With the demand from irrigators downstream of Lake Hume decreasing and water still being released from Dartmouth Dam, Lake Hume is going against the trend of other water storages and is starting to rise.

As I write, Lake Hume is around 5% capacity and rising steadily. Let’s hope we get above-average rain for the next six months and a bumper snow season so we can get some water in our lakes and dams for next Summer.

With Lake Hume at its current level and still rising, boats can be launched with relative ease from the bank by most vehicles. Within the next month or so, a couple of boat ramps at Lake Hume might be able to be used.

If you’re new to the area or fishing Lake Hume for the first time and wish to launch a boat from the bank, I recommend the steep, rocky shores on the Victorian side at Ebden or Bellbridge.

Remember there is still a 4-knot speed restriction on Lake Hume south of Bethanga Bridge. This restriction applies until Lake Hume reaches 10% capacity.

From now to the end of August the main target on Lake Hume is brown trout. The most popular method is trolling winged-type lures such as Tassie Devils or Sting type lures. Most anglers flatline but paravanes or cowbells can be beneficial on days when the fish are a little deeper.

Hume trout can be very stubborn at times and success can entail the frustrating process of determining what colour lure to use when trolling. My favourite and most successful colours include: white, silver, brown, hot pink, yellow, green/yellow and mauve. I recommend you keep trying different colours until you find one that is regularly getting strikes.

Redfin are still a viable option on Lake Hume this month. They are generally a little quieter once the cooler weather hits but good numbers can be caught if you put in the time. Fishing with worms or prawn meat is the most popular most technique.

With the cooler weather well, the native fish in the Murray below Lake Hume have become less active, which makes fishing for them a lot more challenging. The water is cooler and the river is low enough to sometimes make boating difficult, which adds to the challenge. Very few anglers target natives in this stretch at this time of year.

Fishing is generally slow and one or two fish for an entire day is generally pretty good, but the chance of tangling with larger specimens keeps me fishing through this period.

I find that with the river so low and the current running a lot slower, you can access heavy timber and snags you can’t normally fish when the water is high and running fast. Often when the river is very low I take out my canoe or kayak instead of the boat and target a particular stretch of water.

I generally cast large, deep-diving hard-bodied lures or a single willow-bladed spinnerbait. With the spinnerbaits it is very important to use an ultra-slow retrieve for the sluggish fish. The blade on the spinnerbait should be just spinning.

My favourite hard-bodied lures for this time AC Invaders and Custom Crafted Hammerheads.

With the cooler weather there have been some reports of trout to 3kg caught between the Lake Hume wall and Heywoods Bridge. Most popular techniques have been casting leadfish-style lures, Tassie Devils and soft plastics.

Pre-rigged soft plastic lures in the redfin pattern will continue to be dynamite around this stretch of water because small redfin are favourite meals for the many large trout that cruise this stretch.

The upper Murray will fish similarly to the river below Lake Hume. The cooler weather and cooler water will slow native fish, making targeting them a lot harder. Each May anglers who put the hours are often rewarded with good Murray cod. Most popular lures are spinnerbaits and hard-bodied lures.

The trout in this stretch are worth targeting now. Most popular methods are drifting worms or casting bladed or minnow lures but soft plastics have been used successfully, the most popular being 65mm or 80mm Squidgy Wrigglers in trout, bloodworm or Gary Glitter colours.

If you have any reports of fish being caught in the Albury-Wodonga region or any photos, feel free to email me at --e-mail address hidden--