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Bloody frustrating
  |  First Published: June 2005



Crystal-clear waters, bright blue skies and barometric readings that have our local farmers kicking the dirt in disgust are a sure sign that conditions could not be better to target native fish on lures.

Well think again: The fishing locally has been as hard as a goat’s forehead and endless hours bouncing lures off logs has resulted in some of the leanest results seen for years.

The most frustrating factor in all this is you know that somewhere below there are plenty of monster green fish eye-balling your lures as they meander past.

Our fish are becoming more educated or all the dumb ones have been taken. Any way you view it, it’s bloody frustrating.

One section along the Murray that has produced a few nice fish on lures is Swan Hill.

A couple of lucky anglers caught and released a cod guesstimated at around the 45kg (100lb) mark down stream of the Swan Hill bridge – well done on the release, fellas. There have also been a few cod taken to 30kg so this is one area that seems to be producing the goods.

While the fishing in the Murrumbidgee near Balranald has been tough, those doing the hard yards with spinnerbaits and small hard-bodied lures have reaped the rewards of patience and persistence.

Most days out will produce a few yellas and cod with the occasional encounter with Mr Unstoppable. There are some absolute honkers hiding among the snags in this small waterway.

As the water begins to cool down the fishing should only improve along the Bidgee.

On the subject of dropping water temperatures, it won’t be long and the crays will be on the move in most of our local rivers.

Remember to respect size and bag limits on these prehistoric beasties. Every season yabby-sized carcasses litter the remnants of burnt-out campfires.

Too small to eat, these crays are thrown aside and wasted. A far better option would be to abide by the laws and return them to the river.

Locally the fishing looks set to explode; it always rains after a long dry spell and our giant green fish can’t lie doggo indefinitely. Like every thing else, they too must feed and I predict that time is fast approaching.

Darren Brant shows the benefits of persistence in the Murrumbidgee. Not a big fish, but any fish on the surface is a buzz.

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