NSW
Right now it’s time to March ALBURY/WODONGA
Connor Heir
Finally, we’ve seen many of our local creeks and rivers start to return back to normal flows and clarity after a long wait. And with more regular flows and better clarity, naturally comes better
well worth the wait. Over the past few months I’ve been mainly fishing Lake Mulwala in preparation for upcoming competitions held there, however with the small water systems starting to clear up it’s been impossible not to go foot trekking and doing river floats in the kayak and punt. I have been getting
A swimbait-munching clear water cod. fishing opportunities for we Murray cod anglers. As previously mentioned in reports from the past few months, good system flushes are super important and beneficial to a waterway’s health, which improves fishing once these flushes pass through. However, for the past year or so it’s just been rain after rain, keeping our local systems high and dirty. But now, we really do have some excitement brewing, many of our local systems are flowing nicely again, and the fishing is proving to be
some really good numbers of fish from the rivers and creeks locally lately, and I’ve heard reports of other anglers landing over 50 fish for weekend trips around the region. Numbers like this are crazy, and it’s so good to see this happening across many different waterbodies too. March is always a good time to be on the water, especially the rivers and creeks. Typically, the days start to get a bit cooler, making it easier on anglers to spend large amounts of time on the water, and fishing in March on the numbers side of things seems to always be one of the best months to get good numbers. The best thing to do is just explore, find public access points, and plan floats or wander on foot. There are countless places to fish around our region, you just have to get creative and adventurous with it. The recent flows have created some really good opportunities so we might as
well make the most of it! Obviously, some days will be slow, while on other days the fish will be switched on. Patterns become more noticeable with certain weather trends, flow, clarity, and water temperatures for the waterways fed by impoundments. Another factor I’ve always been influenced by is the activity of cicadas. This year we have seen a later than usual cicada hatch, which means these critters will continue to sing in our ears for longer than usual. In my experience, when the cicadas are going mental, much of the time the surface
By-catch yellowbelly are common in the rivers at this time of year.
Rhys Wilson with a small water cod from a recent trek he did with the author covering nearly 10km of water. Bone Focus 130 swimbaits have been a standout on these fish. It’s been so good to be back in the punt doing river floats again. After the systems have had bulk flushes, the fish are in fine shape.
fishing in particular will be more productive. To wrap it all up, I am predicting that March will be
a nice, productive month on the numbers side of things. I’m super excited for what’s to come, and touch wood
there will be no massive dumps of rain to put us back in the waiting queue again. Tight lines.
Waterways and fish in transition HUNTER VALLEY
Nick Price
This month I will discuss transition fishing. As I write this report, the water temperatures have not been as hot as they usually are at this time of year, and the bass are being found on the edge. They can be caught with reaction style lures such as spinnerbaits and square bills, but lipless crankbaits have been the real standout. The trick to catching the fish is finding the fish. This might sound like an obvious statement, but the fish are found in patches at the moment, and seem to be in schools of year classes that are all of similar size. When you find a patch of fish and catch one or two, keep working that bank and you will pick more up. Lately the fish
have been located in steep banks covered with heavy cover in the form of larger trees (not spindly bushes). They seem to be in the deeper water, 10-20m, and I assume that’s because the water temperature is more stable at this depth. The shallows have a wider temperature range with the hot days and cool nights. I have been mainly catching fish on squarebills and TN60s. The squarebills
are very snag-resistant and bounce off the timber. When bouncing off the timber they cause a small sediment explosion, and this excites the fish. Often the fish hit just after the squarebill bounces off a snag. When using a Jackall TN, make sure you trick it up. Put a blade on the TN to give it a bit more flash. This can be in the form of a beetle spin, or you can replace the back treble with a bladed
Trout fishing is one of the best forms of stress relief.
treble. We have plenty in the shop as they really make a difference. Make sure that you use heavy leader; I use 20lb for this type of fishing. The bass are very aggressive, and even a small bass will brick you in the timber. There are many large carp in Glenbawn at the moment, and these fish are very aggressive. They are being caught on everything! Lots of people are targeting them with bait and achieving cricket score numbers, while the lure fishers are catching their share when chasing bass. I like to chase the carp with the fly. They are great practice, there are lots of them and they go really hard. If you have not tried this I recommend you give it a go. The trout are in serious trouble in the more marginal streams in the Upper Hunter, with a distinct lack of rainfall and associated increase in water temperature. To catch trout consistently at the
A fantastic first trout caught on a soft plastic. moment I would recommend moving further up towards the Barrington Tops, where both the ambient temperature and water temperature are cooler. After three La Niña years, the trout have done very well and there are some large specimens in the 2kg range to be found. Here’s praying that the rain continues for not only the farmers’ sake, but also for the trout! April is a month where the fish are moving more to
the edge. Next month I will further explore transition fishing. The fish are not on the winter bite but are getting close. Remember, if you’re heading up to the Barrington, 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. MARCH 2023 75
