June is a good time of year for the trout enthusiast, with many local lakes and rivers fishing well.

Just remember to get in to the river fish early in the month, as the rivers close at midnight on Monday June 10. Whilst other freshwater species such as Murray cod and yellowbelly are very quiet locally, the trout and redfin fishing can be good – and carp are normally out and about also.

Early June is also a good time of year weatherwise as normally the true winter weather hasn’t quite settled in yet, with crisp calm mornings a good start to a day on the water.

While the Yarra River might be off limits for trout, there can still be some quality winter redfin to be caught. Using slightly larger lures than you would normally use for trout can see some redfin over 1kg caught, especially when fishing the deep, snaggy holes in the river. Upstream of Warrandyte can be a good place to start, as the water is warmer here than further up above Warburton, which can keep the redfin active for longer periods.

Trout are a rare by-catch around this section. If targeting some Yarra redfin, make sure you pack slightly larger lipless crankbaits around the 50mm size – and make sure these are fitted with ‘W’ style hooks. These hooks will let you roll the lure close to timber and rock bars without snagging up as frequently as trebles. Try a mixture of colours, with flashy gold and matte red being good options for dirty water.

Devilbend Reservoir is slowly becoming a popular local fishery, with many anglers around Melbourne's South Eastern suburbs venturing down to give the trout a crack. The reservoir was stocked with over 30,000 trout late in 2012 and it seems these fish are now flourishing. For the angler trying their luck here early in winter the most effective method can be to walk around the shoreline and throw a few lures.

Michael Koumanidis has been fishing the reservoir for a few months now and has found that using weighted spoons such as Wonder Krocodiles and Gillies Naturals has been the most effective method. These lures are able to be cast right out over the extensive weed beds where they cover more water, hopefully attracting the attention of a cruising trout. Natural colours are best, with abundant redfin and galaxid populations in the reservoir for the larger fish to prey on.

Karkarook Park Lake is still producing rainbow trout for anglers fishing from the shoreline. The best area has been the bank on the northern side of the inlet, and most effective bait recently has been the garlic nymph dynamite bait.

A good way to test what baits the fish are interested in at any given time is to use a twin hook suspended bait rig, which involves the use of two size 16 ultra light trebles below a sinker and swivel.

This rig gives the option of two completely different baits to work out which one the fish prefer on the day. Don’t forget that later this month the lake should be stocked with another batch of trout, so gear up in preparation.

For up to date fishing information, contact the guys at Compleat Angler in Dandenong on 9794 9397 or drop in and see us at 241 – 243 Princes Hwy, Dandenong, we are open 7 days a week.

An excellent brown trout taken from Devilbend Reservoir.