Remember that the trout closed season is now in effect so check your regulations handbook for more information on where you are allowed to fish.

Although the weather may be cooling off, the fishing in the local lakes just keeps getting hotter. There are great catches of redfin and trout to be had, as well as roach, carp and eels.

One spot to wet a line through the cooler months is Lilydale Lake. The past month has seen a number of nice fish taken from around the footbridge at the inlet to the lake. This is a great place to try for some of the stocked trout or if you’re that way inclined, the thumper carp that inhabit these waters. Fishing at night is a good option at Lilydale Lake because the fish are less spooky and move closer into the edges.

Another great spot to try is just below the overflow of the lake in Olinda Creek. There are good numbers of redfin and roach as well as the ever-present carp.

There are loads of redfin to be caught at Sugarloaf Reservoir. Small soft plastics are doing the job. Redfin in excess of 30cm have been caught recently. There are also good-sized trout, roach and carp being caught on a variety of baits. This is a great place to chase smelting trout and redfin throughout the winter months. Wet flies such as a Mrs Simpson or a Green Matuka, that represent small baitfish, are worth a try. You can quite often see the larger trout and redfin in the lake charging through the shallower water hunting down their prey. Casting in the vicinity of where you have seen smelting fish can result in some heart pounding hook-ups. Expect this type of fishing to continue over the next few months.

Emerald Lake is another of the local waters to try for some nice trout. It’s normally stocked in the June and September holidays with several hundred rainbow trout yearlings. Use PowerBait or worms fished on the bottom or under a float.

In the Yarra River, around Warrandyte and Research, there are still a few Macquarie perch and Murray cod being caught on worms in and around the snags.

If you can put up with Arctic winds and the odd bucketing down of rain, then there is some great fishing to be had in this region during winter. Remember that the fish are already wet so they aren’t worried about the rain. If you’ve got a fishing report that you’d like me to include in this report, send the details to --e-mail address hidden--

The author holds a Lilydale Lake brown trout caught at night.