With summer here, the trout move down the order and the bass come first, and the major lakes have really started to produce the goods.

Lake Glenmaggie is not known that well for the trout fishing anymore, but it’s sure well known for its summer bass action. The bass are pretty big in this lake these days and there have been some football-sized bass caught over the past month measuring 40cm and fat as butter.

The surface luring in the evenings has been amazing with cicada lures and small stickbaits being the main lure types favoured by most local anglers, and if the fish are down deep around the rocky outcrops and snags, small soft plastics and vibes have been fantastic. The prime time really does seem to be from around 7:00pm until dark.

Cowwarr Weir is also producing its fair share of bass, and while much smaller than in Glenmaggie, we are seeing bass up to almost 30cm, but there are still heaps of those 20-24cm models in there. Again, surface lures are working well on the evenings, but hardbodied lures and small spinnerbaits during the day are a pretty sure bet if you don’t want to stay until dark.

Blue Rock is fishing really well around its sticks and timbered areas. There seems to be plenty of bass where there is heavy timber and around the lake’s edges. Fishing evenings until dark has been the best, but the mornings are a good option as well. Join all this together with a hot day and you will be in with some awesome bass fishing.

There’s all sizes at Blue Rock at the moment with fish ranging from 20-40cm being caught, and in big numbers as well.

The evenings are perfect for using surface lures like stickbaits and cicadas, which have become the two most heavily-used bass lures in our region. In addition, spinnerbaits and hardbodies cast into the timber have been very good as well and there’s plenty of compact spinnerbaits and 40-70mm hardbody lures designed for this style of fishing.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. 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!