Max, Matt and I made the most of some beautiful spring weather to spend yesterday and today at lakes Fyans and Wartook in the Grampians. Both lakes are in superb shape with Wartook at 88% and Fyans at 83%. Water clarity is very good and although not quite as clear as on our last visit a few weeks ago, we still had no trouble polaroiding trout on both lakes.

In fact polaroiding was the feature at Fyans today and collectively we spotted about a dozen decent fish among the many stockies. These fish were pretty jumpy in the bright, flat conditions but besides refusals and missed strikes, we managed a nice brown & rainbow on a foam beetle and Scintilla Stick Caddis respectively.

At Wartook, we worked hard to spot fish but there were enough rises and smelters around to keep us interested. An emerging feature at Wartook this season has been the size and condition of the trout. As well as the typical (and welcome!) 2 to 4 pounders, we’re catching a few fish a size up from this and it almost seems as though the bigger the trout, the better the condition.

Once again, the green Emu Bugger took honours at Wartook, both cast to sighted fish and searching. In either situation, a reasonably slow, steady figure-8 retrieve did the trick. We’ve now fished a few kilometres of shore on foot over the last couple of trips, and nowhere can be safely avoided! With the relative ease of bank access in the aftermath of the fires, it’s practical to reach and fish many areas of the lake that would normally be a hassle at this height. (We still donate the odd fly to the scrub though!)

For more on this wonderful fishery, see my feature in the spring issue of FlyStream magazine, out now.