# Welcome to my local, "Wivenhoe Dam" - Nativeman



## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

*Your local water? *
Wivenhoe Dam, South East Qld, its about an 1 1/2 hour road trip North West of Brisbane. 
Wivenhoe Dam takes inflow from the Brisbane river and when full holds two and a half times the volume of Sydney Harbor. It has a surface area of 110 square kilometres.

*What species do you primarily chase?*
Australian Bass, they are a stocked Fish here, but may have been prevalent in the Brisbane River before the dam. The bass in here are huge mostly, they have very little fishing pressure due to the fact that this dam is an Electric only dam. My personal best in Wivenhoe is 57cm overall length, it felt like it weighed near 3kg.

*What other species are there?*
Mary River Cod, Yellow Belly, Silver Perch, Saratoga, Fork Tail Catfish, Eel, Snub Nose Gar, Tilapia, Spangled Perch, Bar Grunter, Qld Lungfish, Red Claw.

*What techniques work for you?*
Trolling, although I am not a huge fan of trolling it can sometimes be beneficial in a dam such as Wivenhoe. 
As I have fished this dam for a number of years I have certain spots I always go to, on the way to these spots I will troll two lures, one on each side of the kayak with a light to medium drag. As the depth of this dam in most areas is 30 feet plus I like to use a lure that will get down to at least 24 feet, lures such as Halco Poltergeist 8m, Jonesy Elle, Jackall Mask Vibe, Heavy Blades(30 grams or more) and spinner baits, 5/8 to 3/4 ounce. I try to avoid a lure that has a rattle as I believe this attracts a catfish bite. Instead of trolling in a straight line I have lately picked up a new technique (shown to me by Garry Fitzgerald of Sweetwater Fishing fame) to troll zigzag, this gives each of your lures a different action on each turn and might be the difference between getting a hit or not. My Favorite trolling colours are Purples, Black and Gold, Red and Black, Gold and Orange and all the natural colours. I like to troll fast in this dam as if you troll slow you will get a catfish for sure so I troll at speeds between 3.5 to 5 km. While trolling I continually glance at the sounder watching for shows of fish, if I see a substantial show I will mark it on the gps and stop for a cast. Areas I like to troll are flats that are just off the old river channel that runs through the dam. In these areas you will be constantly finding drop offs, these are where you will find alot of fish. The same can be said for the Flats area of the dam. The dam bottom is mostly free of any structure but for some reason the bass tend to hold in these areas, maybe as these areas were recently high and dry before the dam filled recently and these areas held alot of green grass, so flooded grass means food holding areas for bass, like small crustaceans and small fish.

Cast and Retrieve, this techniques is my favorite way to catch fish as I feel you have a little more involvement and skill in applying the right speed and action to the lure to get a strike. The best way to do this is to first find the fish. I go to my well known areas where I have found fish in the past. In Wivenhoe if you find a large school of fish they are most likely to hold in that same general area for months. This past year leading up to the Wivenhoe Kayak comp I was fishing a school of fish in an area known as the Horse Paddock in the dam. For roughly 3 months I would go to the exact same spot by the GPS and it was just a matter of doing a general search within a few hundred metres and the fish would be there. I also look for bird activity on the water, as the dam is such a massive piece of water in holds huge flocks of fish feeding birds, the likes of Pelicans, Shags and Gulls. These birds feed on massive schools of bait fish that hold in the dam and quite often they will work in unison to gather the bait fish in one spot so it is easier for them to feed on them. My theory is that the bass would also gather here to feed on the fish but also the birds excretions in the water would attract more bait fish as well. On occassions I have come across gulls on the water, not feeding but in some mating ritual and once I would paddle through them and scare them away underneath them there would be massive holds of bait most likely feeding on the birds excretions and this in turn would attract the bass.

OK, now you have found the fish, I have three methods I use, the burn technique, hopping and Jigging. For these techniques I use similar lures, I like to use heavy blades 20 - 40 grams, Jackall Mask Vibes, Jackall Transams and Silent Jackalls.

