Despite the continuing drought, anglers have experienced some excellent fishing along the Murray and many of its smaller branches.

The first sign of the break and any rain came in early May but it fell well short of farmers’ expectations, as it usually does. While it settled the dust and provided enough moisture to sow the crops, good follow-up rains are definitely needed to put an end to the dry spell that’s really beginning to choke rural communities.

With the welcome rain came the annual hatch of ghost moths, the adult version of the bardi grub. They were about in good numbers and those fishing surface lures before dusk and into the night were rewarded with spectacular topwater action.

Not only were the cod hot for these lures, but some good-sized golden perch were getting in on the action.

Buzzbaits accounted for their share of the catch and had the bonus of a far superior hook-up rate. The Wakool and Murrumbidgee produced good numbers of fish for those who did the hard yards.

Other than the surface action, the Murrumbidgee has been a hard nut to crack in the past month with cod reluctant at the best of times. Even the goldens have gone to ground with just a few fish tempted on each outing.

The good news is that fish cannot remain tight-lipped forever so the fishing should begin to heat up in the ’Bidgee over coming weeks – either that or they will all starve to death!

The Wakool continues to amble along in its usual fish-producing manner. It seems to be one river that rarely, if ever, doesn’t show some colour. Be it bait or lure, cod are always on the cards and as we draw towards the crux of Winter we can expect to see some of the giants this river is renowned for.

The Murray continues to fish well despite rising and falling like a yo-yo. If you have the good fortune to be in front of the rise, the fishing has been brilliant with many fishos bagging their first metre-plus fish.

Robinvale has been a hot spot with a good number of big cod landed over the past month, mostly on deep-diving lures. The 150mm AC Invader has been a real winner, as have an assortment of other large deep divers including 130mm Big Mongs and a new lure about town, the JD’s Python.

We can expect to see much more action in this area over the coming months as the water cools and the fishing heats up.

Downstream, Wemen continues to produce plenty of cod and golden perch on bait and lures.

There have also been a few Murray crays running in this area. If there was ever a critter that needed anger management, it would have to be these spiny little contortionists.

Never mind about riling the better half, these things are every bit as angry and a lot more lethal, so handle them with care.

The Murray from Nangiloc through to Mildura has also continued to fish well with a good number of large cod taken on trolled lures. Again, lure size seems to be a common factor with larger lures tempting bigger fish.

A few nice goldens are also being caught in these areas, mostly on lipless crankbaits.

With any luck, the sensational fishing in most waters will continue over the coming month.