Hey, guys, The weather has well and truly heated up and the fish are on the chew. Now, it’s been a few weeks since I have been for a paddle due to work and the fact that the last 2 kayak trips resulted in a broken rod each time… But not to worry, all the bad memories will go away if I can have an amazing day on the water. So I hit the road to one of my favourite and best producing spots in hopes for some big bass and togas little did I know what I was in-store for! Earlier that morning I read something that I thought was a really good idea, it was from someone I have as a friend on Facebook and he said that for one month he will not fish anywhere he has been before and try all new ways of fishing to expand on what he does as an angler, I was thinking about this on the drive to my spot and I said to myself …I’m going to do that today, I am paddling in a different direction down river. I usually like heading up river as the snags are easier to cast on to and work the lure along because of the flood waters that push them that way. After a few missed fish and a bust off I came across a narrow very snaggy section that the water was flowing a lot faster through now. I always fish anything that looks good but the fast flowing part I usually don’t spend much time in, but today I was trying for something different. I didn’t know if Sooties populated this section of the river but I was going to find out. As I worked my way along every snag, cast after cast I finally got a hit I didn’t know what it was until I got it closer to the kayak and to my amazement it was a small sooty but I was over the moon, it did a nice self-release as I was holding it up to the camera but I didn’t mind to much I knew they were here and I was getting some more! I pulled my assassin onto the bank so I could work some really nice snags, after losing a couple of Sooties due to their amazing power and crazy fight they put up darting back and forth I put a really nice cast in and as soon as I did my first twitch I saw the water displacement from a fish right on my lure, and 2 seconds later it hit my lure like a freight train. It wanted to go home but I was not letting it eventually I got it away from the snags and I knew it was good fish, I got it into my net and that feeling is just crazy, that moment is what keeps us coming back spending countless hours on the water for that moment. 
After some photos, I gave him a really good swim to make sure he was ok and watched him swim off to fight another day. I went on to finish the day off by dropping 3 more Sooties, getting busted by another, losing one of my favourite lures only to go back 2 days later and find it on a snag 20m down river right beside where I was fishing how lucky is that. 
If you guys want to see the full action, watch my video below…
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Hey mate I’m from gladstone central Queensland and hav been chasing sooty in this area a a few years now and only managed two . They were stocked in the dam years Ago and bread in the feeder creeks . I see them everytime I go out for a fish and chase them but it seems they just aren’t interested in anything I offer . They will come out of the snags and weed beds and hav a look and just turn away . I’ve use spinner baits hardbodys soft plastics and even woke up at three to head out there to get the early surface bite but nothing . Was just asking if in certain times of the year u guys down there witness the same thing happen . Because what I’ve read and watched up north they are a really aggressive fish . Cheers
Yeah mate down here they can be very hit and miss even 1 day apart. They can be going crazy and then the next day nothing.
They can be very frustrating watching them follow your lure and then the turn their nose up at it. Try faster retrieve to maybe trigger a reaction bite and slower more subtle retrieve to see if they take it, thinking it is going to be an easy meal. Also make sure your cast is right in tight to any snags or areas they are hiding as they won’t have to leave the area, they feel safe in to feed but be ready because they are brutes and will hit super hard.
Another thing to look at what lb leader your using, maybe drop down to lighter leader as I have caught them on 10lb but when big ones hit you on that you know about it!!! So your better off getting a hook up on lighter line then never hooking up at all. Just keep trying it will pay off eventually and all the hard yards will have been worth it, as they are awesome fish to catch. Good luck!!!