The June long weekend marks the end of the trout season, which on the Central Tablelands has been reasonable.

Most districts are still recovering from, or still in, drought. Water levels have been low in comparison to wetter years but better than the lows of previous years.

If there is some rain leading up to the June weekend, the fishing can be sensational.

Brown trout will move up onto the gravel runs at the heads and tails of pools in readiness for spawning.

It’s amazing to see the size of some of these fish.

You can fish a stretch of water for a full season and not see fish anywhere near the size you see before you; it really does get the knees knocking. Catching them is another story!

Many anglers choose to put their rods away at this time of year and leave the fish to their breeding.

I can see their point of view but while the season is still open and anglers fish within the rules, it’s a great time to land a quality fish.

Fly fishing with a Glo Bug and a trailing nymph or casting 6cm to 7cm spotted dog pattern minnow lures on light spin gear are the most productive methods.

There can be quite a bit of walking between productive areas, so keep this in mind.

With water temperatures falling, the fishing for golden perch in June can be very quiet, especially with lures. Bait fishing can still be productive, though.

Fresh bait can be hard to come by at this time of year, particularly the crustacean variety.

Most yabbies are hunkered down in their holes for the Winter.

A good thing to remember for next year is to stock the freezer with some snap-frozen yabbies during Summer when there are plenty around.

Then at this time of year you can pull them out, defrost them and take them fishing. They don’t work quite as well as a live one but when it’s all you’ve got a frozen dead yabby is still a yabby of sorts.

Worms are great bait during Winter. They are readily available and are very productive when fished in waters such as Windamere.

Winter is a great time of year to target redfin and cod in larger sizes.

Numbers will be down on Summer tallies and you may even go fishless for the odd trip but when you get one, it’s generally of a good size.

Wyangala Dam is a good option for cod while Carcoar, Burrendong and Ben Chifley can be great options for redfin.

Trolling allows you to cover water quickly, searching for productive structure on your sounder while still giving you a chance of catching a fish.

When you find some good structure, pull up and give it a good cast with lures.

Redfin can also be found out in open water so keep this in mind.