April is one of the best times for fishing weather with average daily temperatures in the mid-20°s, nights in the low teens and native fish stirring under high-pressure systems that last for days on end.

I couldn’t think of a better time to be out fishing local waterways. If I could recommend to any angler a time to go camping to their favourite fishing spot, this would have to be the month. The weather is beautiful and the fishing is great, with trout becoming more active in the lakes and rivers and the natives still fired up from another hot Summer.

With the nights now cooling we should see rainbow and brown trout becoming more active around the Khancoban Pondage. April isn’t regarded as the best time for fishing the lake but given time and patience, most anglers should be rewarded with plenty of fat and healthy trout up to 3kg.

Trolling minnows and Tassie Devils around the top end of the lake over the shallow weed beds early in the morning and in the last hours of daylight is one of the most productive methods and is by far my favourite.

Bait fishing also proves successful with the top end of the lake or any channels best. With the use of a depth sounder anglers are able to locate channels around the lake where a mudeye under a bubble float or a scrub worm just off the bottom will usually take reasonable numbers of fish.

It’s no secret that the Murray River round Albury is a prime area for cod and over the past few years reports of fish over 25kg have begun to become very common. Above and below Lake Hume are excellent areas for cod but due to irrigation downstream things can become pretty tricky, with current the biggest problem.

Above Lake Hume I’ve found casting to be the most productive method with spinnerbaits, particularly the AusSpin range of Big Natives, working best. Cod lurk in deep, dark water around a big bunch of logs or underneath willow trees so casting hard against the structure and working the lure back slowly can prove irresistible.

Although I prefer to target cod out of all the natives there are always plenty of golden perch and even good numbers of the threatened trout cod as well so at the end of a good day a mixture of fish could be caught around this area. Remember, it is illegal to target trout cod and they are not to be removed from the water.

When fishing downstream around the Howlong-Corowa area, trolling is the best tactic simply because trying to cast when the current is so strong is nearly impossible as the lures are swept away from the strike zone immediately.

Again, using a depth sounder helps when trolling so that you are able to locate deep drop-offs and snaggy areas where a cod is most likely going to be waiting in ambush.

Lures with a bit of depth and size like the 90mm AC Invader or the Custom Crafted Hammerhead work best.

The only problem around this area, like anywhere else, is the amount of set-lining that goes on. While trolling or casting, anglers sadly are more likely to hook up on green cord rather then a green cod.