Bass Fishing Magazine in South Africa

December 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
“New 3.82kg PB at Theewaterskloof Dam”
Image: Muhammad Bulbulia, Cape Town

FEATURES
. Finesse fishing
This “finesse” approach to capturing bass is most effective when fish alter their behaviour in response to prevalent or changing conditions, which I will refer to as “influences” in this article.

. A summers take on poppers
When the summer roles in we know the bass action is going to be plentiful and immediately I’m reaching for some top water baits.

. For the beginners
The summer holidays are upon us and many new anglers will have fun in the shallows. Here are the basic guidelines for beginner anglers.  

. Light intensity and bass
Light intensity not only affects bass and anglers alike in the summer but throughout the seasonal year. It can change or alter at any time during the day with major spin-off effects on your session.

. How to fish buzzbaits
Buzzbaits are large; they’re loud but also highly effective tools for finding and catching active bass during the warmer months.

. Keep your fish alive
Keeping your valuable catch alive, especially when the fish was tough, is the difference between winning and losing an important tournament. 

. Night bassin’
Night fishing is not always possible, not always permitted, and is definitely not as safe and straightforward as daytime bassing. But, if the situation permits and the time is right, you need to put some of these theories to the test.

. Plastic lizards
Some people love them, while others just hate them. The reason for the latter could be that they are using lizards in the wrong areas, or not versatile enough as lizards can be fished in many different ways.

. Summer bassin’
Summer can mean great fishing, but remember to fish the condition, not the calendar. Here are some things to think about.

Take the kids fishing
What can be more rewarding than doing cast after cast, waiting for that one bite, knowing what the reward could be at the end of the line?  So share this fishing experience with your children.

. The dangers of bass angling
You and I are not exactly going to quit hunting bass at the first sign of trouble but let’s face it, trouble is the last thing we want to have to deal with when we are hunting bass.

DESTINATION
. Bass Feather Country Lodge

 
TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results
 
MLF NEWS
.  MLF Toyota Series Schedule for 2023

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

November 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
“New PB at Loskop”
Image: André Pretorius

FEATURES
. Bass and colour
Have you ever wondered why there are so many colour combinations on the shelves today, and whether it really matters what colour your lure is?

. Stained water tactics
When referring to stained/dirty/muddy water, it is worthwhile understanding exactly how or why a particular dam’s water has reached this state.

. Catch & Release
Practice catch-and-release and we all will have many more tight-lines in the future.

. Clear water tactics
When I employ clear water tactics, three key changes take place within my approach, namely lighter line, smaller baits and longer casts.

. Sight fishing for bass
Sight fishing can be the most exciting and frustrating fishing of all, but when stalking bass in the shallows it ignites an adrenalin rush like no other.

. Live-well basics
Here are some guidelines on how to look after your boat’s live-well to help keep fish alive with less stress until the final weigh-in.  

. Structure versus cover
The term is often used for the same thing, but in actual fact, there is a big difference between structure and cover.

. Get to the point
When it comes to productive targeted areas, tackling points for some great bass catches comes to mind without hesitation.  

. Kul jou hier en kul jou daar
Ek het so ‘n bietjie navorsing gaan doen en tot die slotsom gekom dat kullery baie meer algemeen onder hengelaars kan voorkom.

. Customize your reel
Many off-the-shelf reels have poor performance and by replacing stock parts can turn a good reel into a precision instrument for competition fishing.

. Solitary hot spots
The obvious and best spots at any venue will always be targeted first, even by yourself because let’s face it they often look too good to resist a cast or three.  

. Boat positioning
The trend is to come off the plane at 120km/h and glide into the spot, plunk down the trolling motor, make a few casts and leave soon after!  


DESTINATION
. Walden Guest farm and Bass venue
 
TOURNAMENT NEWS
. Cast-for-Cash Tournament Results
 
MLF NEWS
.  Meet our MLF Toyota Series Anglers

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
. My Cast
. Readers-go-Bassing
. Basics for beginners
. Op my houtbordjie
. 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