To be honest, after the crazy windy end to my previous Kurwongbah session I wasn't relishing the idea of another session being nearly tipped out of the kayak... But I was so desperate to get out, I decided to ignore the predicted 35kmh winds and get to the lake super early in an effort to avoid the wind as much as possible.

So I got to the lake in the dark at 5:15am! The car was showing 28 degrees already and there was a very stiff breeze blowing down the lake. It also became apparent that I was going to have company on this session as 10 cars pulled into the carpark as I paddled up the main drag...

Plan wise, I figured I'd try and find calm water so I headed straight across the main basin to boat ramp bay, one because it was relatively sheltered and two because it was the main area I picked up fish in the previous week. But try as I might I couldn't get a bite. There weren't any fish showing on the sounder and despite paddling around and exploring all the areas that previously held fish there just wasn't anything around.

It was the same story at Toga Point and at Stag Bay.

Clearly a new plan was needed as the current one wasn't working! On a hunch, I headed down past the massive weedbed to the far end of chicken coup bay and gave the edges a go. Believe it or not, I got a bite on the first cast! Only a small bass but it was a start. Then another. 

The fish were around the edge again?!

The action dried up after 4 fish, a missed bite finally backing the fish off (which quite often happens, it's almost as if 'the one that got away' warns the rest of the shoal). But it was encouraging and spurred me on to investigate the edges around the top end but weirdly, not a thing showed itself. All the spots that had produced fish over winter were completely devoid of activity and with the wind hacking in circles I just couldn't stay in one spot to properly investigate anywhere.

A little frustrated I decided to drift on down into Fence Bay. I wasn't overly hopeful as I've not had a fish in this spot for months on end. So it was a real surprise when I got a bite! Not a big fish by any stretch but another one to chalk up. Even if there were some more fish around, the wind was maddening by this time and I'd all but given up and was starting my paddle back to the launching area.

But something made me stop in at boat ramp bay... It might've been the calm water, it might've been that 4 speedboat's had turned up and we're racing up and down the lake or it might've been a sixth sense...

But I scored an additional 4 bonus fish in the space of 10 minutes! All from the edges, all pretty small but all more than welcome.

The sun was high in the sky by now and as it was blistering hot and the action dried up as quickly as it began I decided to call it a day and head for home.

So another interesting session at Lake Kurwongbah. I'm not going to lie, the wind has been a constant pain over the last couple of months and today was no exception. But it was really encouraging to get some fish around the edges and who knows, maybe next week's session will be millpond calm and the takes will be fast and furious!

It's been tough fishing of late in South East Queensland - a combination of blistering temperatures followed by torrential rain has meant pretty much all the fishable dams are over capacity and spilling... All of which has really shut the fishing down. Lake Maroon was no different but we were desperate for a new challenge and a different place to sling a lure around.

We arrived around 6am and headed out on the water, the first spot being just up from the boat ramp. There was a lot of commotion around the margins with what looked like bass picking off insects and that coupled with me getting a hit pretty much on my first cast from a suspected spangled perch really got us excited!

But after 20 minutes and nothing to show for our efforts we moved on... Which is when I got my first taste of the benefits of boat fishing: you can get places real quick! We were across the lake in what seemed like seconds and up and fishing the next spot in no time at all.

But despite everything looking bang on for a bite, we both really struggled. I managed to pick off one small bass and Peter managed a number of small spangled perch but that was it for 5 or so hours of fishing.

Lake Maroon sure is a beautiful place and we'll defo be making a return when the fishing improves. But for now, things on the bass front are beyond tough!

Although the last session had been prolific with the worms, one hang up I had was the hook holds - the bass seemed to really swallow the hook resulting in some deep hooking and although I managed to get all the hooks out without any damage, it made me wonder if there was an alternative that would result in better hooking. After some searching, I remembered that 'drop shotting' was a perfect technique for predators but would it work for bass and would the hook holds be better?

I've used the drop shotting set up a couple of times in the UK for perch with limited success, the main problem being access - it never felt like I was fishing vertically enough for it to be effective. But in this scenario I was fishing from a kayak directly over fish - you can't get much more vertical than that!

There seems to be a load of different ways out there to set up the rig but I went for around a metre or so of fluorocarbon leader and a size 8 baitholder hook tied with the following knot:

The great thing about this knot is that it's incredibly easy to tie and makes sure that the hook sticks out at a 90 degree angle from the line. This gives the bait a fantastic presentation and pushes the hook away from the line meaning it's virtually tangle free.

But would the bass go for it?!

As todays session was going to be short (I was off on a motorcamping adventure later in the day and the weather was also set to turn around 12ish...) I wasted no time in heading straight up the lake to 'Toga Point' only this time, I was determined to fish further out in the deep water. The wind however had other ideas... I knew it was going to be windy this morning but far out, could I keep the kayak still for longer than 30 seconds?! It didn't matter how far out from the bank I paddled, within 2 casts I was literally meters away from the edge...

Not that it mattered as on the 3rd or so cast the drop shot worm rod hooped round and it was fish on! Amazingly, this one really took off and it was quite a tussle getting it in - but what a fish! And most importantly, hooked right on the lip - the plan had worked, the drop shot presentation resulted in a good hook hold and the bass were clearly on the worms like a shot.

