I have also heard talk of a 1.4 metre fish being caught in the Yass River arm.

The fishing during the day has been slow for most anglers. The late afternoon and evening fishing is the more successful option. Two fishermen who stayed on the water until 3am managed to pick up 15 cod while trolling. The biggest was 21 kilograms. They also got smashed and lost a bit of tackle by an even bigger fish. I’m also still hearing stories of unsuccessful big hook-ups.

Yellow belly: still comparatively quiet. Jason Swan managed two beautiful yellows over 60cm on two separate trips. Mask vibes and jackalls did the job for him. There are also good reports of yellow belly being caught around Narrangullen Island, where there is now a mass of timber showing. Best bait is the large shrimp. Trolling and casting crank baits and small hard bodies is also accounting for a fair share of captures.

Redfin: not getting too many reports. They are still about, but are quiet during the day. There is a mass of tiny redfin around the edges which are no doubt being gorged on by the yellows and redfin alike.

Trout: two rainbow trout this week around 35cm. One was taken in three metres of water taking a shallow running hard body.

Carp: taking lures but not as frequent as they were. Heaps are being caught on the usual bait of worms or corn.

Park news: New Year’s Eve went off without a hitch. DJ Ando entertained the crowd into the wee hours of the morning. Big numbers of campers were in for the Christmas break with no trouble at all in the park.

The life jacket rules have recently changed for Alpine waters with type one, two and three jackets now being accepted.