Southern Africa: Five Top Bass Anglers Reveal Their Must-Have Baits
Many anglers know about southern Africa’s great bass fishing.
What they don’t know are the top five ‘must have’ baits of Africa’s top anglers.
Here’s the rundown . . .
Darryl ‘DQ’ Quinton (left) and Shane Estran celebrating their Gold Medal win at the World Bass Fishing Championships, where South Africa edged out the USA pro angler team. Their children join in the celebration.
DARRYL ‘DQ’ QUINTON
Multiple Protea Angler (20 Caps)
2003 South Africa Bass Angler Association (SABAA) Wrangler Angler (Rated #1)
2005 Southern Divisional Championships
Selected to represent South Africa on six World Championship Teams (2012-2019)
Represented South Africa in team events in 10 different countries
Africa Sales Rep – Southside Trading (Shimano)
Largemouth Bass PB – 11.06 lbs
Darryl ‘DQ’ Quinton is one of the most recognized bass anglers in southern Africa. When DQ speaks everyone listens, so it’s no surprise there’s a run on the ever-popular Megabass Vision 110 Jerkbait.
“It’s not your average jerkbait,” DQ tells me. “It’s one of my must-have baits.”
The top ranked angler lauds the lure’s efficiency in castability, balance, sound, and high-end components. The unique sound chamber allows fish to easily find the bait in all water colours. He also regards it an ideal search bait.
DQ says southern Africa bass are ambush predators that cling to cover, whereas in North America bass can be more nomadic, following schools of baitfish. The Vision 110 Jerkbait allows him to go after bass where they hide.
He fishes the lure in two ways, either a fast, jerking, erratic retrieve, or countdown to a specific depth, then long pauses of 10-20 seconds followed by several erratic jerks.
His favourite colour is bone.
Trophy angler Wayne Naude with four bass caught while drop-shotting a pearl Terror Craw in twenty feet of water. Two of the bass are more than eight pounds.
WAYNE NAUDE
South Africa Big Bass Record Holder
Protea Angler
Two Time National Artlure Champion
Fishing guide – The Hunt for Trophies FB Page
Largemouth Bass PB – 15.8 lbs.
Wayne Naude has a thing for small, white pearl craw baits. It seems an odd choice. There are no crayfish in his home waters, white is an off-colour and he hunts only trophy bass. Then again, Naude is accustomed to bucking the odds.
The two-time National Artlure champion remains attuned to all that happens beneath the surface. Artlure is an Afro/European competitive event scored by the number of species caught in a day, from the smallest minnow type fish to the largest predatory ones. It has provided Naude with an insight few anglers possess.
“Have you ever seen newly hatched carp, kurper (Tilapia) or muddies (Mudfish)?” Naude asks and quickly answers. “They all appear whitish, translucent or off white underwater.”
Africa’s big bass record holder began using white plastics while sight fishing for large bass in clear water. The success led him to deep water where he continued to nab giant bass on small, white baits. His familiarity with all species of forage helped him to understand the significance of a white plastic, lure.
Naude’s favourite set up today is a pearl-coloured Venom Lures Terror Craw on a drop shot rig. He fishes it over structure in 10-20 feet of water, against trees and even drags it though shallow grass.
“There’s just something about that Terror Craw . . .” says Naude.
SHANE ESTRAN
Represented South Africa on Protea/Presidents teams for the last 25 years
Represented South Africa in team events in 10 different countries
Northern Natal Regional Champion 10 times.
Natal Provincial Champion 3 times.
South African Champion (Wrangler Angler)World cup gold medal winner and two silver medal finishes
Largemouth Bass PB - 12.2 lbs.
6TH SENSE SQUAREBILL CRANKBAIT
Shane Estran doesn’t leave the dock without a 6th Sense squarebill rigged and ready to go.
“I love to use a squarebill crankbait,” Shane tells me.
