A good sized fish will be around the 3 lb mark for a river fish and about 4 lb for a lake dweller with exceptions being approximately 6 and 12 lb respectively. This beautifully marked brown trout was caught by trolling a small Tasmanian Devil lure close to the banks of the Barwon River in Geelong, Victoria. Each year there is someone who lands or loses a monster in the order of 15 - 20 lb. By far the most popular way to land trout in Australia is by soaking a bait. The deadliest bait available for Aussie trout fishermen is the lava stage of the dragonfly or 'mudeye' closely followed by live minnow.
Most lures imitate baitfish and are intended to ignite the aggressive character of the trout.
Lure casting from the bank is very popular with stream fishermen and trolling lures from a moving boat is extremely common when fishing for trout in lakes. After sundown during warmer months, mudeye crawl out of the water to hatch into dragonflies. Lake Eucumbene in the NSW Snowy Mountains is famous for its after dark fly-fishing when the trout are chasing a feed of these insects as they congregate in the shallows Lake Fyans in Victoria's western district has surrendered many fine examples of both brown and rainbow trout. Tasmania are the states for the dry fly fanatic. Most lakes are open to anglers year-round and can really fire up over the winter months.