Australian bass on fly

Catching bass on fly in fast flowing water is a magical experience.Once in a while, a fishing expedition exceeds my expectations. I’ve learnt to cherish these moments because I’ve spent most of my life being outwitted by fish.

After talking about it for a few years, my fishing buddy Greg and I finally organised an overnight kayak fishing trip. The plan was simple – throw some camping gear in our kayaks and paddle up a river to try and catch a bass on fly.

Everything came together. Willing wild bass. Space to cast a fly. And a few lucky hook-ups.

We caught the bigger bass on surface flies in the upper reaches of the river, from late afternoon until after dark. This included my biggest ever river bass – catching it on fly is something I will never forget.

But the real highlight for me was catching bass in fast flowing pocket water – just like trout. Greg was the one that spotted the opportunity and caught the first few. The bass smashed our surface fly cicada imitations, exploding out of the water. Sometimes we stripped the fly, other times we just let it drift.

Here’s a short video:

One of my best every fishing weekends. Hopefully many more to come.