The summer is well under way with some great weather, and our native fish are really firing.

After a slow beginning to the season, due mainly to fluctuating water levels and clarity, the lure fishers are now coming into their own.

I notice a lot of anglers tend to troll lures too far from their boats so if you are having little or no success try placing them about 15-20m away and let the lure get to its desired depth, which will mean it is bouncing on the bottom and over structures. Hold your rod horizontal to the water and you will feel the lure hitting and hoping over logs.

A good lure retriever or poll is a worthwhile option in any angler’s armoury; it only has to save 2-3 lures and the retriever has paid for itself.

There is always a lot of discussion on which are the best coloured lures to use. I don’t think there is any correct answer, I always suggest to try different options and, especially if fishing with a friend, to start with two different lures and change them every 20-30 minutes into your session until you find what is working on the day.

Having said that, if the water is clear I always try my purple and yellow lures as they have always served me well.

Most importantly look at your sounder to know the depth of water you’re trolling to make sure the lures are getting to where the fish will be. Don’t be afraid to troll big lures, such as Oargee 25+ or 15+ Custom Crafted Hammerheads, Predatorsor, the good old StumpJumpers or, if you’re more prone to casting lures, any of the above or spinnerbaits. Cast over the same snag many times as cod will sometimes turn and attack a lure just to get it out of their territory.

For those of you who love to baitfish, I would try scrubworms, yabbies or bardi grubs and, if the shrimp are plentiful, put in a shimp net and gather a few. Be prepared to put 2-3 on your hook with a running sinker rig.

There have been some good reports flowing into the shop of catches 2-3km up from the east ramp in Echuca and 4km down from the 5 Mile ramp. Gunbower is still patchy but on the right day is good, the mouth of the Goulburn and upstream for a few kilometres are all going well. The Campaspe around Rochester and Elmore are seeing some good redfin catches on lures and yabbies. So take advantage of these great conditions and get out and get amongst them.

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Deano from Bendigo caught this well conditioned cod on a spinnerbait near the 5 Mile at Echuca.