Bass on a budget by Jamie Douglas

We all experience times when we don't have a lot of cash lying around but really want to get away from it all and throw a line at our favourite species. Just because money is tight it doesn't mean you should miss out; in fact a recent 'budget bass' trip turned into a trip of a lifetime.

After a long awaited trip to the Territory for some run-off action was unfortunately cancelled, a new plan was hatched. Still wanting to conserve funds for a rescheduled Territory trip, myself and a couple of mates, Stuart and Chris, came up with the idea for a quick getaway at minimal cost.

The plan was for a three day camping trip at a cost of around $100 each for everything: camping, food, the lot!

We didn't want to make it a massive production, the old adage 'Keep it Simple Stupid' immediately came to mind. Kayaks, swags, and whatever could fit in the ute and trailer was all we planned to take. After some discussion, some recent articles and You Tube videos, it was decided the venue for this adventure was to be Ewan Maddock Dam near Landsborough; a new impoundment for us and one that was full of promise. Research dug up some nice catches of 50cm+ bass, the odd yellowbelly and some mighty saratoga - we were sold!

After a bit more investigation, I discovered the only campsite on the actual dam was called Wildeco. Their website suggested that they only catered for groups of 20 or more, however I thought I'd try my luck. After a quick email it was discovered that they were more than happy to accommodate three 'quiet blokes who cause no trouble'...well, I had to tell them something! We must have been relatively well behaved because the new managers of the site are now looking at opening the park up to the public for camping and day trippers.