Maybe the cold murky water has slowed the fishing down, or the cool winter weather has kept those usually keen fishos behind doors in the comfort of their homes.
The Billabong Creek still seems to be the place to fish.
Pete and Cam Wills got amongst a few nice yellowbelly and cod fishing downstream from Wanganella.
The best bait for the yellowbelly seems to be the worm and shrimp cocktail, accounting for some solid yellas up to 46cm.
The best bait for the cod has been bardie grubs.
Tim Rose ventured out the road to his usual hunting grounds — the Wakool River — and managed to pick up a healthy 66cm cod caught casting a surface lure.
Remember the start of September brings the closed season for our beloved Murray cod.
This means from September 1 through to November 30 you can not target Murray cod.
This three month period is to allow the cod to spawn and breed so in the years to come we will have a healthy cod fishery.
So if we can pack our large lures and hooks away, stop using baits that cod love to eat — such as large yabbies, grubs, cheese, chicken and so on — the cod will stand a better chance of breeding without the unnecessary pressure from us fishermen.
They will still eat smaller baits or lures, but the more we can do not to target these fish the better.
Spring time normally sees the water start to rise and the water gradually start to warm up, hopefully bringing the yellowbelly out and about looking for a good feed after laying dormant over the cold winter months.
The best bait would be worms, shrimp and small yabbies.
The best place to target yellowbelly, I have found, is bobbing your bait around willow trees and heavily structured areas. This is where they love to sit and look for an easy feed.
During the closed season it pays to service your reels, replace your worn line, blunt hooks and have it all ready to use come December 1.
Another idea I have for the younger fishos is to start collecting Australian made lures. This can turn into a lifetime adventure collecting lures from all over the country.
Whether it be colour sets, collecting a certain maker or many makers, it can be quite rewarding.
Timber lures are my go to. Feel free to shoot me a message on Facebook and I’ll be more than happy to help you out if you’re interested in getting started.
This will also be my last article for the next few months, which will not run during the closed season.
I look forward to seeing a few nice yellowbelly captures on the Deniliquin & District Fishing page.
If you see or suspect illegal fishing, please call 1800 043 536. Make the call and make the difference.
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