Not that it really feels like it yet, but Spring is finally here and the worst of the cold weather is now behind us and we can look forward to some warm days and excellent fishing.

Even though there were some good fish caught over Winter, most anglers found it pretty slow going, especially if you weren’t willing to try something different. On average, trolling during this Winter was poor at best with most anglers lucky to boat a fish each but if you were willing to target the redfin between 12m and 25m down with bait, ice jigs or plastics, you would normally bag out on good-sized fish.

This technique will keep catching fish right through Spring. The only thing that might change is that they may move up a little shallower with the warmer water and the newly-flooded grassy banks. We may even see the odd one hitting a trolled deep-diving lure.

Trolling is one of the preferred techniques at Blowering Dam and things should start to happen this month with trout still there to target on Tassies or gold Jackalls, which have worked really well over Winter.

Some nice natives will start to stir this month as well but remember if you happen to catch a cod you will have to release it as the closed season starts on the first of the month and runs to the end of November.

The golden perch will start to take trolled lures in around 5m around the bigger pockets of weed, which are now just about everywhere in the dam. Best lures will be ultra-deep Merlins, medium StumpJumpers, Predatek Boomerangs and any of your own personal favourites.

Colour varies from day to day so it pays to swap every now and then. As a general rule, most people say that in murky, discoloured or stained water you should use a bright, shiny or metallic lure and in clear water you should use natural, dull colours. But I’ve caught many fish in clear water on the brightest of lures and plenty on natural lures in murky water so I think it just pays to experiment until you find what is going to work on the day.

Lure casting, whether it be from a boat or the bank, is another good way to target the goldens in the dam. Again, try to pick out a nice big weed bed as I’ve found they spend a lot of time around them at this time of year.

Suspending lures work great around weed. Cast the lure just past your target and wind it down to just above the weed and pause for a few seconds and maybe even just wiggle the rod tip a bit to entice a strike. Then retrieve the lure another metre or so and repeat.

This also works with floating lures as well but mostly when the fish are really active because these lures don’t sit there in the fishes’ faces like suspending models. Suspenders give them a bit longer to make up their minds.

Spinnerbaits also work well because they don’t seem to grab many weeds and can be fished deep into the weed, enticing a yella to come out and play. And they work just as well cranked nice and slowly just above the weed.

Trout can be targeted casting sinking Rapalas, Tassies, Celtas, Rooster Tails, Jackalls and all sorts of plastics. Any slow, tapering banks or shallow bays are worth a flick.

At the time of writing we were getting some pretty serious rain and the dam was already around 59% and rising rapidly, so with a bit of luck we might see the water up around the shade of the trees by Christmas. Either way, it’s going to be a lot higher than last year, with all the snowmelt still to come and more than likely it’s going to fish better than last year.

The Trout rivers open at the beginning of the October long weekend, which happens to be the last day of this month, so it’s not long now for fly fishos. The Murrumbidgee has fished poorly all Winter because of extremely low water but will pick up this month with the extra water starting to come down. Bait fishing would be your best bet until the water clears.

If you see me on the water, don’t hesitate to come and have a chat and share some advice. I’m more than happy to talk to any fisho, hacker or pro.