Trevor Hawkins ponders a typical trout season and reflects on the wonderful fishing that can be had for late season trout in lakes and streams.
When it comes to trout fishing I seem to be constantly wishing my years away. It didn’t seem that long ago that I was sitting at my desk, flicking through my diary and counting how many days there were till the trout opening and planning all the waters I was going to hit and how many fish I’d catch.
That’s been and gone now and the early fishing was good in some areas and great in others. I hit the rivers hard, as I always do before the Christmas holidays and had some great fishing on many of the north-east streams in particular as well as a couple of trips to the Snowy lakes. But these days I constantly find myself dreaming and planning for the next trip even while one is in progress. Maybe it has something to do with the speed at which the days, weeks and months seem to flash by.
When I’m not fishing I’m thinking about my next fishing trip, and when I am fishing I’m thinking about my next trip…
Mitta Mitta River above Eskdale, Victoria.
EARLY SEASON
I love getting out as early as possible in the new season. There’s something about the anticipation of the trout opening before it arrives. I even dream about hitting new waters on trips that may eventuate if my favourite waters don’t fish to expectations. Or even if they do, I think to myself that is the year when I will venture further afield or deeper into some rugged headwaters.
The pre-Christmas fishing rarely disappoints. The only holdup to really ‘hot’ fishing depends on how long you have to wait for the streams to settle down after the high country snow melts and spring rains settle and ease off before letting the rivers take on a more summer like pool and run configuration.
It’s great fishing and always gets progressively better as summer approaches. Generally I lay low over the Christmas break; I rarely fish this period these days. While I do enjoy fishing with mates and family, I never like fishing around crowds. The fishing in the rivers can be good if you can get away from the swimmers, kayakers and holiday makers along the streams, it’s just that I’d rather wait until the numbers thin out after the break.
Of course, some of the Snowy lakes can offer fantastic fishing during the summer holidays and I’m happy to fish these, especially on warm evenings and after dark if I’m really desperate to get away for a fish when I should be at home with visiting family and friends. As soon as the crowds are back at work, I’m back on the water in earnest. The hoppers will soon be making an appearance if I’m lucky; the beetles and other terrestrial insects are about in numbers; the lake fish are feeding on migrating mudeyes and damsel nymphs and the trout are looking up. I’m happy because even though I know the season’s end is approaching, I still have the wonderfully calm, mild autumn days of idyllic dry fly fishing to be had to round out the season on a high note.
Autumn on the Nariel River, Victoria.
AUTUMN STREAMS
After the summer heat has taken its toll on the water levels in many of the streams, the trout can be skittish and gun shy. As the days shorten, the waters cool off to give the brown trout some respite before they become interested in activities other than feeding.
It’s the same with the insects along the streams. The mayflies are now a feature right throughout the day… never mind having to wait until 9 or 10 o’clock in the evening during daylight saving periods for the ‘may or may not arrive’ evening rise. Small black beetles and ants seem to be in great numbers everywhere along the banks and in the streamside trees. Hopper patterns often still bring a reaction from trout that are wishing these wholesome insects were still on the menu.
For anglers that can never get enough fishing during an eight-hour period, there can be some great black muddler, cricket imitation fishing at last light or along shadowed streams that have plenty of overhanging streamside vegetation. Some of the large tailrace rivers such as the lower Mitta Mitta, Tumut, Swampy and Goulburn rivers offer superb sipping trout feeding on minute duns, ants and beetles in the smooth glides of the pools. The meadow streams such as the Nariel and Acheron Rivers can offer stunning fishing during the middle of the day.
Everything at this time of year seems to slow down. The takes from the trout seem slower, more measured and deliberate than and big fish often sip so delicately that you’d swear for all the world as if they were ‘guide’s pounders’ or smaller. The insects on the water’s surface seem almost comatose and in no rush to get away, and if your heads in the right place, you should also slow down and appreciate what makes fishing so special at this time of year. Fishing the autumn streams is what will keep you going throughout the long closed season that’s about to begin.
Late season rainbow.
AUTUMN LAKES
Things often seem different on the lakes. The weather and fishing along the lakeshores is still relaxed and casual, although anglers fishing the higher lakes appreciate the quickly diminishing warmth in the air more than the lowland fishers. The trout are more likely being caught at 2 in the afternoon as opposed to 10 o’clock in the evening.
Often anglers are simply catching smaller rainbows that are yet to feel the urge to head up towards the breeding streams. If there has been any rain of substance within the river catchments, the browns will likely be moving towards the rivers. They will still be feeding mind you and switched on anglers know of special spots where the brownies congregate in the lakes. They are generally down deep, near the river mouths in anticipation of the first waves of spawners to head upstream before the season closes in the rivers.
This can be the time of year when many anglers get their chance at catching a trophy fish. The big browns are suddenly within casting range and at depths that the average angler can reach as they swim upstream in preparation for spawning.
The rainbows are out and about along the lake edges and will be for a couple of months yet. Apart from those that follow the brownies upstream in anticipation of an easy feed on brown trout caviar, the rainbows will be along the warmer waters near the shoreline. At this time of the year, before the river season closes in fact, the bags of small to medium sized rainbows can be fantastic.
Mudeye fishing, both with live bait and flies becomes a great way of tackling these autumn rainbows. Look for promontories that jut out into the lake where the fish come in closer to shore as they move about, or target areas where deeper drop-offs meet shallower flats. Hopefully the autumn rains slowly increase the water levels in the lakes and bring the fish right onto the flats and over the edges in search of drowned worms, beetles and spiders.
Soon the rivers will be closed, the lakes for the most part will still be available of course, and the browns will be heading back out of the rivers as the bows head upstream to do their thing. The high lakes will slow down for a bit when the waters become extremely cold, but the lower elevation lakes will keep those, like me, that just have to fish, no matter what the weather, happy until the next season kicks and we can hopefully do it all again.
Eucumbene River, Snowy Mountains, pre spawn rainbow trout.
Now, let me see, what waters can I tackle next season?
Trevor is a Pro Staff member, Field Editor and illustrator for AFN publishing. He has over forty years fishing experience with flyfishing and light line lure fishing being his favourite angling methods. He also enjoys kayaking, hiking and AFL Football. He lives on the shores of the Gippsland Lakes in Eastern Victoria.
