There have been some good catches of bass and mullet coming from the local rivers and up the valley Glenbawn and St Clair have been producing some quality bass and the occasional golden perch.

Up on the Barrington Tops there have been reasonable numbers of rainbow and brown trout taking flies, bait and lures so the whole valley has plenty of active fish.

The waterways around Morpeth have been firing, with bass on lures and mullet on dough. The Hunter here gets very popular with skiers so you will need to get out very early.

This is the ideal time to target bass with surface lures worked in tight to cover. As the sun gets up, move to shallow-running lures worked parallel to the bank and then work deeper lures out in 3m-4m.

Ideal times this month are around the new and full moon when the bigger tides put a lot more flow into the river.

Up at Clarencetown, the Williams River has been fishing well but this month it does have a lot of skiers racing around so it is worth going up-river or heading down around Glenoak to get a little respite.

There are plenty of reeds along the banks so small lipless crankbaits and 1/4oz Bett’s Spins are very productive to get into the strike zone.

Lostock Dam has been producing good bass and this month can be very good if we don’t get any heavy rain. There are no skiers and there is plenty of good weed around the banks.

Fish are best targeted with lipless crankbaits and in low light, surface lures.

Lake St Clair is slowly dropping and although there is not a lot of good weed around, the fishing has been up to par.

This dam is super-popular with the skiers this month so you will have to fish up the arms to get some peace and quiet.

As there is not a lot of weed adjacent to the banks the baitfish are out deeper, around 4m-5m, where you will need to target the bass.

Every form of lure fishing will get fish this month, especially trolling to cover a lot of water on these very hot days.

I like to get out very early or late and target the bass with surface lures and jerkbaits, then progress to deeper water with crankbaits, blades and spinnerbaits.

At this water level there are not many trees adjacent to the edges for the bass to hold on so you must look for steep drop-offs and along the old river bed; this is where the fish will hole up during the day.

Up the Carrowbrook Arm are some good areas from Bird Point down to Walkers Bay and through to Redhead Bay. Another good area is around Perkins Point; work up to the north where there are plenty of deep drop-offs.

Up the Fallbrook Arm are some good spots at Andrews Point and in some of the bays on the western edge as you move up the arm. Then you can fish around Redhead Corner on the western side right through to Eurella Point.

Fishing with yabbies and shrimp can be very productive around the timber adjacent to some of those steep, rocky walls.

I haven’t seen too many catfish around but they should be there and they really like a bunch of worms fished from the banks.

The big lake can be a bit tough this month; there are plenty of boats on the water and the days can get very hot and humid. Luckily, with the dam at its present height there are heaps of areas you can still have it to yourself.

Worms, yabbies and crickets can be most rewarding around the timber in 10m, especially up the back of the dam around the Eagles Nest and around the rock wall near the 8-knots zone. Down the dam around Boat Harbour, Sunken Cabins and the North Run are also good.

The banks at the camping area are also very productive, especially late afternoon and into the night.

Trolling will produce good fish, especially around the Panhandle up to the Ruins and then along the front of the Boot and Castle Rock. You will need lures that get down around 5m-6m, my favourites are the Stuckey and Feral Catt.

I have had some new Marz lures to try, the VooDoo and Deep Six. I will let you know how they go.

For those who wish to slog it out on these hot days, try working cranks and spinnerbaits around the heavily timbered sections in around 5m during the day. And in the low light periods use surface lures and shallow plastics.

Some good spots to try are up the back of the dam in the 8-knot zone and Yellow Buoy Bay, which is sheltered from the south-easters that often hit late in the afternoon.