Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » End of Season Trout Tips
End of Season Trout Tips
I know this article is just based on my advice on trout fishing before the season closes here in Tasmania, however it still covers what you can do in your own states also, that may have a later season closure than what we have here in Tasmania. You, like us, probably have certain lakes that are open all year round as well. Some mainland states even have certain rivers that are open all year too. We don't, however we do have a few rivers that have the lower stretches open all year round but I never worry about fishing them as they're in the tidal areas. Anyway I hope the following article may be of some use to you and you'll pick up a few tips from it.
Well we are finally getting towards the end of the brown trout season which closes on April 29 this year (2019). This closure date is for all waters classed as ''Brown Trout'' waters only. This is followed up by the closure of all rainbow trout waters on the May 29. Check your IFS Fishing Code booklet or the following website www.ifs.tas.gov.au to find which rivers and lakes are classed as rainbow water.
So there's still some time to catch trout in rivers and lakes before the season closes. There are also several lakes that are open all year round and you will find these in the booklet and IFS website too. I normally take a three month break during the closed season as it gets a little too cold for my liking fishing the lakes, although Lake Barrington (open all year) which is close to Sheffield is a much warmer area to fish than the Highland Lakes during the closed season.
I have found the final month of trout fishing to be quite good and the trout are generally very aggressive as they fatten themselves up for the coming winter and spawning season ahead. I have had some of my best results fishing the rivers during this time. The water temperature has dropped and with the increase of rain and rising rivers, good results can be had when trout fishing. It's amazing how quickly the trout fishing can turn around within such a short time with river fishing during April.
The equipment that I use in the rivers chasing trout is all light weight, well balanced tackle, such as an Okuma 6'6'' 1-3kg ultralight spin rod matched with an Okuma Helios SX20 spinning reel and filled with Platypus Super 100 4lb mono line, teamed up with a large variety of Mepps inline spinners.
A few good days of rain adds that bit of freshness to a river, making all the difference to catching trout. It freshens them up as well in my books and puts them in the right mood. It's like they sense the change of season as we do. Even last March, when I fished in the Pirtek Fishing Challenge, we had a full day of rain two days earlier and that had the Mersey River running some 50mm higher. The river was still suitable for wading and so I headed into the back water as I knew there would be trout in there feeding on drowned bugs, insects etc.
The rising river was spilling into the small back waters and these gave up some very nice, solid browns. In fact I managed to have eight hook ups for six fish landed, with the best brown going 610 grams. These fish were all taken on a small 1.5 gram Mepps Black Fury spinner with a black blade. A few days later I fished a small shallow running river that had only risen by around two inches. Here I caught and released eighteen solid, well-conditioned browns. Again these were all caught on the Mepps Black Fury spinner, this time it was the copper colour. So it goes to show that with a little rain it does give a river a lift and also brings the trout on the bite.
Another thing that I like about trout fishing this time of the season is that you don't have to be on the water at first light. Daylight saving has finished and the mornings are much cooler, so I don't leave until 8.30am most of the time now. Even much later some days, like 10.00am and I have still caught plenty of trout.
Remember that many of the rivers may be much deeper now, so care must be taken when fishing in these conditions. Don't go taking any risks by going out into a fast flowing river that's on the rise. Work it from an open river bank or a wade-able knee length depth, along the edge of the river bank where possible. If the rivers are running high and fast then the trout won't be too far from the river banks as the flow of water is just too fast for them in the deeper water.
The fish sizes are usually better at this time too because the majority of these trout are adult fish. You will often see them pairing up and practising their spawning rituals in the rivers. I have seen some massive fish doing this in several Northern rivers that I fish. They rarely take a lure or fly when they are like this, however there are still plenty of other trout in the rivers that will. This time of year it's best to catch and release the fish you catch as most trout are not that far off from spawning. Remember our rivers rely on these trout for future stocks of wild trout in them.
This is a good time for bait, lure and wet fly fishing as river levels have increased and the trout will be covering more areas in the rivers. I don't bait fish for trout at the end of the season either, that's something I prefer to do at the start of the season if the rivers are running high and dirty.
Rising rivers will overflow into back waters and these can hold some very nice browns. The back waters can be pretty tight for casting a lure or fly and accuracy is important as one can easily lob the lure or fly into an overhanging branch. Bait fishing with worms, crickets and wattle grubs works extremely well in these areas. Small rivers, streams and even creeks that flow into larger rivers will be holding trout from now on, so don't bypass them. You will be surprised at the size of fish that some of these small tributaries hold. April's weather seems to be much more settled than most other months of the trout season, well it seems that way to me.
I have found it to be a great time for fishing with metal blade spinners and hard body lures of various colours and sizes. With the trout becoming and with many already in a much more aggressive mood it's one of the best times of the season for the spin fisherman. If the water is a little cloudy or a dark tannin colour I usually start off using a spinner with a black or copper coloured blade. You don't need the bright ones at this time of the season because the trout don't need to be stimulated into taking the lure. It's only at the start of the season when you use the brightly coloured lures to stimulate the trout into striking them.
As for the hard body lures, well I find the brown and rainbow patterns are as good as any. There are plenty of different hard body lures on the market to choose from nowadays, so pop into your local tackle store to check them out. I do know a lot of trout fishers use soft plastics nowadays, however I'm sorry to say that I can't advise you on what to use with these as I've never found the need to use them. You can get good advice from the tackle stores on these as well. Check out Tasmania's Tasfish.com fishing reports on the rivers and lakes that are fishing well, plus what the trout are being caught on. Every little bit of info and advice can make all the difference on your next trip whether you catch a fish or not.
I will be putting in as much time on the rivers as possible during April, as I did in March, making the most of what time is left of the brown trout season. The only thing that will ruin the last week or two of the season is the amount of rain that may come. This could bring the rivers to flood height and then before you know it the brown trout season has come to an end. Let's hope that we just have enough rain to keep them at a wade-able height and the trout still on the attack.
If the rivers are wade-able then fish them in the normal way, by working both sides of the river in the 180 degree method. If you are not sure what I meant by that, it's about placing yourself in the middle of the river and casting to one river bank and working your way casting and retrieving in a 180 degrees arc to the opposite river back. This applies for larger rivers, for example the Mersey River in the North of the state. Smaller rivers can be fished from one river bank using a 90 degree method. Casting directly upstream, retrieving the lure and working it cast after cast until you have covered all of the river to the opposite river bank. So get out there and make the most of what time is left off the brown trout season.
During the closed season I still go for a walk along a few rivers with my camera in hand to see how they are faring and quite often come across trout spawning in them. It helps to pass the closed season away and makes me as keen as ever for the next one. It's also the time to clean, service and re-spool the reels with four pound mono line for the season ahead. Another thing I like to do during the off season is to visit tackle stores to see what's new for the coming season. As if I need any more fishing gear... hmmm... you can never have enough of it can you!
Adrian (meppsta)