Glo bugging is a popular technique used all over the world and is particularly popular in the northern hemisphere. It is one of the most effective fishing methods for targeting mature fish migrating from lakes to rivers or from larger riverine systems to small feeder tributaries in the search for spawning habitat. This trip was a great opportunity for me to refine some of my techniques and re-apply them with a new approach. Late autumn is a picturesque time to fish as the leaves fall from the trees and the cold weather starts to set in. . Browns usually run a little earlier than the rainbows, but there is plenty of overlap as fish mature at different times and may delay spawning depending on environmental conditions. Usually these fish will start to run up the smaller tributaries of the Goulburn River after a couple of decent rainfall and runoff events from late April, with late May and early June the best times to target these fish just prior to the salmonid closed season taking effect.

Tackle

 I first started fishing glo bugs on flyfishing tackle about 15 years ago and they can be very easily presented using floating lines, however these days I prefer using light threadline spin tackle and I believe it is a more efficient way of presenting weighed flies, particularly in small streams. When I last fished these rivers I was an avid fly fishermen but these days I tend to do alot more fishing with threadlines. Over the past 10 years there have been plenty of revolutions in spin tackle and most small threadlines in the 1500-2000 size are very light to handle and the same can be said for new age spin rods. You can comfortably cast these outfits all day. I prefer using rods from 6-7 foot in length and these are perfect in the small stream scenarios with thick overhanging bankside vegetation. You can make a standard cast with a short flick of the rod or use bow and arrow casts comfortably when things are really tight. The evolution of braided lines has also enabled the casting of lighter objects further and more efficiently. Braided lines are super fine, responsive and create very little drag in the current which is of huge benefit. I prefer using brightly coloured 4lb braid for visibility with a 6lb flourocarbon leader of about 1.5m in length. If there is dense woody vegetation in the creek then I’ll even use 8lb leader. Remember you may end up tangling with a 3kg+fish in tight snaggy water so you may need a little security.

Techniques

With a little foresight you can fish small tributaries quickly and efficiently. Even the deep holes in the main river channel of the Goulburn River will hold good fish in anticipation of migrating and so are also worth a look. I usually start down near the main river channel where the tributaries meet and work my way up the creek by casting upstream into the current and bouncing the fly back. Make sure you keep in direct touch with your fly and if you feel weight just strike. The small flies rarely snag on the bottom in the freestone and even find their way over logs consistently. Look for the best holes to start and use you eyes as the larger fish can be usually seen clearly in the smaller waters. These are the resting pools and will hold fish throughout the day.

The next step is to dissect the riffles and runs to find any pocket water that might momentarily hold a good fish. If you could image it’s kind of like dot to dot. Have a look upstream at the riffles and runs ahead and look at the pathways larger fish might use to go upstream then target those areas. While the first cast at a fish in a stream is probably most important its certainly different when the fish are in spawning mode. They usually behave in either a disinterested way or are extremely aggressive and its hard to predict what they will do. They are usually a little less spooky or flighty than the local fish population which means that if you are careful you can creep up close to make your cast and you will get more than one opportunity to present the fly. This season I presented one fly to a fish about 20 times before it actually ate the fly, so fish with perseverance. it’s definitely worth plenty of casts to catch a trophy fish. Just because you’ve pulled a good fish out of a small pool doesn’t mean there are no more fish in there. I usually spend a bit of time at the deeper resting pools even if I’ve already caught a fish. A few years ago I caught 6 fish over a kilo out of one pool over and hour and they were all different fish, both browns and rainbows. I almost exclusively use weighted glo bug flies in streams as the larger fish usually move up the stream and then hold up momentarily in resting pools and runs, usually on the bottom out of the current. When the larger migratory fish are in the stream you will also find that the resident fish which are usually a smaller cohort of fish get pushed around a little and get pushed into the more marginal habitats of the stream. This can also help to increase your catch rate as these resident fish become more opportuntistic.

Using one single weighted glo bug is the best way of targeting the larger fish as you fish near the bottom where they are usually holding. If you want to double your catch rate you can add and unweighted glo bug to your rig. This can either be tied on as a dropper or directly trailing the point fly from the hook bend. One thing I have found is that about the unweighted 2nd glo bug fly or nymph is that probably 80% of the fish you catch will be the smaller resident fish. My preferred all round size for searching is a size 10 model, although I always reserve the right to upsize to a size 6 or downsize to a size 14. I have had some excellent fishing with the size 6 models, particularly in the larger streams and rivers and they are an excellent point fly when weighted as you can cast them more than 20 or 30 metres. By adding a second fly to this rig you can present a small fly a long distance upstream on threadline tackle. The best colours are always open to suggestion but my 3 favourites are red, orange and pale pink. The rainbows aren’t really fussy, but the browns can be more selective depending on whether they are in spawning condition themselves or whether they have arrived to simply feed on the dislodged eggs from rainbow trout redds.