Today almost didn't happen as earlier in the week I'd found a big puddle of coolant under the car... The garage reported it was a busted water pump and amazingly managed to fix it and get it back to me by Thursday meaning Friday fishing was back on!

I've yet to get a bite anywhere near the launching stage or in the main drag towards the damn so I set to the long paddle to the far end of the reservoir deciding to start at the 'rope swing' section (so called as there's a rope swing high in a tree about half way along the bank - simple!). It gives your shoulders a good early morning work out and preps them for casting which is no bad thing. The weather was bang on, warmish with a slight chilly breeze, sunny with clouds so not too bright and as I arrived at the first likely looking spot I was full of anticipation...

So it was a real surprise when on the 5th cast towards a snaggy bush the rod absolutely busted off! I couldn't believe it, a bite this early on in the session and a really savage one at that?! This was a pretty serious fish, it desperately tried to get into the lily pads but I managed to steer it into open water, then it took a deep dive under the kayak, stripping line and turning me in a full circle (I'm always amazed by how much influence on a kayak a fish on the end on a line has). I was completely unprepared for the bite and the size of fish and sadly this meant I made a complete fumble of the whole process and as I scrabbled to get the landing net from behind me the hook pulled... Arrrrg. Gutted. So annoying! Silently swearing under my breath I got myself sorted out but I'm not going to lie, losing such a good fish so early on in the session on a water that's not known for doing lots of bites and big fish put a big dent in my day.

One thing that I've been really concentrating on is being stealthy on the water (it makes a BIG difference) and with all the commotion, I figured that the spot was now probably ruined. At which point a blue helicopter appeared overhead, shot across to the far side and then appeared to make a dummy landing on the bank - what the hell?!?! It was so loud and slightly surreal, I wasn't 100% sure I wasn't imagining it...

So with my antics and the helicopters noise I was pretty amazed when I got another chance. I'd moved 15 or so metres down the bank, had a bump on a retrieve and on the next cast a really solid bite - fish on! And this time, I was fully prepared, drag spot on, landing net close to hand and after a short tussle the fish was in the net and not a bad one either.

Big sigh of relief, and lost fish almost forgotten I explored the area for another 20 minutes or so but with no more takers and the wind picking up and constantly pushing me into the edge I needed a change of scene.

On my previous session I'd had lots of luck around the rafts of lily pads at the furthest reach of the reservoir so I decided to head that direction and see if there were any fish around. As before, I positioned myself upwind and a fair distance away from the pads and let the breeze and current drift me into and amongst the pads, casting around as I went in an effort to locate the fish.

I actually ended up in virtually the same spot as before, casting to a raft of pads out in open water when I got my first bite, another good size bass. After getting that fish in the net, I rafted up on the pads opposite and set to casting tight to the edge to see if there were any more takers. I got bump after bump, there were clearly more fish around and it didn't take long until I got another chance. But sadly, after a short fight this one came off...

One thing I'm trying to get into the habit of doing is regularly checking my hooks and leader knot during the session and after each fish. As it happened, the main hook point was 'dinked' over and failed the thumbnail test... Five minutes with the split ring pliers and a new hook fitted I got to casting again and bang, another fish on - what is it with this particular set of pads, it appears to be a fish hang out?!

I'm desperately tyring not to out stay my welcome in a swim, its so hard when you've had a couple of bites not to turn the water to a foam with relentless casting for hours on end so after not receiving any more knocks on my next 10 'good' casts (i.e. clipping the pad edges) I decided to move on and explore the other rafts.

The bass were definitely awake and happy to hit as two more spots produced fish and multiple knocks. It was amazing, the reservoir was fishing like a completely different water, I couldn't quite believe the amount of action and activity. I don't know if it's due to it being cooler, or that there seems to be less cover along the edges (the pads have really reduced in size) but the open water spots around the rafts seem to be where the fish are hanging out and I was more than happy to take full advantage!

By this time the sun was high in the sky and a quick check of the phone reviled it was 1.30! Where had the time gone?! It was hard to call it a day but duty called as I needed to pick my son up from school, so I gave the pads a fond farewell and started the long paddle back to the landing stage with a big smile on my face. What a fantastic session, I'm loving kayak fishing and can't wait to be back!

