I can’t believe how times have changed, what was once solely a trout article, I now find myself talking more about Gippsland bass than anything! And with the immense stocking regime that has been implemented in Gippsland over the past 5 years, it’s great to see all the hard work paying off.

Bass fishing is tough in the colder months, with the worm anglers catching most of them and usually only before 9am and after 4pm. Now that the weather has warmed and we are getting those barmy nights, the bass are starting to become a lot more active and are feeding on baitfish and insects. This means we can get our lures out, and more to the point our surface lures.

We have seen bass popping up everywhere lately from the Macalister, Avon, Thomson, Tyers, Tanjil, Rainbow, and even Traralgon Creek, believe it or not. A couple of standout lures are the Megabass Siglets, River2Sea Buggy Pops, Bent Minnows and other small stick baits. I really want to try the new Mimix range of surface lures as well. The key is to use lures early and late in the day and slow down your retrieve.

The bass seem to be getting bigger, especially in our local lakes such as Glenmaggie and Blue Rock where fish in excess of 40cm are getting caught more often.

In the rivers, we are starting to see higher numbers of bass in the high 20cm range, and a couple tipping 30cm as well – fast growers by the look of it. The next 3 months will be even better so if anyone reading this hasn’t chased the bass yet, do it now, you are missing out.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 51748544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s “Off the Hook” on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland!