Fishing in the Tamworth area has been quite good considering the drought-affected state of the region.

Recently I took a friend, Andrew Springall, out for a late-night fish. Andrew has recently moved back to Tamworth after a stint up Darwin. He had caught one cod on a surface lure and was hooked so I had to take him to my favourite cod spot.

We pulled up at the river and it was looking great. I noticed one other person there in his canoe and he had just caught a little cod.

We headed upstream away from this guy and decided to try our spinnerbaits. On the first cast of my purple Bassman I felt a little bite but no hook-up but on about the third cast I hooked a nice little cod.

After this I decided to switch to a surface lure and I managed to land three more small cod. I also got a massive surprise when I caught a golden perch on the surface, something I have never seen before.

I also managed to catch a silver perch on surface – I have caught plenty of silvers on deep divers but never on top so it was turning into a special outing.

Andrew managed to land himself a nice little cod and we released all of the fish we caught on a memorable night for both of us.

Most of the dams around this area are pretty low.

Chaffey Dam is extremely low but the water is very clear so the fish are very spooky. Because of this it is a good idea to use light line and a bright lure .

Split Rock is an absolute disgrace, With about 2800 megalitres being let out every day, it is now sitting at roughly 5%.

Keepit is looking good with water from Spilt Rock flowing into it and the cod, goldens and silvers are all loving it. The river end of Keepit seems to be the place to go, with reports of a 7.25kg yella being caught.

My dad, Barry, has relocated his fishing shop to the leading boat shop in Tamworth, Tamworth Boat Sales, on the corner of Kable Avenue and Roderick Street. Shane Dewhurst from Tamworth Boat Sales is the Yamaha and Ally Craft dealer and also has some fantastic boats made by Allylight Marine, who make craft for weekend water enthusiasts and for tournament anglers.

This cod was just part of a rewarding night of surface action on the river near Tamworth. All fish were released.