Bass Fishing Magazine in South Africa

July 2023

SABASS Magazine is available at Spar, Pick ‘n Pay, C.N.A., Exclusive Books

SA BASS has been the leading bass magazine since 2001 for everyone who loves bass fishing.

ON THE COVER
2.6kg, Robert Denny, Disaneng Dam, NW
Image: Hugo van der Walt

FEATURES
. Jig-worming
Whatever you want to call it, the lead head, jig head, or Shaky-Head has been there and done that and on many an occasion walked away with the T-shirt.

. When the fishing gets tough, you need to dig deep
Success comes with spending time on the water, making use of your charts, and most importantly paying attention when catching a fish.

. When good trips go bad

We rushed home to a concerned family and crying mother who already had the cops looking for us.

. Bass metabolism in winter
Having a basic understanding of the winter influences a bass’s body must endure will certainly translate directly to our entire approach as bass anglers who are out to catch them.

. Bass fishing speed spectrums
Knowing how to control and use speed to your advantage will have you avoiding those blank days in the worst conditions.

. Knock the cover
Why not pitch or flip into those laydowns? 

. Winterhengel vir baars
Min hengelaars besef dat winter net so ‘n lekker tyd van die jaar kan wees om baars te vang. Dit is egter net die tyd van die jaar wat ons meer geduld aan die dag moet lê, en waar jou kennis en geduld deeglik op die proef gestel word.

. Basic rigging for soft plastic baits
The rigging techniques we look at will cover all the conventional styles that you can use in everyday bass fishing with soft plastic lures.

. Jerkbaits for winter
Jerkbaits are certainly a great lure when it comes to searching for bass in winter, as they are a profound option for covering water quickly and they can turn a really dull fishing day into a fun-packed, action induced frenzy.

. Turnover water
The turnover period in an average dam is not that long. The larger the water body, the longer it can take but is hardly ever longer than a week.

. Winter bassing
Cold “winter water” is by no means “dead” water. Bassing in winter does slow down, however, bass can be patterned and caught.  

. Grass edges for winter bass
Largemouth bass will relate to the grass and use it for cover as colder weather approaches. These areas prime locations for targeting when fishing in winter. 

DESTINATION
. Loskopvallei - Die land van melk en heuning

TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
. My Cast
. Readers-go-Bassing
. Basics for beginners
. Op my houtbordjie
. Towing tip of the month
. International Angling News
. Gear Up
. Water levels in South Africa

June 2023

SABASS Magazine is available at Spar, Pick ‘n Pay, C.N.A., Exclusive Books

SA BASS has been the leading bass magazine since 2001 for everyone who loves bass fishing.

ON THE COVER
“5.040kg; MLF RSA TBC Champion 2023 - Glen Lees @ Disaneng Dam”
Image: Hannes Lindeque

FEATURES
. Get to the point!
Points are a must on any given fishing day, so it pays huge dividends knowing how to fish them effectively.

. Cold water bassing
Understanding the seasonal patterns, and how fish respond to weather is what the angler must know and the knowledge will improve you as a bass angler. 

. Brush Hogs
This creature bait can be presented in many ways but it is the diversity in movement that makes the Brush Hog a very versatile bait.

. What is today’s pattern?
As you know the variety and depth of lure choices at a bass angler’s disposal is infinite so where do you start?

. Tactics to beat low water slumps 
Catching bass is never easy otherwise we would all be pro anglers. However, there are ways to increase your bag limits and mistakes an angler can avoid to get the most out of each session.

. Winter bass kayaking
Bass fishing from any kayak is a lot of fun and always an adventure.

. Fishing trees
The success in fishing trees definitely lies in your choice of bait.

. Hoe meer “Haas” hoe minder spoed
Baie hengelaars is egter in die duister oor watter tegnieke om te gebruik wanneer daar stadiger gehengel moet word.

. Soft plastic worms
The bottom line is that they have probably accounted for more caught bass over the years than any other style of soft plastic.

DESTINATION
. SA Baars Mannenaweek 2023 by Little Long Creek


TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Report
. MLF TBC Tournament Report

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
. My Cast
. Readers-go-Bassing
. Basics for beginners
. Op my houtbordjie
. International Angling News
. Gear Up
. Water levels in South Africa

April 2023

SABASS Magazine is available at Spar, Pick ‘n Pay, C.N.A., Exclusive Books

SA BASS has been the leading bass magazine since 2001 for everyone who loves bass fishing.

