The big fish are coming out to play now that the water temperature has dropped significantly. There have been more than a few fish over the magical metre mark landed over the past few weeks. Spinnerbaits and hardbodies seem to be the most reliable method at the moment, which isn’t unusual throughout the colder months as the Murray cod won’t be interested in expending too much effort in their search for food.

The trick to winter fishing is patience. Most days will deliver only one or two fish at the most, but these winter fish generally measure favourably on the brag mat. Repeated casts at the same piece of structure or multiple trolling runs along a likely looking bank will deliver the best results.

Big lures are must – 120mm+ hardbodies and big Colorado blade spinnerbaits will deliver the best results. Stick with purples, reds and blacks when it comes to colours and you should put yourself in a position to land a monster.

By the time this magazine comes out there’ll be a just over a week left until the rivers and streams close and the brown trout spawn run gets into full swing. The numbers of fish heading up the Eucumbene river will be almost matched by the number of anglers fishing the river. It’s not the most enjoyable type of fishing, but the fact that there is a good chance of tipping the scales past the 10lb mark is probably what draws so many anglers.

I always head up to the area for a couple of nights before the season close, but I can really only handle one or two sessions on the river. In my opinion the crowds and predictable fishing detract from why many of us choose to fish in the first place.

If you are planning on heading up for a day or two before the season close your best option will be running a twin nymph rig regardless of whether you’re on the long wand or spin drifting. Glo-bugs will also work but in my experience they run a close second to nymphs and can be outstanding from day to day. They just aren’t consistent enough when compared to a simple black or brown seal’s fur nymph.

If you are fishing the fly rod you will more than likely need some extra weight to get your flies down to the bottom. Think tungsten bead heads or small split shot.

The lake still fishes well throughout this time and one of my favourite techniques is to fish the Providence flats from a boat as there is always a heap of quality fish roaming the shallows.

The other option from a lake perspective would be trolling the Frying Pan and Buckenderra arms with aggressive coloured lures. From reports that have been coming in there has been some great trolling in this area. The majority of fish have been well conditioned rainbows.

I’ve said it before, but there is no need to be deterred by the cold weather at this time of year! Kit yourself out with some quality alpine style clothing and you can enjoy this brilliant fishery right throughout the depths of winter. As the saying goes, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’.