BASS NOTEBOOK: Choosing The Bait

WORDS: Duncan Murfin IMAGES: Supplied As you reach for that watermelon jerkbait or green pumpkin swimjig, how often do you find yourself asking “what prey am I imitating”? Fly fishermen swear by “matching the hatch” but bass anglers are creatures of habit – heck, we’ll throw the hottest new colour purely to show bass something different they’ll likely react to, instead of considering what they’re actually feeding on. Indigenous baitfish however provide various options when choosing what bait to throw. “We luck out most of the time, getting bass to react out of aggression versus a feeding response,” says Protea angler Guy Paulet. “Unlike the fly guys who are meticulous about presenting the exact organsim fish are feeding on, we bass anglers stick with safe choices that include natural hues such as watermelon for clear water, green pumpkin for deep or stained water and default to black or junebug soft baits to imitate generic profiles,” he notes. When it comes down to hardbait colour selection, if it ends with some or other shad name, has a light belly and a dark back, you can bet it will win favour with local bassers. But how close are we really getting to matching the hatch? There are five factors that need to be considered when imitating our local prey fish: profile, season, water clarity and the current life cycle of the baitfish present in the waters you’re fishing. Profile Popular American baitfish such as Shad or Herring are elongated, whereas most Kurper species are almost teardrop in shape so matching the overall profile is key. Season The next factor to take into account is the season: in early summer the predominant baitfish after the spawn will be smaller, whereas in high summer going into the autumn there will be a larger population of juvenile and mature fish. The breeding season will also play a role in the colouration of sexually mature males that exhibit bright colouration vastly different from juvenile males and female fish. Tilapia species have subdued colour patterns. Water Clarity Another general observation regarding colouration is that baitfish will appear more vibrant in clear water and very light in stained to muddy conditions. Life Cycle As fish grow their profile and colour patterns change, often starting their lifecycle very light in a silver, gold or green hue with very subtle banding that darkens as they develop. A bizarre trend amongst US bait manufacturers is to use very bright, adult colour patterns on juvenile sized baits which are largely counter productive as nowhere in nature will a bass encounter a juvenile sized fish in full adult colour patterns; you would likely be more successful fishing a single flat colour bait to at least imitate the profile of a specific species. Blue Kurper (Oreochromis Mossambicus) This species is one of the most widespread prey fish bass will encounter in southern Africa. They occur all the way from the Limpopo River to the southern estuaries and rivers of the KwaZulu Natal coast. This hardy species can thrive in all water quality conditions, from severely polluted environments to brackish water systems with higher salinity than the sea. Its ability to adapt and breed under sub-optimal conditions has made it suitable for widespread stocking as bass fodder throughout the country as they are able to withstand temperature extremes ranging from 10°C to nearly 40°C. Blue Kurper have the propensity to overpopulate a fishery extremely quickly, often resulting in high numbers of juvenile male and females that would directly form part of a bass’ diet, although it is important to note that high levels of cannibalisation will lead to population synchronisation, so matching your bait size to their lifecycle is critical when imitating Blues. Most bass will target fish in the 4cm to 15cm range, but once adults exceed the 20cm mark bass will rarely risk targeting them because of their spiky dorsal fin, unless they react out of pure aggression. Females and non-breeding males are mainly silver in colour with 2-5 blotches along the midline and occasionally the dorsal fins; they don’t actually resemble the iconic blue – black colouration of adult males at all. The contrasting silver and white belly are the main features to imitate. All of our Kurper species exhibit a large protruding eye, with a gold metallic iris and very large pupil. When observing schools underwater this is a pronounced feature bass will likely key in on. In shallow, weedy fisheries you will find Blue Kurper around vegetation, brush and even timber, but due to their adaptable nature will relate to various cover and structure. They have the tendency to school and can be found anywhere from 2ft all the way down to 30ft deep, plus they show up as nice pods on the finder, especially around deep timber. Local baits to imitate them include hardbaits in Sexy Shad, Blueback, Tennesee Shad, Paddle Tail swimbaits in Berkley Blue Shiner Gold, spinnerbaits such as double Willow Silver and Venom Lavender Shad.

BASS NOTEBOOK: Choosing The Bait

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