November, with its fantastic fishing, is finally here. Apart from cod season opening next month, this would have to be one of my favourites.

One of the reasons this time is so fantastic is that the yellowbelly have started their spawning run and are congregating at the Lake Hume dam wall. With no fish ladder there, the numbers just keep building up.

Targeting the yellas is best with lures; bait doesn’t seem to stir them up as well but with plenty of patience they do come on, along with the odd redfin or carp.

Over the last few years I’ve seen just about every type of lure catch the goldens but I’ve had my most success on 50mm Vikings, McGraths and Merlins. Colours don’t seem to be a worry but I’ve all ways stuck with natural hues with a mixture of reds, greens yellows and blacks. These colours usually look similar to a baby redfin which, for a yella, is irresistible.

Use a slow retrieve with the odd jerk. Choose a spot below the wall without swirling or strong currents, which seem to hold fewer fish. Slow currents or dead water seem to be the hot spots.

This time of year there is a high demand for water down stream for irrigation, daily affecting water height and current speed. So areas that may be hot one day can easily end up cold the next.

The good thing about fishing at the weir wall is if the yellas go off, usually the trout come on because when they release water in large volumes, thousands of baby redfin get sucked through the turbines and produce plenty of feed for the large trout.

The best method for targeting the trout would have to be with lead fish imitations. The only down side is you lose a lot of gear in the shallow water.

Lures like Tassie Devils or Rapala minnows also work well but if the turbines are going at full speed, the lure option goes out the window.

At the moment Lake Hume is starting to pick up, with anglers still catching plenty of trout on the troll.

The redfin are starting to move with bait anglers working around trees in about six to eight metres of water or rocky banks producing quite a few. Unfortunately, there’s not much size about them at the moment.

Once again, it’s the Tassie Devil that is slaying the trout on the troll with most fish caught in open water, rather than around the bank where they were in previous months.

The Lake Hume Fishing Comp will be on November 12 and 13, with plenty of prizes and a good atmosphere. I couldn’t think of a better reason to get out there and wet a line.

The comp will be held at the Lake Hume Resort, next door to the weir wall. It’ll be a great weekend .