T’was the night before Christmas…

The presents are wrapped and under the tree, the supplies for the next two days are secured and I’ve got a clear hour or three before a Christmas Eve gathering. Maybe this is as a good a time as any to see if I can summarise the 2016 fishing in less than a thousand words. Throughout south-eastern Australia, 2016 really has been a year of two halves: dry on the back of extended low rainfall for most of the first half, then progressively wetter for the second half; peaking with exceptional, even record winter/spring rain in many areas – and pretty cold too.

Wet, cold conditions summed up a fair bit of 2016, but the trout didn't mind!

Wet, cold conditions summed up a fair bit of 2016, but the trout didn’t mind!

Fittingly, the first trip of the New Year was in mid-January with good friend Steve Dunn to the Snowy Mountains. I was surprised to check the diary just then and find Lake Eucumbene was at 53% –  higher than it is now after some of the biggest winter/spring inflows on record. If you’re looking for a logical explanation for this disparity, don’t worry; there isn’t one!

The Eucumbene River in January 2016...

The Eucumbene River in January 2016…

But back to the fishing that trip. It was very good on the lake; especially on evening. The rivers were good too; low but not too low. However, it’s interesting to compare the level of the Eucumbene River then with what Steve and I were confronted with in October. Lots of fish caught both times, but entirely different tactics required.

... and almost the same spot on the Eucumbene River in October. 2016 really was a season of two halves.

… and almost the same spot on the Eucumbene River in October. 2016 really was a season of two halves.

Next up was Tasmania and the lakes of the Central Plateau in February. While Gunns, Penstock and Dee were pretty much business as usual, Great Lake was exceptionally low at -17.4m; I think that’s as low as I’ve ever fished it. Despite looking even more desolate than usual, Mark and I were treated to exceptional polaroiding as the low levels exponentially increased the expanse of the shallow silt flats ideal for this sort of fishing. I wonder if I’ll ever see the lake that low again?

Cramps Bay, Great Lake in February at -17.4m. Wade polaroiding a hundred metres offshore!

Cramps Bay, Great Lake in February at -17.4m. Wade polaroiding a hundred metres offshore!

Autumn began very warm and dry, meaning our best mountain river fishing occurred on the big tailwaters like the upper Murray and Mitta, which were busy transferring tonnes of cold, clear water into Lake Hume to keep the Murray proper flowing. By late March though, the seasons had swung to truly autumnal and Max and I washed ice off the windscreen beside the Cobungra River at the start of April.

Nariel Creek tainbow during a dozen-an-hour session in April.

Nariel Creek rainbow during a dozen-an-hour session in April.

Mid May saw the lake fishing in full swing and at Lake Fyans with Amac, we found trout smelting busily and rising to midge and caddis on dark. The rain had started and levels everywhere were beginning to gently rise; although the real stuff was yet to come. By mid-June things were starting to happen with lake inflows. Harcourt was nearly spilling and although I managed two nice trout at Lauriston in quick time, I’m still haunted by a monster that gave me several shots but no hook-up. Possibly the biggest trout/salmon I’ve seen in Victoria in recent years.

Lake Fyans, May 2016. This month signaled the start of the prolonged wet period.

Lake Fyans, May 2016. This month signaled the start of the prolonged wet period.

From then until late spring, I believe I fished (or guided) in more bad weather than I ever have before. The wind, rain and cold were relentless. I think the conditions were best summed up one midwinter day when Max and I fled horizontal rain while bream fishing the Aire River estuary, only to drive through heavy snow at just 400 metres asl on the way to the Curdies seeking kinder conditions. Needless to say, we didn’t find any relief!

Snow at just 400m asl a few kilometres from the coast in the Otways.

Snow at just 400m asl a few kilometres from the coast in the Otways.

As a wise man once said though, the fish are already wet. And as his brother says, trout are a cold water species. So in spite of living permanently in gloves and Gortex through most of winter/ spring 2016, there were still patches of great fishing. These included along streams which had carried little or no water just months earlier. How quickly wild trout return! And of course, while all this was going on, our trout lakes were filling and spilling at a remarkable rate.

Tullaroop filling in mid spring. Note the high water mark on the far side - the lake reached this level 5 days after this picture was take, doubling in volume and spilling.

Tullaroop filling in mid spring. Note the high water mark on the far side – the lake reached this level 5 days after this picture was take, doubling in volume and spilling.

By November, the consensus through much of south-eastern Australia (including Tasmania) was the season was running about 3 weeks behind. When the rain finally abated and the temperatures moderated, truly brilliant fishing followed. Since then, it’s been as if the trout and the bugs have been trying to make up for lost time. It’s hard to cover it all, but standouts have been the return of the duns to Lake Wendouree, unusually stream-like flows on the Goulburn extending through late spring into early summer, and simply outstanding fishing on the mountain streams from the Murrundindi all the way to the Murrumbidgee. One pleasant surprise has been the reports from our bloggers of continued good fishing on Lake Eucumbene – despite falling water.

Mountain stream paradise, upper Howqua, December.

Mountain stream paradise, upper Howqua, December.

Anyway, my word count is running out and Christmas Eve drinks approach, so I want to finish by thanking every one of our FlyStream contributors for their efforts throughout 2016. And of course thanks also to our subscribers, readers and advertisers. May you all have a great Christmas and many wonderful days on the water in 2017.