Bass Fishing Magazine in South Africa

October 2021

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:
“New PB”
Image: Muhammad Bulbulia

Cover Story:
I had the privilege of catching my new PB of 3.6kg at Disaneng Dam. The fish was caught on a weightless Senko. She was safely released.

FEATURES

. Spring is here
Many anglers are now focusing on spawning bass and are advising everyone else on how to approach their bassin’ during this time of the year. I’m no different, simply because I regard it as the most important time in not only the bass’ life but also my own.


. Understanding line for beginners
If you understand the characteristics of each line type and how it effects the action of your lure, and how it performs under certain conditions, it will make your decision easier.

. Air and water temperature
When adding in water temperature factors into our bassamatics sums let us break down water temperatures into three main depths…

. Small ponds vs. big dams
Small ponds versus big dams is an age old, bass wives tail that has debatably both pros and cons residing around each layout of water.

. Wie weet waar die weste wind waai?
“East is least, but west is best...!” So het 'n ou bekende altyd vir my gesê sodra die wind sou opsteek. Hoe gemaak as die wind opsteek? Die wind kan ons grootste vriend en selfs grootste vyand wees.

. Prepare for post spawn
With the spawn period coming to an end, the inevitable challenge of catching the elusive post-spawn bass now presents itself. When faced with post-spawn bass I look at the following criteria for my time on the water…

. Go small to catch big
Normally everyone says to catch big fish you need to go big. For sure, that is conventional wisdom, a tried and tested recipe, but I would like to differ.

. Simplify your spinning setups
There are many great reasons to use rods, reel, and line that are fine-tuned for a specific application, but there is also a case for keeping things simple.

. Maintaining your boat’s hydraulic steering
Regular inspection, preventative maintenance and fixing small problems before they become large ones are the keys to trouble-free time on the water.

DESTINATIONS
. Ons hengel by Gnu Valley
. Riviera on Vaal Hotel & Country Club

INDUSTRY NEWS
31. Lowrance App

TOURNAMENT NEWS
34. TBC – September 2021
36. MLF - Big Bass Challenge – September 2021
38. MLF USA news

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

October 2022

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:
“Diego Gomes, Bronkhorstspruit Dam, 3.468kg”
Image: Hannes Lindeque

FEATURES
. Fishing flooded timber
In the natural cycle, everything dies, but the impact of a riparian tree continues long after it topples into the water. It’s a case of “life after death”! 

. Match the hatch
The term used is a writer's way of saying that you need to offer the bass something that strongly resembles a food organism that is freely available at that time and that is actually being eaten. 

. Got to kick it up!
Custom bass boats are expensive and not all of us are at that place just yet to go and buy that dream boat. But that should not discourage or limit you to enjoy this beautiful and addictive sport of bass fishing.

. Power fishing for bass
With power fishing you are trying to trigger more big bites, staying in the strike zone longer and covering more water much faster.

. The ten second rule
Counting to ten seems to take forever, but in a bass’s world, for survival, it means a meal or staying hungry until another opportunity arises.

. Your “Fishfinder” - What do you see?
You may have bought this fishfinder with all its potential, and you’ve been given some rudimentary instructions but still, you haven’t got the faintest idea of how it really works!

. Improving your banking - How to be a better bass bank angler
Whether you’re a banker or a boater, we always come back to banks.

. Basics for the spawn
Pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn patterns are all around us, and as we all have been told by countless others, this is the time when you should have a good chance of improving your PB.   

. Hengel die hoeke
Ons fokus soveel op al die variasies dat ons een baie belangrike aspek van baarshengel heeltemal vergeet, die hoek waaruit jy die baars in ‘n spesifieke area benader.

. Fishing the flats - Facts on flats
When our calendars flip over to spring it’s that time again when targeting the flats will really start to pay off.

. Towing your boat
Towing a boat, or any trailer for that matter is not just a matter of hooking up and heading off. Specialist driving skills are needed and regulations must be observed.

. Senuwees van staal
‘n Nare gewoonte wat baie hengelaars het en waarmee ekself ook sukkel, is om te vinnig te hengel.

