The trout season is in full swing in this part of the world and if you haven’t been out fishing you’ve been missing out.

Trout have been landed in good numbers in all of the usual rivers, including the Tarago, Toorongo, the Loch and both branches of the Tanjil. Mostly, these fish have been your run of the mill Gippsland brown trout of about 300g, but they definitely make up for their size with their numbers. I heard of one session during which 70 trout were caught and released by two flyfishermen in one afternoon.

Recently, some reports of some bigger trout have been filtering through too. The pick of the streams for the big bruisers has been the Latrobe River, upstream of its confluence with the Toorongo. Here, both brown and rainbow trout of over 1kg have been captured, including a big female brown trout of nearly 1.8kg caught by Dave Pyke. This fish came from the section of river upstream of the Noojee Trout Farm. I’ve also heard an unconfirmed report of a monstrous trout of nearly 3kg caught behind the school in Noojee and weighed at the Neerim shop. If that’s true, it’s an extraordinary fish for this region.

The Latrobe is the biggest river in the area and if you want to have a crack at some of these bigger trout, there is easy public access at several spots. For example, from the road bridge near the Toorongo junction there is access both downstream (skip across the Toorongo and follow the bank) and upstream (in front of the timber mill). There is also good access in Noojee, as well as upstream along the Powelltown Road.

March should see more of the same old sensational fishing, as long as the weather holds. There are plenty of grasshoppers in the paddocks now so those fishing hopper patterns – or even the real thing – should find some action.

Bigger trout are due in the Tarago River shortly too as they migrate upstream from the Tarago Reservoir.

Finally, don’t forget the old river blackfish. Good places to try for these natives include the Tarwin and its tributaries in the south of the region, and also the Bunyip River or its tributaries out the back of Tonimbuk.

So don’t say nobody told you. The fishing in this beautiful and accessible corner of Victoria is currently as good as it gets. Grab your rod, pack your lunchbox, and come explore your own backyard!