Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics

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Fyans Creek

River

26.4 km

Main stem

A small, clear Grampians freestone stream that runs into Lake Bellfield, with rainbow trout, some browns, and easy road access for dry-fly and nymph fishing.

Fyans Creek is a small, clear stream in the Grampians that you can fish from the roadside, and it holds a decent head of rainbow trout with some browns among them. It suits a light outfit, a handful of dry flies and a free afternoon.

The creek runs down to Lake Bellfield. The bed is orange and red rock under very clear water, so you see fish and they see you. It is short and shallow, which shapes everything about how you fish it.

The first trip is the easy one. Park near one of the bridge crossings on Grampians Road, walk down a track to the water and work upstream through the deeper runs and pools. In a stream this shallow the fish sit where there is some depth, so a short run with a bit of weight to it is worth more than a long skinny riffle. FlyLife’s writers list early-season and summer dry-fly fishing as the highlight, and a CDC Sedge or a Royal Stimulator is a fair place to begin.

The second trip is about timing. Grampians streams swing with the rain, and Fyans Creek fishes better, and gives bigger fish, when there is a good amount of water in the system. If it has rained, go. If it has been dry for weeks and the creek is low, expect cautious fish and plan on a long leader.

Check the Victorian fishing rules before you fish.

No live gauge

No gauge readings are available for this water.

Season

Driving directions

Water and habitat

Fyans Creek is a freestone stream: a small, clear flow over rock, with orange and red stones in the bed. Because it is shallow, the fish concentrate in the runs and pools that hold a little more water, and those are the places to spend your time.

Fish and forage

FlyLife’s writers describe a decent head of rainbow trout with some brown trout. Fish records also list river blackfish, common galaxias and southern pygmy perch in the creek. For flies, FlyLife’s writers name a CDC Sedge in sizes 12 to 16 and a Royal Stimulator in sizes 10 to 14. A guide’s read: a small beadhead nymph under a dry covers the depth you cannot see into.

When to fish it

Early season and summer are the dry-fly months, according to FlyLife’s writers. The water level matters as much as the calendar. After rain, with decent water in the creek, is a good bet for better fishing and bigger fish. In low, bright summer conditions FlyLife’s writers describe trout that can be very spooky, so approach slowly, stay low and keep your casts short of the fish.

THE YEAR ON THIS WATER

Summer dry-fly fishing

Fly · Dec–Feb

A guide’s read, drawn from FlyLife’s writers, who list early-season and summer dry-fly fishing as a highlight here. FlyLife’s writers describe trout that can be very spooky in summer at low levels; a guide’s read is that a single dry on a long leader is a sensible start.

After rain

Flow · Jan–Dec

Grampians streams rise and fall with the rain. Fyans Creek is described as fishing better, and giving bigger fish, after rain or when there is a good amount of water in the system.

How to fish it

Fish upstream, since trout face into the current and cannot see you from behind. Read the water for depth: runs with some body to them and the pools below them hold the fish. Present a single dry on a long leader when the creek is low and clear. Where there is a little more flow, a dry-and-dropper pairs a sedge or Stimulator with a small nymph, and it lets you cover both the surface and the bottom of a shallow run without changing rigs.

Access and safety

Grampians Road (C216) follows the creek, with tracks to the water, bridge crossings and ample parking. That makes it an easy stream to fish in short sessions. As on any creek beside a public road, watch your footing on the wet rock and keep an eye out for traffic when you cross or park near the road. Check with the land manager on current access before you go, as conditions can change.

Regulations

No water-specific rule was found. Check the current Victorian Fisheries Authority inland angling guide before you fish, including its list of closed waters and the rules for the species you are targeting.