The Anticipation
This would be Peter’s first flyfishing expedition to the Grampians. I had to show a degree of restraint in not talking up the fishing too much; I know how good these lakes can be, but I also know that there is nothing predictable or easy about fishing lakes in the height of winter.
Trout numbers are solid here, and you have a real shot at catching a big trout. But rather than build catch expectations too much, I limited myself to waxing lyrical more about the sheer beauty of this region. Can’t exaggerate that!
A spectacular place to fish!
The Riches
We arrived in Halls Gap, checked into our lodgings and beelined for Lake Bellfield, a few minutes out of town. The weather was surprisingly mild for this time of the year and the wind favourable to casting the shorelines we chose. There was enough chop on the water to negate any trout wariness, yet enough smooth water on some of the bays and shorelines to help detect any movement on the water.
Not much was moving but as is de rigeuer when you can’t cast to rising or smelting fish, we decided to search the water with a variety of streamers. Far from ‘blind flogging’, this sort of fishing requires a high degree of concentration and diligence.
Maybe a bit long and lean, but a good introduction.
Peter was soon connected to a good brown; a long fish that could easily have tipped 4-5 pounds had it not recently spawned. Three other trout were landed, including a beautiful rainbow that totally smashed the fly. The sight of your fly line going tight as your fly is chased and engulfed by a big fish is flyfishing bliss!
A few hours fishing, five trout on and four landed. Can’t really ask for better than that. What a terrific introduction for Peter’s Grampians flyfishing.
Solid rainbow.
On evening, there was no visible midge hatch on our part of the lake, so as darkness engulfed the mountains and the temperature dropped, we decided to head back to the lodge for drinks and a hearty dinner.
Whatever happens with the fishing, on trips with Max, you know good food is a given!
The Rags
Despite the menacing weather forecast for the next day, we maintained a high degree of enthusiasm. Why wouldn’t we after such a cracking session?
We woke up to rain, high winds and the promise/threat of snow. We sat out the rain for most of the morning and studied the weather radar for any break in the cold front.
In retrospect, perhaps we should have returned to Lake Bellfield, but I was keen for Peter to experience Lake Wartook.
We arrived late morning. The rain had temporarily passed but the cold hadn’t. It was freezing – ‘brass monkey’ weather. Otherwise, conditions weren’t too bad though, with enough calm water along the break wall to easily expose any moving fish and the smelters I was expecting. The shorelines were sublime and easily accessible at these levels (approx. 52%).
Feeling positive at Wartook.
Unfortunately, neither here at Wartook, nor during a quick session at Lake Fyans on the way home, did a fish reveal itself (besides one redfin!). Nothing sighted, and not even a bump. The water looked great at both locations and the polaroiding was not too bad, but the trout had their own agenda. Perhaps they decided to hunker down, sulk and let the low-pressure system pass. Maybe our session on Lake Bellfield the day before saw the trout feeding freely in anticipation of the cold blast that followed? Who knows… winter lakes can weirdly eerie, fickle and mysterious. But for me, despite the anomalies and the unpredictability, this sort of fishing is very addictive. From riches to rags indeed.
The Technicals (Peter’s perspective)
In the four years I have been lake fishing, I have tried to absorb as much information as has been thrown my way, often by some of the best flyfishers around.
On this day on Bellfield, we tried several different retrieves and techniques. For some reason the single fly and trusty figure of 8 wasn’t quite working for me. I decided to mix it up, and found success retrieving two streamers fished roughly 6 feet apart, employing varying retrieves, and changing a fly after a while if I wasn’t getting any takes. I soon found that the trout were reacting to a faster retrieve with a beaded fly on the point and an unweighted fly on the top dropper. Allowing my flies to settle or ‘drop’ before beginning my retrieve was essential to getting them to the right depth.
Staying mobile and covering different areas of the lake also seemed crucial for finding fish, another item in my bag of tricks that helped.
A two fly rig and fast retrieves worked well at Bellfield.
As much as we thought we had figured it out though, the subsequent fishing on Lake Wartook and Lake Fyans soon brought us back to earth.
I fished my Orvis Helios D which handled all conditions very well, paired with the long-bellied Scientific Anglers Anadro Indicator line, which allowed me to punch multi fly rigs out into the wind with ease, making it effortless to cover larger areas of water and find feeding fish. My leader was 2X and tippet from 2X to 3X.
In Closing (Peter’s perspective)
It’s hard to describe the feeling of arriving at a new fishery for the first time, but sometimes it just feels fishy. Being in Melbourne and having The Grampians as a lake fishery only 3 hours away, it’s hard to overlook the area as a premier trout destination. With comfortable lodging available in Halls Gap and three fantastic trout lakes located just five to thirty minutes away, these waters provide spectacular surrounds when chasing trout, and at least the chance of some red hot action.
I will return to the Grampians in spring, hopefully to fish some flies on the surface and maybe chase one of the elusive beetle hatches…
