The Acheron is a discoloured, snaggy trout river within a short drive of Melbourne, and it is worth the trip for brown and rainbow trout.
Away from a pokey upper end it runs through partly cleared farmland, with a bush-lined bed that is awkward to wade.
Start at the reserves and parks around Taggerty and Buxton. Fish a nymph as your searching pattern, and keep a dark streamer for swift, coloured water. Save the dry fly for moderate levels after warm, settled weather.
Check the current Victorian Fisheries Authority guide for the rules, then pick a reserve and fish it.
Water and habitat
Expect a river that is usually somewhat discoloured, with a silty bed that is often full of snags and relatively few rock or gravel runs. Away from the small uppermost reaches it winds through partly cleared farmland, with thick bankside bush and an awkward wading bed. It does not look like most streams in the Goulburn system, so do not go in expecting a classic clear trout stream.
Flow is described as very reliable and mostly cool. It flows into the Goulburn River.
Fish and forage
Brown and rainbow trout are the fish here. Both are recorded in the river, and both have been stocked into it; the stocking chart shows when. Mountain galaxias and twospine blackfish are also recorded.
Forage is not detailed for this river, so let the water tell you what to tie on. Hoppers, nymphs, streamers and worm patterns all have a place, and the flies below are the ones listed for it.
When to fish it
Dry-fly fishing works when levels are moderate and the weather has been warm and settled. Blind-fishing dries is unreliable unless hoppers are on the water. In our experience, the sensible plan is to pick your day by the river's level and colour rather than the calendar, and to arrive with a nymph, a streamer and a hopper all ready.
How to fish it
A standard nymph is the searching pattern, and it is the fly to fish when nothing is showing. In swift, discoloured water, a dark streamer swung across and down takes fish, and Squirmy and Mop patterns also get attention.
Three flies are listed for browns and rainbows here: a Hopper in sizes 10 to 14, an Orange Beaded Black Streamer in sizes 10 to 12, and a Squirmy Worm in sizes 12 to 14. That covers a hopper day, a coloured-water day and a nymphing day between them.
Snags are part of this river, so fish your streamer and nymph with that in mind and carry spare tippet and flies.
Access and safety
Public entry is straightforward at local reserves and parks around Taggerty and Buxton. From Melbourne it is a short drive.
As on any bush river, take your time near the water and let someone know where you are going.
Regulations
Read the current Victorian Fisheries Authority inland angling guide, including its closed-waters list, and take any season, bag, size and licence rules from it before you fish.
