I have been a keen Bass angler for many years. I learnt to fish for these tough rugged targets back on my old stomping ground the Nepean River up in the gorge and along the banks near Penrith. Bass fishing is definitely in my blood, I love Bass fishing above all other forms now simply because of the locations that these magnificent fish live in.

Bass fishing has taken me into quiet places, stillness then sheer excitement and almost anxiety as the line tightens and they scream off line heading for deeper water which is their sanctuary. For me it’s about finding them in all sorts of terrain, from tiny streams, to broad deep lakes they hold a special place in my fishing journey. 

Bomaderry Creek holds a special place in my heart. This creek starts its journey off the Tapitallee Creek west of North Nowra in the Shadows of Mount Cambewarra. A still quiet stream that slowly winds its way through open grasslands and wooded areas and into the Bomaderry Regional Park where the creek snakes its way into steep and deep pooled gorge. It’s here that I have found the fish to be at their best. This is a regional park so I have deep respect for the area and its natural beauty and its links to the traditional indigenous land on which I place my feet. It’s a place that requires those who are keen to get in the water and search for the fish by climbing over boulders and trees to get to the next pool.

Access to the Regional Park is off Narang Road, Bomaderry just past the Shoalhaven Bowling Lanes. Here is a very well maintained place to have a picnic and get set up. The Bomaderry Creek walking track takes you to either the Western Weir or the Eastern Walk. The Western Weir is a good starting Point. Here there is a large pool, with a rock wall on the Northern side and a grassy bank on the Southern. My best here is a 40cm specimen that hit hard and ran straight for deep water.

I prefer to hop over the weir and head further up the gorge in a raft paddling up to so many target rich spots, rocks walls, rapids snags etc. The creek thins out a little and then you wade a bit or walk over the higher ground until you reach the next large pool. You can spend a few hours in just a few hundred meters and you won’t be disappointed. Curiosity always gets me and I want to travel further up all the time seeing what’s around the next bend or over the next set of boulders. It’s a lost world and I feel in some ways it is untouched as it is a harder place to get to, it’s a true hunt, the adventure seeker, its rugged and beautiful even though it was ravaged by fire in August 2018, the bush has come back and its full of life.

My preferred method of chasing these Bass is with shallow diving lures starting from small 25mm up to 45mm. I have found that they rarely will take a surface offering but will hit the lure almost immediately once it goes under the surface. Other options would be a lightly weighted plastic, I use this method for deeper water however I have lost a number of hooks etc. and not only is it a nuisance, I don’t want to leave such things in the water, my value is tread lightly and only leave a footprint.

I use a short 5 foot Rod and a 1000 size reel with 10lb braid and I vary my leader, but I mainly use mono in up to 12lb just because of the terrain with lots of snags and rocks and the pulling power of the Bass. It’s a special place, I feel that there are some really large monsters that lurk in the dark caves and rocks and it’s the hunt and thrill of looking for them that keeps me coming back regularly and it’s now my favourite Bass location in the Shoalhaven.

~ Leonard Brown
(extracted and reposted with Leonard’s permission)