The June bug bites in two ways: June’s cold, nasty weather usually kicks in around now but the bug that’s bitten me is the big brown trout that are becoming very aggressive and often throwing caution to the wind.

An extra jumper will take care of the weather, now where’s that spinning rod?

For a lake that receives as much pressure as it does, Lake Lyell continues to fish well. I guess good stocking rates have something to do with it. Another is that not a lot of browns are actually caught during the warmer parts of the year, due mainly to their nocturnal habits.

Sure, fly and mudeye float anglers pick up their fair share during the night but on the whole most daytime anglers miss out. For those brave souls who fish through of June, the odds of catching a large brown trout during the day increase dramatically.

Cloudy, overcast days are possibly the best conditions. Look to fish the upper reaches of the dam where the last deep drop-offs are.

Trolling large spoons, Tassies or minnows can work quite well. Look to troll the depth where you are seeing most of the fish on your sounder. A downrigger or paravane can be handy when the fish are a little deeper.

Walking the bank casting lures should never be overlooked when fishing Lake Lyell, especially for browns. Most of my big browns have come this way.

Try to cast parallel to the bank as much as possible; you will be surprised how close they can be on a cloudy day.

While boat fishing is out of question at Oberon Dam and access to the upper reaches is just about impossible, this dam is still a good option for June brown trout. Oberon has a lot more shallow bays and flats than Lake Lyell and lends itself more to walking the banks polaroiding.

Again, the back ends of bays and small tributaries are your best options. Sunshine will help you spot fish and the less wind, the better. Four eyes are better than two so work together in pairs to get the best results.

I have been intrigued by Robinvale writer Rod Mackenzie’s writings recently. He certainly has turned the common-held theory that large cod are warm-water-only options on its head.

The way I see it, there is no reason why the same methods would not work in more northern latitudes and I intend to shred the ‘fair-weather fairy’ tag my wife has labelled me with and give this cold-water cod trolling a crack.

I might have to look at some heating options for the boat. I wonder how long a three-bar electric heater would run on my battery?

You wouldn’t want to stick your favourite graphite cod stick in there by mistake, though. Maybe not such a good idea – better stick with the extra jumper.

No1

Large brown trout are there to be caught in June; it’s just a matter of braving the conditions.