Aggressive pre-spawn trout are on the chew

Rod Shepherd WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

With the end of trout season approaching quickly, it is now that we experience the best trout fishing our region has to offer. The systems will have more water than previous years, but the trout will still be there and they will still be angry as they start their spawn run for this season. This is the time of year most anglers yearn for all season, so it is a great time to be a fisho in South West Gippsland.

RIVERS

The Loch, Toorongo and LaTrobe rivers in and around Noojee are firing as usual, and local fishos have been taking advantage of it. As the trout spawn approaches, the fish become extra aggressive, and even if they aren’t hungry, they’ll often hit lures out of pure aggression just for being in their vicinity.

Usually around this time of year, anglers opt for brighter more vibrant coloured lures, with orange being a common favourite. Spinners and hardbodies will still catch fish towards the end of the season, but I personally find soft plastics a real stand-out at this time of the year. A brightly-coloured soft plastic threaded on a light jighead bounced slowly off the bottom in front of an aggressive spawnminded trout is sure to entice a strike.

Towards the end of the season, the Tarago and Bunyip rivers host some spectacular fishing. It is no secret that both of these rivers hold the biggest trout in our region, and once the trout head upstream from the lower reaches, provide us with some entertaining fishing on some proper fish. The spawn-crazed fish will hit the same lures as mentioned above, although hardbodies with a larger profile (upwards of 10cm in length) are generally the lure of choice when you’re after the bigger fish. A bigger profiled lure will mostly be hit out of aggression rather than hunger (as opposed to the beginning/middle of trout season). When trout season does finish on 13 June, it is important that we let the fish have their time off and leave them uninterrupted during the off season, ready for a good start when the season returns in September.

Bass are still being caught in Bluerock Lake, but not in the numbers they were during the warmer months. Boat fishers will be turning their attention to trout in the lake now, which can be caught trolling winged or bibbed lures.

Redfin are still around during winter, and can be caught on the same lures as usual such as soft plastics, hardbodies or spinners.

Bait fishers will catch fish this time of year, as fish tend to be slower and more lethargic, meaning they don’t want to chase their food. An anchored worm is sure to entice a fish of some sort in the lake.