Monster Winter Bass

Winter at Monduran is a great time to target Bass and Barra at the same time. Over the years we have learnt that both these species will school and interact together in the shallows through the cooler months, yet through the warmer months you will not see these two species doing this as the Bass head to the deeper water. When targeting Bass and Barra through winter it may seem like a good idea to downsize Mainline and Leader to get more bites, personally I don’t think of this to be a good option as you’re leaving yourself open to a “bustup” from a big barra. In this situation 30lb Braid and 50 to 60lb leader should be used as a bare minimum, these line combination’s will certainly not stop the big Bass biting and will give you a better chance of landing a bigger fish. Anglers may also be mistaken by downsizing to Bass lures to get a Bass to bite, there is nothing wrong with using lures of a smaller nature and profile as long as they are rigged with Barra hardware “hooks and split rings” and the upgrade does not interfere with the lure action, keep in mind most of these little lures are like jellybeans for barra.

This season we have seen Bass up to the size of 60cm and many more at around 45cm to 58cm being caught quite commonly on shallow points and in the back of shallow bays where the barra feed most of the year round. While these fish are commonly referred to as a by catch at Monduran these Bass are of trophy size proportion and are an impressive catch by any angler’s standards.

Barra season is nearly upon us, this means if you are planning a trip to Monduran in the coming months you will need to make sure your gear is up to scratch. It’s always a good idea to check your equipment is in good working order, everything from wheel bearings on your trailer through to rods and reels, line and lures.