I haven’t had a chance to get out in my kayak much lately. The water has been pretty cold on the feet when launching and sitting in there with a wet bum isn’t my idea of fun and relaxation – funny, that!.

Instead I have usually opted for a pleasant walk along the riverbank, casting a few lures.

One of the advantages of living in Tamworth is that one of the best rivers, the Peel, runs straight through the middle of town so if you’re a keen fisher you can even go for a fish in your lunch break!

A few weeks back I had a few spare hours so I decided to take a stroll along the Peel with a couple of mates.

In about 90 minutes I was lucky enough to land three golden perch using a purple Bassman spinnerbait.

The fish weren’t overly big but they were still fun. Dad often has customers in his shop, North West Fishing Tackle, asking about what kind of lures are used when targeting yellowbelly in the Peel. Dad has no hesitation in recommending the Bassman spinnerbaits.

One particular customer took Dad’s advice, bought a couple of spinnerbaits, headed down the Peel and ended up catching six cod in a day.

Unfortunately he lost this particular lure but was hooked on them and later came back to see Dad and get a couple more. Great experiences like that are the reason we recommend them for catching yellowbelly in the Peel.

I’d also like to pass on my commiserations to the young Tamworth boy who fell over while fishing for bream at Nambucca Heads. He had just landed a nice bream and stepped off the wall onto the footpath when his knee gave way, resulting in a broken leg and ankle.

He says he’s retiring from fishing on the breakwall but we’ll see what happens when he’s healed and feeling better.