It’s hard to know where to fish at this time of year; there is just so much going on.

The text alarm on my phone will wear out, I’m sure. ‘Windamere yellas on the chew, best was just over 6kg.’ ‘A dozen quality redfin from Ben Chifley, best over 2kg.’ ‘A great opening weekend on the trout streams, heaps of small, willing rainbows and the odd bigger brown.’ It really is a great time of the year to fish.

The jewel in the crown is Windamere, arguably Australia’s premier golden perch impoundment.

I possibly have become inured to the quality of the fishing here over the years, but I am constantly reminded by mates from all over the country who visit the dam each year of the enjoyment they get from fishing this great impoundment.

October is one of the better months to fish the dam. But be warned, the weather at this time of year can vary dramatically.

If the weather does take a turn for the worse, or the better, hang around for 15 minutes because it will probably change again – I’m not kidding!

I tend to experiment quite a bit with different lures and tactics these days. It’s a way of regenerating interest for me after fishing the dam for so many years.

I am constantly amazed at the variety of techniques that will catch golden perch. Hard-bodied deep and shallow divers, lipless crankbaits, soft plastics, skirted jigs, feathered jigs, spinnerbaits, blades, ice jigs, tail spinners, spinners, Chatterbaits, Beetle Spins, flies, spoons, and surface lures all catch yellas.

The only type that I have yet to get a golden perch on is a surface lure and that’s going to change this season. It’s been done by others on the dam, and with the availability of surface lures now on the market due to the bream and whiting surface craze, it’s only a matter of time.

I reckon November could be a better month to target yellas on the surface, the fire-tail gudgeon are prolific at this time and quite often in the early morning they will swim lazily around on or near the surface, where they make easy targets for patrolling golden perch.

The attack is not unlike a barra boofing baitfish, only on a much smaller scale. Watch this space!

Bait fishing is also very popular at this time of year and for good reason – it works.

Bobbing small yabbies and shrimp around the trees can be a very relaxing way to catch some nice golden and silver perch.

Bait fishing one of the many rocky banks can also be a great way to land a few nice fish.

The October long weekend heralds the start of the trout season, with rivers and creeks now legal to fish.

There are plenty of options with some of the better ones being the Fish River near Tarana, the Campbells River near Rockley and the Duckmaloi River near Oberon. Remember to always gain permission to access the creeks and rivers from surrounding farmers and treat this permission with the utmost respect.

Fishing small dry flies to rising fish on the warmer days can be great fun, as is casting small spinners and minnows with light spin gear to fish in the rapids and pools of the rivers mentioned.

The trout in most cases are small, but very willing; the odd larger fish up to a kilo or so is also possible.

No1

Golden perch from Windamere in October can take on many different hues of yellow. They don’t get much more yellow than this one.