Virgin freshwater fisho needing help fishing somerset

[Navi]

Hey Guys n gulls, Im new to fishing fresh water, and I'm looking at fishing in somerset dam, but went there yesterday at the spit and thought shit where do i start, i only have 10ft tinnie and 8 hp, and no idea of what tackle to use or where to use it.....if any one could point me in the right direction it would be great....
cheers Chris

[Bruce Micheal]

Hi Chris, my father fishes Somerset on a regular basis. Try putting your boat in at Kirkleigh (before the spit travelling from Kilcoy). If you have a sounder, all the better to find the main channel. Travel upstream from Kirkleigh, lots of timber that provides plenty of shelter for fish. My father only targets yellowbelly, with bass and cod (not often) as a by catch. He will use live bait such as yabbies or shrimps if he can get them. He also trolls amongst the timber using bladed "celta" spinners. Hope this helps and good luck!

[Goodoo haven]

Hi Chris,
I have never fished Somerset before, but I have fished other freshwater dams.

As Bruce said, fish amongst heavily timbered areas or look for other structure areas like rocky outcrops in the water or fallen logs in the water. Work these areas hard by either trolling or casting deep diving lures about these areas. Be prepared to have some lures snag up on the trees and stuff, because if your lure isnt bouncing of the trees and rocks your not in the zone where the fish are hanging out. Get yourself a good tackle back too. It will save you a lot of money.

Also bottom bounce these areas with bait if you would rather bait fish.

I hope this helps.

[Navi]

Thanks guys, will spend my pocket money (what wifey gives me ) on tackle back and lures..........any tips on what sort of lures?

Cheers Chris

[Mike Delisser]

Hi Navi
Grab yourself this month's (Oct) issue of Bushn'Beach, only $3.50. There's a map of Somerset with the possie of some bass schools marked and a few tips on lures. If you have a reasonable sounder you should find those bass easily. For a novice I'd recomend a 3/8oz blade, maybe a gold or silver, and hop it through the schools. Any light to med spin combo will get you started. If you can get some live shrimp you won't miss out on these schools. You'll catch the shrimp in creeks and the lake its self in a fine mesh bait trap ($8) after dark, bait it with a little dried dog.
If you don't have a sounder then I'd be heading up into the timber, tie up to a tree in 5 to 7mts of water and fish a lightly weighted shrimp. Also saltwater yabbies are a great substute for shrimp and work just as good (but we'll keep that a secret). Any light to med outfit is fine for fishing with bait as well. I've got several mates who baitfish for yellows and bass with their Alvey reels and 10'6" whiting rods.
BTW mate make sure you get a SIP licence, around $7 a week or $36 a year.
Hope this helps and you bag a few.
Cheers
Mike

[Navi]

Thanks Mike, I grabbed a B&B today,

now for a 2nd Queston my boy is asking if any of the fresh water fish are any good to eat, all he normally eats are Whitting so I said I'd ask.
Cheers Chris

[Goodoo haven]

Yeah, they are all good to eat except for the European carp, but they will have a different taste compared to salt water fish. A kinda muddy or weedy taste with some of them if they are big and fatty. Smaller fish are great eating though.

[Mike Delisser]

Thanks Mike, I grabbed a B&B today,

now for a 2nd Queston my boy is asking if any of the fresh water fish are any good to eat, all he normally eats are Whitting so I said I'd ask.
Cheers Chris

IMO that's not an easy question to answer. I've noticed all of my mates who grew up in the bush love eating anyl native freshwater fish, I guess because they grew up eating them. And I know plenty of guys from Brisbane or the coast who recon they taste washed out and bland. For me they're ok, but I need to do something to the fillet. Maybe add salt and spices or coat it in a flour and gravox mix with a little salt. Even crumbing it with crushed up potato chips works great and you can then pick your favourite chip flavor.
When you fillet bass and yellowbelly lookout for fatty sections along the top and bottom of the fillet, they taste like crap if you miss them you'll get a mouthful of fat. Like Goodoo said just legal fish will tast best and have less fat.
And IMO bass are better tasting than yellows, but the best tasting freshwater fish I've tried would have to be Tilapia. There are plenty of these at Somerset and you should note it's illegal to return one to the water dead or alive. The law says it's also illegal to have one in your possession but I've seen inspectors at Nth Pine thanking people for taking dead tilapia home for the plate. I guess it's up to you what you do there.
Cheers
MD