The burn technique is where I cast the lure as far as I can out onto the school or on the edges of the school, I let the lure sink to the bottom while the reel is in free spool, sometimes if the fish are extremely active you can get a hit here when the lure is on the drop. Imagine the lure it is fluttering and flashing down through the water column, this attracts fish and for some the fish they have to have it. So once the lure is on the bottom I engage the reel and wind the handle as fast as I can for about 5 seconds and then I pause and then I wind fast again, this is the burn technique. The lure takes on the fleeing bait fish look, its moving fast then its fluttering back to the bottom and then its moving fast again. On alot of the occasions when I have caught a fish this way the fish often will hit the lure as soon as it is moved again after it has been on the drop. You are temping the fish and for some of the fish in is just too much for them, they have to hit it.

The hopping Technique is similar to above but a slightly different action is applied to the lure, again I cast out as far as I can to the school or the edges, wait for the lure to hit the bottom while in free spool. Then lift the rod tip while winding in about three turns of the hand, dropping the rod tip and so on back to the kayak. I vary the hops by sometimes being gentle with the rod lifts or other times being erratic. This give the lure of just diving in and out and up an down through the structure on the bottom of the lake.

The jigging technique is where I have found a large group of fish and I position the kayak directly over them. On occasions these fish might be suspended in the water column rather than being on the bottom. In this case I will drop the lure to the bottom and count the seconds it takes to hit the bottom, then by looking on the sounder and seeing where the fish are I work out how many seconds I need to drop the lure to find the fish at the right depth. Whether the fish are suspending or not I just simply free spool the lure to the right depth and them gently raise and lower and rod tip. It is important to not be erratic here as the strikes can be ferocious and if you have lifted the rod eclectically and you have the line wrapped around the tip and the fish strike you can do damage to your rod. It is a possibility that the fish will be shut down and the lures I mentioned above are not working, this is where I will change to an ice jig style of lures. Ice jigs were are made by Nilsmaster and Rapala and other, but I prefer the two previously mentioned. These lures have fluted tail section with a single hook at each end and a treble mounted mid body. The fluted tail cases the lure to swim in an arc when it is jigged slowly. So use the same jigging technique as above, slowly raising and lowering the rod and as I said the lure will swim in an arc under water, like a pendulum. If the fish are shut down and other techniques aren't work this is the last resort and often it will turn the fish on, so hang on.

For an even more detailed information on my techniques you can go here, http://www.fishnyak.com/fishing-wivenhoe-dam.html

*Whats the best time of year?*
Winter, Bass school up during Winter and the Fork tail Catfish that are prolific in the dam are not so active during winter. Wivenhoe dam is like no other dam in south East Queensland, where all other dams are a year round fishery, Wivenhoe dam traditionally is the opposite mainly because the catfish become so aggressively active during the hotter months. The bass are still there to be caught during summer but you have to get your lures past the catfish before you get to the bass. The best technique I can suggest in summer at Wivenhoe dam is to troll a lure fast. Catfish are known to be slow swimmers where bass have explosive speed and keep it up if they want to. If you run a faster lure past the nose of a catfish it will mostly leave it and the chances of you catching a bass will increase. But if you drag a slow moving lure, its catfish time.

*What type of facilities are nearby?*
Camping facilities at Wivenhoe dam are first class, well good. There is a choice of two options at Logan's inlet with un-powered and powered areas available. Lumley Hill camp area is powered and has clean amenities, hot showers and camp kitchens. The same goes for Captain Logans Camp but it is unpowered. My pick is the later, it has large gum trees that offer shade, grassed camping sites, a table and wood fired BBQ on each site and its a gentle slope down to the water. A ranger is on site and he looks after both camp areas.

*How do I get there and where can I launch?*
Wivenhoe dam is about 30 km from Black Soil on the Warrego highway that heads to Toowoomba. Blacksoil is just outside of Ipswich and is where all the service stations are and is also a well known black spot for speed cameras, make sure you always do 80kph through Blacksoil. To get to Wivenhoe dam you need to turn right as you travel trough Blacksoil onto the Brisbane Valley Highway, once on this highway its about 30km further along the road. On the way stop at Fernvale for a pie at the local bakery, hundreds, maybe thousands do each day. Passing through Fernvale drive straight ahead, you will cross the Brisbane river and then a short while later after ignoring the signs to Somerset dam on your right you will come to the wall of Wivenhoe dam. If you turn right just short of the wall there is massive day visitor area there with the usual park type facilities. Great for the family but not good for launching a kayak.

