Top time for trout in 2022

Conditions are excellent for chasing trout. Here's Starlo's top tips for chasing them

Trout were first introduced into Australian waters in 1864. Their successful propagation and liberation here in the Antipodes came as the result of truly Herculean efforts by homesick British sportsmen (yes, they were almost all men in those days).

The saga of how fertilised brown trout eggs were transported halfway around the world in creaking, leaking sailing ships (after a string of earlier failed attempts) is well worth reading and stands as a classic demonstration of the dogged determination and sheer single-mindedness of our stoic forebears.

Rainbow trout from North America followed the browns later in the 19th Century, and within a few short decades, viable trout fisheries had been established in four mainland states and the ACT, as well as Tasmania.

Over the years, these introduced trout populations have struggled at times with our harsh continent’s extreme weather cycles, especially in more “marginal” waters, such as the New England region of northern NSW, the southwest of WA and most of SA.

But in the cooler, higher parts of southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, trout have generally thrived, albeit with a recurrent pattern of “boom and bust”, based primarily on annual rainfall totals and the re-stocking efforts of government agencies and private groups.

At the moment, the eastern seaboard of our nation is basking in the cyclic abundance of a strong La Niña weather pattern, resulting in cooler-than-average temperatures and regular, soaking rainfall.

Those conditions suit trout to a tee, and these speckled immigrants are thriving at present, resulting in some of the best and most consistent trout fishing witnessed in several decades. This is especially true in our larger mainland dams.

Non-natural water storages lakes such as Eildon, Jindabyne, Tantangara, Hume, Dartmouth, Pejar and Khancoban are all fishing extremely well, while the absolute stand-out is unquestionably the biggest mainland trout water of them all: vast Lake Eucumbene.

Rising fast and approaching 50 per cent capacity for the first time in many years, Eucumbene’s cool, clean waters are now flooding margins rich with trout fodder in the form of worms, insects and crustaceans.

The big lake’s browns and rainbows are gorging themselves, and anglers are cashing in on the unfolding bonanza, sparking a mini tourism boom, even in the face of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic constraints.

Eucumbene and the other large mainland dams mentioned (as well as myriad Tasmanian lakes — both natural and non-natural) are well suited to the boat-based pursuit of trout.

Trolling lures of various types behind a slow-moving vessel is an especially productive and popular method, but so is casting lures, flies and baits from a drifting or anchored boat, or simply using your craft to reach a remote part of the lake before nosing it ashore and climbing out to quietly walk or wade the edges.

All of these strategies are currently producing fish, and should continue to do so well into 2022.

But be warned: our alpine waterways are extremely susceptible to sudden, dramatic weather changes and can cut up horrendously in gale-force winds.

Keep your wits about, be prepared, wear a life jacket, carry abundant extra clothing, and keep an eye on those all-important weather reports!

Here are my five top tips for targeting trout from your trailer boat or kayak in 2022, and hopefully beyond:

Fish early and late: Like most predators, trout are especially active through the “change of light” periods at dawn and dusk. Concentrate your efforts around these hours.
Match the hatch: Think about the things that trout like to eat and replicate them with your baits, lures and flies. Their diets in our dams are dominated by small fish, insect larvae, yabbies, frogs and worms.
Vary your speed: If trolling, don’t stick doggedly to a dead-slow dawdle. Different lures behave differently at varying speeds. Some work best at just one or two knots, others at three knots or even slightly more. Mix it up and let the fish tell you what they prefer.
Mix and match: Different lure or fly colours, sizes and actions work best at various times. Try change-ups and, if you’re fishing with mates, each of you should tie on something different, until you find out what’s working best on the day.
Care for your catch: Trout from our big dams typically have bright orange, pink or red flesh and are delicious to eat when prepared in any number of ways. Look after your catch by promptly killing any “keepers” and immediately placing them on ice.

If you’ve never chased trout in our big lakes or gave up on this caper years ago when many fisheries declined, it’s high time you considered “heading for the hills” once again.

Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling is one of Australia’s best known and most respected fishing communicators.

Top time for trout in 2022

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