TIPS FOR TEMPTING FUSSY EATERS?

Winter is here and in the Riverina this means chilling south westerly winds, frosty mornings and clear blue skies (remember that we are still in a drought!).

The sudden change in temperature from a mild autumn to winter causes the native fish to become less inclined to bite aggressively. Once winter has settled in and the water levels and temperature are no longer falling as the Murrumbidgee has through May, the fish fall back into a feeding routine and are easier targets.

However on the rapid change of season cod and golden perch are almost dormant. In these circumstances your technique needs to be spot on to spark a fish into action. As a fishing guide I need to be able to catch my clients a fish under any circumstances. For example, when the fish are shut down and you have two eager children wanting to catch their first fish (under their parent’s watchful eye) the atmosphere is intense.

I will outline a few tips that I follow to make sure that clients, such as my two young friends, go home happy:

1. The first thing you should do before any lure hits the water, is to check the hooks to make sure they are straight and sharp. When that bites comes you want to be able to covert.

2. Always have your rod in hand. If a timid fish nips at the lure and it’s in the holder, most times the fish will reject the lure and the fisherman will be none the wiser. If the rod is in your hand, you can strike and hopefully connect.

3. Slow fishing days are generally not the time to experiment with new and novel techniques. Unless there is a reason for trying something different, stick with your favourite lures and fish water that is familiar. I change my lures less often on slow days and experiment more on days when the fish are receptive.

4. Persist, Persist, Persist….did I say that enough? Cod in particular will look at a lure for days without striking, so work hard in the time you have and just keep going. You won’t catch a fish if you pull out and go home early.

5. Maintaining concentration on what your lure is doing down in the depths is the number one reason to trigger a shut down fish into a hookup. Keep your lure in the strike zone (30-100cm off the bottom) at all times. In the depths of mind numbing boredom keep working your lure through this bottom contour as there is always a hungry fish somewhere.

Aside from a couple of tough days where I had to recheck my own slow-day tips a few times, the Riverina has been fishing exceptionally well. Blowering Dam continues to produce big redfin, Burrinjuck has it moments with goldens and small cod, Lake Mulwala has sporadic big fish, but the Murrumbidgee River has been setting a cracking pace.

The average depth of the water in the river has been around 40cm which is barely enough to float a boat, but in the deep holes the fish are responding well to trolled hard bodies, whilst spinnerbaits cast into structure are accounting for many fish. Casting into the clear shallow water is visual fishing with many strikes happening in plain sight beside the boat. Exciting stuff!

The big winter cod are starting to make a few appearances and it won’t be long before the river giants start smashing gear with more regularity.

In addition to being big cod months, May, June, July and August are open season for Murray crays. These tasty crustaceans relish the cold water and with a bit of local knowledge a morning’s work can produce a meal fit for a king.

© Jamin Forbes May 2007