Anglers impress at penultimate trail
The penultimate tournament of the Lowveld Bass Trail (LBT) season was held at Driekoppies Dam on Saturday.
The anglers did not disappoint with four limits over seven kilograms and two bass over four kilograms.
At the time of the tournament the water level of the dam was hovering around the 32,4 per cent mark, but it did not deter the 37 teams that entered from giving it their all at the dam that is known for its population of colossal large-mouth bass.
Also read: Competition steps up as bass take the bait
Only three teams failed to bring any fish to the weigh-in, while 18 teams weighed a full bag of five bass. In total, 131 bass were weighed in at an average of 0,778 kilograms.
This is a massive improvement from the July tournament, also at Driekoppies, where the average weight was 0,451 kilograms.
The team representing Angling & Outdoor World, enjoyed a record-breaking day on the water.
Charl Carey and Michael Cronje weighed in 10,35 kilograms to win the tournament. It is a new LBT five-fish-limit record.
This mammoth bag included the second- biggest bass ever weighed in the LBT. Carey’s 4,39 kilogram bass was just 30 grams lighter than the existing record, caught by Frank Gottschalk at Driekoppies in August 2015.
Also read: Lowveld Bass Trails end season with show stopping finale
Carey and Cronje caught all of their keepers on three baits: zoom super and zoom magnum flukes and four big-bite baits rojas fighting frogs.
They focused most of their efforts on about eight feet of water dissecting trees with pinpoint casts, with most of their bites coming while the baits were on the drop. They have won at least one LBT tournament per season for the past three years running.
The current log leaders, Thermocline, focused on two key areas to secure a five- fish limit of 8,8 kilograms, and in so-doing, second place on the day.
Herman Geldenhuys and Jannie Stander cast Norman DD22 crankbaits and slowly fished zoom super flukes over a deep underwater hump.
Their other major tactic was pitching soft plastic craws and flukes at big isolated stumps in water shallower than six feet.
Frank and Ben Gottschalk of third-placed team Wittus Angling concentrated on shallow points comprising gravel, as well as sand flats close to drop-offs.
They incorporated various baits on their way to a bag of 8,075 kilograms including spinnerbaits, yum money minnows and black weightless fluke-style plastics.
The second biggest bass of the tournament was caught by team Hazyview Midas.
This fish of 4,385 kilograms helped them to fourth place with a bag of 7,435 kilograms, just shy of the top three.
Hannes van Wyk and Nico Heyns picked up a lot on fish to the right-hand side of the palisade fence in deep water of about 65 feet.
They saw big fish in this area on their lowrance fish-finders, but only managed to get smaller bass to bite.
They weighed in a 4,385 kilograms’ bass. Two casts after returning to the area, Van Wyk was again on to a proper bass of 2,4 kilograms.
Both of their larger fish came on a drop-shot rigged strike king KVD dream shot.
Top 10 (total of five fish caught):
1. Angling & Outdoor World, 17,350 – R3 500 cash from LBT and R2 500 cash from Subaru Nelspruit & Vehicle and fuel for next event
2. Thermocline, 15,8 – R2 000 cash Venom Lures and R1 000 cash from LBT
3. Wittus Angling, 15,075 – R2 000 from cash NTT Barberton
4. Hazyview Midas, 14,435 – Angling & Outdoor World voucher and Itty’s Secret Baits hamper worth R1 700
5. Ambassadors, 11,885 – Bass Warehouse hamper and a Sakata hamper worth R1 600
6. Imbongolo, 11,145 – Solly’s voucher and Bass Warehouse hamper worth R1 500
7. Rent A Maid, 10,985 – Solly’s Sakata and Midas hamper worth R1 300
8. Passion 4 Bass, 10,860 – Midas hamper of a R1 000
9. Osprey, 10,355 – Midas hamper worth R900
10. Brayshaw Filtration, 10,145 – Midas hamper of R800.
The next tournament is scheduled at Injaka Dam on Saturday, September 10. Due to the poor water clarity and reportedly mediocre fishing at the moment at Injaka, there is a possibility that the tournament might be moved to another venue. If this does happen, a notification via email and Facebook will be sent out. Irrespective of venue, the next tournament will start at 06:00.