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this session. It was a bit last minute as the camping trip I had planned on the bike didn't happen and the weather was a little all over the place. I knew there was a chance of rain which was fine, but it was the wind that proved tricky... As I rounded the point opposite the dam I was buffeted all the place, with white horses moving swiftly across the open water. It was more like being out on the sea than a lake!

So it was a hard paddle down to the recent hot spot at the far end of the reservoir and my shoulders were on fire by the time I made my first cast. As expected, I just could not keep the kayak in position and it was a real struggle to cast and clip the lily pads... So it was a surprise that I got my first tap after only 10 minutes of fishing (which was probably after 5 or so casts due to being constantly pushed into the bank and having to paddle out again!). And it was even more surprising when I got my first solid bite - perhaps the wind was actually doing me a favour?!

I kept at it along the edges but after 30 minutes with nothing more to show for my efforts I headed into the next bay and had breakfast. I did consider having a cast around but the wind was so strong, the lure was actually coming back at me rather than hitting the my targets...

So after a bit of thinking I decided that maybe an open water spot would be the go. My plan was to head to the rafts of lily pads at the far end, position myself right on the outer edges and let the wind carry me stealthily in amongst the pads, casting as I went.

After a couple of runs through I got my second bite of the day and it was a cracker! I'd cast tight to the pads and had reeled almost to the kayak when the bass hit. I think it's my favourite type of bite as you've almost finished the retrieve when the fish decide to hit the lure, they really hit it.

As it happened, landing the fish 'rafted' me along side one of the bigger sets of pads and I realised that it gave me a perfect anchor point to keep casting to the same area. There we clearly more fish around as I received two more bumps on the next cast and then another absolute banger of a bite, again right near the kayak! Sadly, this fish made a deep dive right into the pads and despite me giving it some stick with the rod it managed to spit the hook... But I got the lure back which was a relief and got to casting again.

In an effort to not fall into the trap of spending too long in any one spot I've started being a bit more strict with my casting, using a counting method - max 15 'good' casts to the area and then move on. So it was a real surprise when on the seventh cast I got another bite, again right by the kayak - this was too much fun! Again, this one went straight into the pads but I was a bit more prepared this time and kept the fish higher in the water meaning it was a relatively easy job to get him in the net.

That fish went back and I got to casting again, and this time it took a little longer to get the next bite, around 12 casts and it was away - this was too good, I was having so much fun!

All four bites came really close to the kayak and I couldn't work out if the fish were following from the pads I was casting to or they were coming out from below me and hitting the lure? From what I've been told, the fish often take the bait on their way back to cover rather than taking it on the drop but these bites seemed to be the opposite, i.e. the fish where coming out of the pads away from me and then attempting to get back to cover.

After that flurry of activity the bites dried up and the wind really picked up, pushing me out of the pads and making casting a nightmare. It'd also started to rain a little so I decided to call it a day and beat for home.

But what a session?! I know a lot of you reading this will think that 5 bites and 4fish over the space of 4 hours fishing isn't the greatest ratio but for me, it was a real result and I can't wait to get out there again.

As you may have noticed, March has very much been Kayaking month and I've been hitting Enoggera Reservoir hard to hone my lure fishing skills and work out what the buzz about fishing for Australian Bass is all about.

The sessions haven't exactly been prolific... But after six or so outings on the water I've gradually been getting the hang of things, learning to spot the likely areas, get my casting accuracy on point and along the way I've been lucky enough to get a number of bites and fish per session (apart from the previous blank which we won't talk about!).

Today was no exception, the going was hard and the fish very twitchy - maybe due to the windy conditions? I'd headed to a likely looking spot I'd fished on previous visits which although hadn't produced a fish, had resulted in a solid knock on the last session and just screamed that it should do a bite...

And luckily for me it did! This fish was at least twice the size of anything I've caught to date and gave me a really good run around in the kayak - the bite was like steam train! The other great thing was this was on a lure I'd not caught on before, namely the Rapala Rap-V Blade 'Bud'.

Luckily I'd recently picked up a landing net otherwise I think it would've been a struggle to get it safely in the kayak... I've no idea on the weight/length but it was a solid chunky fish, defo larger than legal size (although of course it went back, strictly catch-and-release for these fish so someone else can enjoy catching them).

Apart a couple of missed bites, the rest of the session past without any more fish - but I think you'd agree this 'beast' more than made up for it?!

I've still not figured out why the seasonal change from summer to winter in Australia is so sudden but the long and short is that it goes from being light until gone 7pm to being pretty much dark by 5pm in the space of a week!

