This wild brown was eating nymphs during an early September Goulburn dun hatch.
Through a combination of luck and careful timing, I’ve managed two decent sessions on the Goulburn Valley streams so far this season. This is a time of year where my non-stream fishing commitments can get in the way, so I’m grateful to manage that much.
Big flows on the Rubicon pushed the wading options during trip 1. (J. Douglas pic)
Being on running water in beautiful country has been as delightful as always. The actual fishing (if that can ever be separated from the overall experience) has varied from just okay through to good, and occasionally, thrilling. In my half century of early season action, at least on the mountain streams, that’s as much as you can reasonably ask for.
Just nice to be there. (Mid/upper Acheron on Wednesday).
On the first trip in early September, the water was flowing hard and icy everywhere (except the Goulburn itself) averaging about 7C. On all but the smallest natural streams, you had to think twice about wading across from one side to the other. On rivers like the Acheron, it would have been dangerous. In all cases, trying to persuade chilled trout to bother to move for your fly in all that water was a challenge, though not an insurmountable one.
Most of the trout remain in good to very good condition.
The exception to all this was the Goulburn itself, which, being a flow-controlled tailwater, was carrying a gentle (and crossable) 600 ML/d plus tributaries, and at a comparatively balmy 11C. At times – especially when the sun came out and a few duns popped – the fishing was excellent.
Landing a nice fish on a low Goulburn on cold, quiet-ish evening, trip one - note the puffy coat! (J. Douglas pic)
Jump forward a few weeks to the end of the month, and a period of drier, milder weather had made an impression. The natural streams were somewhat lower, and certainly warmer, averaging around 11-12C. The trout were more visibly active too, rising here and there to a mix of mayfly, caddis and terrestrials, and similarly, more willing to eat dry flies.
Conversely, the Goulburn rose on Tuesday from 1500 ML/d to 2000 ML/d; no longer easy to wade across. Following the flow spike, the fishing wasn’t as ‘easy’ as on the earlier trip, although late afternoon saw some consistent risers under the willows on the far side, right on the edge of wade casting range. And after sunset, some really good fish began to rise – again, right at the limit of my casts and effective mending. I hooked and dropped two of these, one of which straightened the hook of the snowflake caddis pattern I was fishing in tandem with a small Royal Wulff for sighting. Bugger!
Getting ready to cover the next rise on a bigger Goulburn on a warmer evening at the end of September. (J. Douglas pic)
Since I left, constant rain has set in; not ideal for fishing right now, but probably needed for the medium-term wellbeing of a couple of streams which were reaching ‘perfect’ fishing height a little early. With summer on the horizon, we don’t want these comfy flows too soon. Meanwhile, water releases into the Goulburn have dropped right back to 400 ML/d, no doubt in anticipation of increased flows from tributaries downstream of Lake Eildon.
Ideal for now, but.... The current rain event will benefit the King Parrot flows later in the season.
Incidentally, my mate JD did well on the Goulburn on the earlier trip, and on both the Goulburn and natural streams on the later trip, swinging (and even dead-drifting) soft hackle flies – more about this on FlyStream over coming weeks.
Swinging on the Steavo (and elsewhere) worked well.
