Following on from Golden Rules – Part 1 here are a few rules we follow to help hand out a few sore mouths during spring sessions.
50 ‘+ cm’ Scent
The one thing that has become glaringly obvious over the last few seasons is that scent matters. I have lost count the number of times that a freshly scented bait gets hoovered off the lake floor within half-a-dozen casts, before the gooey and sticky scent washes off.
It’s not that it doesn’t work without it, but with history as a guide, those first few casts are always the most deadly. While such a liberal application would warrant a scent holster, cue the Western music, effectively smearing your soft plastic or hard bait at every new spot is a habit worth picking up.
These days there are countless options to both apply scent and add/change the colour of your presentation. In our experience there is no ‘secret sauce’ although there are definitely days some work better than others, having you searching every corner of the boat for a small tube of scent that may have fallen from a packet of soft plastics on your last estuary mission.
I’m a big fan of S Factor and Pro-Cure Super Gel Shrimp flavour over recent years have found myself reaching for the Spike It Garlic Scented markers in a variety of colours. Could be my Italian heritage shining through but the Yellas seem to respond.
Time of Year
If the advantage of experience has taught us anything, its time of year matters. Now, 90% of our yellowbelly fishing is done in the spring months of September, October and November and certain patterns always seem to appear.
As the winter water warms and eclipses 10 degrees that usually triggers the resident yellowbelly populations of our dams to start searching for food. This sees them move from the depths into around the 20ft mark.
As the water temp starts to creep higher, around 14 degrees, they will use shallow dwelling trees in around 10-12 foot as a migration point as they signal their intent to move, en masse, to the lakes edges.
Once the water temp skyrockets past the mid-teens and nudges 20 degrees, Golden Perch usually flock to the shallow edges of the dam. When this happens it’s often referred to as an ‘edge bite,’ which is unanimously lauded as the best way to fool a perch.
While this changes year on year and is also location-dependent, October is usually a safe bet and our favourite time of year to nail a cricket score of portly pigs.
Again, these are all generalisations, but give you a golden head start in the right direction this spring.
Keeping a close eye on your sonder, especially side imaging, will give you an idea of where the fish may be congregating at that time of the year. Making small changes to your target area and resisting the urge to simply cast at the bank.
Location, Location, Location
If you’re sizing up what dam to hit this spring chasing a chunky golden perch then spend a bit of time looking around the Australian Yellowbelly Championships (AYC) website.
While new dams are often assessed the yellowbelly staples of Copeton, Windamere, Burrinjuck, Glenbawn and Wyangala are firmly etched into the current AYC calendar.
However, not only will you find out their trophy yella locations, but it’s also jam-packed with even more Golden Rules to expand and grow your yellowbelly knowledge and know-how.