Despite some brief periods of wet weather, water levels are very low in the Strezlecki streams, so only the stealthy angler will win the battle.

It’s amazing how quickly our local creeks drain with the reduction of willow trees. After the good rain we had in mid February, our creeks have become very shallow and slow in less than a week. Hopefully, once native streamside vegetation takes hold again, the water should bank up a little better.

Of course the low water doesn’t mean there are no trout in the waterways. It just means you must be stealthy and stalk the these timid fish very quietly to make a catch.

Sometimes this can require waiting at the streamside edge for five minutes before making your first cast. Usually the trout are no longer spooked after a short period of time of stillness. It is quite effective to cast further ahead of the fish than normal. This puts your lure beyond the dead zone that you have created through not spooking the fish.

At the moment, small dry flies have been working well. However, the key has been light tippet so as to not spook the trout. With the low water the trout tend to not be as fussy about what they eat – a bonus for anglers.

Small plastics have still been very successful for me in the past month. I have been working corners and bends in the river where the water is deeper. Very small jig heads have been the key as they reduce the splash and prevent spooking the trout. I have also found casting further above the trout than I normal bring good results. The new TT jig heads in 1/60oz Hidden Weight System are perfect for such occasions. However I will stress that as soon as the water current speeds up, this will be far too light and most likely unnecessary as the trout will not be as timid.

The Berkley power nymphs have been great for stealthy fishing. The new Gulp 2.5” minnows in emerald shiner are also proving very effective.

In Traralgon creek, the bridge after the Koornalla Park bridge is under construction, so there is a road detour through the camping area. It is quite scenic, but drive carefully! I would probably give the section of water between these two bridges a wide berth, as the fishing hasn’t been terribly good amid construction. Go above the bridge that is being worked on, or lower where there are a lot more snags. Hopefully these tips will increase your catches of trout during these hard, stealthy times.

Good Luck!

For more information on fishing central Gippsland, contact Will at Always Angling in Traralgon on 51758544.