Fishing Monthly Magazines : Great to be out and about

This is a great time to be on the water: The days are fairly long and usually not overly warm, there are very few water skiers and the fishing can be sensational at times.

Blowering

am has fished really well over the last couple of months, particularly for golden perch, and this should continue this month before the goldens seek deeper water for the

ummer and become much harder to find.

ishing with worms and yabbies is a good way of targeting goldens this month as they move off the edges and into slightly deeper water.

Lure casting has been awesome in recent months but will slow a little. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits have been the main fish takers although there have been a few caught on suspending hardbodies and soft plastics when the fish have been hard to entice.

Trolling in 3m to 7m is another good way to target the slightly deeper fish. The best lures in these depths are small Stump

umpers, Jackall TN60s and TN70s, #2 and #3 Prism Murrins, Viking Talismans and Crank

innows, 50mm AC Invaders and the ever-reliable Nilsmasters, particularly the jointed models. Once the majority of the goldens move off the edges, the redfin find the courage to move up to take their place. Casting small spinners like Celtas or Rooster

ails from the bank is a good way of catching a feed of redfin. Small plastics in white, pink or red, or a combination of these colours, are also worth a chuck.

orms, maggots or really small yabbies should also get you a feed of redfin.

Hybrid carp

If you are spinning around the shallows or wading, keep an eye out for the spawning hybrid carp.

ast year I was casting along the freshly flooded margins about waist-deep when I noticed hundreds of hybrid carp cruising the shallows as if I wasn’t even there.

At this time of the year they are attempting to spawn and to them nothing else matters. Up to ten males at a time can be seen chasing a big female around, trying to fertilise the female’s eggs when she finally decides to lay them.

ast year, one of these big carp smacked into my leg swimming flat out. I wasn’t looking at the time and the initial contact scared the hell out of me and it hit me so hard it almost corked my calf muscle!

These carp can be polaroided in the shallows quite easily but they are so thick in some bays that you don’t need a pair of sunnies – their backs are out of the water in the shallows. These spawning fish are hard to entice on bait but they can be caught on lures, particularly larger ones which trigger the males’ aggression,

To give you the best chance of a strike, cast only to groups of fish jostling for position.

ipless crankbaits or suspending hardbodies are best but they will take a variety of lures and I have even caught them on spinnerbaits.

Not long now until we can go and target the big green fish again but with the awesome golden perch action to be had this month, as well as the chance of a big hybrid carp or a redfin, it won’t be too long before Murray cod season.

Hume Classic

I look forward to the well-run Lake Hume Classic, it’s one of my favourites. This year’s tournament is on November 7 and 8 and entry on the day is more than welcome.

The honesty system used last year has been replaced with the original measuring station format of previous years, where anglers must have their catch verified at one of the 10 official measuring stations to be in contention for any biggest fish prizes.

I encourage everyone to support this fantastic event, especially families, which is what the tournament is all about. There are some great prizes and the number given away has to be seen to be believed. For details visit www.lakehumeclassic.com.au .

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The author with a 72cm hybrid carp which he caught this time last year while casting a spinnerbait intended for a golden perch. Big hybrid carp will be spawning in numbers in the shallows and the backs of bays this month.

Like hundreds of golden perch before it, the champagne tiger Jackall was too much to resist for this average Blowering yella. The majority of Blowering’s goldens are still holding in fairly shallow water but will seek deeper water towards the end of the month.