NSW
Finding right depth for active fish HUNTER VALLEY
Nick Price
The fishing at Glenbawn has really fired up in the last couple of months, with the bigger fish being caught deep. Fish
be seen on the sounder in both lakes. If one school of bass is not in the mood to eat, move around until you find bass that are feeding. Often bass will be seen sitting at different depths, with bass at a particular depth more
Short, sharp hops at the correct depth will excite the fish and cause a reaction bite. Once one fish is caught, the excitement and vibration of the fish usually fires up the remainder of the school. If the bass are quiet and do not respond to an ice jig then use a black curly tailed Gulp and retrieve it very, very slowly. Use a soft rod and when you get a bite, do not strike. Let the rod do the work. When people are learning this technique it is natural for them
to instinctively strike, and this unfortunately misses most fish. When looking for edge fish, look for actively growing green weed. The fish in winter move up into the weed to feed during the winter months, and can be caught on jerkbaits and plastics. There are many subtle tricks when using both of these techniques and I will talk about them at a later date, or you can drop in to the shop and I can show you. Since Glenbawn has risen considerably over the last 12
A big eel landed and released from the Upper Hunter. Instead of being a ‘fisher of men’, this local Anglican minister became a fisher of fish! have still been caught on the edge using plastics and lipless crankbaits. As the water cools, these edge fish will be caught on jerkbaits and small plastics. When fishing deep, a good sounder has been a must to sound the depth the bass are sitting. Due to water temperature, the bass sit at their most comfortable depth. There is food at depth in the form of smelt. Big schools of smelt can
actively feeding. In the same way when edge fishing bass feed at a certain type of bank, bass will be more actively feeding at a certain depth. When the fish are active you will see them moving on your sounder. It’s easy with Livescope, but even using traditional images you will see the fish lines move on the screen. When targeting these fish, try ice jigs and blades first.
A nice bass caught off the surface.
months, the carp population has exploded. In June there will be a Carp Fishing Competition at Glenbawn with lots of prizes, and it should be good fun. More and more people are heading to Glenbawn chasing carp. Worms and corn seem to be the preferred baits, while soft plastics and fly are the most popular artificials. That said, the carp have been super aggressive and have been taking lipless crankbaits as well. There are many big carp in Glenbawn, well over 10lb. These fish fight hard and
are good sport, just be sure to dispose of them responsibly. June is a month where the fish are moving more to the edge but still can be found deep. Next month I will further explore fishing the winter deep bite. Remember, if you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, 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.
Time to get out and enjoy the autumn weather NEW ENGLAND RIVERS
Adam Townsend
The New England Tablelands received some heavy downpours leading up to Easter that added some colour to the creeks and rivers, as well as giving them a decent flush out. This proved to be good timing just before the holiday period started, as many of the bigger rivers had been looking in pretty bad condition, with low water levels and plenty of algae laying around.
Blue skies, glassed out water and big cod. The impoundments and surrounding rivers can really turn it on at this time of year.
Night-time surface munching Murray cod fishing always gets the heart racing. The chunky cod couldn’t resist the wooden Kingfisher Paddler under the cover of darkness. 72 MAY 2023
Both Copeton and Pindari dams had been dropping in water levels pretty rapidly before the rains, however both have since jumped back up again, which made for some pretty awesome fishing opportunities over the holidays and into May. The water levels have been coming up quickly, resulting in an abundance of bait life now sitting on the edges. I have found these areas to be ideal for casting lures and baits, as that is where the bigger predatory fish such as Murray cod and yellowbelly have been hunting for their next meal. Bear in mind that feeding patterns don’t always stay
the same for too long, so you may want to mix it up and change lures or even retrieve speeds until you find what works best on the day. Being flexible can mean the difference between a good fishing trip or going home empty-handed. The full moon will be above on the 6th of May, with the new moon falling later on in the month, on the 20th. With the air and water temperatures noticeably a lot cooler now heading into the last month of autumn, it can make the challenge of fishing at night or even early mornings a little harder. Still, the rewards are always worth it at this time of year if you spend a lot of time on the water. The next several weeks will be where the bait life in and around the water become more lethargic, with some even colder weather still yet to come in just a few weeks’ time. This is when replicating those baits will put you in with a good chance at catching one of the monster Murray cod these waterways are known for. When the moon is full and bright, I like to throw lures with a big presence like swimbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and so on. Some of my favourites include the Megabass Garuda with
a chin-weight, Cod-King Chatterbaits and Westin 2oz Spinnerbait to gain attention under the moonlight, with white being my go-to colour. Later on in the month
favourites for the natives all year round, and definitely catch their fair share of big fish. Copeton Dam currently sits at 91%
Cold, foggy mornings always seem to have big Murray cod on the move, looking for bait in the shallows or high in the water column. At these times it’s hard to beat blind casting big swimbaits. as the new moon comes around, my approach changes. Surface lures that best replicate water dragons (lizards) or paddlers like the jointed Kingfisher that replicate injured birdlife, start to work their way to the top of the tackle box a fair bit more. These terrestrial creatures are known to be
after rising from 84% in a matter of days, while Pindari Dam sits at 85%. Here are the levels for both dams over the past few months: Copeton Dam – May - 91%, April - 84%, and March - 89%; Pindari Dam – May 85%, April - 84%, and March - 94%.
