Well, the 2021-2022 Victorian Trout Season is coming to an end, and what a season it has been. For those of you who didn’t experience excellent fishing over the past 7 or 8 months, it’s probably fair to say you were too busy at work and actually nowhere near the water. But, for most of us, ’21/’22 delivered some of the the best conditions we’ve seen in over a decade and the fishing didn’t disappoint.

With all that was going on in the world, it was a late start to the season for most Victorians. Lockdowns across the state meant that trout opening day was limited to water 5km from your home, which left many unable to join in what ended up being a rather subdued event. In fact, one would be stretching the truth like soft taffy in calling it an ‘event’. But nonetheless, the wheels slowly got greased up as the season crept into motion. After a few weeks, regional Victorians were back on their favourite waters, only to find most of them were unfishable. Continued heavy rainfall over winter and into spring meant the lakes were full, dams were overflowing and the streams were running high and dirty. This certainly limited the early season possibilities more than usual. But, the good folk up at Eildon were kind enough to turn the taps off and reduced the outflow from the lake to a meagre 400 mL/day which created ideal conditions for dry fly fishing with fish rising to caddis all day every day while the sun was out and the water was clear. Those who were fortunate enough to have fished the Goulburn in September and October would know what I was talking about. You could literally stake a claim on a 100m stretch of the river and spend all day playing with fish without the need to move on.

Of course, it became a free-for-all over Melbourne Cup weekend with the residents of Melbourne finally being allowed to travel around the state and just in time to see the river levels in the Goulburn come back up again. With levels in the streams still fairly high, fishing options were limited to begin with as the rain continued to fall around the state. All this sounds like a season that didn’t fair too well, but really these events were laying ht foundation for a truly special summer of fly fishing.

With high water flows, and greatly reduced access for most Victorians throughout the year, and the one previous, the rivers had plenty of time to rest from fishing pressure and the trout flourished in these conditions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that several key holiday periods without camping meant a lot of large fish did not get killed for the dinner plate over the preceding 18 months. Add to that the high water conditions that were prevalent for many months when fishermen returned to the water, making it tougher for fish to be caught in the early influx of travellers heading out of Melbourne to wet a line. The fish were left to thrive and grow larger still. The result being more active, larger fish in just about every system throughout the summer just gone. It just goes to show how a small break from fishing pressure beyond the closed season can improve fish stocks. We can only hope less pressure around spawning times also resulted in greater numbers of juvenile fish this season, and from better genetic pools too. This should see improved fishing across the board in a few years’ time.

So, it goes without saying that many people caught (and hopefully released) some excellent fish this season. My good friend Scottie and myself had a series of days on the water this season that left us in wonderment. Of course, there were the odd day or two that left us frustrated too, but with those days lessons are always taken away. Our friends over the border in New South Wales also reported an incredible season with hopper fishing that seemed to carry on right up until the glow bug festival kicked off at Eucumbene. With rain falling early (well, it never really stopped in New South Wales) the fish were on the move before the end of the season unlike the previous year. So, as I write this, it’s now that time of year when a slew of big kyped, coloured up, orange bucks get flaunted all over social media as the spawn run produces some of the most outrageous fishing of the year. That said, you don’t have to travel all the way to Eucumbene to find big fish. And, with borders closed to New Zealand this season, many Victorians were thrilled to find you didn’t need to travel over the ditch to find big fish either.

We look forward to seeing what 2022-2023 has in stall. Until then, it’s tying season. So, if you want to create all sorts of natural looking fly patterns, then our ever growing range of natural feathers is the ideal place to start. Aside from all the standards like Dry Fly Hackles, Marabou, Coq De Leon and Cul De Canard that we have on offer, you can find some real gems the Other Feathers Category of the Troutlore Flytying Store. If you can’t find a product you are specifically looking for, get in touch and we will see if it can be sourced, and kept in stock. Plus, you can keep up to date with new releases through our newsletter and social media outlets.