NPD questions

Hey ausfish members,

(Have searched btw)

Heading out to North pine dam tomorrow to chase bass and yella. Have not fished fresh water before, I have been able to work out that npd is better tackled with 20lb ish line, vibes and purple spinner baits. (I Will be using a gloomis forcelight 10-17lb and a diawa aplhas)

I have all of these, but what else should I bring along, and what soft plastics work?

I think we are heading to Bucklyies whole, is this a good place to start?

Thanks for reading guys.
Matt.

I run 6 or 8lb braids in NPD for anything that comes along without any problems.

I would be hitting the northern edges of Forgan Cove early in the morning for good results of bass and the odd yellow. Two weeks ago on sunset i watched 3 guys land ten fish under the main bbq area near the dam wall using some sort of baits. All fish seemed to be around the kilo mark.

Jack.

Thanks for the advice.

You've probably been out there already, so this reply will be a little late.
Not the easiest time to fish North Pine. A lot of water has come up the banks submerging the grass and small shrubs.( looking at my avatar now and I'd be up to my neck in water )
All of the grass in the water can either drive you nuts or you can use it to your advantage.
Lighter presentations will work well. Especially lighlty weighted plastics....paddle tail grubs are the first ones I reach for, although the good old Gulp minnows can really get their attention. Work your plastic close to the bottom just on top of the underwater grass.
Shallow diving hard bodied lures work a treat in the jungle....just make sure they don't dive too deep. Give it a good cast and work the lure down to a depth your happy with, I usually go for no more than a metre deep in the heavy stuff under the water. Swim it for a while then pause, letting the lure float to the top. repeat the process until you get close to the shore. As you get really close float the lure and wind very very slowly.....this tuns your shallow diver into a surface bait wiggling on top of the water, hopefully attracting egde feeding fish. I've had quite a few little bass smash lures slowly wiggling amongst the grass.
Spinnerbaits are great right now, cast out and let them sink right to the bottom. Wind pretty much as slow as you can and use a stinger hook to grab shy fish.
North Pine dam is the sort of place that you really have to take your time and explore. The BBq areas like Bullockies can produce good fish but if you want to get serious you'll have to get on a pair of wet shoes and start walking around in the water to get a cast clear of the tangly stuff. There are little trails here and there can can lead to some good starting spots.
I use 10lb braid with a 12lb leader. anything heavier would be a pain for me because I use some fairly light lures.
Standard lipless vibrating lures like Jackalls and what not may not be a good choice at the moment as they will snag quite easy.
Best of luck with your bass hunt.