This is usually a great month to fish the rivers around Wagga Wagga. The daytime temperature is a tad more comfortable and the golden perch and Murray cod still bite well.

Over the past couple of months we have seen a lot of above-average fish come out of the Murrumbidgee, which is unusual for the hotter months.

This has quite a few local anglers excited about what will happen when the water starts to cool a little because traditionally this is when the larger specimens bite.

I think that in Autumn and early Winter we will see the most trophy fish come out of the Murrumbidgee for many years.

Lately it hasn’t really mattered what technique you used, provided you had a bait or lure close to structure you’d get some.

Pink/black spinnerbaits have been accounting for a large number of the legal (60cm) Murray cod. If trolling is your preferred method, try the 70mm AC Invader.

With so many legal cod caught over recent weeks, it’s important that we continue to be responsible in terms of how many fish we keep.

I heard a story recently about a group of anglers who kept 17 legal fish a weekend on the Murrumbidgee. Keeping this many is unnecessary and the effect it has on the local breeding population is huge. Surely a photo will suffice for proof of capture.

Things just haven’t been running to script at Lake Eucumbene over the past 12 months – the fishing remained exceptional through the heat of Summer.

Even flatline trolling produced fish throughout the hottest parts day, which is not really the norm for this time of year.

We should see the water cool a little towards the end of this month, which should only improve the fishing.

While there has been good fishing right throughout the day, early mornings and late evenings have been most productive for lure and fly.

There should be quite a bit of grasshopper action on the rivers, which should provide some exciting dry-fly fishing.

Lure casters can use very small surface lures to fool these hopper-feeding fish. It is not nearly as successful as fly-fishing, but it does provide some exciting surface action.

On the lake, mudeyes, ants and beetles have made up most of the fishes’ diets over recent weeks. That should make your fly choices a little easier.

There are still a lot of big brown trout coming into the shallows late and early. While reasonable rainbows are dominating most catches, always be prepared to hook up to a freight train at any time.

Lure anglers should focus on shallow water early and late and deeper water as the sun gets higher.

Use natural colours for best results but towards the end of the month some of the fish may be thinking about spawning and will be very aggressive. Try brighter colours like pink, red or orange to elicit an aggressive response.

Sadly, quite a few people have been disregarding their responsibilities and the rules of the lake.

Camping is not permitted on the lake’s foreshore at any access point except for the designated caravan parks.

Many visitors are not taking their rubbish with them, making the banks look like a rubbish tip.

There has been a lot of trouble created by men from four cars men with ACT plates. They seem to have a more interest in causing trouble than fishing.

Have some consideration for the farmers and the fishers who actually take pride in the land and do the right thing!