by TC Good

“2am. What am I doing setting on the edge of the bed at 2am?!” I wondered. Blurred visions of clunking aluminium on boat ramps, the smell of pre-dawn air at lakeside and the sudden bull-like strike of a 50cm Australian bass washed up the mental beach on the next wave of consciousness. I remembered that I was to pick up David Pearce, designer and maker of the incredible Crystal Lure range, and head for Maroon Lake (about a two hour drive south west of Brisbane). At 5am we were to be joined by Harry Watson, professional bass guide of Greenfish Sportsfishing Charters, and designer/maker of the highly successful Greenfish Spinner Baits.

The rods, reels, 30+ sunblock, long sleeve shirt, favourite hat and camera equipment had been packed the night before, and all I had to do was find the prepacked lunch and compile a short list of drinking material. David would supply the Crystal Lures, and Harry, the bass. The Nissan Patrol’s diesel lurched to life, and the sound of valves trying to figure out whose turn was next echoed up and down the street like a construction crew digging up old pipes in the pre-dawn.

Harry with a hand full of bass.

David was waiting at the darkened street edge in front of his house. Judging from the size of the esky full of sandwiches looming in the headlamps, it was a good thing the back of the Patrol was empty. The trip out of Brisbane (out Logan Road to the Warwick turn off and continue until the left turn to Boonah) was uneventful. The streets, roads and highways were only occupied by those few people of the night, wondering home from parties, going fishing, or escaping work. After two circles of the area (David’s memory at that time of morning left something to be desired) we ventured a few kilometres further along, discovered the Boonah - Beaudesert sign and went left on good road for the 50km to Maroon Lake.

The lake entrance was well marked, and following its narrow but well marked blackened ribbon of road to the boat ramp was easy. A warning - the sign that says, ‘14 degree downward grade with water at base’ may be a slight underestimate. It’s no place to hurry, or to try out the ‘old’ brakes. The single boat ramp is excellent and there is just sufficient swinging room for family sedans or four-wheel-drives hauling reasonable boats, with angled parking for about 15 empty vehicles and trailers. Should there be a number of vehicles already in place, there is a wide turn-in above the ramp to start your backing procedure down the 40 metres to the water.

Harry arrived with his newish Quintrex 500 Hornet Eclipse bass boat in perfect time. By 5am, in the first glowing loom of easterly light, the three of us stepped aboard the Quintrex, Harry cranked the 60hp four-stroke Mercury, and we shot along the dead flat water up one of the south arms of Maroon Lake into the shallows. The water was high, several feet over average, and water covered the edges of grass pasture land, with slightly deeper sections now pocked with fresh lily pads. Magnificent bass country.

Harry’s Quintrex, with its very well equipped side consol, has two unobstructed casting platforms. Two people can easily work from the front and one from the back, but it looked sufficient for four fisherman if need be, and easy for two fly fishermen. The water was a perfect mirror, and judging exact distance in the very early light was tricky. I selected a special, floating, dark purple 4.5cm Crystal Lure, clipped it on the 12lb. test leader, pointed it shoreward into the grass tips poking above the water line, and plunked it within a stray metre of the selected spot. The splash ring settled, a single twitch and the lure disappeared in an explosion of water, grass, and beautiful Australian bass. The suddenness and fury was a surprise. The bass was only 38cm but magnificent, especially in the pre-dawn light. Nearly every cast produced a beautifully conditioned Oz bass, every one striking with a fury that made the heart jump, even if you knew it was coming. Harry stayed busy releasing fish for David and I, a treat for fishermen not used to such pampering by an excellent guide. The biggest fish to come off the shallow grassy flats was a very respectable 43cm, but size was not important here; the excitement of every explosive surface charge was just as electric for fish larger or smaller. This was wonderful freshwater sports fishing.

An excellent yellowbelly attached to a golden Crystal Lure.

As the sun poked its radiant head over the hills to the east, the bass vacated the flats in favour of slightly deeper waters. We changed to Crystal Lure’s slow sink range and headed into the lily pads and partly submerged timber. We all tried different colours. Harry, unable to stand it any longer, and with our encouragement, got into the action as well. A well placed lure near structure, allowed to sink a few feet and twitched, was more than the bass could stand. The strikes were jarring. The bass had only one thing in mind for those lures. Harry was again kept busy releasing beautifully conditioned bass, and getting a toss in whenever he could. As the sun crept higher the bass again shifted to deeper water.

We had on board only one rapid sink Crystal Lure for use in the deeper water, and I think we all reached for it at the same time. The lure sank at a calibrated countdown rate of one foot per second and, in spite of its greater mass, would swim with the same enticing action of the much lighter versions. In the clear deeper water you could watch the lure jump into a panic flash swim with the slightest rod twitch. It sank nose down into the 20-25 foot range and was eaten by bass with as much gusto as its shallower cousins. It became the lure of favour as it got passed around.

As a break from crank and jerk baits, Harry opened an underfloor hatch on the Quintrex and gently removed a three piece, G-Loomis 8 weight fly rod rigged with rapid sink fly line. With a smile he asked if we had ever fished deep bass with a fly rod? We smiled back, knowing which end of the rod pointed toward the water but not much else.

With a moment’s instructions behind us, Harry tied on one of his special Clouser Deep Minnows, handed me the fly rod and said, “cast over there”. OK, sounds good, but I discovered that casting rapid sink fly line is a bit like casting wet rope. The fly piled up with the line somewhere ‘over there’, and Harry gave instructions on how to get it down and ‘flat’. The retrieve requested was a series of short, very quick, strips, a short pause and repeat. Harry, the school master, was kind and provided verbal alterations to our stripping action. The bass seemed to understand Harry very well; the wallop transmitted up the fly line and down to the elbow by a bass on a mission is a treat not to be missed. When you get out with Harry, ask about the fly rod.

The day at Maroon Lake was memorable. It provided just about every aspect of bass fishing, and each of those exciting. The mission, to give a serious check out to the Crystal Lure range, proved that they were indeed exceptional lures, from floating to rapid sink. Their unique crystal flash and wonderful range of colours will prove deadly on a broad range of fish, not just Australian bass. I might try them on trout in the Snowies next, or perhaps barra in the north. Oh yes, the bream.... Decisions, decisions.