THE GOOD news for this month is that things can only get better! Maroon and Moogerah have been slow by their standards for this time of the year, but hopefully this will have improved by the time you read this.

If you’re into catching eels, get to Moogerah. They’re ravenous – it doesn’t matter whether you’re using spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, plastics or whatever, the eels will eat it. And they’re monsters.

The bass in Moogerah have been very slow over the last couple of months following the rise in water, but as the frosts kick in I expect them to be on the bait balls in the middle of the dam and around drop-offs. Soft plastics are usually the gun bait in this dam in winter.

Maroon has been a little friendlier to fishos, with a few bass chewing on most days. However, the rotting flooded grass seems to have put them off the bite a little. Deep fly and Jackall Masks seem to work the best for me when they are slow, and surprisingly there’s still the odd fish taking surface lures.

I have been venturing to ‘greener pastures’ (Somerset and Wivenhoe) looking for better fishing, but even there things are inconsistent. As one friend put it, “Somerset – big bank fish. Wivenhoe – fishless desert. Maroon – slow. Moogerah – empty with long slimy things.” An observation derived from a four-day fishing visit!

Somerset has been good for big fish on the banks, but a full day on Wivenhoe casting to the banks yielded not even a touch, and boy – that is a big body of water. Most fish are deep, apparently!

The powers that be are letting water out of Moogerah Dam again to feed Swanbank Power Station. And why not? After all, the dam is 10% full and the water out of it is cheaper than Wivenhoe (which is at 60%). Word is though that they will only let Moogerah get back down to 5%. How big-hearted of them!

After testing the new braid from Platypus, I can safely say this new formula developed by the company is well worth a look. I have had 100m on a reel for three months now and would have made thousands of casts and caught quite a few fish. It shows no sign of wear at all although I have been run through snags by fish with it.

The new braid is very user-friendly on baitcast or spin gear, and it comes in white, green or yellow. It also doesn’t need to be ‘broken in’ and doesn’t fluff up after extended use like some braids do.

Professional guide Harry Watson runs regular charters on the dams and in the New England ranges. For more information phone Greenfish Sportfishing Adventures on (07) 5463 4096 or 0407 596 814, or visit www.greenfish.com.au.

1) Cold foggy mornings, beanies and big bass are the pattern for this time of year.