CyBasser

The above. Plus Yo-Zuri Livebait Vibe....

Hi there, Has anyone ever used the Yo-Zuri "Zombie"? It is a walking-type topwater. I came across one at a tackle store today and the bait monkey instructed me to get it, and I wonder if anyone else is (or has been) using it...

The above. Plus, Rapala DT series or Rattlin' Rapala in "bluegill" color. Or, if you are lucky and you have any, the now discontinued Cabela's Livin'Eye Spinnerbaits in "Perch" color. The ting when retrieved gives the exact color impression of a Tilapia. Vyron can confirm that, he once saw how succesful the particular s/b was on a reservoir with lots of tilapia...

Me too!!! Cool looking blades !!!

Ok, can't resist, will share a thing: When you retrieve a buzzbait next to a bush which is visible, or next to a stump that looks like it could hide a bass, stop the steady retrieve for about two seconds right next to the structure so that the buzzbait just goes under the surface, then start it again. I had strikes much more than once happenning right after re-starting the retrieve. I discovered it by accident, but it works And of course, always, always, attach a trailer hook!

Indeed! No need to worry RW! With CyBassMan we might have differing views on certain bass fishing matters, but we are good friends... And of course, even at work (where we both are right now) we talk more bass than air traffic control (often to the ...amusement of our colleagues : but it's worth it!

Well, in Evretou catching several 2-4lb bass per outing was the norm. During 2006, with the clear water, people who fish regularly there reported many fishless days and only the occasional decent bass, with a few small ones (less than 1lb) showing up during fall. During the few days that the water got dirty (actually it was more muddy than stained, less than 30cm visibility) the catch rate improved significantly at the headwaters witha few 3lbers showing up again along with zander. This lasted only two weekends. It is significant that during the time the headwaters muddied up, the other "known" places remained clear and still no fish were caught. I wish I could have checked myself, but Everetou is a bit too far for a quick trip. I agree with this. Certainly trout fishing was good in the first half of 2005. But as you know, both during 2006 and also this season, they have produced a larger number of trout, with the result that the fish remain smaller in the rearing cages. Had they released now 30,000 instead of 15,000 or so and distributed a few thousand (maybe 5,000) in each of the main larger reservoirs, the remaining stock in the cages would grow substantially and in March they could be releasing 28-33cm trout instead of 20-22cm. Again, had they released 25000 there would still be a few thousand left that could grow to 37-40cm before releasing them in traditional trout reservoirs in May, and at the same time they would have "fed" at least twice the bass in the larger reservoirs. But we are talking about the Cyprus Fisheries Dept so... Hmm, Palechori might not be the ideal place to check the situation. Located at 2700ft and of a small size, the water cools off rapidly in late fall, and remains cold until late March or even later (below 50F), with the occasional snowfall as well. As a result, the metabolism of the bass during the trout stocking period is rather low. By the time bass metabolism gears up the vast majority of the stocked trout have usually been caught. This situation though does not occur in the lower reservoirs. Even during the coldest periods of the harsh 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 winters the water temperature of the larger reservoirs (and I have checked Kourris, Asprokremmos, Kalavasos, Dhipotamos, and Yermasogeia) did not drop below 56F, and most of the time it was in the low 60s - within the active temperature range of bass.

They are already on their way buddy Hehehe!

Baby Bass paterns have been working steadily for me. They might not be the best or most productive pattern but it is a good dependable pattern. It has worked for me in both lipped and lipless crankbaits from various brands, as well as in the larger size of the Pop-r.

Nice good ol' Greek music (Zeibekiko) when I used to fish for catfish. When I fish for bass I enjoy nature's music and the swearing of my buddies and myself when we lose a big' un ;D!

Exactly! It is very useful to know what to expect from each piece of equipment you use, especially with reels. Knobs at the same place, drug settings similar, weight identical, etc. Even with rods, you will often notice that although two similar length rods (from different manufacturers) may be labelled "MH, fast", there may be a significant difference that affects your particular type of fishing.

Yep! They are not nearly as bad as people think. There are two main issues with eating carp though: a:Their flesh is rather soft and has a weird touch of "sweetness" (for want of a better word). b: they are full - and I mean full! - of bones. In order to really enjoy carp, they have to be decent in size, at least 10lb, so that you can readily remove the bones (which in such sized fish are quite large). These bones are not confined to the backbone, but also throughout the flesh. The two best ways to prepare them (in my opinion) is to either grill them over charcoal with plenty of oil and lemon, or even better, bake them in the oven with onions and tomatoes. If you are lucky to be able to get carp from hard-bottom lakes where they feed mostly on invertebrates rather than plant material, the flesh is both firmer and tastier. Although I have eaten carp a few times, I am not really a fan of them. But they are an important table species for people from several central and eastern European countries. In Poland carp is the traditional Christmas fare!

