05/06/2026
Becoming a rare catch in the Macalister River of late !
This long weekend is your last chance to catch trout in most Victorian rivers before the annual closed season starts on Tuesday 9 June. The closed season gives riverine trout a chance to breed and contribute to wild stocks in the future.
Don’t worry, you can still catch trout in lakes. All Victorian lakes are open year-round, and we’ve stocked record numbers of fish into most of them to make your freshwater fishing even better, no matter the season.
If you’re desperate to fish a river somewhere for trout this winter, we have good news! There are a handful of rivers that remain open year-round in south-west Victoria: Hopkins River, Merri River, Moyne River, and Mt Emu Creek. Research has found that trout don’t effectively breed in these 4 waterways, so a closed season serves no purpose. Our stockings of these rivers sustain them as trout fisheries, and it’s no secret our stocked yearlings grow into some of our state’s biggest browns down there!
There are also several sea-run trout rivers that remain open all year - you can find all the details at https://bit.ly/troutregs, or download the free Vic Fishing app from the App Store or Google Play.
