Much of the promised rain really failed to eventuate, which although desperately needed may have been a blessing for those fire-ravaged waterways. Already there are signs of growth and hopefully this will hold the earth a little better, preventing a repeat of the fish kill last month. I spent the weekend with a few fishos from the Albury Wodonga Sportsfishing Club, camping at Pipers Reserve on the Murrumbidgee River. The weather gods convinced a few of the older members to pull the pin Saturday night, however by then all three boats had caught plenty of fish.

Nearly all the fish were either Murray cod or trout cod, generally in the smallish bracket that didn't mind having a chew on some cheese, chicken or any other dainty morsel that we offered up (even cocktail frankfurts).

The water was OK early, but as the day progressed it became more discoloured and the baits were often covered in what appeared to be ash. The water issue had absolutely no affect on the fishing or the fish. As far as bait was concerned the cheese definitely had more bites, but less hook-ups than chicken, mainly because the chicken is a little tougher to rip off the hook. In total, the three boats landed more than 80 cod and trout cod, an impressive silver perch and a solitary mud marlin which I believe reflects on the great quality of the native fishery along the Bidgee.

Another party of anglers ventured west to Mulwala and, despite the wind ensuring a bumpy ride, one lucky angler managed to land himself in the metre club while trolling a spinnerbait. John Morey was more than happy when the cod measured 1.01 - and he hasn't stopped talking about it ... great fish John, well done. The new Barambah Hectic Yabby would certainly be worth a troll or spin down there.

Fishos out on the Hume are getting among the reddies on bait and small vibes, with the only issue being how long it takes to get a feed as there are a lot of tiddlers out there. Apparently better fish are being caught in the Mitta arm as anglers are keeping an eye out for seagulls working the surface for baitfish. The Mitta is still the hotspot for trout and some of those that have been caught have been in the thumper category, such as Scott Nesires 72cm brownie. As with last week, Yakamito and Rapala Minnows are more than a match for these huge fish.

The creeks around there show some real promise, with recent rain giving them a good flush, drifting a good bunch of worms should have the desired effect. There was a rumour that Gary Keatings managed to spin up half a dozen up there during the week, so there must be plenty to share around.

Dartmouth hasn't been setting records, except for the depth at which you need to run lures just to have a chance for a trout.

Most fish have been between 80 and 90 feet, so it would be easier to drop a few yabby pots in then have a troll.

Around here, one youngster has scored a few cod on chicken floating from the wall to Mungab, and another fisho scored a couple over the 60s around the Kiewa mouth - again on chicken.

On the Upper Murray, Matt and Maddie showed that there are still good reasons to head up that way.

They landed then released three top quality cod ranging from 63cm to 73cm.

More information should be available soon on the Victorian Gold Tag fishing event.

The starting date is yet to be determined, so there's no need to go racing out there now.