Lithgow/Oberon

Marching onwards and upwards

LITHGOW/OBERON Glen Stewart

stewie72@bigpond.com

It’s hard to find fault with the month of March, especially from a weather perspective. I guess that’s why camping and fishing is high on the agenda for many of us at this time of year.

Like you, I have some trips planned as the wideopen spaces beckon. It could be a COVID lockdown hangover but I don’t want to waste a single opportunity to venture forth.

With so much water around it will be hard to pick a spot. Back-to-back seasons such as this are rare, and we’ll be reaping the fruits of such inflows for years to come. DAMS FIRING

Wyangala will be hard to go past this month, with plenty of wide-open expanses that cater for hundreds of campers. The lake, when full, offers plenty of water to accommodate such an influx of people. The bait fishing right out the front of camp can keep you very busy, so make sure you take plenty of bait.

After dark, surface lure fishing opens the possibility of catching some cod, sometimes in the same place as you might have been bait fishing just hours before. That said, access to a boat does open a pandora’s box of opportunity when it comes to chasing cod and yellowbelly that’s hard to ignore.

Casting edges and flats after dark while quietly drifting is hard to beat. A lesser-known tactic that I rarely see used is to anchor and swing. It works a treat when used on a windblown point or bay. I first learnt it from the guys up in QLD when chasing impoundment barramundi. You’re basically waiting for the fish to come to you or move into a feeding zone. Multiple fish can be caught in the same location. Slight adjustments can be made quite easily by letting more rope out or tying off midships to shift the boat to either side of the bay or point. Hitting spot lock on the electric motor works a treat, but for ultimate stealth nothing beats a soft rope, some lead in a hubcap and a long drop.

My sources report that Windamere has been a little hit and miss. Adjusting techniques to suit the weed and slime growth has been critical. Recent water inflows may have lifted the level above the weed beds, which will help no end. Golden perch cruising weed bed and slime edges can be caught on midwater offerings such as jerkbaits and soft plastics when they are in the feeding mood.

Grubbing the trees is always a good fallback, just keep in mind that the slime depth around limbs stops at a certain level. Keeping the plastic below this is important.

Burrendong redfin captures have in some cases reached cricket sore proportions. It’s great if that’s what you’re chasing, but annoying if you’re after some golden perch. Upsizing lures can help, and changing

Catching golden perch on surface lures is a lot of fun. Paddler-style surface lures that move at a snail’s pace can trigger bites in low-light conditions.

locations is another tactic. SURFACE

LURE GOLDENS

Interestingly, I have been catching golden perch on surface lures lately. The breeding season of ducks has pretty much been continuous, and add to that the bumper season we saw in mice, and the result is more surfacefeeding fish. What would normally be an occasional meal has suddenly become the norm in some environments.

Light levels and timing are critical when it comes to catching goldens off the surface locally. It can literally come down to minutes, depending on cloud cover and the like.

Wing-style paddlers (ones that move very slowly) have been my go-to, but I’m sure other styles will work. It’s still very much a work in progress for me, but gee whiz it’s fun!

Hope to see you on the water soon. Until then, tight lines.

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is using a small cicada lure and casting under overgrown vegetation – just let the lure run with the current and float under the vegetation, and then twitch the lure to create ripples. It’s an exciting way to catch hard-fighting wild river bass. Getting the bass out of the snags, against the current is the hardest part when catching them.

Lake St Clair has been fishing well, and Glenbawn has been hot and cold. There are lots of small fish on the edge, with bigger fish out a bit deeper. With the continued influx of cooler water from the Barrington Tops running in and the ambient air temperature not being as hot as previous summers, the water temperature has not reached the extreme temperatures of previous years.

The fish have been hanging in 30ft of water. They can be caught rolling lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits through them, and I have been working my lures slowly and applying lots of scent. A slow retrieve and lots of scent seems to get more bites. I have been using the locally-made Dizzy Scent or S Factor. Dizzy scent has flavours that are made

A nice bass from the Hunter River.

specifically for Aussie bass and yellowbelly, and that’s a real advantage I think.

When fishing Gulps for deep bass there are a few tricks that increase success. Have a good sounder, watch your lure and the bass, and see how the bass react. Wind slowly. Remember not to strike but have a soft rod so when the bass suck in the Gulp, the rod slowly loads up. You can use a light leader because you’re fishing in open water and the bass can run to their heart’s content and there is nowhere to get busted off.

These are the basics; if you’re unsure of any of the above, drop into the shop and I can show you.

There are two tricks that I use to get finicky bass to bite. First, if the bass are following and not sucking in the curly tail, lift the bass above the school and then stop the Gulp. At this point, tap the back of the rod gently to make vibrations. The Gulp will sit there and vibrate, often enticing otherwise reluctant bass to bite. Dead sticking the Gulp also sometimes works if the bass are really shy. Admittedly, I find this particularly boring and will go and find another more active school.

The other trick I use is a reel with a reverse. If the fish are following and not taking, try winding slowly in reverse and sending the Gulp down. It takes a bit of practice but works.

Remember to only take what you need and preferably release your fish so others can also enjoy the sport. It’s also up to all anglers to man up, and if someone is doing the wrong thing to make them aware of it.

Next month I will continue with hints for what I refer to as the transition bite, the bite in between the summer and winter bite. This can be a difficult time but I find the trick is to keep an eye on water temperature and fish accordingly.

Remember, if you’re heading to Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.