And I guess it kinda crept up on me this year... Despite getting on the water and arriving at the current 'hot spot' by 5ish there was a distinct chill in the air and the sun was already dipping behind the trees...

So I made the most of the time I had! After working the faithful tree line that has been producing the bites for over the last sessions I was quickly rewarded by a solid bite after casting tight to the lily pads.

No monster but a welcome fish. And as luck would have it, 5 minutes later I got another explosive bite from the exact same spot! But at that point, I realised that the sun was disappearing fast and if I didn't get a row on I was in danger of being out on the water in the dark...

I managed to get back to the landing stage as the last of the light went and had to drag the kayak back to the car park and load in the pitch black! Worth it? Defo, it was a real buzz to get those two bass in the near darkness but lesson learnt - it gets dark quick! I think it'll be early mornings from now on...

An early start was in order as the reservoir gets crazy busy at the weekend, so I was up before sunrise leaving the house at 5.30am and getting on the water by 6am - just in time for the sun to pop up over the dam wall and treat me to a glorious yellow glow across the water.

As predicted, it was busy with the lower car parks already bustling with other kayakers and stand-up-paddleboarders.​ I also bumped into two other angers... but more on that later...

As it was already busy around the landing stage and main drag down to the dam wall I decided to paddle hard and make my way right to the other end of the water. It was at this point that I had my first mishap of the day in the shape of forgetting to put the scupper plugs in the rear storage section of the kayak... Luckily I hadn't sunk but I had drowned my bag, my shoes, my food... Lesson learned, don't always be in such a rush!

Sadly 5 minutes after that, I had my second mishap - I'd made a few casts to get my eye in and was going well when the line went slack when chucking to a set of lily pads. Weird I thought, I wonder if I'd hooked something behind me or forgot to tighten the clutch when 'sposh' the lure landed a couple of metres in front of the kayak. I've no idea how but the knot had slipped and the leader had completely unraveled from the mainline! What the hell?!?! That was a brand new lure, it's first outing on the water and it just whistled over my head into oblivion. Second lesson learnt, always check your knots - not just when you tie them but after you've cast them as once they're wet they may let you down. 

I tried a few more spots along the way down the lake but it was hard to resist the temptation of hitting the 'hot spot' from the previous couple of sessions early on to see if there were any fish around. But on this occasion, there weren't - I gave it a good half an hour, probably longer than I should've but with no takers I decided to head directly across the water to another spot we'd checked out last weekend.

Luckily for me, this new spot produced my first bite of the day! By no means a monster, but very welcome. The bite came from casting tight to one of the rafts of lily pads in the area and I really thought that once I'd hooked one, there'd be more waiting. But no dice. After a good 30 minutes of casting around to every likely spot I decided to head to some much needed shade, rest up for a moment and eat my now soggy breakfast...

I figured then it'd be worth moving onto the next spot which is pretty much as far as I've paddled down the lake and again, casting to the rafts of lily pads produced the second bite of the day! As with the previous fish, I really thought it would kick off with at least one more bite but after another solid half hour of casting around with nothing to show for my efforts it was time to move on again.

This end of the lake had given me a clear view along the length of the water and I'd noticed the other two anglers I'd met at the landing stage making their way along the far side. As they were so close, I figured it would only be polite to check in on how they were getting on but sadly they too were struggling and hadn't managed to snag a fish.

From what I can tell, Enoggera can be a very tough water! 

By this time the sun was high in the sky, the temperature had shot up and a steady wind was blowing down the water making it hard to keep the kayak from drifting. So I decided to call it a day and make my way back to the landing stage. By this time, there were loads of people on the water including an incredibly noisy group of 10 or so girls on paddle boards. As they were next to another one of the 'hot spots' near the point opposite the dam wall I almost considered not bothering having a cast... But I was really surprised when I had a couple of missed bites! I think the noise and commotion on the water may have made the bass wary and they were only really nipping at the lure but it was interesting that it hadn't pushed them completely out of the area.

So there you go, another enjoyable morning up at Enoggera Reservoir with a couple of fish to show for it. There's defo some bigger fish in there and from what I've been told, they may start showing themselves once the weather and the water starts to cool down a bit. But for now, I'm simply loving being regularly fishing again and to be that close to the water on a kayak is just excellent.