Kalavasos was indeed the oddball regarding our reservoirs. To be totally honest, both of us may be right or wrong - the only way to know 100% sure what's going on in there might be by a thorough scientific study, taking water and bottom samples, electrofishing to take fish samples from various areas, and analyzing the whole results. We both know that the goverment agencies "responsible" for such a study will never bother to undertake such a task. Probably only time will tell what's really going on there. But, Kalavasos is not unique. Since last winter Evretou has also been abnormally clear - the visibility which used to be less than 3 feet has been about 15ft (5 meters) throughout 2006. Guess what: Bass have suddenly become exceedingly difficult to catch - and the same is true for roach, which used to be everywhere. But, during a rainy period last October when there was a large water inflow to the reservoir, several nice (to 2Kg) bass were caught near the feeder creek - where the water had again become very stained. So, by not catching / seeing bass from the shore does not necessarily mean that the population is gone. I am 100% sure that any serious trout angler would rather catch 3 or 4 1lb trout rather than 10 or 15 6" trout. At least that's what about 110 people members of an Association all agree on. Even the illegal anglers would rather catch bigger trout rather than sardine-sized ones. You know that I totally agree with you regarding the usual stocking of Lefkara with those tiny trout that become ideal forage for the large numbers of zander (European walleye) which live there. So, in effect, the Fisheries Department is already practicing (without them realizing it of course!) what we are suggesting except that they mainly add forage for zander rather than bass (which though have started to show up in this reservoir as well and maybe in the furure the trout-fed bass will prove us right!). I believe that it is possible to persuade the FD to release trout in traditional bass reservoirs - if you remember, they did release some trout in Asprokremmos and Yermasogeia back in 2003, so it might be possible to persuade them again. And if they start releasing small trout in the large reservoirs, then they will no longer have an excuse for not releasing larger trout in the mountain reservoirs as it will become easier to grow them in their Kalopanayiotis facility. This is not a fast and steady rule. I have caught long (but still well-fed) bass in Kourris, Dhipotamos, Asprokremmos, and Yermasogeia as well as short and stubby (football - shaped) ones. And I have even caught 25cm bass with that football shape. As a comparison, Vyron's 3.120Kg Kourris' bass was in the "long"category rather than in the "football" one. I don't think that one or other form prevails - it might be even due to the genetic make-up of each individual (there are people who eat a lot but remain thin, and there are people who eat less but aattain a "rounder" shape! Man, I really enjoy our discussions !

... And a view of the western, deeper shore of Kalavasos. I personally believe some of the largest Cyprus Bass live in these waters. I have personally seen two huge specimens swimming in one of the bays on an April 2003 (postspawn) morning. I have seen 3Kg+ bass being caught, those two were far bigger with amazingly huge heads. They refused anything I threw to them before heading for the depths out of sight. By the way, we were there with CyBassMan that morning though he (and our other two friends) were in other bays.... and CyBassMan himself had lost a very big bass there himself in late 2002. The biggest Kalavasos bass I know of is a 3.1Kg lunker taken later in 2004.

Here is a photo of the eastern (shallower) shore of Kalavasos Reservoir mentioned above. Keep in mind that the water level is now about 3 meters less than shown in the photo (March 2006)

Hi again TugaBasser, The only lowland reservoir that has had some live vegetation (but I don't know the species) was Kalavasos which I mentioned in my reply to CyBassMan. The reason for lack of vegetation is that the water is too stained most of the year to allow sufficient light for plant growth. There is vegetation though in some smaller, clear, mountain reservoirs.

Hi CyBassMan, Well, this is a very friendly "attack" and a well meant one!

