Waterways and fish in transition

Nick Price

This month I will discuss transition fishing. As I write this report, the water temperatures have not been as hot as they usually are at this time of year, and the bass are being found on the edge. They can be caught with reaction style lures such as spinnerbaits and square bills, but lipless crankbaits have been the real standout.

The trick to catching the fish is finding the fish. This might sound like an obvious statement, but the fish are found in patches at the moment, and seem to be in schools of year classes that are all of similar size.

When you find a patch of fish and catch one or two, keep working that bank and you will pick more up. Lately the fish have been located in steep banks covered with heavy cover in the form of larger trees (not spindly bushes). They seem to be in the deeper water, 10-20m, and I assume that’s because the water temperature is more stable at this depth. The shallows have a wider temperature range with the hot days and cool nights.

I have been mainly catching fish on squarebills and TN60s. The squarebills are very snag-resistant and bounce off the timber. When bouncing off the timber they cause a small sediment explosion, and this excites the fish. Often the fish hit just after the squarebill bounces off a snag.

When using a Jackall TN, make sure you trick it up. Put a blade on the TN to give it a bit more flash. This can be in the form of a beetle spin, or you can replace the back treble with a bladed treble. We have plenty in the shop as they really make a difference.

Make sure that you use heavy leader; I use 20lb for this type of fishing. The bass are very aggressive, and even a small bass will brick you in the timber.

There are many large carp in Glenbawn at the moment, and these fish are very aggressive. They are being caught on everything! Lots of people are targeting them with bait and achieving cricket score numbers, while the lure fishers are catching their share when chasing bass. I like to chase the carp with the fly. They are great practice, there are lots of them and they go really hard. If you have not tried this I recommend you give it a go.

The trout are in serious trouble in the more marginal streams in the Upper Hunter, with a distinct lack of rainfall and associated increase in water temperature. To catch trout consistently at the a nice, productive month on the numbers side of things.

I’m super excited for what’s to come, and touch wood there will be no massive dumps of rain to put us back in the waiting queue again. Tight lines. moment I would recommend moving further up towards the Barrington Tops, where both the ambient temperature and water temperature are cooler. After three La Niña years, the trout have done very well and there are some large specimens in the 2kg range to be found. Here’s praying that the rain continues for not only the farmers’ sake, but also for the trout!

A fantastic first trout caught on a soft plastic.

April is a month where the fish are moving more to the edge. Next month I will further explore transition fishing. The fish are not on the winter bite but are getting close.

Remember, if you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.