The Bass Trial concludes in fine style

This past Saturday saw 38 boats take part at the final round of the regular season in Kwena Dam. True to form, Kwena yielded only 43 bass.

However the bass weighed an average of 1,077 kilograms, the best of the season by a long shot.

The only other dam to come close was Injaka, with an average of 0,758 kilograms per fish.

Only one team, Wicked Bass, managed to weigh a five-fish-limit on their way to fourth position. Exactly half the field (19 boats) blanked.

Dian Pretorius caught the biggest bass of the day (3,490 kilograms) to take Alligators to the top of the log with a four-fish bag of 5,650 kilograms.

On a day when bites were few and far between, the anglers had a massive battle on their hands to not only locate bass, but get them to open the reluctant jaws and gulp down their offerings.

Pitching a dark coloured 5″ fluke on top of the edge of the grass, dragging it over the edge and letting it fall on slack line was a popular method to get those lock-jawed bass to bite.

Bites on the drop were predominantly fierce, while bites on the bottom had more of a spongy sensation resulting in poor hooksets and thrown baits.

“A massive thank you to all the anglers who have improved the LBT and helped it grow by dependably attending the tournaments throughout the year, and also to all of the loyal sponsors who have generously supported the LBT and its anglers,” said Michael Cronje of the LBT.

Top 5 (fish caught)
1. Alligators (4) – 11,650: R2 000 (Mitsubishi Lowveld), R2 000 (Venom Lures), R1 000 (LBT) and Triton Extreme
2. Ambassadors (4) – 11,095:
R1 000 (Tribal Boats), R1 000 (Subaru Nelspruit), R500 (Declan Couriers) and R500 ASA Auto Spares
3. Brayshaw Filtration (4) – 10,865:
R2 000 LBT
4. Wicked Bass (5) – 10,520: Angling & Outdoor World voucher, R1 600 (Strike King hamper) and two Liqui Moly spray
5. Angling & Outdoor World (4) – 10,215 – R1 500 (two kettle braai from Midas) and two Liqui Moly sprays.