Hi Tugabasser and CyBassMan, It is very interesting to watch this thread. I am glad that Tugabasser confirms several of the points that I have stressed out out to CyBassMan (in personal conversations) over the last few months. Indeed, Cyprus has no indigenous freshwater fish except the Eel. Mosquito fish were introduced in 1903, Carp around 1930 and in 1948, and Brown Trout in 1948. Rainbow Trout followed 1n 1967, with many species being introduced between 1968 and 1985. Largemouth Bass themselves were introduced in 1971. Practically all reservoirs that have Largemouth Bass are now at least 8 years old, and the ecosystems are quite balanced. Bass feed predominently on Roach (Rutilus rutilus), Silver Bream (Blicca bjoerkna), and baby Carp (Cyprinus carpio). In some reservoirs they also prey on Tilapia (Oreochromis sp), Bleak (Alburnus alburnus), and crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Both tilapia and crayfish do provide a higher nutritional value than cyprinids to bass. The forage is plentiful; a quick look at the shape of the bass being caught will confirm that (check threads by Vyron or myself at the "outing" section of the forum). It is true that the addition of another, high-nutritional-value prey species could benefit the overall growth rates of bass. It appears that Cyprus bass caught at Asprokremmos, where both crayfish and tilapia exist, have faster growth rates than bass from Dhipotamos, where roach is the main forage (this was tested by aging scales). At the same time though, adding another species now could well upset the overall balance, and our reservoirs are quite balanced at this time. CyBassMan has been long campaigning in Cyprus for the introduction of sunfish (crappie, bluegill, and now pumpkinseed) as the ideal forage for bass. I can readily see his point: Sunfish are highly nutritious, loved by bass, grow to a good enough size to be an anglers' quarry themselves, and are excellent table fare (I can confirm all of the above, as I have caught and eaten crappie, pumpkinseed, and bluegill in the US). The issue though is not so simple. We may not have indigenous/endemic freshwater species. But our freshwater ecosystems have adapted both to the climatic conditions of the island and to the species present in them. Adding a completely new species is likely to upset this balance, to a lower or higher degree. In the past (2005) I prepared a detailed study which was submitted to the Fisheries Department regarding the possibility of introducing a new species after they talked with me about the issue. To prepare that study I drew both to the extensive scientific literature available, along with my own training as a biologist (I specialized during my studies in ecology and evolution). Through this study, I showed that the introduction of a new species (or species) of the Centrarchidae family (sunfishes) might not be a good idea. The life histories of these species are such that they are likely to have a considerable negative effect on the already established cyprinid species, especially Roach (don't forget that all sunfish are predators, and in addition they are egg consumers). It is quite possible that after many year (12 or more) things will probably balance out again, but in the meantime it is quite possible that their introduction could result in a negative "domino" effect, which would even affect the bass themselves. I have to make this clear: I would not mind at all catching bluegills myself, they sure are a lot of fun. But I would rather continue catching nice bass rather than risk with bluegills! Based on the various factors involved, I suggested that if a completely new forage species would be introduced the one likely to cause the least negative effect would be the Threadfin Shad, and then only if it was introduced in the two largest reservoirs only (Kourris and Asprokremmos). And even then, there was no guarantee that there would be no negative effects on the established cyprinids. My own idea regarding this issue (which CyBassMan should remember from our conversation in the car returning from the Fisheries Dept after getting our licences) is that heavy stocking of the larger reservoirs with hatchery rainbow trout at regular intervals between October and April might well be the ideal "solution" (if a solution is indeed needed at all) for providing bass with a nutritious forage fish. Knowing the way of thinking of the Cyprus Fisheries Department it will be quite hard to persuade them to "throw away" thousands of trout just as forage to bass, although there is the selling point that trout can also be caught by anglers. The fact that trout will not reproduce also provides a safety key in case the results are not as expected: Stocking stops and little damage occurs. I am very glad to see that Tugabasser also suggests - independently - the same solution. In S. Cal this system has produced WR-class bass and keeps both bass and trout anlers happy! Regarding importing new species, things are easier if a species is imported from an E.U. country. There are still though many regulations that need to be addressed before such an introduction, unless the species already exists here. Thus it was no problem importing new stocks of Brown Trout in 2006 from Austria. It would be no more difficult to introduce Florida Bass either - provided the stock is imported from an E.U. country as well. For the time though, our best bet would be to persuade our Fisheries Dept to release rainbows in a controlled situation at an experimental phase, and then wait a couple of years to see what effect these stockings would have both on the growth rates of bass but also on the existing forage species... Tight lines!

