Two Days On Glenbawn Dam

GLENBAWN DAM. One of our favourite spots. Was – arguably – the best bass fishing spot in NSW. That all came crashing down last winter when, due to a weather phenonomen, countless thousands of bass died over a two day period. And unfortunately, the big ones were the most affected. But there’s still plenty there and the dam is full of carp – which I reckon are a top fighting fish, on light line. The child bride and I headed up there on Thursday afternoon. First job, setting up a mini camp:

After getting washed out of the place in January, we now only go when the forecast is perfect. And we use a small tent, tiny folding chairs and tables, and compact gear, so everything fits into the back of our small 4WD. Next job, launch the boat, and tether it next to our campsite:

Only had time for 30 minutes of bass popping before dark. Three top water strikes, all of which failed to hook up. But at least we knew they were there, and hungry. Next morning, out on the lake for some downrigging:

I attached a flasher with multiple small swimming blades between the weight and the release clip to get their attention:

Glenbawn has a lot more sunken timber than Lake St Clair, so we decided to work the dam wall to stay clear of trees. But there wasn’t a lot showing, on the Lowrance. Screen shows one downrigger weight at 5 metres, and one at 8 metres:

I’m using tiny neutral buoyancy lures for freshwater work. Your downrigger is already controlling the depth, and you can then adjust to match exactly the depth to where you see fish holding on your screen. That worked and we got a few, but nothing big:

With temperatures climbing fast, we headed back to the camping area for brunch. Mashed up some sand, corn and breadcrumbs in a bucket. Moulded that into tennis ball size clumps and threw them into the water out the front of our campsite. Then, set up our new model rod pod for the first time. For those unfamiliar with them, these are a great way to:

Keep your rods and reels out of the dirt and mud
Avoid looking for a forked stick or whatever to hold your rod
Allows you to fish super light drag so the fish feel nothing when they pick up the bait
Sounds an alarm and signals flashing lights when that happens
This new model is fully digital and looks great too
For Glenbawn in a hot summer, why just fish at dawn and dusk?
Set up your rod pod, sit in the shade, and only move when you get a run

Using light line on our 602 combo produced some big battles, and a lot of fun. Mostly in the 50 to 60cm size. They go hard:

Before anyone goes ‘carp, yuck!’ can I recommend watching this video? A chap from the Lachlan River figured out how to prep and cook carp, then tried them out on some volunteers at a Field Day event out west. Result? Two thumbs up:

I’ll give his preparation method a try on the next trip, and report back as to results. As to the carp, they were piling up. I followed NSW Fisheries recommendation and humanely despatched them, figuring the eagles and foxes would clean them up in a day or two:

The new rod pod was deadly. For carp, redfin, trout and the like they can’t be beaten. Check them out here, they’re not expensive:

ROD PODS WITH ALARMS

Just a short trip and we regretfully packed up and bailed on Saturday morning. But on the drive out I met top bloke Matt, standing next to his awesome bass boat. This is how you do it when you want perfection. Check this out:

Back on the saltwater this coming week but still on a high from our carp and bass weekend. Can’t recommend Glenbawn too highly! Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

Also in Tackle News