Australia Fly Guide
VIC · Mitchell-Thomson Rivers

Blue Rock Lake

Imagery © Esri

Blue Rock is a large storage east of Melbourne beside Willow Grove, holding wild and stocked brown and rainbow trout as well as bass.

Trout fishing is described as consistent from autumn through spring, with plenty of fish along the shorelines. Many shorelines can be reached by road, so start there.

In summer the bass take over. Fish topwater flies in the morning and evening, then go to streamers when they drop deeper through the middle of the day.

Read the current Victorian Fisheries Authority guide before you go.

Water and habitat

Blue Rock Dam is a large storage east of Melbourne, beside Willow Grove. FlyLife's writers describe the fishing as spread along the shorelines, which is the water to work first.

Fish and forage

FlyLife's writers say Blue Rock holds wild brown and rainbow trout, and is also stocked with both. It also holds bass.

Midge-feeding trout in calm conditions are a listed highlight, and occasional summer falls of terrestrial beetles and ants are reported. A small dark beetle pattern is a sensible thing to carry in summer.

When to fish it

Trout fishing is consistent from autumn through spring. Settle the rules first: take any season or closure from the current Victorian Fisheries Authority guide, then plan around what it allows.

Summer belongs to the bass, fished in the morning and evening on the surface. On a calm day, look for midge-feeders rising in the still water.

How to fish it

For trout, a streamer is a good place to start: FlyLife lists an Orange Beaded Black Streamer in sizes 8 to 12 for brown and rainbow trout here, and a Woolly Bugger is a general alternative. When fish are rising to midge in calm conditions, a small dry or wet fly is a good bet.

For bass, a Bass Popper or a Bass Vampire in sizes 1 to 2/0 is listed. Fish them on the surface in the morning and evening, and look along rocky shorelines, weed beds and timber. Through the middle of the day the bass drop deeper, and a streamer is the better tactic.

Access and safety

Many shorelines can be reached by road. Treat any access you find as a location, not a statement of permission, and respect any fence or sign you meet on the ground.

As on any large lake, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, and carry water. Weather on open water can change quickly, so keep an eye on the sky.

Regulations

Before you fish, read the current Victorian Fisheries Authority recreational fishing guide, check its closed-waters information for Blue Rock, and take any season, bag and size limits and licence requirements from it.

When things happen

The guide's calendar for this water

When things happen

The year on this water

A year at a glance; check current rules

  • Trout along the shorelines · Mar to Nov FlyLife's writers describe trout fishing here as consistent from autumn through spring, with plenty of fish along the shorelines. Take any season or closure from the current Victorian Fisheries Authority guide.
  • Bass on topwater · Dec to Feb Over summer, bass take topwater flies productively in the morning and evening, and streamers are the better tactic once they drop deeper through the middle of the day.
  • Beetles and ants · Dec to Feb Occasional summer falls of terrestrial beetles and ants are reported. A guide's read is to keep a dark beetle pattern in the box.

What the record shows

Flows, river gradient, changing water levels, fish surveys and stocking

What the record shows

How wet the lake has stayed

Satellite record, 1987 to 2026

0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1997 2007 2017 2026
The share of the mapped water body that was wet each month, from satellite imagery since 1987. This is not a level record — a satellite reads surface extent, never depth — but a shrinking wet area usually means a lower lake. Over 284 months on file the wet share has run from 9% to 98%; the latest reading is 88%, 2026-07.
Source: Geoscience Australia.
Source details and licence

Geoscience Australia — Digital Earth Australia Waterbodies v3 (wet-surface time series). Digital Earth Australia Waterbodies v3, Geoscience Australia, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. retrieved 2026-08-16.

Conditions

What the gauges say

Check the water operator or jurisdiction authority for current conditions, and read the water yourself when you arrive.

Questions anglers ask

What will I catch?

Wild and stocked brown and rainbow trout, and bass. Trout fishing is described as consistent from autumn through spring, and bass are the summer fish.

When do the bass take a fly?

Over summer, bass take topwater flies in the morning and evening. Through the middle of the day they drop deeper and streamers are the better tactic.

Can I fish it from the shore?

Many shorelines can be reached by road, so a look around the lake will usually turn up somewhere to start. Read the signs on the ground and treat any access you find as a location, not a statement of permission.

Are there closed seasons or special rules?

Check the current Victorian Fisheries Authority recreational fishing guide, including its closed-waters information, and take any season, bag and size limits and licence requirements from it before you fish.

Behind this page

Where next

 Fish species Brown Trout One of the two trout, wild and stocked, that Blue Rock holds.
Fish species Rainbow Trout The other trout, also wild and stocked here.
Fly pattern Woolly Bugger A general streamer to fish when the fish are down deep.
Fish nearby Loch River A small, tight freestone stream joining the La Trobe at Noojee in Victoria, with wild brown trout through the whole river and a dry fly for most of the season.