CENTRAL Western and Western NSW has received some sporadic but good rainfall as I write this report.

The Darling River has produced some of the best flows in six months. Due to little rain falling in the catchment area, the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers however, have remained low for several months.

The rising Darling River turned on some good bait-fishing around various weirs, but murky water has produced tough conditions elsewhere. A consistent low flow in the Macquarie has resulted in some great fishing, with good numbers of Murray cod and golden perch. The Lachlan River has remained low for many months now and fishing has been relatively quiet.

Following the rise in the Darling River in February, further rainfall upstream produced an eight-metre rise during March. The increased flows made things very murky. Bait anglers took some good fish while the lure anglers chose to stay at home. Baits of mainly worms, followed by small yabbies, shrimps and prawns have been used to take golden perch up to 3kg and the odd Murray cod to 5kg. Some large golden perch have been taken in the Louth to Tilpa stretch. The increased flows sparked a number of anglers to work the various weirs along the river and many fish were taken in these locations.

Unless there is a lot more rain through March, the river should start to settle and clear. With Autumn not far away, the combination of new water in the river and cooler temperatures should result in some great fishing conditions. Bait anglers fishing yabbies, worms, shrimp and grubs should take fish.

If the river starts to clear, lure anglers should have a ball. This time of year generally produces a few large, active cod, so don’t be shy to pull large, deep-diving lures through the river.

A very low Lachlan River and hot weather has resulted in relatively quiet fishing conditions. A few golden perch and the odd Murray cod were reported but the fishing has been quiet for some months now. Bait anglers using worms, shrimp and yabbies in the deeper holes along the river have fared the best.

The cooler temperatures over the next few months should do a lot towards improving the fishing. With a bit of luck, some rain in the catchment should push new water into the system and get the fish moving again. If this is not the case, deeper sections should start to produce natives on baits and lures as the days start to shorten.

The Macquarie River between Dubbo and Warren has fished well over the past month. Anglers have used lures and bait to take cod up to 8kg and the occasional golden perch up to 3kg. Gavin Kelly and mates have been trolling large, deep-diving lures upstream of Warren for some great catches of cod and yellowbelly.

This month is traditionally a great time to fish the Macquarie River. Cooling temperatures produce comfortable fishing conditions and active native fish. The river should maintain its current levels and clarity, which means there should be good lure and bait angling on offer.

As usual, worms, shrimp, yabbies and grubs fished around the timber should produce. With large resident fish becoming active, aim to fish those big deep-divers (StumpJumpers, Oargee Plows and the like) right among the timber.

Try to work good stretches of water several times, ensuring your lures are thumping through the timber. The aggression strikes you will receive are awesome!

I have had quite a lot of feedback on the monthly write-ups lately, which is always good to receive. I have recently been sent some great digital photos of fish caught by local anglers. Some of these would have been great to print except that they were a touch light on the pixel count.

If you want to get a photo published, take digital shots on the maximum setting your camera will achieve. Then simply email them to my address shown at the top of the page.