Even in this day and age it seems that there is no shortage of meatheads in the world, and the new trend for these morons appears to be spear fishing golden perch and Murray cod at Blowering Dam.

Sadly it seems that what Blowering Dam is famous for could just be its own downfall as more and more of these meatheads get word of this ILLEGAL practice of shooting golden perch that are sunning themselves in the shallows.

Spear fishing of any sort is totally prohibited in inland waterways.

If you are reading this and are one of those guilty of spear fishing then you want to take a good hard look at yourself.

There is no sport whatsoever in shooting a golden perch or Murray cod that will most of the time just sit there below your boat: any idiot with a spear gun could do it.

Secondly the small heroic feeling you get when you shoot one will be heavily outweighed by the fact that you have to live with it on your conscience forever and knowing full well you can’t brag about it because it is illegal.

I know most people do the right thing and if you’re not one of those guilty then you probably feel as sick to the stomach as I do about the whole situation.

Fisheries in the area know all to well about what is going on and are endeavouring to catch those responsible. But they have a big area to cover and they cannot be at Blowering Dam all the time so it is up to us all to report anyone you know or see spear fishing.

If we all unite on this and do our best to report offenders we might just be able to nip this in the butt before they desecrate a great fishery.

On a lighter note those who have been targeting golden perch with legal techniques have faired really well, especially after the water finally cleared from the massive top ups it received all through winter and early spring.

Since then the golden perch have been willing to hit a well-presented bait, lure or fly, with the only key being to stick to the freshly flooded margins of the dam.

There is an amazing amount of insect life in the shallows at the moment, as well as freshly flooded worms and frogs, which is mainly why the goldens have been sticking to the edges of the dam.

As is always the case, those who work the hardest are the most rewarded and repeat lure casting has been paying dividends for those prepared to put in the hard yards.

Small profiled spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, soft plastics and small floating and suspending hardbodies have all had their moments. Trolling with these same lures has also been working well.

Bait fishing with small yabbies or grubs has accounted for plenty of goldens of late and this should continue through the rest of the month.

While there has been plenty caught on bait during the day, those nocturnal fishos have probably faired slightly better.

The key to their success is to either actively fish your bait like you would with a soft plastic.

Allow it to sink to the bottom then slowly lift the bait up off the bottom, let it freefall back to the bottom, leave it sit for up to a minute, then repeat the process all the way back to the bank.

If you don’t want to actively fish your bait like this, then it pays to check your bait every fifteen minutes or so. This means you’re at least moving your bait regularly and ensures you’ve got a fresh bait on at all times, which will help to attract fish to your area.

The redfin fishing through winter was sensational this year and surprisingly they are still around and getting caught in fairly good numbers.

Although most fish have been caught while jigging there have been more and more redfin being caught both casting and trolling in fairly shallow water.

There are still plenty of schools out in deep water that are best targeted with jigging techniques. These school have dispersed from their massive pre-spawn schools into much smaller schools, some of which are already game enough to be feeding up in the shallower margins of the dam, which is great for land-based anglers from the shore.

Land-based anglers will start to do well with small spinners, soft plastics, blades and lipless crankbaits.

Alternatively bait fishing with garden worms or small yabbies will also start to account for plenty of redfin and a possible golden perch by-catch.

Boat anglers will also do well casting the above mentioned lures around the dams points.

Trolling with these lures until you come across a school is a good way of locating them; cast like crazy until the school shuts down, then troll again until you find another school.

This is a great way to spend a day with the kids as you’re doing different things all the time and catching fish regularly, which should keep them entertained and happy and, most importantly, keen to go fishing again and again.