north east regional extra | September 1 - 7, 2021
nemedia.com.au
1.
September 1 - 7, 2021
Up our streams and rivers for trout
By BELINDA HARRISON
THE start of the new trout season is upon us and local fishermen and women are pulling out their rods, checking lures and baiting hooks as they prepare to get out and fish in earnest. Whether you favour bait fishing with a sinker; using the weight of the lure to cast or if you prefer the elegance of fly fishing; imitating natural insects at different stages of their life cycle by using feathers and fur flies, the streams and rivers in the North East are waiting. Trout season in rivers and streams opens this Saturday, September 4. Getting out and about is, however, subject to the state’s prevailing COVID restrictions. Wangaratta’s Greg Wood is one angler who, along with members of the Wangaratta Fly Fishing Club., are keen to get out as soon as restrictions allow. “The closure between June and September is to allow the trout to spawn unmolested, thereby ensuring successful breeding each year to replenish the waterways,” Greg explained. “Lakes can be fished year round but there are different size and catch limits between rivers and lakes.” Greg believes North East Victoria has the best rivers and streams for trout in Australia. “The waterways are predominately free stone which means rock and pebble bottoms, so fish have plenty of holding lies and food drifting down to them,” he said. “The waterways around Wangaratta hold good numbers of fish, which can change seasonally, and they are opportunistic, which means relatively easy to catch.” The Wangaratta Fly Fishing Club was founded in 1950 by 10 local identities - Vic Culph, Bill Law, Norm Gibb, Vern Deprada, Bill Just, Jack Law, Jack Ritchens, Digger Lazarrotto, Ron McKenzie and Jack Swain.
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◆ LANDED IT: Greg Wood with a catch on the Ovens River in May this year.
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