The champion angler prefers 6th Sense squarebills due to the selection of colours that portray African baitfish. He prefers the colours of Gilliken, Tilapia and even bluegill because they have horizontal bars that mimic Africa’s main forage species.
He also prefers the 6th Sense range of different size baits. He matches the lure to the predominant size of baitfish.
“Most of our dams are nice and full after years of drought and there is a ton of flooded wood, grass and rocks up on the banks, where these baits come through very effectively,” Shane says.
The structure draws baitfish and bass, and a squarebill draws them out of the cover. He finds it important to deflect the lure off structure to trigger bites.
“Active and lethargic fish alike cannot resist the wobble and vibration of a square bill,” he says.
Duncan Murfin with a ten-pounder caught on a protype of his soon to be released Tilapia glide bait.
DUNCAN MURFIN
Former Associate Editor of South Africa’s Bass Angler magazine
Marketing Manager for Sensation Tackle Distributors
Largemouth Bass PB – 11.55 lbs.
SWIMBAIT
If it’s big, trophy bass you want, a giant glide bait or swimbait might be the way to go. Duncan Murfin thinks so.
“I got tired of catching smaller fish and decided to exclusively target big fish,” says Duncan. The process sent him on a quest to build his own swimbait, perfect it and market it.
Duncan’s soon-to-be-released glide bait imitates Tilapia in size, shape and appearance. Kurper, as they are called in southern Africa.
The swimbait will draw wide appeal, Duncan says. Tilapia are widely distributed in the world and a targeted forage species throughout the southern USA and Mexico.
Duncan has been fishing various prototypes over the last two years. His glide bait has accounted for plenty of double-digit trophy bass.
I’ve never seen a fish “lose their mind” like they do with a big swimbait, Duncan tells me.
The newly-designed swimbaits should be on the market sometime in the next few months. Duncan has yet to announce the name of his bait. Stand by.
“Glides and swimbaits are still in their infancy in southern Africa and the guys throwing them are keeping their mouths shut,” Duncan says.
Ben Gottschalk (left) and brother Frank with a brace of double-digit spinnerbait bass caught in Swaziland, Africa.
FRANK GOTTSCHALK
Lowveld Bass Trail (LBT) Season Winner – Multiple top 10 finishes
Lowveld Largemouth Series (LLS) Top Five finishes
2nd Place SABAA National Rankings
Mpumalanga FLW Series – USA Team Qualifier
Largemouth Bass PB – 14.82 lbs.
VENOM LURES DOUBLE TURTLE SPINNERBAIT
Frank Gottschalk has logged an impressive number of tourney wins using his go-to bait, the Venom Lures Double Turtle Spinnerbait. It’s rare to find him fishing anything else.
When asked why he sticks almost exclusively to a spinnerbait, he answers simply, “Baitfish!!”
The Lowveld angler slow rolls spinnerbaits around ledges and deeper water during the colder months and works the bait moderate to fast in shallow water during the warmer months. He frequently rips a spinnerbait at ultra-high speed through cover in warm water.
“I was fortunate enough to stumble onto spinnerbaits as a kid and . . . I never could have known how this great versatile bait would give me a great angling career,” says Frank.
The young angler caught his PB of 7 odd pounds the first time he threw a spinnerbait and over the years, as he learned the nuance of spinnerbait fishing, continued to break records.
His PB in South Africa on a spinnerbait is 11.5 pounds. His PB in Botswana on a spinnerbait is 14.82 pounds.
“My favourite spinnerbait of choice is most certainly the ½ oz Venom Double Turtle Spinnerbait,” Frank says.
Venom Lures Double Turtle (top) and Mammie Hammer spinnerbaits in a colour combo created by Frank Gottschalk to match the indigenous Tilapia species.
George Robey is a well-travelled angler, a generous host, a superior multispecies fisherman and a great writer. He was kind enough to share this piece with us. George, and American by birth, lives in South Africa with his wife Catherine and runs All Outdoors Africa.
