April is here again and hopefully it will give us a better month of fishing than March.

Most people didn’t have much luck last month and anglers had to work very hard for reasonable results. March started off very cold and, with the dropping water temps, the shrimp have slowly disappeared and the cod and yella’s have slowly gone off the bite. The Main Eastern was still producing some good size redfin but not in any great numbers.

I purchased myself a nice 7ft dropshot with a 1000 Shimano Stradic reel to chase the reddies. With 4lb Fireline, it’s not the cheapest but it is certainly a gem of a set up, especially landing 30cm+ redfin on light line.

I suggest when fishing the channels fish light, it’s good fun casting around a little soft plastic, hardbody or even a shrimp on a 2g jighead. Cast your small lures about 2ft from the bank and slowly bring them back to you. It is best to try and find a spot where you can cast horizontally to the bank. Don’t go casting big heavy lures into the shallower water as it spooks the fish.

For the Easter long weekend anglers will be getting in the car and driving hours to chase big freshwater fish. But as I said at Christmas, there is some great water only minutes away from home. So if you can’t get away don’t get too worried, use it to your advantage.

With many locals heading away it is the perfect opportunity to fish by yourself down the Goulburn without too many others getting in your way. Keep moving around but don’t just tie up on one log and expect it all to happen. You might need to try three or four before you get a bite. Keep your bait active.

For those that are travelling over Easter, please have a safe trip and remember to respect other anglers on the water; everyone is out to have a good time.

February saw the Fourth 2009 River Rats Fishing Classic run from the Shepparton boat ramp on the 21 and 22.

Over 150 entrants braved the windy conditions to fish for over $15,000 worth of prizes.

There was only nine oversize fish caught and released for the weekend with the biggest measuring in at 70cm, which took out the Female Section. Steve Sagoleo won both the Open Cod and Open Golden Perch categories with a 68cm cod and a 46cm golden.

Young gun Kaleb Oxley was the only junior to register a fish. He took home a big bag of goodies for his 36.5cm golden. He now has bragging rights over his dad for yet another year.

I would like to thank all the companies who sponsored the event, as without their help the event would struggle to run. They are: Trellys Tackle World, STY Fencing Spot On Canvas, Richards Hairdressing, Berkley, Bassman Spinnerbaits , Kingston Lures, Viking Kayaks, Viking Lures, Bozo’s, Flybridge, Smak, Light Force, SH Wallace & Co, Evenrude, Columbia, Eagle, BCF, Outlaw Spinnerbaits, Australian Crafted Lures, Muldoon Lures, Codger, Jaz Lures.