There aren’t too many times of the year where you can go out and almost expect to catch a good mixed bag but May is one of those months because the water is still warm enough for the natives and the resident redfin and trout normally really start to fire as the water moves more into their comfort zone.

This time last year Blowering Dam was hovering at a lousy 11% but this season the dam will be more than double this. Some people will find it harder to find fish but this extra water will make it easier for fish to find food and continue to pack on weight – great for this impoundment’s future.

Trout are probably the most targeted species in May and can be caught quite regularly all over the dam with baits, lures and flies.

This time last year I was having a ball catching trout with lipless crankbaits in wind lanes. I found that you don’t really have to imitate what they’re eating when the fish are working the wind lanes – these fish are hungry and focused on scoffing as much as they can while the going’s good.

These active risers in wind lanes or calm bays would attack my lipless crankbaits with gusto. You can also troll through the wind lanes with winged lures like Tassie Devils, small divers, soft plastics or lipless cranks and have a good chance of hooking one but casting to them is much more fun.

Fishing off the bank with PowerBait, maggots, worms or grubs rigged on ultra-light line with a tiny sinker or unweighted will also give you a good chance of hooking a nice trout.

Fly fishing the flats or shallow bays around dark with big wets like Mrs Simpsons is another good way of getting a trout.

May is also a great time for jigging redfin, which start to form massive schools and move out into deep water, making it very easy to catch a feed.

Schools can be located easily with a good sounder and then it’s time to start jigging small yabbies or worms on paternoster rigs or lures such as ice jigs, Berkley Gulps, or lipless crankbaits.

Murray cod are also targets, especially with large deep-diving lures – the bigger the better. Those such as the 150mm AC Invader are perfect but any lure over 100mm will be a chance.

Best places to troll are the old river bed up the top end of the dam and any rocky point is worth running over once or twice.

Golden perch can also be caught in the same areas but downsize your lures to target them. Best trolling lures for yellas are the Trollcraft Double Downers, AC Slim Invaders, No 2 and No 3 StumpJumpers, lipless crankbaits and the locally made Stuckey lures.

Even with slowly cooling water, the golden perch at Mannus Lake, near Tumbarumba, have been going off and we can thank that last late blast of Summer heat through March for this.

A dozen or 15 goldens a day has been the norm over the last couple of months but these numbers should to drop off a little towards the end of May.

Then it will just be a matter of changing lures, bait or flies to target the trout.

Bait anglers chasing the yellas have had the most success on small to medium yabbies but as the yellas start to slow this month, worms, maggots, wood grubs or PowerBait should tempt a trout.

Lure casters have been getting yellas with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and lipless cranks but if you want to target the trout use spinners like Rooster Tails and Celtas. For something different, try small soft plastics like Squidgy Fish in trout colours or even 1” to 2” curl-tail plastics.