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Spring relish the warmer water
  |  First Published: September 2013



The footy finals are nearly over, trout season opens up on the 7th and it’s officially the start of spring.

September normally signals the switch from anglers who’ve spent a bit of time indoors during winter to now wanting to get out and focus on fishing. While the waters are still cool, trout will remain active for a while longer and the start of milder weather normally brings other species on the bite as well.

Karkarook Park

Karkarook Park has been fairly consistent over the winter months with school holiday stocking keeping anglers of all ages busy catching feisty rainbow trout. Due for another stocking later this month, Karkarook will fire up again for anglers chasing trout. The start of spring is a good time of year for the redfin as well, because as the water temperature warms slightly the redfin come out of their winter slumber in active pursuit of food.

Bug activity around the lake also starts to increase, so if you’re a lure angler, reach into your soft plastic collection and start throwing around a few ‘nymph’ style plastics. Fished deep out from the drop offs in the lake or around the shallower margins these types of lures will produce both trout and redfin.

Devilbend Reservoir

Devilbend will start producing a few more quality trout for anglers working their way around the shoreline. Extensive weed beds run around most of the lake edge, and while they can be tricky to fish around, most of the time there are some very good quality trout moving around them.

All of the food items that the trout need are around these weed beds and include small shrimp, aquatic insects and forage fish. By using lures that imitate these food items you will tempt a few hungry trout. Early and late during the day are the most productive times to catch these trout as they cruise around higher in the water looking for food.

The Yarra River

The Yarra River will be back in business for trout anglers towards the end of the month, and after a good amount of rainfall this winter the fishing should be good. The river will still have reasonable flow to it, so trout can be caught in deeper pools and also in most of the runs.

Drifting a lightly weighted bunch of scrubworms down a slower run is normally a red hot technique for catching trout at this time of year, as water clarity is still murky for premium lure fishing. A tip if you’re going to soak a few worms is to trim off the ends of a few so that they pulse a bit in the current and also let a bit of scent out so that nearby fish can find them.

Sugarloaf Reservoir

Sugarloaf Reservoir has started to slowly creep into gear for both redfin and golden perch; depending on how mild this month is will dictate how active the golden perch will be. The first main ‘spike’ in water temperature normally brings the goldens into a feeding mode, so if we have plenty of mild, sunny days they’ll be worth a shot.

If you’re planning on checking out sugarloaf, just make sure to visit during park hours and use artificial baits and lures only.

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.

Spring time means big brown trout like this start to get fired up.

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