November nearly always turns it on as the unpredictable weather of early Spring starts to fade and water temperatures start to stabilise.

Depending on water levels, which hopefully are rising, most fish will still be feeding in shallow water.

The streams and rivers of the Central Tablelands fish really well for trout in November. It’s possibly one of the best months for dry-fly fishing and Red Tags, Royal Wulffs and a selection of Black Spinners in a few different sizes are a must.

Sitting and watching each pool for a good period before casting is always the way to go.

Although the drought has had some effect on the stream fishing over the past few years, water levels and fish numbers in streams such as the Fish River, the Duckmaloi and Campbells River are improving.

Lake Wallace, near Wallerawang, is my home dam, so to speak.

However, I do not fish it as much as I should; the grass is always greener, if you know what I mean. But with petrol prices the way they are Wallace may get a little more attention this November.

Wallace is a shallow lake and warms up a little quicker than other dams in the district. Water levels are kept stable by the local power station so weed growth is very good.

Even locals get frustrated with the inconsistent fishing in the dam. The abundance of food in this lake is part of the reason for its fishing inconsistency.

The good news is November is one of the best months to fish the dam. Early morning and late afternoon are good, especially for fly fishing, and rising fish can be cast to when conditions are right.

Berkley PowerBait works well in Wallace along with various lures. Spoons have always worked well, as have Tassie Devils. Floating minnows such as those from the Rapala and Tilsan are also good options.

Stick with the natural colours and fish them around the weed beds.

Fishing for golden perch just about reaches fever pitch in November.

Lake Windamere tends to be the centre of the universe for most golden fanatics at this time of year but I am here to tell you a little secret: Lake Burrendong is not far behind.

For the past couple of seasons Burrendong has really tuned it on for goldens up to 7kg.

Windamere goldens tend to prefer smaller lure offerings, simply because that’s what they’re used to seeing and eating.

Burrendong goldens, on the other hand, feed a lot on redfin pin fry, especially in November, so you can up the size of your offerings a little.

Stick with colours that match these small redfin and you really cannot go wrong.

As always, you can catch me most Saturday mornings live on Australia’s No1 fishing and boating radio program, 2KY’s Hi-Tide with Kieren and Bruce.

No1

Alex Hickson has possibly caught more Lake Wallace trout than most, although his two sons, Matt and Chris, are slowly catching up.