Serious Fun @ JFFC May 2018 | Page 55

Over weekends and school holidays this area can become a bit crowded and there is usually a lot of boat activity. But you will still find spots between the bank anglers to have cast and catch some decent fish. The part of fishing here though, is seeing the dis-belief from the bank anglers as you nail bass after bass with your seemingly crazy methods, while they have been puzzling for a bite all day. The area east of the gate entrance, demarcated with a line of buoys, is a no boat zone and no engine driven boats are permitted in this area. If you have a small inflatable (with an electric motor) or a float tube, you can really explore this area and get to spots that you could not fish from the bank

Bays:

The numerous bays and flats along the Eastern and Western shorelines have been our most successful areas in the summer time, especially Ehlers bend and first bay. These areas are typically characterised a perennial stream that enters the dam, shallower water with deeper water close by and abundant weed growth. These small streams bring in mud and silt which supports most of the weed growth in this otherwise very rocky dam. In turn, the weed provides shelter for numerous aquatic invertebrates and small fish, especially in the hot summer months, that attract large schools of bass to these areas.

Unfortunately, you will have to have a boat to access these areas but can fish them from the bank once you get there. At higher water levels (the dam is closer to the mouth of the stream = siltier bottom) these areas have a lot of weed in the summer and to fish the deeper edges of the weed, I would advise you to take your float tube or small inflatable along on the boat and then fish the area more effectively. The tubes/arks are also more manoeuvrable and less intrusive than your engine powered vessel and will allow you to get right into the weed without spooking the fish.