This was a trip to the unknown, a chance to tangle with some brutes and to pit them against a line of rods we already knew were super tough, but just how tough? So with the Major Craft Bone rods packed we were off...
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| It would take a couple of flights, but we would get there unscathed... |
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| We traversed land, sea and air, and it took quite a journey. This had better be worth it... |
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| The final leg consisted of an upstream boat ride with many obstacles thrown in... |
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| We were deep in the interior, amongst various native tribes. It would be an interesting experience... |
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| Rods in question were the already proven Major Craft Bone series, these are specially developed brute sticks for heavy cover and trophy fish chasing... |
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| Our boxes consisted with armament fit for an all out assault... |
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| Not exactly what we were after but a welcome first strike by an unassuming Giant Gourami. These fish are not a regular artificial lure capture... |
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| The Evergreen Combat Crank had it fooled! |
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| The fishing was frustratingly hard and we went two fishless days as we covered water in search of our quarry. This greedy Archerfish which was pinned on the Evergreen Modo Faith lure signalled that we were in brackish waters... |
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| With the right water conditions the bites came. Prior to this a larger Black Bass was lost boatside as it was being prepared for photographs. We had to close the day with this fish as a consolation... |
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| The funky APIA Gablin lure did the damage on this Black Bass from a snag... |
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| The next day we knew where to find them. This little guy was a no contest against the powerful Major Craft Bone rod... |
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| It liked the fat Imakatsu Crank which went deep to lure it out... |
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| It didn't take too long to find another with a similar Imakatsu Crank. These crankbaits are a favourite amongst trophy hunters because they go deep fast and have that wobble/roll which just calls out to fish. They are a must have on every trip for us... |
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| The following day we ventured up a tighter river and was rewarded by this fish from really shallow water... |
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| It smashed the Jackson Athlete in inches of water and displayed awesome strength and determination as it made for the comfort of the faraway snags... |
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| This fish was much smaller but was a treasured catch all the same as the bites were really few and far between... |
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| Another gun big crankbait is the Evergreen Combat Crank, we can't speak more highly about this lure in all its depth guises... |
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| Silent, unassuming, natural swimming. The big Sasuke 130 Gouriki version lure from IMA was taken very close to boatside in a big explosion which had us all jumping... |
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| This was the monster of the trip. The fight was to be savoured as the Bone rod was pitched against a worthy rival... |
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| This was the lightest combo we had brought, and it would ironically account for the biggest fish for the trip. Confidence in the tackle was confirmed after this victory... |
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| This fish was taken in the rain a little down river on the big and mean Jackall Mikey swimbait... |
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| Then a second monster for the last day on the water. This fish fought with maximum aggression and was almost lost a couple of times as it turned the boat around and found some snags... |
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| We can't help but wonder because like the big one before it, this big guy fell for the IMA Sasuke 130 Gouriki. We had never imagined this lure to be an asset for this sort of fishing but we may have found gold. Could this be the ultimate weapon for Black Bass hunting in the rivers? |
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| The trip felt both long and short, but after a week we had come to the end of our journey to find the Black Bass. An amazing one it had been... |
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