T_Bert83

Try keeping the black lead on negative of the battery and moving the red lead to different places to see what voltage you get.

Hi Jebro When testing was the red lead from the multimeter always on the positive of the battery? If so that would explain always getting 12.6V as the multimeter is only picking up the potential difference between the two points you are testing.

Hi Frank, Golden Classic is this weekend, next weekend an AYC event has been moved from Wyangala to Windamere and Australian Freshwater Masters is the 8-9th of November. I am unaware of another event the weekend you are planning on going but I may have missed one. Best thing you could do to know 100% is ask when you call about a cabin. Cheers, Trav

I'm looking forward to it as well mate hopefully the weather plays the game for us. Orange is a great town but definitely unpleasant in winter.

Hi @solarbear88 there are plenty of fishing options around the Bathurst area. I don't know of any guides in the area but I live in Orange and fish the area a lot and would be happy to show you a few techniques/ spots that I know. Send me a PM if you're interested. Cheers, Trav

I'll be there for the day on the Friday possibly sneak over Thursday afternoon not 100% sure yet.

@big Neil Hopefully you can get a few people keen. I'll definitely try my best to get over at some stage.

Hi @frankS, If you head to Windy and want some info feel free to send me a PM mate I’ll help you as much as I can.

For anyone interested in a few tips here is a little video put together by Jacko Davis which shows the go to technique for fishing for yellas this time of year. This is how all but one of the fish in this report were caught.

Definitely the right time of year to be hitting windamere to catch the fish it’s famous for.

@rickmarlin62 thanks mate it's a cracking dam that's for sure @dirvin21 thanks mate @Scratchie cheers mate was a nice morning for it.

@TAZ yeah they sure do mate

With the close of cod season and the warmer weather starting to be more frequent it was time to test the waters of Windamere to see if the yellas have started to move shallow. Arriving at first light it was clear to see the dam had dropped considerably since I was there last. Starting the morning fishing the transition from a steep rock wall to a more gentle sloping bank the first fish a nice 55cm model hit the deck within minutes. No more action from this spot despite seeing a few fish cruising on the sounder. Moving onto the next spot a small rocky point where a couple more fish hit the net coming from under a tree on the side of the point. The next point again produce a couple of fish from under a tree on the side of a gentle sloping point. A bit of a pattern had emerged the fish were on points as expected but appeared to be relating to timber. The next few spots either produced nothing or single fish showing the fish haven’t moved in shallow in big numbers just yet. At least not where I was fishing. One thing I did notice was the lack of fish cruising in deeper water off the points like you see when they are there in big number. It was good to dust off the light gear and put the heavy swimbait rods down for a while. We managed 10 fish by 1130 and struggled to boat another 3 fish for the afternoon with the strong wind making conditions tough. The plan had been to try a few different techniques to see what the fish would react too. It soon became clear that the ever reliable Zerek Fishtrap or Jackall Transam were the lures to stick with accounting for 12 of our 13 fish the other fish was a suspended fish caught on a black gulp grub. It was a fun day out and As the water temps start warming the fishing should only get better.

Hi @rickmarlin62 while the river is low and we badly need rain the river is still more than fishable. There are big pools in that area that have good depth even at low river levels.

Been pretty lucky the last few trips but I don't post all the donuts haha. Hahahaha you're right Rich I do need to learn that art I haven't managed a metre cod this season but have 2 x 99cm models.

Cheers mate 70mm was definitely easier to take than the poor buggers that lost by a couple of mm

Was forecast 35km/h winds but somehow they missed the 65km/h winds that caused mayhem haha

@Scratchie wasn’t near as cold as I’ve experienced while cod fishing no frozen reels or guides and could even feel my fingers through the whole session 😂

Headed to Wyangala Dam for the AYC Cod Classic over the weekend. After weeks of good weather, low winds and a steady barometer we were due for a change and as so often happens the weather turned nasty during the competition. With a dropping barometer, severe winds, pouring rain forecast it was a short bite period on the Saturday morning that produced the goods for us before the wind and rain hit. We had picked a bank to fish and headed off in the dark at around 4:30am. 2 hours passed without as much as a bump. As we fished our way along the bank we started noticing more fish activity and birds working the bait schools. From 6:30am to 8:30am we had an excellent session producing 4 fish ranging between 75cm and 99cm. All fish were caught on Jackall gigantarel swimbaits fishing between 3-5m of water. The dam fished pretty tough over the weekend so we were pretty happy with our results. 60+ teams fished the competition catching 40 cod with the winning fish coming in at 106cm. Cheers for reading, Trav

Congrats Toby both cracking fish.

Winter is prime BIG cod time. If you can put up with not feeling your fingers and guides freezing over tie on a big swimbait or chatterbait and go to work targeting them in the shallow water. Won't get them every trip but when you do fair chance it will be a fish of a lifetime. Cheers, Trav

I agree with Baz stick with the 55lb electric. Would be very rare occasions it won't hold position in current or wind. Save $$$ and cuts down weight in your boat from the extra battery. I do however run a 60" shaft on my electric and when the wind gets up it come in handy. If space is an issue I'm sure 54" shaft would be fine. Cheers, Trav

@kingie chaser I catch and release all my cod but have nothing against anyone taking one to eat. I used to enjoy eating the ones Dad caught years ago. If you are ever in the Orange area and keen for a fish I’d be happy to take you out. I can’t promise a fish but happy to show you how I target them and areas I fish. Cheers, Trav

Hi @Sigma I would recommend using swimbaits or large chatterbaits at first or last light fishing shallow 1-4m. Fishing cover isn’t required in these low light periods as cod will be roaming around feeding. As the sun gets higher I fish cover like trees or rocks where fish may be holding with either swimbaits or crankbaits. Even with the dam below 30% it’s deep in the main lake 20m+ however use caution as there are a lot of islands and shallow points starting to appear with the dropping water. Jackall gantarel or gantia with a 1/4 ounce chin weight would be my lures of choice as they are small enough for a 50cm cod to eat and if dragged in front of a giant they will still eat it. I generally stick with natural colours but caught two cod yesterday on a copton magic (white) gantarel as the water I was fishing was quite dirty. There are cod all over the lake so sort of depends where you are camping and how far you want to travel. I tend to look more for bird activity and bait rather than stick to specific spots. Send me a DM closer to when you’re going and I’ll try steer you in the right direction. Cheers, Trav

Thanks mate