Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre (2026)

09/06/2026

At midnight on Monday, the Victorian trout season closed.

For most anglers, that date arrives with a familiar sense of finality. Rods are put away, waders are hung up to dry, and the stretches of river that have occupied our thoughts for months are suddenly left behind until spring.

Yet after three decades spent guiding on rivers, I've come to see it a little differently.

The river itself is not shutting down. In many ways, it is beginning its most important work.

Over the coming weeks, brown trout will move upstream towards the gravel beds where they will spawn. Fish that have spent the season scattered throughout the system will gather in places most anglers rarely see. The boats disappear. Footprints fade from the banks. For a few months, the river belongs entirely to itself again.

That has always struck me as important.

I've just published a new essay on Between Casts called - Following Water.

It's a reflection on rivers, travel, guiding, the completion of a long writing project, and the curious way a life can become measured not by things other than years.

In a few days we'll be heading across the American West before eventually finding our way back to the rivers of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. I'll be sharing regular dispatches from the road over the coming weeks.

You can read the full article and future posts here:

https://gvflyfishing.com/blog/

Cheers,
Ant

13/05/2026

The Goulburn has now dropped to 400 ML/day: essentially its lowest point of the season and roughly a tenth of what it was running only a couple of weeks ago.

I was back on the drift boat today after a couple of office days and it honestly felt like a different river again. Crystal clear water, no wind, beautiful autumn light, and not another angler seen all day until the take-out.

With the lower flows comes a real shift in tactics.

Longer leaders, finer tippets, careful wading, and a much greater emphasis on stealth and observation. A lot of the river now simply isn’t holding fish, so success increasingly comes from identifying the prime lies or finding individual fish actively feeding.

The fishing is more technical, but there are definitely more rising fish beginning to appear with the reduced flows.

Even today’s drop from 700 to 400 ML/day was significant. That’s still a huge amount of water removed in a day and it changes how fish position themselves throughout the river.

One thing worth mentioning: from this weekend onward the river will become much busier. Many of the fly fishing and angling clubs traditionally schedule their end-of-season trips around these lower flows when more of the river becomes accessible on foot.

Please be patient with one another out there.

Give people space where possible, communicate politely, and remember that not everyone understands river etiquette to the same level. A quiet word and a bit of understanding usually goes a long way.

We’ll continue running drift boats through late autumn, though exactly where we fish will increasingly depend on angler traffic and river conditions section by section.

Tomorrow looks magnificent again before cooler weather and some rain arrive over the weekend.

Anyway, just a quick phone-shot clip from today’s drift.

Tight lines everyone, enjoy the changing season, and feel free to reach out if you’ve got any questions about conditions or tactics over the coming weeks. Hint: concentrate on the bubble lines and fish a large visible dry fly as a sighter, with a small dropper down to a tiny dry. The double dry rig has been doing it for us the past 3-4 drifts.

06/05/2026

The Goulburn has settled back over the past few days after briefly pushing above 4,000 ML/d. We’re now seeing flows around the 2,000 mark and, despite the cooler air temperatures, the water itself is still unusually warm for this time of year, sitting around 16°c. Most evenings when we step out of the boat, the river actually feels warmer than the air around it.

The river is crystal clear.

We’ve had drift boats on the water nearly every day over recent weeks, sometimes two boats, and I honestly can only remember seeing one other boat out there since January. Bank pressure has been almost non-existent as well. Yesterday we saw two anglers for the entire drift. The day before, none.

The fishing itself has become technical in a very autumn way. Hatches have been light and patchy, and when fish are feeding you really need the right flies, the right setup and accurate casting to make things happen. We’ve still had some very good dry fly moments when conditions line up, but this is no longer predictable, high-activity fishing.

Most days now are more about concentration than action.

You might go an hour without seeing much at all, then suddenly have a single fish appear and everything depends on making the most of that opportunity. In recent sessions we’ve probably missed three or four fish a day simply through lapses in concentration after long quiet stretches. Staying mentally sharp for eight or nine hours in these conditions is harder than most people realise.

The willows are dropping leaves rapidly now and may well be bare by early next week. Wasp numbers have collapsed over the past week and each evening there are fewer falling to the water. It feels very much like the river is shifting toward winter, although I suspect we’ll still get another pulse or two of mild autumn weather before things finally shut down.

There’s something I enjoy about this period though. The river becomes quieter, more spacious, and somehow more honest. You work harder for moments, but the moments tend to mean more.

