fishingworld.com.au | September 2019 | 41OPPOSITE PAGE: A big
bass for Mal McCully.
LEF T: The editor with
a solid fish caught
upstream.
BELOW: Riccard Reimann
from Baia Sportfishing
and Ultimate One knows
this fishery better than
almost anyone and works
tirelssly to protect it.dirty water, similar to our experience on the first
day, meant trolling was a better option. We did
just that and had a great time with Doug and
George catching their first PNG black bass.
What really surprised us was the variety of
species inside these rivers. Besides the PNG black
bass and spot tail bass we were chasing, there
were plenty of white spot cod, big trevally,
tarpon, jacks, wolf herring, barracuda and even
an enormous bream caught on a Poltergeist. But
we weren’t there to catch bream!
Another surprise were the amount of fish
caught in the same spot over and over, despite
the constant trolling from several boats. These
fish weren’t exactly shy like some of our natives.
That said, a quiet approach doesn’t hurt and I'm
sure counts for more big fish.
We fished several of the rivers along the
coastline and for the most part didn’t travel
far upstream.
On the final day we made our way east along
the coast. We had half a day before making our
way back on Ultimate One for the overnight trip
back to Kimbe.
The river was cleaner. We trolled a few lures
around the mouth for a few saltwater fish and a
couple of cod. No bass. The guide suggested
making a longer run upstream. The weather was
warmer, more humid and a storm was building.f lexibilty in your fishing choices. If the wind
blows from a certain direction, you move. If the
rivers are dirty, again, you move and find clean
water. That type of choice to fish in various
locations often isn’t available any other way.
We left the islands behind and moved inshore
for the second leg of our journey. While we got a
good taste of river fishing the first day, waiting
for the late arrivals, the western end of West New
Britain was our ultimate destination for chasing
these legendary fish.
Ultimate One found anchorage outside the
mouth of the region’s biggest river. These rivers
are big and there are plenty of them. Within a
short distance, Baia Sportfishing has access to
about six rivers and each one of those stretches
long distances upstream. We didn't get the
opportunity to fish the headwaters – all the
action was down low – however I'm told the
spot tail bass action can be great and the
scenery spectacular.
Black bass are a lot like their close relative, the
mangrove jack and behave in a similar way to
many of our native sportfishing in Australia. They
love structure. Casting accuracy is important and
so is retrieve speed and lure choice.
We began casting around the river mouth with
dozens of log jams creating the perfect sanctuary
for the bass. Casting wasn’t working and the
The water got clear upstream. The birdlife was
vibrant and noisy and the backside vegetation
was like a scene from Jurassic Park.
The log jams and clear water meant casting
was back on the agenda. While trolling is an
effective method for catching bass, there’s no
doubt casting makes more exciting fishing.
These tough balls of muscle live up to their
reputation and once they reach a certain size
become seriously tough critters. The clear water
called for a more natural colour and all of my
fish on this day were caught on a 125mm Halco
Scorpian in a dark green hue. His was the best
day yet with over a dozen fish landed in a couple
of hours of casting the clear water snags. This
was the PNG black bass experience I pictured
and it didn’t disappoint!THE ULTIMATE COMBO
Eight days sampling the best of PNG sport fishing
was a great experience. Splitting a trip like this
between blue water and river bass fishing makes
the long journey and expense worthwhile.
The waters of PNG deserve so much more
exploring. There’s more to discover offshore,
along the reefs and inside the rivers. And a
boat such as Ultimate One with the team from
Baia Sportfishing is the perfect way of
exploring the area. ●