And guess what? It was windy as all hell... Seriously, white tipped waves, the kayak being hurled around all over the place, casting virtually impossible and to top it all it was bloody freezing! Why oh why did I listen to the forecast?! Although I enjoyed my session Bream bashing at Nudgee yesterday the conditions would've been perfect for lure fishing on the res!

Although it was difficult I did manage one bass from a spot that rarely lets me down. I somehow managed a perfect cast, right on the edge of the lilies and as I muttered 'that cast deserves a fish' off it went. As normal no monster (there are some in Enoggera but they're few are far between) but as it was a blank saver, I wasn't complaining.

I spent 3 hours in total bobbing around before I called it - the wind was kinda ruining things for me so I headed home and wrote some blog posts! Not a bad way to start the weekend?!

My plan was to get some jobs out of the way in the morning and then head to Nudgee to arrive around 10.30am and fish the incoming tide. As expected, there wasn't anyone fishing on the jetty as the water was too shallow but looking up the beach there appeared to be six or so anglers dotted along the water towards the river mouth...

Finding a spot was a little tricky but I managed to position myself between the groups of anglers and set about casting out. The plan was to have one rod static, fishing on the bottom with a simple sinker rig and baited with raw chicken soaked in soy sauce and garlic while I buzzed a lure around to see if I could locate any flathead.

I'd noticed on my walk down that nobody was catching anything which was a bit of a worry so it was a real surprise when the static rod busted off before I'd done the 2nd cast on the lure rod! Sadly this one came off (why am I always unprepared for the 1st bite?!) but I wasted no time in getting the rod out again and sure enough, after a minute or so in the water off it went - a nice size bream which are always a blast on light gear.

As is quite often the way at Nudgee it went quiet after that 1st fish so I kept moving up and down the bank eventually settling on a point at the river mouth. And then it was a case of rinse and repeat, landing around 5 or so quality bream over the next couple of hours.

I'd like to point out that at this time there was absolutely no wind.. In fact, it was probably the calmest wind free session I've ever done at Nudgee as even on a calm day, the wind is usually pretty strong. So much for the weather prediction?!

I spent the last 40 minutes or so at the end of the session fishing off the jetty as the tide had come in quite a bit by then and although I had tons of nibbles I only managed another 3 tiddlers for my effort.

So a nice couple of hours fishing! I've not been to Nudgee for a while now, mainly due to my current obsession with kayak fishing so it was great to get a bend in the rod somewhere different and show the locals how its done (I didn't see anyone else land a fish while I was there...). The really interesting thing for me was that although I'd gotten less bites that I usually do at the jetty, the fish were of a much bigger size and when the bites came, they really went for it. I think on the next session out I maybe trying the river mouth again...

With each session at Enoggera Reservoir getting better and better I was chomping at the bit to get out on the water again. But as it gets dark in Brisbane at around 5pm now its morning sessions only and this was to be a short one - I had max three hours... The weather was spot on, warm, very light winds and only a slight ripple on the water, it was looking good for a bite!

As always, the temptation was to head straight to the previous sessions 'hot spot​' but I had a quick cast around on my paddle out to get my casting eye in. And amazingly, I got my 1st knock on the 3rd cast to some margin lily pads just around the corner opposite the damn wall. And then on the next cast, it was fish on! My favourite kind of bite, the bass took the lure virtually at the kayak which always gets the heart racing.

I gave it 20 or so more casts but with no takers, it was on around the next corner. With such early success, I figured it would be worth having a cast at another likely looking spot and BANG, another cracking bite!

And that really set the theme of the next hour or so's fishing! Every time I hit a new spot, I got a bite - just the one, despite trying the same areas I couldn't get more than one fish but that was fine as the bass were clearly spread out along the margins and more than happy to hit a lure.

Every time the bites tailed off, I moved on letting the gentle breeze carry me slowly all along the right hand margin of the reservoir. I was even getting hits from spots I'd never consider casting to, definitely smaller fish nibbling the tail of the lure but to get this much activity and action was amazing.

And then as quickly as the action started, it completely stopped... It was almost like all the fish disappeared from the area and despite working the margin again, I couldn't get a knock...

The sun was full in the sky by now and maybe that was the cause of the fish leaving the area as the margins were now in dappled sunshine? Thinking this might be the case and that they'd headed for deeper water I decided to hit the pads at the far end of the reservoir where I'd had so much luck on previous sessions. But it wasn't to be, I tried the exact same tactic of letting the wind drift me through the pads casting as I went but despite clipping the edge of the lilies I couldn't raise a bite.

So it ended up being a weird but hugely enjoyable session! To get seven fish in an hour (one jumped the kayak before I could get a snap!) was amazing and it was just so strange how the fishing turned off as quickly as it turned on. If I'd been fishing for silvers in the UK, I'd say it was due to a predator such as a pike or perch moving into the area but I can't think of anything swimming in the reservoir (other than bigger bass!) who may have scared them all away...

Lets see what the next session brings!

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!

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?!