I guess with a little more experience casting in confined areas, I may have been able to get the fly out far enough to give myself a chance. As the Olympics drew to a close, so too did my fishing. When the trip began the thought of catching a bass was purely a distant dream. However, with a little bit of local advice every cast ended up being made with an air of expectation that it would produce a fish.

Bass weren't the only fish that were prolific in the Nepean. European carp, herring, mullet and eels would also have provided some great fun on light tackle in the shallow water. The tackle I used for the bass was an ultralight Shimano Estuary rod accompanied by a small Silstar spinning reel filled with 2kg Pretest. I tied the spinner bait directly to the main line using a blood not, however a shock leader may be used as added reassurance against bigger fish.

Due to the fact the water was slightly murky I used a black and red Kokoda John Bethune spinner bait. Although I had no success with the fly rod, I was told that surface poppers such as dahlberg divers, small crickets, frogs and mouse patterns work well.

A word of warning though, red bellied black snakes are also abundant in and around the banks of the river, and I strongly recommend wearing rubber boots. Also, much of the riverfront access is via private property, so permission to fish needs to be sought beforehand. The Olympics may be over for another four years but, rest assured, it won't be that long before I'll make the journey across to the east coast in search of another bass or two.

This time however, there won't be any restrictions as to the amount of gear I can take, not unless my mum plans to come along.