New to Bass fishing

[WalterK]

Hi Folks

Walter is the name and I am very new to bass fishing.
In fact to be totally honest, I have never caught a bass in my life.

I stay in the Vaal triangle and spend one day a week fishing.
Generally pap gooi.
I have tried catching bass at Rietvlei farm dam in Alberton but with no success.
But it is not the venue that does not yield the fish as I see everyone else catching but just not me.

So I made a decision that I simply am not a bass bank angler and went and bought a bass boat.
Yep, I must be the only bass angler in the country with a bass boat that has never caught a bass.
To make matters worse, I went out to buy a bass boat and came home with two.

My wife preferred the Splash bass series 1 and I preferred the Splash bass series 2. As the owner was selling both at a very good price we took both. I will decide which one serves me better then probably sell the other one.

So now I am the only bass angler in the country with two bass boats that has not yet caught a bass.
But that is why I am here. There must be one person on this site that will take pity on my and guide me.  I have two bass rods and bags of lures and rubber thingies.

I believe that you get three types of bass anglers. The froggers, the hard bait guys (Rapalas), and the plastic guys. I have tried all.

I do not have my Skippers yet and am looking to do it at my earliest convenience. Please be patient with me as I do not know any bass acronyms yet. I will also be asking for your carefully guarded secrets. I will not be adding any value to the forum at present, but hope to add at a later date.

The only other forum that I belong to is the 4X4 Community and if there is anyone from the 4X4 community, please say hi.

Give me a few days to see what equipment I have. I will then add to my post and take any comments regarding what I would need to perfect my kit.

My first question however is: Is there bass in the Vaal river?
and Where do you launch?

[Riprap]

Morning Walter and welcome.

I have a suspicion that Martin aka "Jim_From_Zim" will give you a lengthy reply on this thread.
Any other guys up in the big smoke, please help out if you can.
Lekka dag.

[Jim_From_Zim]

Fark rip, you looking over my shoulder? 

Welcome Wk, you might find this site to be a tad quite but the more questions you ask the more people will respond. 

Ok, so you're a greenhorn? Dont stress, we've all been there. Some, like the guys from the border region down in the eastern cape, have been doing this game for 20+ years and they're still rookies. 

Yep, there are bass in the vaal river. Its quite a technical place to fish meaning the fish dont always hang around on the obvious structures or places. 

I think it will be easier - once you are ready - to drop me a pm and I'll go with you to the vaal. Or, there are other places relatively close by to you that will yield better results for a beginner. 
I'll send you my number to you by the PM function, and you're welcome to call me anytime for a chat or pointers. 

But the internet is a great learning place. Do some homework on the following set ups - Mojo rigs, Texas rigs, weightless, Jigs and Wacky rigs too. Typically Jhb dams are not a crank world, so you'll have to know the plastic set ups to get things right. 
Oh, and in the bass world compared to pap gooi, light set ups work better than heavy

Call me anytime, my number is on your PM

Br, 
J_f_Z

[Riprap]

Ja ja Jim, someone has to watch you!
And btw, here in the border area, we only got landlines 5 years ago and cell coverage 2 yrs ago. Before we knew about the bigger world out there we were still catching bass on cane rods with a hand carved cork and earthworms. We are still trying to get to grips with these things called graphite rods and reels that turn over more times than one turns the handle........
Any idea why those funny round things on these new rods are all different sizes?

[Jim_From_Zim]

Any idea why those funny round things on these new rods are all different sizes?

Yup, but you'll need colour tv to understand the video link

[Goose101]

Hi Walter,

Go and try Bas Lake in Henley on Klip. You may only do bank angling there, or from a float tube, or canoe (anything without an engin). You might also need to go during the week, as it caters mainly for scuba guys on weekends.

There are some good fish in there. even though you cant take your new boats out, it will give you some practice and maybe that icebreaker.
I myself haven't been there, but heard it is a bit of a tough fishing spot due to crystal clear water.
Best advice or rule, if you have seen the fish, it most probably has seen you.

Petri from Hier gaan ons alweer was there in the previous season with good catches and tips. Maybe see if you can youtube the episode, or keep an eye out for the repeat.

[WalterK]

Thanks Guys

Goose, I stay about 10km from Bass Lake and  have used their 4x4 track on a few occasions. I have never attempted to fish there but have seen large bass from the bank when preparing for the track.
I will need to take a rod the next time. As you say, if I can see them they would have seen me as well. When I fish at Rietvlei Zoo farm, I love to watch them chasing the lure but have noticed that they never attempt t attack the lure . They simply approach then turn away when they are in range. The water there is also crystal clear.

Riprap, we don't have landlines here where I stay. My internet is at edge speed. No street lights, municipal water and we use septic tanks. We go to town to hear police sirens and are fascinated by traffic lights. You Border guys are privileged. These new rods are frustrating as there are too many choices. The guy that I bought my boats from had 12 rods and each one with a different lure. He says that he does not have time to tune the rod and reel when changing lures so he simply changes rods. My fishing partner who also manages the budget already frowns at me when I pick a rod up in the fishing shops as I already have too many. (I have 2 rods). It is going to be tough to get by her.

Jim_from_Zim, It is going to take me a while to get a boat into the water as I don't have a skippers yet  I am one of those fools that pays my TV licence, so don't see myself boating without a skippers..I will however be giving you a call shortly just to say Hi. Some bad news for you is that I will be saving your number on my phone. I am heading off to Nigel tomorrow to purchase some muffs for the boat, life jackets and an anchor. Don't think I will need an anchor as I believe that you guys use the trawling motor to position the boat. Trailers are only being registered on my name on Tuesday. So I am going to spend the next week filling the hatches with goodies and making sure that all the motors and electricals are in good working order. I will be doing a lot of my fishing during the week as I work shifts. 

