December is a great time of the year in the far north east of the state.

The Kiewa River itself, which is usually a little slower to settle down than surrounding rivers, starts to settle nicely by December.

All of the rivers and creeks in the area should fish very well for trout during December. The main Kiewa and Mitta Mitta rivers will both be well worth fishing, so to will all of the smaller feeder creeks.

Not to be forgotten are the far upper reaches of the Mitta Mitta, Cobungra, Bundara and Gibbo rivers.

The Bogong high plains road over Falls Creek and the Bogong high plains is usually open later in November, which is a great shortcut to all of these fantastic hidden waterways.

The Gibbo River near Benambra is one of the most fish rich rivers in the entire area, and always fishes well in December. It is also one of the most tiger snake rich areas too for some reason so be careful!

The area around Anglers Rest on the Cobungra River is just an amazing area to fish, camp and relax. There are plenty of amazing camping areas along the Cobungra and upper Mitta Mitta rivers, most of which are suitable for caravans and large enough for family camping trips.

The upper Mitta Mitta holds some trophy brown trout in some of the deep holes, and the area is famous for it’s fantastic flyfishing.

As mentioned earlier flyfishing is very popular in this area, and so too is spinning and bait fishing, especially when there are a lot of grasshoppers around. The water is very clear and usually quite cool, even in December.

If you have not yet fished the upper reaches of the Mitta Mitta, which is known as the Big River above Glen Valley, I highly recommend you take a drive up there and check it out.

Thursday December 1 is the opening day of the Murray cod season. This far north east corner is by no means the ‘cod heartlands’ of Victoria, however there are some very good Murray cod fishing opportunities in the Kiewa River, particularly between Gundowring and the Junction of the Kiewa and the Murray rivers near Wodonga.

The lower reaches of the Mitta Mitta downstream from Tallandoon also has some very good cod fishing in it. These two rivers offer pretty good cod fishing, however they are pretty much kayak and canoe waters only, and are more suited to the dedicated angler with a sense of adventure.

All known cod techniques work well in this area. Personally I prefer to use lures that are a natural colour in these clear upland waterways, as opposed to the more fluorescent colours in the more turbid lower reaches of the rivers.

The Kiewa River can be very hit and miss, as water releases from higher up to generate hydro electricity can cause fluctuations in the river levels and make the cod fishing a bit erratic.

I remember a few years ago my mate Sandy fished the Kiewa near Tangambalanga with excellent success. A week later we went back and the river had risen a lot and for the entire day we only had one strike from a hungry Murray cod that didn’t make it all the way in anyway. So if at first you don’t succeed try again, and with enough perseverance eventually you will get a good session on the Murray cod.

There are a few yellowbelly in the lower reaches of the Kiewa River, however I think the Alans Flat water hole and Lake Hume are both better places to head if your target species is yellowbelly.