We enjoyed some great fishing over summer with average fish sizes and catch rates well up on the last few seasons. Things have slowed down a bit though due to low rivers levels, not helped by insufficient seasonal rains.

Rocky Valley Reservoir at Falls Creek is two thirds full and fishing well around dusk.

Rainbow trout have been rising to size 12 Royal Wulffs and Red Tags, among other dry flies.

Heavy rises are occurring from around 7.30pm until well after dark.

The fish are especially keen on small iridescent green beetles that float well but cannot swim.

They look like miniature Christmas beetles and can be seen in their thousands at dusk, floating just offshore, stuck fast in numerous wind channels that almost boil with feasting trout.

Some rises can be difficult to cast to on occasion because they occur only a rod’s length of where anglers are standing in waist deep water.

Pretty Valley Reservoir is full and providing excellent fishing for bait and lure enthusiasts, with lots of good rises occurring at dusk.

Pretty Valley Creek is extremely low and hardly producing at the moment. Most fish caught are very small and less than 200g.

Lake Guy at Bogong Village is currently full although the level fluctuates widely with hydroelectric activities.

The lake is especially productive when slow trolling.

Some brown trout and many more rainbow trout to 2kg fell to big flashy lures over summer.

The east Kiewa River at Bogong is low and continues to fish reasonably well during the day on a variety of small dry flies, with rainbows to 350g most common.

Mt Beauty pondage is not fishing well at the moment and should be rested until the weather cools.

The Kiewa River from Mt Beauty to Coral Bank is quite low and teeming with pan size rainbow trout.

Bait anglers have taken a fair number of trout, drifting through the pools with drifted black crickets and grasshoppers.

Lure anglers have also done well in the pools with small to medium size bladed lures.

There’s little action in the runs at the moment, although good-sized fish can be lured out from deep undercuts and grassy edges during the day.

The west Kiewa River has been running well and producing rainbows to 350g on a variety of size 12 to 14 dry flies during the day.

Set in pristine surroundings, this is a very pretty little water.

The Ovens River from Porepunkah to Germantown tends to be a bit crowded with visiting anglers and swimmers in summer, but visitors taper off as the weather cools.

Bait and lure fishing are the most popular methods employed and many a good trout ends up on a camper’s menu.

The upper Ovens River at Freeburgh is very low and fishing is best confined to small dry flies in most stretches during the day.

If using bait or lures, there are only a few good pools.

Rainbow trout are the most numerous although most hardly exceed 300g.

The Snowy Creek at Mitta Mitta continued to fish extremely well in February and has been the best alpine water to fish this summer.

I have a report of three anglers who took a total of 17 rainbow trout to 1.75kg drifting black crickets.

I took a visiting UK angler flyfishing in the Mitta Valley, including Snowy Creek, and he caught many healthy looking rainbows to 400g, including three in consecutive casts.

All were taken on unweighted nymphs on a two fly rig.

At the end of four days, he commented that the quality of fishing was consistent with the best he’s seen and he has fished all over the world.

The Dartmouth Tavern reports that, in March, Mick Smyth and Lance Graeber headed for Lake Banimboola with a bunch of worms and an esky.

Mick managed a 2.5kg brown and Lance a 1.8kg brown.

Next morning, 80-year-old Colin Scales headed down there to fish crickets under a bubble float.

After nearly an hour of nothing, a big brown took off and some 45 minutes later, a 2.2kg fish was dragged ashore, only after the net’s handle broke.

Later that afternoon, a confident John Canavan set off with some worms and returned with a 2kg brown.

The lake has been fairly quiet, however Lino Piazza and mate Ray managed to boat 8 trout on Tassie Devils behind paravanes recently.

At last the fish are coming closer to the top and as the nights begin to cool down.

For more information on fishing the Mitta Valley contact John Scales at the Dartmouth Motor Inn on (02) 6072 4233 or check out www.darttavern.com.

Alpine fishing conditions can change very quickly, even in summer, so for the latest update phone Geoff Lacey at Angling Expeditions Victoria on (03) 5754 1466 or check out website www.anglingvic.com.au