ON THE COVER
“3.496kg; Ruben Roux @ Witbank Dam”
Image: Hannes Lindeque
 

FEATURES
. The art of bass fishing
Contending with and overcoming all the variable aspects of our sport is an art, an art that will never get old or ever become a lost art, that is for sure.

. Bass lures for autumn
Autumn fishing can be difficult at times, but for most part it means intense strikes, fast moving baits, and a variety of techniques to take advantage of.

. Autumn patterns
I would not call the autumn months, days of frenzied feeding, but definitely, a time when concentrations of fish can be found, and found during a time when competing for food will become more of a reality with each cooling day.

. How often can a bass be caught?
As weighmaster, I stand amazed at how many spectators grab their rods and make multiple casts in the release area at our monthly MLF bass angling tournaments. Do they really think that those stressed fish will grab their bait after they have been released?

. Get your angle right
The angle at which we present our bait to a waiting bass can often be the difference between success and failure.

. The best a bassing venue has to offer
We are blessed with some truly, pristine locations jotted all over our country that holds some big bass of world noting quality.

. A focus on laydowns this autumn 
They might not always seem like much from above but a whole lot is happening underneath the surface that escapes the angler's eye.

. Jerkbaits for all conditions
There is a perception amongst some anglers that jerkbaits catch small fish. Yes they are very efficient in catching small aggressive keeper fish, but some of my largest small and largemouth has come on them too.

. Terug na my wortels
Sedert my kinderjare het ek nooit weer die geleentheid gehad om in my tuisdorp te gaan hengel nie, en ek sou graag die damme waar ek my liefde vir baarshengel ontwikkel het, met my gesin wou deel.

. Tournament pressure
The sport of competitive bass fishing presents you with a myriad of variables, some we can manage and some that we cannot, so too are the demons that we unleash when the pressure sets in.

. How to approach weed lines
Many anglers fail to appreciate that a weed bed normally has two weed lines. One on the shallow side and one on the deep side.


DESTINATION
. Die Damhuisie

TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Report
. MLF TBC Tournament Report

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
. My Cast
. Readers-go-Bassing
. Basics for beginners
. Op my houtbordjie
. International Angling News
. Gear Up
. Water levels in South Africa

March 2023

SABASS Magazine is available at Spar, Pick ‘n Pay, C.N.A., Exclusive Books

SA BASS has been the leading bass magazine since 2001 for everyone who loves bass fishing.

ON THE COVER
“4.12kg Tzaneen Dam bass”
Image: Ruan de Jager

FEATURES
. Top water tactics and lure selection
The visual nature of presentation and strike has a certain additive property to it, and let’s face it, nothing beats the feeling as a bass explodes and destroys your lure. Fortunately, there is more to top-water fishing than just the visual appeal thereof.

. Where to find the baitfish
We need to find the baitfish to find good concentrations of quality bass. Here are some pointers on where one can expect to find some of the more common baitfish species in our water around this time of the year.

. Catch-and-release
Taking care of our bass is important to both the public image and the future of the sport. Unfortunately, there are too many anglers who wait too long before they bring fish to be weighed

Autumn bassin’
. Autumn brings shorter daylight hours, cooler nights, and most opportunely for us anglers the desire for a bass to begin actively feeding in order to increase its fat stores for winter. 

. Big plastic baits
Fishing a big soft plastic can be very different from what you might be used to! The trick is to know when, where, and how to fish the monster softies to attract those really big bites!

. Farm dam basics

Just because these rural, country waters look rather simple to conquer does not mean the bass residing there are easy pickings. Farm dams can differ largely in size and shape but…

. Deep offshore cranking
Deepwater cranking has been one of my favourite ways of catching offshore bass for many years. This was initiated by watching videos lent by other bass fanatics. 

. Simple autumn tactics
Bass anglers are constantly searching for new ways to do things and sometimes all we end up achieving is overcomplicating the situation. Let’s rather try keeping things simple. 

. Lipless fishing
Just the idea of running a lure through underwater grass with two treble hooks dangling from its belly may appear to be an act of madness by most anglers. But in fact, you want your lipless crankbait to come in contact with the grass.

. Submerged weed lines
Hidden in the submerged weed lines you will find three things namely oxygen, shelter and bass.

DESTINATION
. Little Long Creek
. Hazelmere Dam

TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results
. MLF TBC Tournament Report

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
. My Cast
. Readers-go-Bassing
. Basics for beginners
. Op my houtbordjie
. International Angling News
. Gear Up
. Water levels in South Africa