The feeder streams of the Goulburn have provided red hot fishing of late. Riverside grasshoppers have been at their peak, in terms numbers of their numbers and effectiveness.

Unfortunately, many anglers have stayed away from the streams due to the heat. The hot weather further increased water releases into the Goulburn River with volumes of 10,000 megalitres and more being recorded. This can really take its toll on the river’s fishing performance and bank soil erosion.

For those that gave the Goulburn a go during the warm spell, the backwaters produced trout to 1.5lb on hopper patterns but the fishing has been hard and required a lot of patience.

Rod Grotaers from Totally Trout in Alexandra indicates that his customers have done well in the backwaters using Norstream insects and Celtas. The best bait has been gents, assisted by berley.

The evening rise has not been worth the effort, but fishing shallower than normal has produced sparse insect hatches with the odd trout rising to them. The Breakaway is one part of the river that has these shallower sections, but again, its tough fishing.

The Rubicon has been fishing really well. I’ve been up there a fair bit myself. The hot weather has been extreme and has made for some uncomfortable sessions. It’s imperative to wear light cool shirts, breathable thigh waders, a good hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Dehydration is another threat so drink lots of water.

I’ve been field testing a new vest that has a hydration system incorporated in it. The water bladder sits comfortably in the back of the vest with a clear tube and mouthpiece running over the shoulder. It Velcro’s to the front of the vest so a drink is on hand.

Most success during my recent Rubicon visits came after walking a distance from access points. There were trout rising to the odd fallen hopper and in most cases they fell from my presentations. All up, I caught and released 5 brown trout to 2lb and had that number again inspect and refuse the fly. The best pattern was a Rubber Legged Hopper.

Rod Grotaers reports that Graeme Sadler and fishing partner caught 18 fish up hoppers in a recent 3 hour session on the Rubicon. The biggest was about 3lb but wasn’t landed. Others were close to 2lb and all were released.

Grasshoppers have been the main focus of Acheron trout with bait and fly anglers taking fish to 2lb. The upper reaches have fished well with small Celtas in the fast rapids that lead into the pools. Around the lower section near Glendale Lane, fishermen have taken bigger trout to hoppers throughout the day. On evening there has been some dry fly action to midges and very small black Caenis mayfly.

Ray Butterworth from Tranquil Rises reports that he had a streamcraft day with Ron Clark during the month. The cool southerly wind didn’t help their cause but they still caught 7 for the day. Most were taken on the hopper and a couple on a Geehi Beetle.

The King Parrot is drying up fast due to minimal flows. Sometimes, these flows can cause the water to go black with stains from gum leaves and bark. This makes polarising hard and can be off putting although most often the water quality is still fine albeit a little warm. Expect to do more stalking and less casting.

It’s been fishing well for bait anglers using earthworms on the bottom and lure fishermen working Celtas. Brown and rainbow trout to 1lb have been caught. Flyfishers have enjoyed moderate success drifting beetle dry fly patterns – a Red Tag is recommended. Grasshopper patterns have also accounted for the odd trout through the day – the Nobby Hopper has been the best pattern.

Grahame Morrow from Peppin Point Holiday Park reports that the fishing in the Boonie Doon area has been a little slow. During one recent weekend a group of anglers from the park did well catching 20 to 30 reasonable redfin and a number of yellowbelly, which were taken on worms in the early morning and late evening.

Rod Grotaers reports that the lake has been dropping fairly fast due to the large irrigation demands but has been producing good numbers of redfin on bait and bobbers. Some of these fish have reached nearly 1kg.

One angler did very well, slow retrieving a scrubworm through the trees. He managed 3 yellowbelly to 3kg in Frasers Inlet.

The pondage has been fishing well. Brown and rainbow trout to 5lb have been caught on pink PowerBait, scrubworms and mudeyes under a bubble float. The Bourke Street section is recommended.

Rod reports that the pondage has been well stocked by Fisheries, with regular releases to maintain catch rates. When levels and flows have been favourable it’s yielding some beautiful trout for all methods. The best bait for Rod’s customers has been PowerBait.