The river rises near The Bluff and runs through gorges, valleys and forest to the town of Jamieson, then on toward Lake Eildon. Along the way its pools, riffles and runs give you a range of lies to work.

Browns favour the deeper pools and rainbows the faster stretches. Read the water with that in mind: check the slow depths for a brown and the quicker runs for a rainbow.

The Jamieson holds brown trout and rainbow trout. Mayfly and caddis hatches make dry-fly fishing especially rewarding, and late summer and early autumn bring plenty of hoppers, ants and other terrestrials.

Carry mayfly and caddis nymphs for the rest of the year, dries for the hatches, and a few streamers for the deeper pools.

Late summer and early autumn are when the surface fishing is at its best, with hoppers and ants on the water. Nymphing with mayfly and caddis patterns is productive through the year, so a nymph is a fair choice when nothing is rising. Take any season from the Victorian Fisheries Authority guide before you plan around it.

Match the fly to the moment. During a mayfly or caddis hatch, fish a dry. When nothing is rising, nymph a mayfly or caddis pattern through the runs and riffles. In the deeper pools, a streamer can move a larger trout.

In late summer, an Ant or a Hopper in sizes 10 to 14 is listed for both rainbows and browns on the Jamieson.

Near the town and Lake Eildon, the lower river is easily reached from the Mansfield to Woods Point Road. In the middle river, 4WD tracks lead to riverside camps such as Granny’s Flat and Wrens Flat, and moving far up or downstream from those camps can mean bush-bashing back. The upper river is reached by more rugged tracks, including Brocks Road and routes from the Howqua Valley.

Many kilometres of the river go lightly fished because access is limited, which is a reason to plan a longer day if you go beyond the road. As on any bush river, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, and carry water and a first-aid kit.

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