Keen anglers should have a spring in their step this month, as March is a fantastic time to go fishing. The hot days and nagging winds of January and February will be behind us, surface water temperatures will drop, and the fish should be on the chew.

Late March is a great time to target trout in Lake Wallace and Lake Lyell; at this time last year everyone was cleaning up. Lithgow Lure and Tackle have done a roaring trade on spoons and Tassie Devils, and although I don’t know if the bite will be the same this year, I will be one of many down there trying.

Powerbait should also be very successful this month in Lake Wallace, Lake Lyell, and Oberon Dam. The key with this product is to use a light gauge hook, small enough to cover one nugget. Use a running sinker rig down to a small bead, about 60-70cm above the hook. Make sure you use a light nylon leader as fluorocarbon sinks. This allows the Powerbait nugget to float up off the bottom in easy view and will also disperse the scent. Make sure your rod is secured well as rainbow trout seem to hit them at a fair pace.

Fly anglers should also be happy as March is a great time to wave the long rod. Creeks and rivers in the district have some great insect hatches at this time of year (except for termites). I have never found the trout around here too fussy when it comes to taking a fly. Some Red Tags, Royal Wulffs and black spinners in a few different sizes usually does the trick on top, while black and brown nymphs in a variety of sizes is all you’ll need for below the surface activity.

I recently saw an amazing photo of a 10kg Murray cod that had been absolutely nailed by another cod, obviously in the Moby Dick category. This monster cod had crunched a good portion of its head, so that the angler who caught the fish had to face the good side towards the camera in order not to offend anyone. I would say this attack was of a territorial nature, rather than Moby Dick looking for its next meal. Let’s hope so anyway, or swimming could become a dangerous activity in this stretch of water!

Unless there’s some good rain, it might be hard to get your boat into Windemere. However, if there’s enough water for your boat, the fishing should be good. I would look to the trees in the middle portion of the dam to produce the goods. Yabbies bobbed up and down should work well, while lure fishing, casting and trolling around these trees will also produce results, especially late in the day or early in the morning.

As always you can catch me live and loud Saturday mornings on High Tide with Kerion and Bruce. Tune in for up-to-date information on the latest happenings on the Central Tablelands.