With regular reporter Tony Bennett fishing up a storm in the Northern Territory this month, we have compiled a report from three anglers in the Yarrawonga area: Mat Rogers, Kyle Dalrymple and Mal Stone.

In recent weeks, anglers fishing downstream of the Yarrawonga weir have been catching some great fish, with metre-plus fish hitting the decks of several boats. Most have been taken on big surface lures at first light. One of the best reports came from local angler Wes, who caught three fish over 1m in a single overnight session below the weir wall, all on surface lures.

The lake itself has continued to fish extremely well. Anglers have been scoring large numbers of fish around the legal size, and there has been a mixture of really solid fish amongst them. Mick Massier and Matt Pejkovic caught 40 across a three-day long weekend, with a couple up in the 80s and one in the 90cm range. The most productive lure was the 200mm Jackall Gigantarel.

Local gun angler Kyle Dalrymple has also been catching solid fish in recent weeks, scoring specimens up to the mid-90s in and around the Corowa area casting the new Ruthless lures.

I’ve been catching a few nice ones lately around the Bundalong area on Kuttafurra Therapys and the new Zerek Live Mullet soft plastics.

In the wake of the first heavy frosts, the larger fish will be coming on the bite. That should see more anglers heading out throwing big surface lures at first and last light. Additionally, now that the river is slowing up and running lower and clearer, larger deep divers will be very effective in probing those big snag piles that are normally out of reach in the fast current of the main river.

If you don’t mind travelling further afield, try heading up into the mountains to have a crack at the spawn run in the Eucumbene and Tumut rivers. The Tumut in particular is fishing well for trout on fly, spinners and hardbodies.

Over the last month the fishing has fired up pretty well. The river has dropped and the water is nice and clear, and the fish have come on the job. In two sessions over one weekend I was fortunate enough to get six fish ranging from 56cm to 96cm, which I caught casting lures. I like to look for water that has little back eddies with nice big, older timber that’s been in the water for quite some time. I start casting at the base of the tree close to the bank, and slowly work my way out to the tip sitting further out in the river. My outfit for these fish consisted of an 8kg, 7ft Venom rod with a Chronarch reel and a prototype Ruthless lure. The lure was designed by Young from Kuttafurra Lures, and looks like a small Murray cod. The first Ruthless lures should be out later this year.

There’s still the odd yellowbelly in the Murray, mostly caught as a bycatch. Most of them have been taking hardbodies around the 100mm mark, such as the Kuttafurra Mudhoney, and the Gangsta Lures Outcast spinnerbait in green colour. Yellas tend to hang off the end of shrubbier trees, with lots of little twigs and sticks, in around 1-4m of water.

Just to change things up, I recently got the fly rod out to chase some cod. Myself and two friends ended up with six cod to 60cm. Even though they weren’t massive, it was something different and a lot of fun.

The fishing in June is going to be hard work but it should pay off with some better quality cod. The yellas should still be pretty active as well. Traditionally, low light periods are the best times, but lately there have been some good catches around lunchtime, which is surprising.

Down below the weir wall, people have been picking up some nice cod on surface lures, yabbies and cheese.

The lake itself has cleared up a bit, and on those sunny winter days it’s nice to troll around and pick up a few cod. The most productive lures include the 75mm Oar-Gee Plow, 90mm AC Invaders, and No. 1 StumpJumpers in the darker colours. Cod have also been taken on spinnerbaits, with the best colours being whites, natural colours and purple.

The cray season starts on the first of June, and you can pick them up from clay banks and around timber, as well as in the backwaters. The most popular baits are ox liver, hearts and chicken carcasses. Check the DPI website for regulations.

The surface fishing is quite good at the moment. The best times to throw a surface lure are an hour or two before daylight, and just on sunset. The action goes a bit quiet just after dark, but then picks up again around 10pm. Good lures include the King Hit Paddle Snake, Oar-Gee Malibu, Kingfisher Mantis and Thirsty Lures by CJ.

The frosty mornings will cause the fishing to slow down a bit in June, but the average size will be bigger. There’s the chance of getting a good cod on the troll using bigger 120-150mm lures.

If you’re looking to experience the fishing on Lake Mulwala, Mal’s Boat Hire Yarrawonga can set you up with one of their 4.55m poly boats, including safety gear. Local fishing knowledge is supplied free of charge! You can contact Mal on 0422 820 372 or visit www.malsboathire.com.au.