I was convinced there'd be more fish around but finding the spot where I'd picked up the last one was a virtual impossibility... The wind was literally spinning me in circles. I did persevere and was rewarded with another bass, this time on the lure but after 20 minutes or so I'd had enough and it was time to move on.

My plan was to follow the same route as last time so I headed straight across the lake with the aim of drifting down the margin into 'Stag Bay'. Sadly on this occasion the wind literally hurled me along and after a minute or so's drift, I was in the bay and pretty much into the bank. Not ideal, but I stuck with it as it's such a perfect spot!

It was pretty quiet though, right up until the drop shot worm rod twitched and I struck into what I though was going to be another massive bass. So it was a real surprise when a huge eel surfaced next to the kayak! Far out, eels are amazing creatures but an absolute nightmare if you're not sure what to do with them - and this thing was a beast, I defo did not want it to end up in the kayak with me...

After a lot of messing around I managed to wear it out sufficiently to get a pair of forceps on the hook and free the slimy wriggling thing. Luckily for me, it was hooked very lightly on the lip (the drop shot rig really was working!) and after an incredibly powerful flick of it's tail, I got the hook out and it was on it's merry way. Not surprisingly, the rig was a complete mess: slime all up the leader, the hook mangled and split shot gone... So a fresh rig was tied and I set about trying to find the fish again.

I guess when fishing with worms there's always the risk of hooking an eel! Blugh, they are foul!

By this time the predicted weather had begun to close in and looking up the lake I could see a wall of water slowly marching towards me... I had a few more casts, doing my wrap up on the video just as the rain started and amazingly got a fish on the lure rod whilst I was talking! Only a small one, but it's always good to finish on a fish.

The rain hammered down but was short lived but the wind would just not let up. I spent another 20 minutes drifting down the central deep water and managed to pick up another couple of fish on the lure and on with the worms but by this point it was getting on to around 11am and I really needed to head for home if I was going to have enough time to get the bike together.

They say one decent fish can make a session and that first bass had certainly made my day - what a donkey! And I was made up that the drop shot rig had worked so well, despite the tough conditions.

I will be back this coming Friday (when the weather is supposed to be better!), armed again with a pot of worms, the 'elvis' v-blade and who knows... Maybe I'll find some more monsters?! But no eels thank you...

If it was chilly out last time it was bloody freezing today! The car thermometer didn't register above 5 degrees on the drive out and there was lots of mist in the fields around the lake. But by the time I hit the water around 7ish the sun was just poking over the trees and warming things up - it was looking like another stunning morning on the water.

The plan for today was to try a few spots around the landing stage and then head up the lake. There were some distinct 'hot spots' on the last session ('Fence Bay' and 'Kanagroo Point' being the main ones) and I'd already decided to maximise my chances by heading there earlish in the day. If they proved to be as prolific as before, it would be a shame to arrive there late and have to beat for home when the fish were biting...

So I spent only 10 minutes casting at the landing stage before heading around the corner to the first spot, a great looking margin at the bottom of someone's garden! With no sounder, I had to rely on memory and experimentation to find the edges of the weedbeds and this was where a bit of prior knowledge really helped me out. So it was amazing when on my 2nd cast I received an absolutely banging hit on the lure - this one tore off, desperately trying to get into the weed and spinning me around in the kayak. But a good tussle latter and it was in the net, what a fish and what a cracking start!

That bay produced another smaller fish but after another 10 minutes of casting it was time to move on, this time to 'Nursery Bay'. This spot was occupied by 3 kayaks last time so I was keen to give it a go. Sure enough, I got a hit after the first couple of casts and landed a number of small bass.

Time to move on again, this time going straight across the water, over the 'rowing highway' and further up the lake. I tried a couple of spots along the way but was having a hard time finding any clear areas so kept paddling up as far as 'Fence Bay'. I had high hopes for this spot and was rewarded by an clonking take on the 2nd or 3rd cast into the bay. But this time, it wasn't meant to be and despite connecting with the fish, it somehow dropped the hook... I kept at it though and managed to pick off a number of fish, all reasonably small but I didn't mind - I was having such a good time!

Having exhausted that spot it was onwards and upwards to 'Kangaroo Point'. This was probably the spot I was most excited about as it had resulted in my largest fish to date, a 38cm beast that sadly I didn't manage to get a trophy shot of. Cruising into the bay it looked absolutely perfect, virtually no wind, not a lot of drift, gin clear water... Cast one and... BANG! That quick?! I couldn't quite believe it, the fish clearly love this part of lake. I managed a good 4 or so fish and a couple of missed runs before I decided to move on. Again, no monsters - the larger fish were illuding me this time around...

As it was close, I decided to give the opposite bay a go on my way back down the lake and was pleasantly surprised by another bass on the first cast and a couple of missed runs. I was equally surprised by the absolutely huge stag complete with massive antlers that was standing in the water! To be honest, I thought I was imaging it, a case of too much sun out on the water but when it moved off into the bushes I realised it was actually real.

