The smallest of the Niugini Bass’s river catchments is the Ramu river at 640 kilometres/400 miles long.

Distribution and Habitat

We are staring off our coverage of Niugini Bass techniques with distribution and habitat for one very good reason. To remind you, if you have not read our niugini distribution page, that this fish is not found in lakes. While there are some small lakes, most of them are seasonal and are created in the rainy season by over flowing river basins.

The Niugini Bass is limited to Papua New Guinea in three major river catchments: the Fly River, the Sepik River and the Ramu River. They prefer the same habitat as most bass being found near or around sunken trees, debris, rock piles and other obstructions.

Not Found in Lakes

While they have the ability to survive in lakes, there are no reports of these fish being found there or having been introduced to lakes. As most of the lakes in Papua New Guinea are small, there is likely not enough food to sustain them – but that is hearsay and not based on any research.

Fly River

The Fly river is 1,050 kilometres/650 miles long and is the second longest river in Papua New Guinea. It starts off in the Star Mountains and crosses the south-western lowlands into the Gulf of Papua. It actually crosses into Indonesia for a bit. This river is filled with Niugini Bass with many reaching into the 30 pound range. Make sure you have at least 30 pound test line. However, 40 pound test is recommended. Trolling, bait casting and fly fishing are all highly effective with traditional baits like sardines, prawns, slimy mackerel, garfish, bonito, crabs, crayfish, catfish, frogs and salamanders.

Sepik River

The longest river in Papua New Guinea is the Sepik river. It is 1,126 kilometres/700 miles long starting off in the mountains and ending up in the north coast into the Pacific Ocean. It has a large catchment with swamps, tropical rain forests, jungles and mountains passing it by. Like the Fly river, this river is filled with Niugini Bass that reach sizes into the 30 pound range. It offers terrain perfect for bait casting, fly fishing and trolling along it’s length. The best flies to use include the black leech fly, diving bug fly, bass popper fly and the Dahlberg Popper.

Ramu River

The smallest of the Niugini Bass’s river catchments is the Ramu river at 640 kilometres/400 miles long. It starts off in the Kratke Range and empties into the Pacific ocean about 50 kilometres from where the Sepik river empties. The best lures imitate its main prey including sardines, slimy mackerel, garfish, bonito, crabs, frogs and salamanders. We recommend using the following lures: stump jumpers blue and yellow, the Reidy B52 and the Lively Lures Assassin and Mad Mullet.