TR by Gemini
Participants: DeeCee, Gemini
Launch Site: Swimming Area, Ewan Maddock Dam
Conditions: fine, wind strengthening through the morning
Today I decided to head out with DeeCee to Ewan Maddock Dam instead of braving the craziness of the Noosa Tri. I'd never fished the place, so I was looking forward to a new locale to explore. I had heard good things about EMD, so I had high hopes for a good day.
I was first in the car park just shy of 5AM, with DeeCee arriving shortly after. We had the place to ourselves at this stage (asides from a van full of campers), and made our way quickly onto the glassy water.
DeeCee leads the way.
EMD has far less weed than Lake MacDonald and I decided to bring a trolling rig with me. The snags would be easier to manage here, and the open stretches of water would require attention as we travelled around. However, it didn't quite work the way I had intended...
We trolled from our launch site to the opposite shore and began to attack the edges of the reeds and weeds. EMD has some interesting structure around the edges with thick patches of reeds which you can traverse and find pockets of fishy goodness within.
DeeCee in the thick of it.
Not long into the journey I found myself stationary and casting away at the edges, when my trolling rig starting jumping around. Thinking I had caught the bottom while drifting, I gave it a tug and found the line slack, so I shrugged my shoulders and continued casting. Seconds later the rod jumped around again. I reeled it in this time, and it wasn't until it neared the yak that I felt anything on the line. A Speckled Perch had decided the R2S flexi vibe I was using looked tasty and smashed it...while it was sitting on the bottom! Like I said before, the lake was glass, so there was no movement of my yak for any swimming action to be had from that lure. These fish weren't fussy, as this happened to me twice more during the day.
EMD Speckled Perch
Working the edges, we started coming across what we came for: bass. Most of the fish were small, but aggressive. Where the fish didn't take up the offer, the taps of missed strikes were a telling sign that there were still plenty around.
EMD Bass
We headed down to the bottom of the lake (to the artificial boundary) and then back up again. Along the way I noted spots to stop for a bite to eat, and some good timber structure laying around in deeper water, just asking to be attacked. The wind had picked up now, so the trip back was a little slower.
Trip map.
There was no sign of Saratoga today, but it may be a little early for them yet. All up the totals were 2 bass and 2 spangled perch for DeeCee, and 4 bass and 3 spangled Perch for me. EMD is a nice spot, and it's different enough to my usual stomping grounds of Lake Mac to make it a worthwhile drive. I'll be sure to come back for the toga over summer!
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