[kingtin]

Don't turn your nose up at eel tailed catties either. They are good eating, fillet easy as, but remember to skin 'em or they taste crap.

[ubar]

Mate Somerset Dam can be one of the worst or best place to fish, Probally still seeing them schooled up wich ice jigs , and Jackals can be dropped down and different retrieves used ..i liked the raise the rod straight up and then under tention lower it..Blades also work well and get down there quickly, My favourotes style is flicking lures to the banks and crank and burn it back, sometimes u catch heaps and sometimes u can flick all day and nothing....the river is also good as well especialy when they have the wall running , the bass fishing can be insane

[Navi]

What sort / Size of line would you recommend mike?

[phantomphisher]

If anyone could post a photo of that map it would be much appreciated... got to the newsagent a day late

Cheers, Rob

[Mike Delisser]

What sort / Size of line would you recommend mike?

I only use braid with a rod length of flouro leader myself but nothing to stop you using mono. Out on the flats there's not much to worry about so I'll use 2lb to 6lb (& 6lb leader) for plastics, blades and ice jigs, maybe 8lb (8lb to 10lb leader)for Mask Vibs because at $22 a pop I don't want to crack one off casting. For casting Jackalls and spinnerbaits at the edges I'll use 8lb to 12lb with similar leader and then 12lb to 15lb in the timber. I would probably fish a tad lighter than most would. If I was to baitfish with mono I recon 8lb to 12lb would be ideal. If you're new to baitcaster reels you should start at 20lb and work your way down as you become a more proficient caster (cracking off lures can get expensive).

If anyone could post a photo of that map it would be much appreciated... got to the newsagent a day late

Cheers, Rob

This was the original from the artical before Bn'B's graphic artist blinged it up.

The whole artical is archived here on the Bushn'Beach website http://www.bnbfishing.com.au/images/...2MDelisser.pdf
SOMERSET 1.jpg

[Mike Delisser]

Check out this yella caught at Somerset recently, I can't recall seeing a bigger one from a Qld lake. The big female was kept alive later used as brood stock at a fish hatchery. It went 4.5kg or 10lb in the old scale and I'm told it produced around 750,000 eggs. The story is in this months Bushn'Beach.

Big Yella.JPG

[Shawn 66]

Hi Navi
Grab yourself this month's (Oct) issue of Bushn'Beach, only $3.50. There's a map of Somerset with the possie of some bass schools marked and a few tips on lures. If you have a reasonable sounder you should find those bass easily. For a novice I'd recomend a 3/8oz blade, maybe a gold or silver, and hop it through the schools. Any light to med spin combo will get you started. If you can get some live shrimp you won't miss out on these schools. You'll catch the shrimp in creeks and the lake its self in a fine mesh bait trap ($8) after dark, bait it with a little dried dog.
If you don't have a sounder then I'd be heading up into the timber, tie up to a tree in 5 to 7mts of water and fish a lightly weighted shrimp. Also saltwater yabbies are a great substute for shrimp and work just as good (but we'll keep that a secret). Any light to med outfit is fine for fishing with bait as well. I've got several mates who baitfish for yellows and bass with their Alvey reels and 10'6" whiting rods.
BTW mate make sure you get a SIP licence, around $7 a week or $36 a year.
Hope this helps and you bag a few.
Cheers
Mike

Hey????????
Shawn
PS Finga put me on to using fresh chicken wings for shrimp pot baits ,
Shawn