All that extra water traffic drove me nuts over the holiday period. I have never seen so many boats on Wyangala Dam in my life and I don’t think Burrendong was much different, from all reports.

So what can we look forward to this month? The weather should be a little cooler, especially later in the month.

This brings fish, be they trout or our native species, into shallower water for longer periods, which makes them a little easier to catch. Low light periods will still be important, with the early morning bite possibly better.

Over the Summer period Windamere’s golden perch can be a little quiet compared with Spring numbers, especially when it comes to lure fishing.

During Summer yabbies and shrimp are a lot more consistent but as cooler nights return, water temps drop and this brings the goldens back towards the shallows, where they feed heavily on shrimp, firetail gudgeon and mudeyes.

Silver perch will also be there in numbers, although they can be a little harder to target with lures.

Murray cod will also be found not too far away, usually holding close to some heavier structure.

Casting small deep-diving lures to gaps in the weeds, either from a boat or from the shore, is a great way to target these fish.

Submerged trees or, to be more specific, the submerged crowns of trees, also offer a great deal to the fish.

These sunken treetops are best fished from a boat, allowing total access.

Skirted jigs can work quite well around these trees and pitching the jig around each little nook and cranny from close quarters is great fun.

Hits and hook-ups on the drop are common so watch the line and try to keep a finger on the rod blank somewhere. This straight away transfers the sensation of any hit from the lure down the line to the rod and up into your brain.

Big numbers of small to middle-sized redfin will be on the cards this month from Burrendong, Ben Chifley, and Carcoar dams.

Jigs in heavier weights will be popular and ice jigs are also a good option.

Depths where the fish will be located will vary according to water temps and thermocline location and a good quality sounder helps no end in this regard.

Drifting over an area jigging in the early morning before the wind gets up is a great way to catch a feed.

Try to have your jig fall vertically below the boat so you are fishing straight up and down.

This may require you to change the weight of your jig as your drift speeds up or slows down. Remember to let your jig hit the bottom most times.

Soft plastics can also be effective on the reddies, especially when they are a little more active and moving about. Plastic paddle tail grubs threaded onto varying weights of ball head jigs is as simple as it gets.

Vary your retrieve until you find what is working at the time.