While we haven’t completely shaken off the cool weather, once September rolls around it normally gets a bit better every day. Footy finals finish up at the end of the month, trout season for the streams and rivers opens up and the days are starting to get a bit longer…everybody’s winning!

Speaking of river trout, if that’s your thing then get up to the Yarra around Warburton. As soon as the trout season opens up, the river is worth a look. Normally there is still a bit of water pushing downstream in early spring but it shouldn’t up set things too much. Concentrate your efforts around the backwaters and slower moving sections out of the main flow where you can fish your bait or lure without having it anchored down.

For the lure casters, ‘spotted dog’ or spawning trout patterns are still good options at the moment as some trout will still be aggressive towards rival fish. If your lure choices have a bit of black/orange and gold in the colour mix then they will work great – the dark/black colours will cut through the murk of the river and provide a good silhouette for the trout to focus on.

For the more casual angler, Karkarook Park Lake has been worth a shot. The lake has been producing trout and redfin for bait fishers. Prime time for the trout here is early morning with a bit of cloud cover and surface chop being ideal weather conditions – which at this time of year we can pretty much still expect. Most of the trout caught lately have been landed before about 10am, with a few biting later through the day.

When targeting the trout in Karkarook, two long (7-9ft) graphite rods will come in handy, rigged up with 2-3kg monofilament line. With the two rods you are able to experiment with different rigs and setups, however the most successful are a suspended bottom rig and a weighted sliding float rig.

In terms of bait selection when targeting trout in Karkarook Lake, the best baits are dough style, such as Powerbait and Dynamite Baits Trout Dough. There are lots of pretty colours in these dough baits, and some days some colours will outperform others… but that’s pretty much how it goes with fishing! These dough baits fish best on a small treble hook on the suspended bottom rig – that is where the sinker runs down your main line to a swivel, with one metre leader from swivel down to hook and bait. On the rod rigged up with a small sliding float, baits of mudeye (if you can find them) are excellent. Be sure to pack some adjustable bank rod holders and a comfy chair, and the trap is set!

• If you have had some success in these areas lately send me a photo and go into the draw for your chance to win a store voucher valued at $100. Email it 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