What a month to fish on the Central Tablelands! The weather is just about perfect, the trout streams are open and flowing at good levels and although fish numbers are down, there are still enough around to warrant a cast or two.

Some of the best dry-fly fishing takes place this month and early December. There are many insect hatches at this time of year and the trout in the streams and rivers around the Oberon, Bathurst, and Lithgow take full advantage of these.

Black spinners, termites, caddis, and midges make up the list most of the time. I have found the small rainbows and browns in this district to be mostly non-selective and receptive to flies that are presented well, so keep low and try to land your fly as softly as possible.

With all of the trout finished spawning, the trout dams should fish well this month. Early mornings and late afternoons will be best because low-light periods attract hungry fish into the shallows to feed.

Early morning polaroiding sessions with a mate (four eyes are better than two) can produce really well. Work in pairs with one angler walking a little higher up and forward and the other a little farther back and down the bank a little.

This allows you to scan more water quicker, which gives you a better chance of spying and catching a trout.

Have all your gear ready to fire a cast, be it a fly, spinner or soft plastic. It is also not a bad idea to rig different offerings on either rod so the pair of you cover a few more bases.

The Burrendong district used to be quite popular with gold diggers back in the good old days. You can still see the mullock heaps and holes as you cruise around the waters of Burrendong Dam.

Nowadays, the gold comes in a different form – golden perch and plenty of them. Windamere Dam tends to get most of the attention and for good reason, it’s a great fishery. But I have had some pretty good sessions at Burrendong in November over recent years and if you’re after a whopper up around 10kg to 15kg, Burrendong could be the place to do it in the next few seasons.

The reason for this is simple: Redfin pin fry, tasty little morsels in their hundreds of thousands in Spring and the golden perch hook right into them, gaining weight very quickly.

Along with increased stocking rates from DPI Fisheries in recent years and less fishing pressure, everything points to mega-perch.

You can catch me most Saturday mornings bright and early on 2KY with Kerion and Bruce on the Hi-Tide program for the latest reports from the Central Tablelands.