Don’t you just love it when the warm breeze ushers away the chilly gloom of winter and life’s tempo seems to take on a whole new beat?

It’s a time of plenty, when rising water temperatures prove the catalyst to what seems an overnight explosion of growth.

From seemingly nowhere, shrimp begin to emerge and, as the weather continues to warm, their numbers quickly multiply.

These tiny, transparent crustaceans become the staple diet of fish and the most accessible bait available to anglers.

It’s amazing how something so plentiful makes such great bait, but they are a lot less flighty when pinned to a hook.

Like the shrimp, the golden perch have come out of hiding and have embraced the activity that enables them to secure an easy meal.

Fat and round, they continue to feed their gluttonous appetites and then feel the need to breed. They are not so lucky as to fall under the same blanket closures that enable Murray cod to propagate undisturbed but rely on weight of numbers to ensure future generations remain sustainable.

It is indeed a busy time as anglers and fish enjoy the hot bite.

The Murrumbidgee at Balranald has begun to fire as anglers report good numbers of golden perch on small hardbodied lures, spinnerbaits and a variety of baits. Darker lures such as purple or black have been bringing the best results.

Shrimp have proved reliable bait, as have small yabbies, especially when bobbed among the timber.

Similar results have been had along the Murray around Belsar Island and downstream to Robinvale.

Some larger fish have been reported in the pool water around Euston, the biggest a whopping 4kg. Most have been landed on smaller hardbodied lures with the 50mm Crazy Deep Poltergeist very effective.

The majority of the bigger specimens have been returned to the river because these fish are generally larger females full of roe.

The Murray River at Wemen continues to fish well and is always a no-brainer when it comes to getting a spring run of goldens.

This section of river seems to hold good numbers of perch and while they are not all monsters, they are often plentiful enough to keep you quite busy.

Bait anglers do well fishing along the edges of backwaters around the rock bars and clay banks. Shrimp and worm cocktails are a productive combination that will tempt most fish, as are small yabbies and scrub worms.

Lipless crankbaits have become very popular among anglers chasing golden perch along the Murray. Around Mildura, they seems to be the top lure for those casting below the locks or around the rock bars and the results speak for themselves. This area has experienced some excellent fishing with the arrival of the warmer weather and this should continue so over the coming weeks.

The action should continue to be very good until the cod season reopens, let’s make the most of the beautiful conditions and the great run of goldens.