DESTINATION
. Mambakloof, die hengeljuweel in die Vrystaat

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

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

September 2022

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:
“John Short with a 4.325kg Arabie Dam bass”
Image: Hannes Lindeque

FEATURES
. The drop-shot rig
The “secret” of the drop-shot rig is that the action of the lure is produced by jiggling the rod tip.

. How to catch giants
Big bass does still exist, and are out there, but are just becoming more and more difficult to catch, which is why at weigh stations of most competitions we only see one or two big fish.

. Does scent work on lures?
Do you really believe scents work? If not you’d better start.

. The secret to targeting run offs
Look for run-off sections and there will be no reason you should miss out on some all-time, life-changing catches.

. Soft, plastic jerkbaits
Plastic jerkbaits are very versatile as they can be fished in so many ways, and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours.

. Conservation
We cannot argue the fact that bass are relatively easy to catch during the spawn and we now regard the spawning period as a time in which to prepare ourselves for the post-spawn period.

. Lure Selection
You can spend hours going through all your kit, or wander the aisles of your local fishing shop, but have you ever tried actively selecting your lures based on a strategy? 

. Koue water
Gelukkig is ons winters net drie maande en kan ons selfs in hierdie ongemaklike tye swartbaars vang, maar dit verg net meer beplanning.

. Die lyn konneksie
Om in die moderne era die regte tipe hengellyn te kies en dit ook nog saam met die regte tegnieke te gebruik, kan intimiderend wees.

. Weedless tactics
Taking the weed-less lure approach this pre-spawn might just aid you in getting more fish to the scales than you expected and maybe even that PB you’ve been after.

. Finesse worming
Give an angler a finesse worm and he’ll catch fish year round. It can be used on spinning tackle to medium heavy bait casting tackle.  

. The bow & arrow cast
The bow and arrow cast being used by many fly fishermen can also be used with great success by bass anglers

DESTINATION
. Privaatdamhengel - dit is wie jy ken.

TOURNAMENT NEWS
. MLF RSA National Championship 2022
. MLF TBC Leg#1 - Buffelspoort Dam
 
MLF NEWS
.  MLF Team Series

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

August 2022

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:
“Bucket Mouth”
Image: Ziyaad Chand

FEATURES
. Shakey-head jigs
Simple and effective the art of jig-worm fishing was born and today we know it more commonly as the ‘Shakey-head’. Although this technique is highly effective in many situations, it can be fished deep or shallow and in any type of cover.

. How to catch bass
This article deals with all the months of the year and will hopefully give you some insight as to what bass do at different times of the year, where they go, and what you should be using to catch them.

 
. Pre-spawn strategies
The pre-spawn period is not indicated on a calendar, or by the first warm day in spring as certain anglers tend to think; fisheries biologists believe that the pre-spawn period is triggered by two key factors.  

. Keeping your confidence
Retaining our self-confidence as bass anglers is often a make it, or break it scenario in our minds.
What happens when that bravado wears off?

. Rod positioning
An important part of successful bassing is the position in which you hold your rod. Does that really matter? Yes it does, more than you think.

. Dieselfde verskil
Is dit nog winter of het die lente reeds aangebreek? Is die tegnieke dieselfde of is daar ‘n verskil?

. Winter blues
Bassing is certainly a lifestyle and without a weekly fix, I tend to become rather brittle. I have had enough of staring out the window that overlooks the bay and frankly could not care less about the view.

. Fishing with braid
Braided fishing lines are good when fishing heavy water vegetation. The braid will cut through the stems of most of these plants.

. The next generation
Teach a child how to catch bass and you might have just inspired the next bass angling champion! Children are the future no matter which way you look at this statement.

. Hook shank size
Did you notice that some baits have short shanks instead of the usual long shank treble hooks? I believe that both types of hooks can play an important part in crankbait fishing.

INDUSTRY NEWS
. Molix Italië besoek Suid-Afrika

DESTINATION
. Bass Bay

TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results

MLF NEWS
. First Female National Champion

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