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Gold is now good enough
  |  First Published: September 2012



It’s that time of year when cod anglers all over NSW pack away their heavy gear and hope to god that the golden perch start firing.

The Murray Cod season is now closed until December and all cod captured must be returned to the water ASAP live and in good condition.

Over the past few months there has been a fair amount of consistency in the local rivers and creeks. Regular rain and Snowy Hydro releases have meant heights have fluctuated and water clarity has change from week to week.

While these have caused some tough fishing at times, those who have managed to get out on the water when the streams are running clear have experienced some success.

Trolling and casting 70mm and 50mm AC Invaders has produced mixed bags for a few gun fishos.

The key for early season goldens is getting your presentation as close to structure as possible.

Spinnerbaits have also been fooling a few fish and from all reports dark colours have been best. Try the Mudguts bass/yellowbelly in purple/black or red/black as a good starting point.

A great Spring option for those who like a challenge is chasing European carp on fly. I have been having a ball over recent weeks casting small Woolly Buggers on my new Stalker AIRE 6wt to fish sighted in very shallow water.

Put your fly 60cm in front of the fish, slowly drag it through the mud and hold on when the carp takes it. Be prepared for some backing-burning action.

EUCUMBENE

This dam has not slowed down since last Spring and continues to produce some outstanding results. This has been the best year on Eucumbene for as long as many fishos can remember.

Spring is possibly the best time to fish this place as the snowmelt usually has the lake on the rise covering fresh ground, so expectations are very high for the next few months.

A huge number of fish are back from spawning and are feeding aggressively. This action will increase through the month.

Flies, lures and bait have all produced great numbers of fish in recent weeks.

PowerBait in any colour will produce rainbows while chunky cheese flavour seems to be the only PowerBait that the browns like.

The best option is to fish a mix of PowerBait and fresh bait, enabling you to have a good shot at hooking one of those big Spring browns that Eucumbene is famous for.

Land-based fly and lure anglers will have the most success fishing the shallow bays at dawn and dusk, when those big browns venture into the shallows.

Lure casters can’t go past paddletail or stickbait soft plastics in dark or natural colours. A smelt colour is my first choice throughout Spring.

Woolly Buggers, Woolly Worms and beadhead nymphs will have fly casters tangling with fish.

Trolling the edges has been highly successful for huge numbers of rainbows and the odd brown. Yellow winged lures, blades and various minnow patterns have attracted fish and if you find a bank that produces a few fish, make sure you do quite a few runs along it. You will be surprised how many trout you can pick up in the one spot.

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