Early winter in Melbourne can bring forth a dilemma if you’re an angler – deciding whether to stay warm on the couch and watch the footy, or grab a few rods and chase some freshwater fish locally. Luckily you can be in for some decent fishing if you decide that the outdoors option is more your thing.

Just be mindful that the Salmonid closed season in Victoria runs from midnight on Monday 9 June through to midnight Friday 5 September, so if stream trout are on your list put down the magazine and go get into them!

The Yarra River from Woori Yallock right up to Reefton is still a good option for all trout fishers provided you can get up there before the season closes. Brown trout to 400g are common fare throughout this section of river and will happily respond to bait, fly and lure at this time of the year.

For the casual bait fisher, one or two juicy scrubworms on number 6 or 8 baitholder style hook will normally tempt a trout up here, especially if you fish this offering through the pools with very little weight. Just be mindful that eels can also take a liking to this bait if you’re fishing after dark.

Lure anglers should carry a good assortment to try. A plain gold or copper Vibrax spinner are a safe bet, a long with Rapala’s Spotted Dog countdown model hardbodied lure.

Devilsbend Reservoir is a good option for trout fishers who want a chance to tangle with some serious browns close to Melbourne. Brown trout to 6lb are a realistic option, along with smaller rainbows and some decent redfin as well. The area near the fishing platform has been popular with bait anglers as they can cast their baits out past the weed near the shore.

Pink and orange coloured Powerbait under a float has been the most productive method for anglers lately, with the majority of fish landed being rainbow trout around 400g. A large brown of around 8lb was also reportedly caught from the section in between here and the wall just recently on a floating hardbodied lure.

Karkarook Park has been a good option for anglers baitfishing for trout and redfin. Redfin to 600g have been coming out of the lake, with small freshwater yabbies and scrubworms being the two killer baits. The redfin have been on the bite pretty much all day, while the trout that are being caught tend to respond better earlier in the morning. Powerbait in the rainbow colour fished on a suspended rig will get you a fish more often than not; just remember to use a fine gauge treble hook instead of a single hook, this will ensure that the bait stays on the hook securely.

Rowville Lakes is another suburban freshwater fishing option, with the main lake producing a few different species at the moment. Small redfin and carp are the most prevalent, but rainbow trout and roach can also be caught when using the correct methods. Maggots fished under a float will catch all species of fish, with roach and carp making up most of the catch at the moment. Small soft plastics like 80mm Squidgy Wrigglers have been working well on the redfin, especially when cast along the edge of reed stands and slowly worked back.

Email any great captures to: --e-mail address hidden-- include angler’s name, species, and the area you were fishing.

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. For our other latest fishing reports and to download information sheets, go to www fishingcamping.com.au