The best places to launch are Logan's Inlet, Hamon Cove and Oshea's crossing. All of these are further up the road over the dam wall and are turns to your right. Logans Inlet is the first to look for and about 10 km further down the road is Hamon cove on your right. For detailed direction and pictures for launching at Logan's inlet you can look here on my website, http://www.fishnyak.com/logans-inlet-wivenhoe-dam.html

Oshea's crossing is a launch spot into the back half of the dam and is on the Brisbane river that flows into the dam. It is much further up the road through Esk, on the other side of Esk you will need to take the Esk Kilcoy road to your right and travel along here until you come across Oshea's, I think it is on the left hand side but it is on the bridge that crosses the Brisbane river. Oshea's is only really viable if the Brisbane river is flowing.

Tackle shops nearby, well there's only one really and It's my local, Charltons Tackle at Redbank. They are on the Ipswich motorway on your right as you head west. Charltons Tackle specialise in dam fishing amongst other things and have a huge range of lures and can offer advice on the best ways to fish dams. Their range of Jackalls are second to none and they have all the latest Australian Colours which have been designed for our waterways. You will need a Stocked Impoundment Permit (SIP) to fish Wivenhoe dam, Charltons can sell you one.

*Why I love my local?*
I love fishing Wivenhoe dam as it is home to some extra large Bass, its close to my home - I can be on the dam and fishing in under an hour after leaving home. It is an electric only dam so there is no ski boats, power boats or jet skis. I can sometimes go out there and have the whole place to myself because of the electric only rule only the serious boat fisherman goes there. I am an associate member of the local sailing club so I can access a private locked area to fish which is very close to the dam features I look for, the river channel and the flats, Platypus Cliffs, Billies Bay,Fitzy's Flats, Dead Tree, Brads Point and the Horse paddock are all an easy paddle from my launch site. All these spots are a huge paddle from Logans. The peace and tranquility is also a bonus as well.

Google map location

Wivenhoe


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## Kevlar (Nov 7, 2008)

Nothing like a little satch boogie to listen to whilst watching you bring in some nice fish.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWeRE6VgAABHfgAAQQOMAEACAmAA/79+gIAB1ESep6nqHqHkgxBpoBqnplHqGmjTQGjTRpYCG9sLo6AyZrLwiQITBGbUcT+Yo+Cnn7I75GfSBDtZuxr8DpJyhDJCqI54BR5Kr77Gx04ojlJwsoCRz+krqY0UrqqOwD1rYwGA1MUWsfi7kinChIciJ0rA=


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## Kitfox (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks Sel. A really well constructed rundown on a place I have been wanting to fish for a while now. Such an article takes time and your efforts are appreciated.

Cheers
Graeme


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## silver19 (Mar 12, 2009)

Thanks Sel. Great informative report. Your passion for the Big W shines through,


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Kitfox said:


> Thanks Sel. A really well constructed rundown on a place I have been wanting to fish for a while now. Such an article takes time and your efforts are appreciated.
> 
> Cheers
> Graeme


No problem, it was a pleasure.

Just got home from a overnighter at Capt Logans camp with ECKFC breakup, the animals were great. We had a few families there with young children, some saw Possums, sugar gliders and Koala's very close up. Last night the Koala in the tree above us came down walked behind where we were gathered and was foraging about.

The fishing was ordinary, but that was expected this time of year. I caught the biggest catfish to date. It was fighting like a bass for a while but then a knew it was catfish time. When the mercury dips a little I will go out and try for some yella's...

Thanks to everyone else for their responses..

Cheers


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## heronfish (Dec 8, 2009)

nice work


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Sel a comprehensive summary, well done mate.


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## YakCult (Nov 4, 2008)

Alot of info there - & very well documented....
Well done Sel! 
As you know "Big W" is one of my favourites, too!!


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

I can now see why the Wivenhoe reports get so much traffic, looks like a great place an your passion shines through Sel's. Thanks for for a very detailed guide to your local, shame it is so far away.


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## TroopyF (Sep 18, 2007)

This a TOP concept this 'Welcome to my local'. Great report Nativeman,very informative. Cool vid too.

Cheers 
Fab


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

The good ol' days....


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Great report Sel.

Wishing you all the best for future adventures.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Thanks for the recent comments, I have updated the links to send you to the correct pages as the old ones before were wrong.

I used my old Hobie Quest in that video, I'm looking forward to getting back into the newer model soon.

Cheers


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