No matter what the species, sunshine and warm water are the keys to finding active freshwater fish in September.

After a long, cold Winter, sunshine is what gets the food chain going, from the smallest bud on a willow tree to a short Windamere weed bed just starting to reach up from below.

Daphnia and shrimp start to multiply, yabbies come out of their holes, gudgeon and small fish start to move and feed. It’s like a new beginning, a fresh start; I guess that’s why Spring has such great significance.

Fishing soft plastics for Windamere’s golden perch in September can be quite productive. Soft plastic yabbies and worms, fished with only minimum weight and cast on 3kg or 4kg braid with a metre or so of 4kg or 5kg fluorocarbon trace is the way to go.

Find yourself a sunny, northern-facing bank with some broken rock reefs and work them over slowly, dragging your offering along the bottom towards the boat or bank.

Apply regular coatings of your favourite scent between casts.

Flooded trees with their crowns just under the water offer golden perch an ideal habitat. They can move up and down the water column as conditions dictate. If the tree has good algal growth, so much the better.

These trees are a good option to fish in September using neutral-buoyancy lures, starting with shallow runners and then moving your way down the water column.

Brown trout in Lake Lyell, Oberon Dam, and Ben Chifley Dam should have returned from spawning by now and will be feeding up on all the Spring goodies, leaving the streams to any rainbow trout still in the spawning mood.

Browns love to cruise any water over new ground in Spring, using low-light periods to their advantage.

Stay well back from the water’s edge when chasing these browns. Move along slowly, scanning the water ahead, or sit and wait in a likely corner.

Be ready for a quick presentation, well ahead of the fish if possible.

Large offerings at this time of year can work well, especially if you give your lure or fly an injured look with slow but erratic movements.

Just a reminder to let you know that the Murray cod season is closed until December 1.

Remember, you can catch me bright and early on Saturdays on 2KY’S Hi-Tide fishing and boating program with Kieran and Bruce.