfish is simple - in dirty water fish white or silver baits and in clear water two-toned olive baits or white with a hint of chartreuse. Hardbaits: French Pearl OB, Bone, Ayu, Pearl Vapor, Clown.Soft Plastic Jerkbaits: Green Flash, White Ice, Watermelon Gold, Kosan Ayu Silver, Watermelon Silver.Spinnerbaits & Swim Jigs: White, Chartreuse White.Paddle Tail Swimbaits: Herring, Sight Flash, White, Ayu. Yellowfish imitations available locally. Unlike Kurper, which have trigger points such as their large eyes, Yellowfish imitations are all about the flash and are best imitated with moving baits such as soft plastic jerkbaits, hard jerkbaits, crankbaits and double Willow spinnerbaits with a big gold and small silver blade for clear water, or double silver in dirty water, and paddletail swimbaits with a minnow profile. In many dams and slower flowing rivers natural jerkbaits with their tales dipped in chartreuse or two-tone tube and creature baits fished on light Texas rigs can deliver excellent results.