Spring is finally here and so too is the new trout season, which opens on Saturday 6 September 2014. To say I am very excited is a serious understatement!

In late April, I got the fishing bug back, and I got it good and proper, only for the trout season to close in June. This winter has easily been the longest, most painful closed trout season in memory for me as I mark each day off the calendar in anticipation of the new season.

One thing is certain, there will be decent flows of water in all of the rivers and creeks of North East Victoria during September. Winter has been very wet and we have already had moderate flooding in several rivers.

Due to the wet winter, the wise angler will take a punnet of worms, some small hooks and split shot sinkers along on opening morning. One thing I can guarantee is that the trout will be actively feeding on worms in all waterways this month, particularly at the beginning.

Even if we get no August rainfall there will still be plenty of water around. The Kiewa River will be very high and un-wadable for most of the month, if not the entire month. So land-based fishing it is! Anywhere from Dederang upstream will be worth fishing during September with the area close to the Mt Beauty spillway being the best place to head.

The Mitta Mitta River will be worth a look as well. Anywhere from Eskdale township upstream will be worth a try. The area upstream from Mitta Mitta township has some amazing water in it, but is also very hard to wade and access. There are some decent trout in this section that are worth targeting if you're willing to put in the hard yards walking the overgrown banks.

Snowy Creek upstream of Mitta Mitta was very slow last year, but there were a few trout in there for anglers who put the time in. This area will be worth a visit on opening weekend, the water up there will be flowing quite quickly so take care when wading the creek.

Lake Dartmouth will definitely be a great place to head in September as the rainbow trout make their way back down out of the rivers and into the lake looking for as much food as they can fit into their mouths. They will be trying to regain lost condition from their spawning run up the rivers.

Away from the trout, the redfin and yellowbelly will start to move in Lake Hume and Alans Flat waterhole. In both lakes the action will be slow, but the warmer days, particularly towards the end of the month may just wake them a little from their winter torpor.

Bait fishing at Alans Flat waterhole in September can be great fun with the redfin and yellowbelly just starting to move slowly, and the recently stocked rainbow trout that are put there for the September school holidays will be feeding actively.

The serious yellowbelly anglers heading to Lake Hume may start to see a few early season yellowbelly pop up around the rocky outcrops. However catches will be pretty few and far between with the second half of September offering the best chance at catching one of these huge green machines from Lake Hume when conditions warm up that little bit more.