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Blowering redfin line up
  |  First Published: February 2007



Blowering Dam will really live up to its reputation this month as fish start being caught in big numbers.

With the redfin stacked along the dam’s margins, the most popular technique will be trolling. Most fish will be somewhere between the bank and out to about 8m so trolling lures that run between 1m to 7m is your best bet.

Lures like the Stuckeys and smaller Custom Crafted models work like a charm on light gear. When used with a small soft plastic tied on a metre or so in front of the crankbait you have a set-up that won’t make its way threw to many schools of redfin with out hooking up.

These lures will also get you in on some golden perch action as the big yellas also have a liking for these lures as well as Merlins, Boomerangs, StumpJumpers, Oar-Gees, Jackalls and Nilsmasters.

Casting lures around the edges can be rewarding because the natives spend most of their time within casting range of the bank and can be caught on a variety of lures. Spinnerbaits work really well cast from the bank, as do lipless crankbaits, the main feature of both being that they can be fished at any depth required.

Casting small soft plastics, lipless crankbaits, Celtas, Rooster Tails and small deep-diving crankbaits will get you some awesome redfin action where at times it is possible to bag 10 fish in 10 casts once a school is located.

TUMUT RIVER

The flow of the river may have been up and down of late but the fishing certainly hasn’t been. The Tumut River has fished really well over the past couple of months and with grasshoppers around in the thousands, it’s not hard to work out what they’ve been taking.

Flyfishing has been great with lots of surface action mainly on big hopper patterns but there have also been plenty taken on nymphs and wets. I expect this trend to continue this month.

Spinning with Celtas, Blue Foxes, Rooster Tails, Rapalas or soft plastics should also see you nail a few, particularly in the deeper holes. Bait is working well with an unweighted juicy grasshopper drifted down the river the best technique but there have been a few nice fish caught on wood grubs as well.

MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER

There has also been a bit of surface action on the ’Bidgee with the local Murray cod accounting for big juicy grasshoppers or cicadas that have missed their landing. Chatterbaits, buzzbaits and Halco Night Walkers have all caught fish this Summer. Best times are the first and last few hours of the day or at night.

Spinnerbaits are working well with reds and greens the main fish-taking colours. There have been a few golden perch taken on lipless crankbaits as well as the odd trout cod.

The middle of the day in February can be pretty darn hot and the native fish tend to agree and will generally go out to deeper, cooler water in the middle of the day and need lots of coaxing to strike a lure.

But if you’re like me and still want to catch fish no matter what the weather, carp fishing is your best bet during the heat of the day. You can catch carp on virtually any bait – bread, dough, worms, maggots, corn, grubs, shrimp and yabbies, to name a few.

These baits are best used with no sinker or the smallest possible one you can use to keep your bait where you need it. Carp can also be caught with lures and flies on the surface and below, simply cast your offering to an actively feeding fish allow it time to notice and inhale your offering.

This is a great way of filling in normally quiet times on the water with some awesome arm-stretching action and you will also be doing your water way the world of good by clearing some carp out of our cod holes – great news for everyone.

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