This month I am writing my report from the trout heartland of the Kiewa Valley, Mt Beauty. Sitting under the back veranda of my in-law’s house in the morning spring sunshine. It is just magnificent up here.

Over the last few days up here I have fished several waterways including the Kiewa River itself, a few tributaries and am planning on heading over Trappers Gap and fishing the Mitta Mitta River soon.

The fishing has been quite slow here in the Kiewa River with a few fish being caught in dribs and drabs. Persistent anglers have been catching trout, but not in large numbers. I guess you could say it has been steady enough to keep the keen angler interested, but far from spectacular.

As we head into November I am expecting little change in the trout fishing in the Kiewa River as the numbers of fish are just not there like they were a few years back. Persistent anglers will catch trout right throughout November as the water starts to warm up a bit and insect life abounds. Remember, fewer numbers of trout usually lends itself to bigger, and fatter fish.

Try drifting mudeyes into the deeper pools in November, particularly on the really warm evenings when there are plenty of dragon flies around.

Bladed spinners will account for trout as well, and so will small soft plastics and hardbodied minnows. Mornings and evenings will be more productive as the warm November sun shines down onto the water.

The smaller tributaries will fish better than the main river if you can find the trout. I say find the trout for a reason, and that is because not all of the streams have an abundance of trout in them at the moment, but most seem to have a few trout in patches and in general are fishing better than the main Kiewa River.

I have heard reports from the Mitta Mitta River recently that have been quite similar with not too many trout being caught, but enough to keep anglers interested. In November the Mitta Mitta River will be as good a river as any to visit. The river is very wide and is a fantastic place for trout fisherman of all levels to head.

Snowy Creek, which runs into the Mitta Mitta River at Mitta Mitta Township, has been ticking over OK with a few trout caught. Once again, the reports I have received have not been glowing, but there have been consistent reports of anglers picking up one or two trout for their efforts.

Lake Dartmouth should still fish really well for trout during November. It’s hard to pick if flat-line trolling or downrigging is going to work best as it is solely determined by the weather. If we do not get too much hot weather before November, flat-line trolling will be quite effective in November, particularly during the low light periods of the day. If we have experienced really hot October and November weather, causing the water surface temperatures to warm up too much, then you may need a downrig to get down to the cooler water.

As a rough prediction, trolling winged lures such as Tassie Devils at around 20-25ft during the day and flat-line trolling at sunrise and sunset will be a great starting point.

Khancoban pondage has received little attention from me this season as I have not heard too many reports and have not fished up there myself. During November, this small sub-alpine lake at the base of the Snowy Mountains is always worth a visit as it has large amounts of aquatic weed, which lends itself to large hatches of dragonflies. This can provide some red-hot mudeye fishing during November and is often a draw card for the keen float fisherman.

Downstream in the lower lands the yellowbelly should be on the chew in November. This is easily the best time of the year to target yellowbelly in Lake Hume and is the best time of the year to catch the really big yellas in there.

Try casting lipless crankbaits like Jackalls around the rocky outcrops and steep drop offs. Trolling medium sized hardbodied lures like No. 2 Stumpjumpers can also be quite productive. Try trolling back and forth past the rocky outcrops, keeping your lure swimming a little bit off the bottom.

Allans Flat Waterhole is another place to head if you're targeting yellowbelly, but don't go there expecting to catch monsters. It is a family friendly waterway stocked regularly with rainbow trout and yellowbelly. During November the yellowbelly will be starting to chew, so too will the resident redfin, which are usually quite small. The trout will be few and far between as they are stocked prior to the September school holidays and have usually all been caught by November, but you might just fluke one if you're lucky.