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Trout often naturally breed, providing self maintaining populations or where natural recruitment is non-existent, or not adequate, have populations created or supported by stocking from our trout hatcheries.

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This is a very picturesque part of the world and my first impression was of clear water, big rivers, stunning mountain views and charming people.

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I was fortunate enough not only to be selected as a team member but also as the team Captain for the Australian Green Team at the 2016 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships.

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Fantastic event that was well organized and mostly equally well executed.

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My understanding is that Rocky Valley has not been stocked since 1987 when bi-annual stocking of rainbows stopped. Despite that it has a good head of fish as a result of natural recruitment.

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Lake Purrumbete is an extinct volcano crater lake and even though it is described geologically as a shallow crater lake it is over 60 meters deep at its deepest point.

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The source of the Mitta Mitt River is Mt Bogong which is Victoria highest mountain. The Mitta Mitta is a quintessential alpine stream. Sections of the river dominated by large boulders exposed by the sometimes fast running water punctuate what is otherwise a stream dominated by long gravel beds and occasional glides and pools. The water is generally clear except for a hint of tannin form the adjacent heavily wooded terrain and an ideal habitat for both brown and rainbow trout.

The Mitta Mitta has three tributaries, the Bundarra river, the Cobungra river and Middle creek, which for all intention purposes have similar characteristics to the Mitta Mitta itself.

The Mitta Mitta river is around 100 kilometres long but not all is accessible to fishing. Access is generally poor until the river reached Glen Valley on the Omeo highway. From there right down to Anglers rest there is reasonable access to the river and its three tributaries. Access peters out around Anglers rest except for access through some private properties. If you do want to access the river through private property always get permission first. Access resumes for just a short distance before the river flows into Victoria's largest hydro lake Lake Dartmouth. There can be some good fishing below the dam as that water has the highest density of of trout in Victorian running water. The nature of the river below the dam right through to Tallandoon is very different with much of the river being curbed by cleared grazing land.

How to get there

The upper Mitta Mitta is around 150 kilometres from Albury which is on the Hume Highway. From Albury follow the signs to the snow fields via the Keiwa Valley highway which takes you through Mount Beauty which has a supermarket, petrol stations, a good range of accommodation options and a few shops. From there follow the signs up to Falls Creek which is has the closest, relatively up market snow field type accommodation, one shop that is not always open but not petrol. Follow Bogong High plains Road the road over the dam wall toward Nelse, Bundara and Shannonvale where you will find the river running below the where Bogon High plains road intersects with the Omeo Highway (the river at that point is more properly called Big River but officially it becomes the Mitta Mitta just a little way down river from that intersection.

You can access the Mitta Mitta from Omeo by travelling northish along the Omeo highway. Stick on the Omeo Highway until you get to Anglers Rest. From there the road is within a couple of hundred meters of the upper Mitta Mitta all the way to just above Glen Valley. Access the river at various points is relatively easy but if you going through private property make sure you get permission. If you continue northish along the Omeo Highway from Glen Valley you move well away from the river until 20 kilometres above the Town of Mitta Mitta. A word of caution here the Omeo Highway is largely well groomed unsealed road but is very windy, tedious and slow going from above Glen Valley all the way to above Mitta Mitta.

You can access the lower Mitta Mitta from the west from Albury or from the East from Corryong by driving along the Murray Valley Highway which basically skirts the southern shore of the Lake Hume. Between Tallangatta and East Tallangatta just before the river runs under the road and into the often dry upper reaches of Lake Hume turn south onto the Omeo Highway. That's about 80 kilometres from Albury. The lower Mitta Mitta is fishable at various points right up to Lake Dartmouth. You can follow the Omeo Highway all the way up to the upper Mitta Mitta but you do move away from the river quite quickly and then Omeo Highway is largely well groomed unsealed road but is very windy, tedious and slow going basically from the town of Mitta Mitta all the way up to above Glen Valley. The last time I did this drive I saw only one other vehicle along this stretch of road. I am unlikely to drive it again.

For additional directions go to http://maps.google.com.au/ and left click in the box 'Get directions' type in the town or city your coming from in the 'A' box and type the closest town to your destination in the 'B' box. Google maps will generate and present a maps showing the route marked up in blue and if you scroll down the left of the page you will also come to 'Driving directions ...' describing each turn you should take from the start of the trip to the end of the trip including distances between each turn.

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Closed season

The closed season for salmonids in 2012 is from midnight on Monday 11 June, to midnight on Friday 31 August.

Target species

The Mitta Mitta River is both a brown and rainbow trout fishery

Food chain

Mayfly and caddis thrive along the full length of the Mitta Mitta and in their various stages of development are a staple part of the trout's diet. Also on the menu is a broad range of terrestrials dominated by beetles, moths and ants in the upper reaches of the system and increasingly including hoppers as you move down the river and particularly below Dartmouth.

• What trout eat – Snowy Mountains of NSW and Victoria

Techniques

A full range of river fishing techniques are generally applied in the Mitta Mitta river with a heavy nymph on the dropper and a lighter nymph on the point being popular through the season, due (nymph under dry) and dry fly fishing also working well and being a bit more visual during the warmer months.

• River fly fishing techniques

Fly suggestions

Dries: Hair winged coachman, humpies, emergers, beetles including the Geehi beetle and cock-y-bonddu.

Nymphs: My favourites are my Mayfly and Caddis nymphs, a collared caddis nymph, a hares ear nymph and of course a fuzzy brown nymph.

Bead head nymphs and small buggers including my TBH hot butt caddis bugger

Spiders: A very good option for the tail of any pool or glide.

Emergers including possum emerger, elk-hair-caddis and para dun emergers

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