Chasing Alpine Trout

by Jarrod Day on 7 Oct 2011 Victoria's rivers and streams are about to re-open and what better time to head to the Alps in search of wild brown trout.

Snow melt from the Alpine mountains fills the streams filling them with almost below zero crystal clear water. Wild browns that spent the past few months heading upstream to spawn have now come to rest filtering back through the systems.

Victoria has a myriad of rivers and streams worth wading and some produce fish better than others it all comes down to how far you’re willing to travel for a day of stalking.

Where to head:
Fast flowing rivers streaming from Victoria’s high country are peaking with hungry trout, whether it’s just a day trip or an overnighter for the weekend there are plenty of river and stream options for all.

Just an hour from Melbourne’s CBD, anglers can enjoy walking the banks of the Yarra River at its upper reaches around Warburton and beyond, all of which are good locations to begin.

The Goulburn River near Lake Eildon runs though some heavy bushland in its upper reaches but it is below the dam wall that is most accessible to anglers. Wading across rocks and tree logs are just part and parcel of a day’s work but all in all providing you casting into the deep pools and snaggy banks you should find success. This river is quite large and filtering right though farmland in its lower reaches which can be accessed by nearby roads.

Snob’s creek, a smaller system holds good quality brown trout but it is some tight water. Wading is necessary to access but worth the effort. A stealth like approach is required in all rivers as the trout are spooked easily.

If your still on the lookout for a more secluded location and don’t mind a bit of a drive, then above lake Eildon there are a plethora of rivers full of fish worth dangling a line into.

Big River along Eildon-Jamieson Road is a fast flowing river but worth the drive. You must have your hiking gear at the ready as most of the countryside is of mountainous terrain. The river has good access from the camping grounds and from these locations you can wade upriver casting into the swollen pools.

Another is the Howqua River located on the Howqua Track at Sheepyard Flats Camp ground. Although the Howqua can be accessed from many locations, at SheepYard it is far easier. The river is fast flowing but contains plenty of deep pools which all hold fish. From the bank access is great and waders are necessary. You will be trundling though heavy brush, over snags and in the river but it is worth every minute when you get a hook-up.

This river deserves exploring and if you’re going to do it as a day trip, I highly recommend getting there early to give you enough time to thoroughly work a good section of the river.

If you’re not keen on travelling too far the Tarago and Toorongo rivers around Noojee are also magnificent water to be dabbling in. From the main roads you have good access to the river; even in the town at the local park the river winds through it and though you wouldn’t think you could pull a fish from there, let me tell you, you can. If fishing the Tarago I do suggest a little exploring as you will tend to find some better water further away from the roads.

While there are hundreds if not thousands of rivers and streams to explore, the few mentioned above provide good easy bank access to anglers.

The right gear:
These rivers and streams are a fly angler’s delight, awaiting the local insect hatch just to be able to match the hatch is an art form in itself.

Although fly anglers may their stream craft mastered to perfection, lure casters alike have also crafted their techniques utilising some of the newest and innovative gear on the market.

Today, tackle shops are awash with gear and most of the time it is often confusing which lure to purchase. Options aplenty, each angler will have their own successful technique and lure that they repeatedly use. This comes down to a confidence thing, once a fish has been caught on a particular lure, that one lure becomes a personal favourite setting the benchmark for future catches.

I am one for trying new gear and with plenty at my disposal I still reside in gear that has been successful over past seasons. When it comes down to it, lure fishing is just as an art form as fly fishing. The same concepts apply to reading the water and knowing where fish will be, this also applies to the level of gear used.

Successful lure fishing requires the use of graphite fishing rods, sure a glass rod may get you through a weekend of fun but for castability, accuracy and precision nothing will land a lure right on a fish’s nose like a graphite rod will.

For all my adventures my outfit consists of a 7’ Wilson Venom Micro Light 1-3lb mounted upon a Shimano Sustain 2500, a well balanced outfit to flick such small almost weightless lures. Within this, the reel is tightly spooled with 4lb braid and a rod length of 5lb fluorocarbon leader. The reason for such light line is for the fact that I’m throwing such light weighted lures, hard bodies weighing anything from 1/16oz to 1/8oz while spinners may weight 1/32oz to 1/6oz. The lighter line enables the outfit to cast such light lures with minimal effort bestowed when casting. Should a heavier glass rod, larger reel and monofilament line be used, the accuracy just won’t be there possibly sending the lure into a nearby tree, bank or not cast off the rod tip at all. By having the correct gear for the job will aid in all aspects of lure fishing from twitching a hard body along the edge of a fallen tree to winding a spinner down the rapids.

Food for thought:
When it comes to actually selecting a lure firstly it pays to have a wide selection to cover all bases. While spinners are undoubtedly the most versatile and inexpensive lure available hard body lures are available in a range of diving depths.

To begin with spinners there is an abundance of colours available. While I have a wide selection from fluoro orange and pink to brown and rainbow trout patters and black to hopefully impersonate a mudeye. My favourite choice is the range of Wordens Rooster Tail 208 spinners. For the most part, the Rooster Tail is the perfect lure for all stream craft. The action of the lure is the forward spinning blade which provides plenty of flash on the retrieve. The most effective way to fish an inline spinner is a slow, steady retrieve allowing the forward blade to throw flash in all directions. An alternative method however, is to pause on the retrieve, forcing the spinner to stop rotating allowing it to drop erratically downward like a sick or injured insect or minnow.

Hard bodies on the other hand have a much different technique. Hard Bodies are available in floating, suspending and sinking and while most of the rivers and streams are shallow, I highly recommend a floating lure in these circumstances.

Hard bodies can be cast and retrieved but depending on the depth of the diver you may hit the snags or bottom and get hung up. The correct method with hard bodies in small streams is to wind, jerk, pause, jerk and wind. This will have the lure dive and on the pause slowly float before being ripped down again. This technique is extremely effective and gets the attention of trout quick.

There is no need for a large lure either, sure a larger sized lure will catch a territorial trout but for most of my work smaller lures in the 50-70mm range are more that suitable. I have been quite fond of the Yo-Zuri 50mm Pins Minnow in the BWRT and BT colours. This lure has a great action and can be worked in both fast and slow water. The retrieve can be varied but the action this lures give off is a trout attracting machine but for something bigger, I tend to use the 70mm version in the same lure.

There are many fishing options when it comes to fishing rivers and streams but one thing’s for sure spinning is fast becoming extremely popular. With the trout season alive and well and the rivers full, grab the melway or your GPS and find a nice secluded river to cast into.