The weather pattern over the past month has been quite mild with some fairly cool nights. This has led to the water temperature remaining quite low and, combined with the low water levels in the dams, this has greatly restricted the weed growth.

It shouldn’t be long before the crickets and grasshoppers begin to appear and it’s time to get out the surface tackle for some of those adrenalin-rush topwater hits. There are heaps of surface lures available now but I still like to use poppers and fizzers. My favourite fizzers are the Taylor Made Fizz Banger and Heddon Tiny Torpedo. The poppers I like to use are the Jackall SK, Megabass Siglett, and for the rivers the Paul Nicel Crickeye. The prime time to use these lures is around the new and full moons and about one hour before daylight and around sunset, and two to three hours after.

The Paterson and Williams rivers are in pristine condition and quite clear, and they’re producing some nice bass, especially around the lower reaches. The Hunter River is also in good condition but a little dirty, and it has good flow with the bass down around the lower reaches, around the top of the tidal change.

In the clearer water I find the 40mm hardbodies a very good option, especially the surface lures under low light conditions. Other options are blades in the deeper holes in the middle of the river and around rock walls, or 1/4oz spinnerbaits and beetlespins along the banks with some cover or shade. There are heaps of 40mm lures available these days but I still find the locally made Marz and the Jackall Chubby right up there.

Up at the Barringtons at the beginning of the season there are plenty of areas with good water and the trout are taking all forms of bait, lure and fly.

On some days the dam has been fishing well, then it has shut down for a couple of days before picking up again. You may have to do a fair bit of searching to find the fish. Another problem is the water temperature has been a bit low at the end of October but as this month progresses the temps should climb up to around the mid-20s.

The thermocline during this month is usually all mixed up but as we move into summer it should settle down, usually sitting at 5-8m in depth with a width of around 2-3m.

Another problem with the dam at its current level is that there is very little weed, and any bankside cover is now up 20m from the water line. There aren’t too many big schools of bass, with most of the fish coming from off the banks in the 5-7m range.With the lack of cover in this depth I have found the best time to fish is from sunrise to about 9am and then back out for the last two to three hours before and after sunset.

Another reason the bass can be hard to find is the lack of the schools of smelt and gudgeons which are very late coming on the scene this year, along with the lack of weed.

The bass on the edges are best targeted using plastics, blades, spinnerbaits or mumblers and deep hardbodies. Last season the Jackall TN60 and 50 were dynamite in brown dog pattern. In the spinnerbaits/mumblers I recommend the Bassman 3/8oz in purple/black for overcast days and bright days the green/silver.

Some areas to try this month up the Falbrook are from Redhead Corner up to Eurella Point trolling and working the edges along the old river, and also down the entrance around Richards Point. Good tolling lures are the big and small Ferralcatts, Stuckeys and AC invaders. The Carrowbrook Reach should also produce some nice fish for anglers trolling or casting from Loder Point up to Adam Point, especially around the larger timber that follows the river. This is also a good area for baitfishers using worms and yabbies for the odd golden, but there are plenty of catties as well as bass.

In the Broadwater the areas to target are Perkins Point and across to Gindigah Point. If there have been some westerlies happening, try along Thunderbolts Run.

Lake Glenbawn has been a bit slow to hit its straps this late spring as the dam is lower than last year and also a bit cooler. The fishing has also been a bit slow; some days the fish bite their heads off and the next day they shut down. Up the back of the dam the water is a nice colour but down around the main basin it is gin clear. Another problem this year is the lack of good weed to hold the fish in particular areas.

To give yourself the best chance of hooking onto the bass and goldens you will need to get onto the water very early and then back out for the last hours of the day. An exception to this is if you want to troll, in which case around the middle of the day can be very worthwhile as this is usually when the barometer is at its peak and the fish tend to feed a bit more aggressively. The better lures for this are again the Stuckeys, green or purple, and Ferralcatts, black or purple with silver tiger stripes.

There are some good schools of bass and goldens up the back of the dam around the Panhandle and the Dogleg, and these are best targeted with blades and plastics. Up further the fish can targeted working the banks, heavily timbered, using lipless cranks and spinnerbaits in the 5-7m depths. This is also a good area to fish the bigger timber out in the 10m depth that adjoins the river channel using yabbies and worms.

Around the heavily timbered areas of Yellow Buoy Bay and the main basin are also very productive in the final month of spring to work with surface lures in the low light, and casting Jackalls and spinnerbaits.

For those who don’t mind losing lures, dropping down into the tops of the trees is also very productive but you need a very good sounder and I like to mark the depth on my line so as not to go to deep. Ice jigs are also good for this as well as plastics on light jigheads.

Lastly, this month the Aberdeen Bowling Fishing Club, with money raised from its Glenbawn Classic, will distribute their bass fingerlings into Glenbawn Dam in the dollar for dollar scheme.