With the hot action Lake Hume had last month on the trout, things throughout September should keep firing for any anglers who take time out to get amongst them.

Reports from out on the weir lately have been great with brown trout in excellent condition from 400g up to 2.6kg. With these reports and the restocking of over 50,000 yearling brown trout last month into the weir, the fishing for anglers far and wide is surely only going to improve.

Really, the only method that is consistently producing the goods is trolling Tassie Devils around the weir wall area. Tassies No 26 Pink Lady and No 55 Pink Panther have been really dominant but any lure that has the natural colours of the lake’s redfin have also been hard to beat.

Although flatline trolling has been very productive other techniques, including casting lures from the bank, downriggers or just trolling bibbed lures like Merlins, Vikings and McGraths have also worked well.

On one recent trip I caught more redfin than trout which, from previous trips out on the weir at this time of year, was really unusual. Using nothing but Vikings and Merlins, I caught over 20 well-conditioned reddies with the biggest around a kilo – it goes to show that anything can happen when using the right gear.

One thing I have realised lately is that after rain the trout seem to be pushing deeper, leaving lures like Tassies that run shallow nearly useless without use of a down rigger.

Using a depth sounder I’ve noticed out in open water that a majority of the fish on the screen, probably 90%, are sitting around the 10-metre mark after rain.

But after a couple of days of fine weather I’ve noticed that they move up to around five metres – a huge difference.

With the help of a sounder this information can help improve your catch by allowing you to choose the right lure to suit the depths based on the weather. I’ve tried it and it’s worked.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t fish cruising in other depths, it’s just a guideline that may help.

The Murray River from Lake Hume right down to Mulwala is still producing quite a few crays with most trips I’ve been out on ending up with a nice bagful for the table. Remember, the Murray cray season closes on September 1, as does the Murray cod season.

Remember always stick to the rules and regulations when targeting crays, or any fish for that matter. If you are not sure about the rules you can pick up a regulations book from any tackle shop, Fisheries or Waterways office.

From next month on the fishing should start picking up with the weir wall being the No 1 spot for trout and yellow belly as soon as the water starts rising – that’s something to look forward to.

Well-conditioned brown trout like this have been all the rage at Lake Hum.e