Habitat-Blue Kurper, Vlei Kurper, Canarie

[Rowles]

Just an interesting read- Hope you find it educational.

BLUE KURPER-
Habitat
Males are usually found in soft- bottomed areas that are ideal for nest construction, while females and immature fish tend to remain in areas with harder bottoms and more food. This is important as we want to imitate the juveniles that will relate to hard bottom areas. Schools of juvenile Blues can often be seen on concrete slipways and jetties where they feed on the bottom. A very good example of this is the sunken jetty at Hartbeespoort Dam. When the water is high enough to cover the jetty by a few centimetres, schools of juvenile Blues will feed on top of the concrete slabs and bass will be waiting underneath for a Blue to venture off the slab into open water. I specifically remember one afternoon watching a 2 kg bass swim sideways in a few centimetres of water over the slab chasing these Blues. The Blue Kurper does not tolerate temperatures below 10°C. This temperature limits its distributional range. Blue Kurper will migrate to deeper water as cold temperatures set in, but will often move into the shallows on a warm winter’s afternoon to soak up the sun. Bass will often relate to the fist drop off into deeper water from these shallow areas where they wait for the Blues to return to deeper water before the sun sets. Juvenile Blue Kurper form schools where they feed mostly on the bottom but move to the surface on windless, warm afternoons. When this happens we can clearly see the schools moving around as they make small ripples on the water or stick their head and mouth out as previously mentioned.
Conclusions
Fish hard bottom structures, standing timber and brush, man-made structures and drop offs using Blue Kurper imitations. Keep your eyes open, especially on windless afternoons and watch for the tell tale signs of schools of juvenile Blues moving close to the surface. If you find them fish close to the surface and try and find some sort of structure you can bounce the lure off. Please remember that when we are trying to imitate baitfish we have to move the lure as a baitfish will move. A baitfish will stand still and then move with a short darting action, or swim around in a school or quickly take cover. A baitfish makes sudden movements so try and imitate that. A Blue Kurper feeding on the bottom turns its body and displays its sides and dots and stands on its head. When it stops feeding it moves to the next spot and does the same.
Remember – a smaller bass is not very fussy, but if you want to trigger a big bite consistently, do everything you can to put the odds in your favour. Don’t only match the hatch with the bait you choose but also by the way you fish it and where you fish it

Vlei Kurper
Habitat
Vlei Kurper occur in a widely diverse habitat. They favour areas where plant cover exists along the edges of rivers, dams, lakes or swamps. They prefer shallow sheltered waters and do not colonize the open water of large lakes. They love to enter newly flooded areas and feed on the vegetation and organisms now covered by the water. The picture illustrates typical Vlei habitat in sheltered bays.They relate to and live on the bottom around the vegetation. They are comfortable in freshwater and brackish water. They prefer standing or slow-flowing water and thrive in impounded waters (dams). They will relate to any kind of structure that has got plant or filamentous algae growths and this includes areas with vegetation, trees, lay downs, man made structures and launch ramps, but predominantly in shallow water unless the water is very clear. The weed line shows you how deep they will go, normally not much deeper than 12 ft, but if you fish deeper and find any vegetation stuck to your lure you can use a Vlei imitation with confidence.
Conclusions
Next time you fish any vegetation try imitating one of the bass’s favourite food sources, the Vlei Kurper. Fish into the vegetation as that is where the bass will hide to ambush an unsuspected Vlei. Very few bass will reject a Vlei venturing so close to it. Make sure your imitation shows the dark bars along the sides that act as a trigger for the bass in this underwater forest.
Remember – a smaller bass is not very fussy, but if you want to trigger a big bite consistently, do everything you can to put the odds in your favour. Don’t only match the hatch with the bait you choose but also by the way you fish it and where you fish it.

Canarie
Habitat
They relate to and live on the bottom or mid waters of a dam, feeding on free swimming organisms. They are comfortable in freshwater and brackish water. They prefer standing or slow-flowing water and thrive in impounded waters (dams). They occur in a wide variety of habitats, basically following, like bass, their food source. They will relate to any kind of structure attracting juvenile fish. Just like bass they flourish in areas with vegetation, trees, lay downs, man made structures, launch ramps, humps and drop offs. They do need a hard bottom for breeding but are much less specific than, for instance, the dwarf kurper. You will do well imitating a canary on any of your favourite structures in bass dams where they occur. They normally hunt in schools and can be easily spotted in clear water. In the afternoon in the heat of summer one can often spot them swimming near the surface in large schools causing ripples on the water. They also adapt well to deep water and have also been caught in the middle of winter in 60 foot of water in Hartbeespoort Dam
Conclusions
When fishing bass structure in a dam where Canary Kurper are present, fish in a manner designed to aggravate the bass in the area. Fish slowly on the bottom and now and again deliver a fast darting movement as if the bait is chasing something. If a bass suddenly sees a yellow breasted baitfish moving towards him it is going to smash it, whether he is hungry or not! Fish canary imitations weightless near the surface in the afternoon in summer in areas where you spot schools of canaries.
Remember – a smaller bass is not very fussy, but if you want to trigger a big bite consistently, do everything you can to put the odds in your favour. Don’t only match the hatch with the bait you choose but also by the way you fish.

[bassmaster]

Hi

Thanks for the info. I need to just ask if you wrote the article as we have issues with copyright infringements. If you did copy it from another site I may be asked to remove it.

[Riprap]

Haha, and for a change I'm not involved...........

Interesting Rowles. I'm breeding blues at home, I prefer to watch them than tv but believe me, when they are in breeding mode, pick a colour.....any colour. Shot.

[jonni]

its written by rudi dreyer of sabass mag: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sabass.com/index.php/tips-more/bass-prey-fish/33-blue-kurper">http://www.sabass.com/index.php/tips-mo ... lue-kurper</a><!-- m -->

[Rowles]

have not written it myself, you can remove it- Sorry didnt know about that.

[Q]

have not written it myself, you can remove it- Sorry didnt know about that.

Just always give credit and link to where you found it (like jonni did). That for most part is good enough.