When you are in gorgeous surroundings with Goldilocks weather (neither too hot nor too cold), catching fish at this time of year is always a bonus.

Most species are quite active and getting about freely, making them quite easy to catch at times.

At Blowering Dam your main target this month will likely be golden perch. The goldens so far this spring have been sensational, with some huge yellas proving that Blowering is up there with the best lakes in the country when it comes to landing a trophy golden.

I have been making the most of the great fishing, landing a heap of big goldens including a massive 661mm fish which is a pending ANSA length-only national record. It is not verified yet but I will keep you posted.

At Blowering countless 600mm-plus fish are caught each year so when fishing here you are always in with the chance of a monster. The next fish you hook could be that trophy you will never forget.

The awesome yella fishing should continue this month as these fish continue to bulk up on a smorgasbord of food.

Best time to target them, particularly on hotter days, is late afternoon but on those cooler days, particularly windy and overcast, they can bite in gentlemen’s hours in the middle of the day. This is great news if you don’t like those early starts or can’t hang around until the late afternoon bite.

Most anglers will target these fish with cast or trolled lures and it is hard to beat lipless crankbaits. The Balista Juggernaut has been my pick so far but others like the Jackall TN60 are accounting for plenty of fish.

Lipless cranks are very versatile as they work great on the cast and trolled. It seems every fish that swims likes them so you just never know what is going to whack one next.

There is a good chance of hooking a good trout while targeting the goldens at this time of year and you should also see a few redfin frequenting the shallows as well.

With the new stream season open we can fish the lakes or the running water.

Trout will be firing in the creeks and rivers by now but if there is a heap of rain just prior to your trip and the rivers are to high and dirty for lure and fly fishing, hit the lakes.

If you’re a bait fisher, however, stick with the higher flowing creeks and rivers; this is when bait fishing comes into its own.

Simply drift a lightly weighted garden worm or wood grub along in the slower parts of the creek and strike as soon as your bait stops drifting.

If it stops drifting, it has been eaten by a fish or has become stuck on the bottom. Either way, strike as if it is a fish because it is often hard to tell the difference but striking every time will increase your chances of hooking fish.

This month we should see a bit more dry-fly action as insect life becomes more prevalent.

Best time to try for some surface action is right on dusk but the odd trout will stick its nose out during the day for a well-presented grasshopper imitation.

Team the hopper dry fly with a red Copper John gold bead-head nymph on a dropper and you should be able to get into fish all day long.