It was getting later in the day now so I headed back across the lake and tried a couple of new spots on my way back to the landing stage and again was rewarded with a number of small bass. In terms of fish, the session had been incredibly prolific - but apart from that first fish, I just couldn't seem to find any big ones...

So I have the perfect excuse for another trip! After so many hard sessions at Enoggera Reservoir it really is a blast to hit a water and get so many bites, I think Lake Kurwongbah may become my new venue of choice for quite a while now.

I've heard a lot about Lake Kurwongbah both from Peter, on YouTube and in various tackle shops around Brisbane and from what people were saying, it's probably one of the best stocked water ways in South East Queensland. As its now winter the fish might be a bit more shoaled up and potentially sitting in deeper water but it was defo worth a go.

We met up around 6.30am at Mick Hanfling Park which is the only place you can launch a kayak from on the lake and set out on the water. The first thing I learnt was that my usual tactic of casting to cover was not going to work here as there was a lot of weed stretching right from the edges to maybe 20 or so metres out into the lake - casting into that would result in an instant snag! So after a bit of a look at Peters sounder and some advice on where to cast I got to throwing a Rapala Rap-V Blade around the launching area.

So the approach with this lake was to cast towards the edges until you find the edge of the weed, mark that spot in your mind and cast again. The fish love to sit just off the edge of the weed and in the towers of weed off the main weed beds and if you can get your lure 'plucking' through the clear spots you were in with a good chance of getting a hook up.

I was trying to get my head around this new tactic when I glanced around to spot that Peter was already into his first fish! In fact, he managed three before we'd even left the launching area... Me? I was still getting snagged in weed - there was clearly going to be a learning curve to getting my first bite at Lake Kurwongbah​!

But luckily I didn't have to wait long. We headed around the corner and got to casting at a new spot and bang - my first fish was on! Sadly, it was tiny...

Ah well, the first one is always a welcome blank saver and it had taught me a thing or two about where to cast. Not surprisingly, Peter was already on fish and managed to pick off a couple more before we moved on, including this beast.

The next spot was 'Nursery Bay', so called as Peter mentioned it was generally full of small fish. However as we nosed around the corner we spotted 3 kayaks already patrolling the area so we decided to head across the water and head up the lake. This involved crossing the line of buoys which marked the line that rowers use up and down the lake - it's almost a highway and as there were a couple of craft heading up the lake we had to politely let them pass. This was already turning out to be a very different experience to fishing Enoggera, kayakers have to give way to all other water craft and stick to the edges.

As we got to the next point Peter disappeared off to the bankside to answer a call of nature and I decided to have a cast around towards the centre of the lake, drawing my lure towards the weed bed I was sat above and on the 3rd chuck... BANG, I got an absolutely savage take!

This fish really knew what it was doing and immediately dived for the weed bed, but luckily I'd managed to get it high in the water and although it was a tricky tussle I managed to get the line free, the fish into open water and finally into the net. What a cracking hit and fight, these bass really do go, so much fun on light spinning gear. I don't have a fishing ruler as yet, but I'd give it a good 25cm ish which was a new personal best for me.

Rounding the corner we started working the next bay and got several more bites before the wind picked up and we decided to head up the lake. There definitely seemed to be a concentration of smaller bass around and Peter was keen to head to the top end which is quieter and seems to hold the bigger specimens. I have to say, he was really showing me up, catching fish after fish and some decent ones at that. But watching where he was casting and taking on the advice offered really helped me out and I was slowly beginning to build up a good bag of fish - it's amazing having a guide on a new water!

It wasn't until we got to a bay that I've named 'Kangaroo Point' (due to spotting a load of roos hanging around!) that I finally got my chance at a better fish. We'd had a few experimental casts and I'd managed to find the edge of the weed bed when I got my first hit. That was only a small fish but it was a good sign there were others around so I cast to the same spot and seconds after starting winding I received an absolutely explosive hit! This thing tore off, dragging the kayak in circles and leading me a merry dance in the weed towers. How it didn't get snagged I'll never know but after a decent battle the fish finally slipped into the net and it was a beast. My biggest bass to date, it went 38cm on Peters fishing ruler which was just an amazing result.

The only bugger was that in the excitement of catching it, then transferring it to Peters net so he could tag it, we slipped it back before I could get a trophy shot! Far out... Ah well, you'll just have to take my word for it... But either way, I was over the moon and having one of the best fishing sessions I've had in a long long time.

By now time was matching on and having spent a good 5 or so hours on the water we decided to start making our way back to the launching area, stopping off at a few 'hot spots' on the way. I managed to pick off another couple of bass, as did Peter which meant between us I reckon we'd had a good 20 or so fish throughout the course of the session with at least 5 of them being over 30cm.

So another excellent day on the water. I'm indebted to Peter for joining me, his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm is amazing and it was incredibly generous of him to show me the ropes and share some of his 'hot spots' at Lake Kurwongbah. If you haven't already, check out his channel on YouTube and if you're planning a trip to Lake Kurwongbah definitely watch his PTP Fishing - Redemption - Lake Kurwongbah video:​

I will be back... very, very soon!