The great thing about our hobby is the fact you don't need expensive equipment to be successful. There will always be the debates about whether you need expensive equipment or not, and the answer is no...to a point. I think there will always be 'tackle junkies', whom want and use the best, and then there are the fisherman who simply use rods and reels as tools, and don't care about how 'pretty' their stuff is or whether their reels get boat rash. My uncle is one of them; a guy who fishes the stren series and could care less about what is the latest and greatest, as long as it works. Look at Denny Brauer- he could have an arsenal of Daiwa's Steez reels and Steez rods, but he chooses to use the Team Daiwa X HSDF reels and Team Daiwa 'S' rods, which are both middle market products. He was asked why he doesn't use Daiwa highest offerings, and he stated that he has just always used the TD-X reels and S series rods, and they work fine. You gotta love that answer! Staying on topic, it is hard to limit myself to one reel, but the one reel that blows me away every time I make a cast are my Daiwa Pixy's. I totally agree: A hugely expensive reel might well be a wonderful toy, but at the end, it's main purposes are to store the line, cast the line, retrieve the line, and handle good fish without giving trouble. If it fits these four criteria dependently, then it's fine. I'm recent to b/c, but with my rather limited experience I would vote my Team Daiwa Advantage super-tuned over the four other b/cs I have ever used (though the Shimano Scorpion 1001 comes a close second). In spinning reels (of which I own around 20 for bass!), my favorite fast reel is the Shimano Sahara 2500. Real workhorse. My favorite slow (less than 6:1) reel is the Abu Garcia Cardinal 102R and 103R. Very affordable, very dependable, smooth, and powerful - excellent value for money..

Thanks to all for your replies! I guess I will have just to wait a few years though! Brown trout of a good size are only found in one reservoir (biggest we know of was a 5lber cauht on a tiny thunderbolt spoon) and even there they are very rare. They were considered extinct on Cyprus, having bein stocked in the few permanent mountain streams back in 1948, until a friend managed to catch two (4lb and 5lb) about three years ago. The particular reservoir where he caught them has a permanent stream feeding it, but it is also heavily stocked with rainbows. When a small (8") brown was again caught in 2005, the Fisheries Department decided it was worth re-stocking browns, so in December they stocked the various mountain reservoirs with yearlings (5-7" long). I have caught hundreds of rainbows during the years in Cyprus, and also in the US, as well as brook trout in the US. But I have never caught - or seen for that matter! - a brownie except in photographs.... Hopefully this will change sometime in the future...

A strange thing I did notice during early summer 2006 was that on a couple of particular days at a particular reservoir bass would refuse to hit 5" or 6" senkos I normally use but on the same day they would readily hit 7" independendly of color. The size of the fish was no different, 2 - 4lb bass as usual. One of those weird quirks largemouth bass are known for I guess! Overall though the 6" senko are the most reliable, with 5" close behind. I rarely use 4", mainly when the going gets really tough and I need to downsize.

Beautiful article RW ! I really hope you get the next World Record smallmouth 8-)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi there, It is very hard to pinpoint a "general purpose" fishing book that covers many species - there are plenty around. As for specific bass books, I am a bit surprised that no-one mentioned a rather old (early 80s I believe) book. I am referring to "Advanced Bass Fishing" by John Weiss. That book is practically a "bible" on bass fishing. It covers in exquisite detail practically everything regarding the life history and behavior of bass (all three - LMB, SMB, spotted), details everything regarding the various forms of bass habitat, and also gives a well-rounded overview of all main bass fishing techniques, along with many tips and pirks. For me, reading that book was like a relevation. OK, it is a bit outdated obviously regarding some new lures and techniques (like dropshot or swimbaits) that were not in use then, but the overall amount of information is nothing short of amazing. In addition, it is very well written and very readable. I can't give you more info now as I have borrowed it to my closest fishing buddy to read, I hope he does (Vyron - you there?? ). Another very nice bass book of the same age is "Bass Fishing Fundamentals" by Ken Schultz. I have recently obtained the 2nd (1986) edition, and again, although outdated, it's quite a source of information. I personally believe that Weiss' book is really tops, but Schultz's book is not far behind. I have also read a rather recent book by a Bassmaster's Steve Price (unfortunately I am not sure about the title, something like Bass Fishing Tips) - another very informative book but only technique-specific oriented. Finally, KVD's "Secrets of a Champion" is a nice tiny book full of useful tips well worth having...

Hi everybody, What are the best techniques to use if you want to catch brown rather than rainbow trout when they co-exist in a given body of water? Brown trout have been stocked for the first time in the small mountain reservoirs I fish for trout. All fishing is done from the shore, either spinning (my preferred method) or bait (paste, powerbait etc) fishing. Fly fishing is not an option. Since I have yet to catch a brown trout, I would be really interested to know of any method that is preferable for them... Thanks! P.S. Thanks to all who replied to my thread about bass lures for trout - it was really helpful!

Absolutely! After considering baitcasting for three years I finally gave it a try three months ago. I now own three baitcasting set ups. And, for sure, as Fishbear and Catt have mentioned, it takes lots of practice and lots of "educating" your thumb control. Follow the basic instructions you will find on this forum, and it will soon feel natural. Also: it will be of immense help if you have a baitcasting buddy show you some of the basics "live".