New England Rivers

Golden perch come out to play

The spring gold rush

NEW ENGLAND RIVERS Adam Townsend

As sad as it can be that the Murray cod season has come to a close in the rivers and impoundments for another year (excludes Copeton, Blowering and Eildon dams), it has shaped up to be one of the better seasons in many years. I am not just talking numbers of fish caught or the quality that has been have had to battle harsh elements such as drought, algae blooms and even ash run-off from the bushfires. However, this season proved to be a whole lot easier for the fish species with little to worry them, except the odd flood from heavy rains, which sometimes can really only benefit them in the end anyway. Floods are good at flushing out debris, leading to cleaner, healthier flowing rivers in the end. And with recent rainfalls occurring of

Carp on fly is awesome fun and can make for some very exciting fishing while the cod are spawning. It has been another really good season on the Murray cod and, with rivers flowing nice and clear, it will be even better next year if the cod are left to do their thing.

targeting Murray cod in Pindari is prohibited from 1 September right through until 1 December, so if you are planning on fishing for cod, make sure you are doing it at Copeton.

Golden perch, however, can be abundant in Pindari and are very fun fish to target, as well as the catfish and silver perch which smaller baitfish at this time year. Smaller blades such as the Ecogear ZX, and vibe lures such as Jackall TNs, Megabass rattles and Mazzy Vibes work exceptionally well as both the weather and water temperatures start to

Vibes work well on perch species at this time of year and are always recommended to have in the tackle box.

warm up coming into spring. With Pindari receiving lots of water from upstream after recent rainfalls, the dam filled rapidly and is now sitting up around full capacity at the 100% mark. It has been many years since the last time it was full.

Copeton Dam also filled fairly quickly after rain events back in late July, however with a lot more ground to cover, Copeton is currently only sitting around the 63% mark and is still a long way from full capacity.

The trout breeding closure is still in effect in NSW, seeing a lot of rivers and creeks still currently closed until the October long weekend. This includes the Beardy, Mann and Swanbrook rivers as well as the Upper Gwydir, Macyntire and Severn rivers, just to name a few. Check the DPI website for more info if you are unsure.

With the weather warming up quickly and the perch species firing up, it should shape up to be another cracking month to be out on the water. Good luck and tight lines.

When dams are on the rise, new insect life is pushed up along the banks. Focusing on newly-flooded areas that are backed up with debris can increase your chances at finding active fish.

caught all throughout the year, but more along the lines of conditions the rivers and fish have been in, compared to seasons gone by.

In past years, the animals in and around the water late, it’s all looking good just in time for the annual Murray cod and golden perch spawning period.

Both Copeton and Pindari dams remain available to fishing activities, however also call Pindari home. Casting smaller lures at this time of year is not only recommended to limit the cod captures being caught, but it will also increase the perch catches as they love to dial in on shrimp and

ALBURY/WODONGA Connor Heir

Winter has finally come to an end, and coinciding with this is the end to the Murray cod season. You can’t target Murray cod from now until December 1, with the exception of the few impoundments that do not have a season closure.

With cod not being the focus for the next three months, it’s time to turn our attention to something else. I’m predicting this spring to be an exceptionally good season for golden perch in both Lake Hume and the river locally.

The past winter has been very wet, allowing plenty of water to fill

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