We still have a reasonable amount of drift boat availability over the coming weeks. Tony has stepped up to help us run more multi-boat days and, with Chad, Robbie and David also putting their hands up for more days through the final month of the season, we’ve got a bit more flexibility than usual heading into winter.

Tight lines everyone.
Ant

29/04/2026

Another beautiful day on the river.

We were caught a little off guard by a late bump in releases from the lake, which knocked the hatches around more than expected. The better fish we found were cruising slowly in the backwaters as they filled, along with a fair bit of leaf litter.

Not an easy day, but that’s part of it.

Still, hard to think of anywhere else you’d rather be.

28/04/2026

A Week in Southland

There’s a certain rhythm to a week in Southland.

Early starts, clear water, long walks, and the quiet focus that comes with sight fishing to wild brown trout.

This short film gives a glimpse of our New Zealand programme. The rivers, the house, the guides, and the pace of a week built around fishing properly.

We run a small number of trips each season from January through March. Groups are deliberately kept small, with experienced guides, relaxed evenings, and from 2027, one full day of one-to-one guiding included for every angler.

New Zealand 2027 bookings are now open.

Most weeks are filled by returning guests, so if you’re considering joining us, it’s worth getting in touch early.

Details here:
https://gvflyfishing.com/new-zealand-fly-fishing-trips/

Cheers,
Ant

Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre

27/04/2026

We’ve been out most days over the past few weeks, making the most of some very settled autumn conditions.

The Goulburn has been sitting in a lovely range, generally around 2,000 to 3,000 ML/day. Clear water, mild days, and enough insect activity to keep things interesting.

This is often one of the nicest windows of the season. The heat has gone, the river settles, and the fishing becomes more consistent.

We do have some drift boat availability over the next couple of weeks, including the option of running two boats for small groups of up to four anglers.

If you’ve been thinking about getting one more day in before winter, this is a good time to do it.

We’re also now taking bookings for New Zealand 2027 and Montana 2027. If you’re considering putting a group together for either, it’s worth getting in touch sooner rather than later. Montana in particular is already shaping as a busy season.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk through dates.

Ant
Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre

11/03/2026

New Zealand — Southland 2027

Dates for next season are now online.

Each summer we return to Southland to fish some of the most beautiful and rewarding trout water anywhere in the world. Clear rivers, careful stalking, and the kind of fishing that rewards patience and thoughtful presentation.

For next season we are making one small change to the structure of the program. Alongside the usual one-guide-to-two-anglers format, a support guide will be working with the group each week, allowing every guest to enjoy a full day of one-to-one guiding during the trip.

It’s something we’ve wanted to introduce for a while, and it should make an already very enjoyable week on the water even better.

Bookings for next summer will open on Monday 16 March.

If New Zealand has been sitting somewhere in the back of your mind, now is a good time to start thinking about it.

Ant

10/03/2026

Sound on for this one.

A small public service announcement.

Never start congratulating each other until the fish is actually secure in the net.

This one from a stunning river in New Zealand a few weeks ago looked safely landed… right up until it wasn’t.

Fly fishing has a way of keeping us humble.

Ant

09/03/2026

Back on the river again today.

The Goulburn has crept up a little over the past few days, which has kept things a touch unsettled. It hasn’t been easy fishing, but the fish are there if you’re prepared to slow down and hunt for them.

Driving home this evening the car parks were still full — plenty of people making the most of the Labour Day long weekend and the beautiful autumn weather. Hard to blame them. It really has been a lovely few days to be on the river.

March and April are always some of the nicest months out here, and if the weather holds the fishing can often stretch well into May.

I’ve just come back from New Zealand a little earlier than planned, so I have some availability for half-day and full-day drift trips over the next couple of months if anyone feels like getting out on the water.

Ant

08/03/2026

Back on the river again after five weeks in Southland.

It’s not always easy out there at the moment, but there are still fish to be found if you slow down and look carefully. Every trout in this short clip was sighted first and then targeted with dry flies.

That kind of fishing - spotting a fish, planning the cast, and watching the drift unfold - is what keeps bringing us back.

I’m home from New Zealand a little earlier than usual this year and will be guiding here on the Goulburn over the few months. We are actually entering actually one of the nicest times to drift the river. March and April are often beautiful fishing, and some seasons it stretches right through into May.

If anyone is interested in a half or full day drift over the coming weeks, feel free to get in touch.

Tight Lines,
Ant

This video contains music from Shutterstock, licensed by Splice video editing app.

Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing Centre

09/06/2026

13/05/2026

06/05/2026

29/04/2026

28/04/2026

27/04/2026

11/03/2026

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08/03/2026

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