Lets go fishing card - Rainbow Trout
The card is also available for downloading: Lets go fishing card - Rainbow Trout (PDF - 1.3 MB)
Top tips
Winter and spring are good times to go fishing for rainbow trout. A mudeye or worm fished under a float is very effective. Commercial dough baits should be fished on the bottom. Lures with silver, gold or pink colouring are all great. Early in the morning or late in the evening are the best times.
You may also like to try fly fishing for rainbow trout. This requires a special rod and type of line and artificial flies are used to imitate a range on insects and other things that trout eat.
Fish by the rules
It's important to know the rules that apply to fishing. These include bag limits and minimum size limits for different types of fish. A bag limit is how many fish you are allowed to keep in one day. A minimum size limit is how big a fish needs to be in order for you to keep it. There are also closed seasons for some types of fish.
What are they?
Rainbow trout were originally introduced to Australia in the 1890s. Native to North America, they are a freshwater fish and are stocked into many lakes to provide fishing opportunities. You can identify them by a crimson stripe along the side of their body and small black spots on the upper body and tail.
Getting geared up
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| light spinning rod | 3kg line |
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| sinkers and floats | small hooks |
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| lures | swivels |
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| landing net |
Great baits
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| corn kernels | commercial dough baits |
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| mudeyes | earthworms |
Select a spot
There are more than 50 Family Fishing Lakes which are stocked regularly with rainbow trout around the second and third term school holidays. Rainbow trout are also found in many rivers and streams.
Hot spots
Lillydale Lake
Eildon Pondage
Kennington Reservoir
Lake Hyland
Goulburn River
Lake Bullen Merri