A question about the outboard motor which is a 2 stroke.  
The Yamaha motor has a separate tank with 2 stroke oil.
The motor injects the oil into the fuel.
Is this system trustworthy or should I consider premixing directly into the fuel tank?

Where do I go on the forum to see what boats, rods, reels and rigs fellow members have?

For further questions I will start new threads.
Just need to learn to navigate the forum.

Once again thanks guys. Hope to bump in to you on a river or a dam one day.

Regards
Walter

[Navrik]

I smell a rat and cannot believe I saw a typo from Jim...

...have fun on the Splash. I had a Mk1 as starting boat from 2010 until about 3 years ago when I upgraded to a Ruffnek Raker X16.

Jim is a good source of info. I shared a few good laughs with him back in the day here in the Western Cape on my Splash...don't worry if he breaks one of your pedestal seats...he promptly welded mine back to working condition...

Also Jim has a skippers last time I checked and if you let him drive you can get on the water a bit quicker...

[WalterK]

Hi NAVRIK

I have been reading through some of the older posts and have noticed the good natured banter between you guys. I believe that the Vaal is "Jim_from_Zim's" home ground so will be nagging him for advice until he either blocks my calls or teaches me enough to help myself. Just not sure if Martin remembers how to fish off a smaller boat. I am super impressed by the genuine bass boats out there. I wish there was a thread where you guys posted pictures of your boats. You must know that I have been stalking bass anglers a while now, clambering all over their equipment and sneaking peeps into their tackle boxes. I am really surprised by the willingness to assist a newby like me on the forum as bass anglers that I have approached at boat shops where a little shy to share advice. I thought that I knew enough to start the sport but going through some of the older posts has put me right back in my place. Glad to be here.

[Jim_From_Zim]

Phew, lots to read and try reply from a mobile platform, anyway here goes.

Bass lake you can launch your boat. You're just not allowed to use the main motor. So it'll be fine to go plod along. 
Skippers you'll definately need for the insurance purposes
Premix - dont do it if the motor was designed to have an external source. As the revs pick up there is an oil valve that opens to increase the oil fuel mix ratio. So rather service the motor if needed to make sure this works.
You will need an anchor, its part of the requirements for c.o.f.  
Paddles you dont need as you have the trolling motor, but most guys carry these too, they fit out of the way in the back hatch nicely
Rods: the guy you chatted to was right. Easier to change rods than re-tie. But its personal preferences. Me, i carry too many for my own good, in the region of 20...
Tackle: beware!!!! Most tackle is designed to catch the fisherman not the fish. So rather take time to select the basics before you jump in too deep and buy stuff you'll never use. Flukes, senkos, creature baits in black, junebug, water melon and green pumpkin colours are a good start for basics. 3/0 & 4/0 wide gap hooks and a selection of 1/8 and 3/16 bullet and mojo weights to start. 
Buy lots of gummies. Make sure you have medium size, not small - this pinches the line and creates a weak point.
Line: i like flouro only. But dont buy the exepensive stuff to start with. It'll make you cry when you have to cut out a bird's nest. Stay away from a baitcaster spooled with braid to start with. Rather put mono in. Braid you can move onto at a later stage when there is a need for it

Small boats... Guess what... They still catch fish. 
I also operate 2 rigs, so i know what its like to have the minister of home affairs always questioning things

@ nav: yeah, i remember that day well. We were also running late for the comp and as we flew into twk i hit that speed ditch at 80km+ which made your tub jump off the trailer somewhat. I could swear you didnt talk to me for the next hour because of it...
But at least our team won that day

As i said Walter, welcome to call me anytime. Even if you're at a boat or tackle shop and you dont quite trust the pitch of the sales guy. At least I'll be able to give you an alternate opinion if needed

Finally, try to keep it simple on the boat and with your rod set ups in the beginning. No use trying to post a carolina rig on the river when a simple mojo or texas rig works just fine. In otherwords learn to catch on the basic set ups before trying to over complicate things.
But do some homework as i mentioned in earlier posts on how to set up a mojo etc. Also, search YouTube for tips on how to pitch. You can practice in your garden standing on a raised platform and pitching at a bucket say 5 or 10m away from you (raised platform mimics the height of the boat off the water, like a chair or whatever)

---

Rods, reels etc: this is a never ending question. But a good way to start is with a 7ft to 7.3ft MH rod (one piece) with a medium budget baitcaster reel with a 7.odd:1 ratio. These combos will work well for just about everything. I prefer a 10 or 12lb line for these set ups. (But i do go down to 8lb when people least expect it).
These rods work well for mojo, texas, weightless if needed, spinner baits etc. They're like Brian McMillan, just a great all rounder.

Dont worry about a crank rod, frog rod or a heavy set up just yet. Basics first then more complicated stuff...

Right, I'm off to continue the long weekend, crack some beers and wet some lines. Y'all do the same now you hear?

[Navrik]

Hi Jim...if memory served me it was you chassis then loosened the weld on the the chair.


The hopping on the speed bump part was Mr Blair that we had to rescue...;-)

[Jim_From_Zim]

Hi Jim...if memory served me it was you chassis then loosend the weld on the the chair.


The hopping on the speed bump part was Mr Blair that we had to rescue...;-)

Lol, yes.  I forgot that...

And we helped blair on the way out. I think his trailer broke because of all the complaining Roy was going on about