The last month of Winter is normally a great time to be on Blowering Dam.

Sure, it’s still fairly cold but if you rug up you barely notice the cold and the often glassed-out conditions enhance the beautiful scenery. And there are no ski boats to contend with and very few other diehard anglers, making for a great day on the water in anyone’s books.

On top of all this the fishing is often sensational, particularly if you’re after a feed of succulent redfin.

Redfin can be caught in huge numbers and some are of a very large.

As usual, these fish are best targeted vertically with lures, jigs or bait. They are normally fairly deep now, anywhere from 10m to 20m, but once a school is located it is quite easy to entice them to bite.

Just remember to keep your presentation moving and you’ll fill your keeper bag before you know it.

I discussed the new laws concerning redfin in NSW in my last report and would like to touch on the subject again, particularly at this time when most anglers at Blowering are targeting redfin.

It is very important that you have a good understanding of the new redfin rules because Fisheries officers generally won’t consider ignorance as a defence now that the regulation making redfin Class 1 noxious fish has been in place for six months.

A lot of people have mixed ideas on how they interpret the new law, under which it is illegal to possess, sell or transport live redfin.

If anglers are targeting redfin, the catch can only be stored dead, such as on ice in an esky.

According to the Fisheries press release, “Redfin can not be kept live in a bucket, keeper net, livewell or aquarium. NSW DPI does not currently prohibit anglers from returning live redfin to the water directly where they are caught, but we strongly urge anglers to utilise redfin as food or dispose of them humanely to reduce the potential impact from this species on native fish populations.”

“It also is still illegal to use live or dead redfin as bait in NSW.

“The listing covers Lake Mulwala and the Murray River to the top of its southern bank where NSW fishing rules apply. The listing does not apply in Lake Hume where Victorian fishing rules apply.”

So yes, you can still release redfin back into the water you caught them from if you have no use for them.

Anglers wanting to keep fish must kill them immediately, not keep them in a livewell or keeper net. Each fish must be killed as soon as it is caught.

Unlike in Victoria, where there is a bag limit on redfin (seems crazy, doesn’t it?), in NSW you can take home as many redfin as you like, as long as they are dead.

Having the fish killed on the water and not being allowed to possess live redfin will help prevent them from spreading even further.

Those who aren’t targeting redfin at Blowering this month will likely be seeking their last Murray cod fix before the close of the season at the end of the month.

Although the majority of Blowering’s cod anglers prefer to fish at night, the middle of the day can also be very productive now. The air and water temperatures are at their highest in the middle of the day and the fishes’ metabolism is also at its highest, so the normally nocturnal Blowering cod can feed, sometimes aggressively, in broad daylight.

This all changes once the water and air temperatures go above the cod comfort zone.

With all the creeks and rivers closed, the only options for those keen to catch trout are the lakes and what better lake for big rainbows and browns than Jounama Dam.

This picturesque little lake is a great place to take the family for a fun day beside the water.

Big trout and redfin fire here right after the close of the stream season, a bonus for local trout addicts who really can fish for good numbers of quality trout all year round.

The lake has fished well over the past couple of months and should continue so. Casting lures or flies from the bank is very productive but PowerBait, grubs or worms are also a great way of hooking into a trout.

If you’ve never been to Jounama I strongly recommend you take the time to stop in next time you’re on your way to the snowfields or more notable trout dams.