March is a magic month for fishing; the hot days of January and February are gone, leaving warm beautiful days.

Water temps will drop back a little as well and Trout and native species will move higher up in the water column, making them a little easier to catch.

Reports have been a little sketchy and are coming in third- and fourth-hand but I have heard enough about bass being caught in Lake Lyell on fly to give it a mention.

All have been incidental captures from guys fly fishing for trout in the late evening. Muddler patterns and beetle patterns have been doing the damage on bass up to a kilo, if my sources are correct.

I have spent three or four trips fishing for the bass and have landed only one but March could be a good time to target them.

Trout fishing this month will see some good fish landed in the local dams. Flatline trolling Tassie Devils early, then working deeper with a downrigger is your best option.

Keep a close eye on the sounder and move your bombs up and down to where the fish are concentrated. Down rigging is best done with a mate because there’s so much to occupy you in manoeuvring the boat, checking the sounder and manipulating the gear for maximum effect.

Lake Wallace for many, including me, is an enigma. Sure, we get some good fish from time to time but it’s hard to nail a pattern in the place.

Berkley PowerBait produces possibly the most consistent patterns. Year-round, this stuff produces the goods with the colder months the best. I don’t know what they put in it, but it works.

Large spoons also work quite well at times. Try a few different ones and vary your colours.

The Baltic minnow is a favourite of mine in Lake Wallace – with their castability you just cover so much water.

Most of the fish caught are rainbows but the odd brown gets caught and they are usually very big.

I remember talking to the net guys who do their surveys once a year and was astonished by the numbers and size of browns they were getting, some over 65cm. Put me down for one!

This is a great time to target Cod in our dams and rivers. Wyangala and Windamere are possibly your best options for the dams, while the Macquarie and its various tributaries your best river bets.

Large surface lures are a good way to target these great fish after dark. Trolling large lures or spinnerbaits that get down and dirty are your best options during the day.

You can catch me most Saturdays between 5am and 5.30 on Australia’s No1 fishing and boating radio program, 2KY’s Hi-Tide with Kieran and Bruce.

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Alex Hickson with a quality Lake Wallace rainbow caught on a large gold spoon. Spoons work quite well on this enigmatic lake.

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This Lake Lyell bass was caught casting a Jackall but there have been quite a few incidental captures on trout flies in the evenings.

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Murray Cod are a great fish to catch at any time. March is possibly the best time around the Central Tablelands to tangle with one.