Of late I have been reacquainting myself with some nice trout water located in south-west Gippsland. It had been 5 or 6 years since the last time I managed to get there and I must say the fishing can be quite good and sometimes exceptional.
The Strzelecki streams can be a bit silty, but the browns don’t seem to mind!
The rivers and smaller streams there mostly rise out of the Strzelecki Ranges and end up meandering through forested hills until they reach flatter farm land. You won’t find classic freestone streams in the area. Instead the streams tend to have a mud bottom with rubble type rock. There is also a lot of shelf rock which is very slippery and will certainly test the effectiveness of your wading gear and technique. The larger rivers typically carry some colour though the murky water does not seem to deter the fish from rising readily to dries. If you want clear water you’ll need to explore the upper reaches of the smaller creeks.
Even the smaller creeks can hold good trout.
Good populations of browns can be found throughout the watershed. Most will be around half a pound with the odd surprise well over the pound mark. Though small, they are not easy. Careful stalking is required as is good casting and presentation. Move too fast or slap the line down even slightly and you’ll spook more fish than you catch; they really can be quite unforgiving to a sloppy approach.
Dry flies are working well.
I have dropped into a few streams in the area so far this season and the dry fly fishing has been very good. Most recently I got to a small creek I only fished once before many years ago. I recalled a solid population of wild browns in very clear water. I’m happy to report that not much has changed. As I made my way upstream, I was able to spot fish holding in the runs and also the slower pools, watching them come up to take the fly. The visual nature of this fishing is always a big drawcard for me, and I’ll no doubt be back many times over the coming years.
A solid small stream brown.
It’s an area worth checking out if you wish to venture away from the usual well known haunts and do some exploring. It’s not easy fishing … the rugged terrain, a tendency for low, slow water and at times extremely spooky fish means you’ll need to put in some hard yards for reasonable success. If like me you enjoy taking on challenging trout in small streams, it may well be worth the effort.
