Kennington Reservoir is a small stocked water in the City of Greater Bendigo, and the reason to go is rainbow trout: the Victorian Fisheries Authority has put them in year after year, so there are fish here most seasons.

It is one piece of still water. There is no river to follow and no stretch to pick.

The first trip, and the easiest, is a cool-season morning after rainbows. From late autumn into spring, in our experience, stocked trout on a reservoir like this cruise the edges, and a slow Woolly Bugger on a floating line finds them. No water-specific rule was found, so the current Victorian freshwater guide sets your licence, bag and size limits; check it before you go.

The second trip is a warm evening for redfin. They are recorded in the reservoir, and in our experience redfin school up through summer, so when the trout go deep and quiet, a small streamer stripped in short bursts is a good bet. Stay for dusk if mudeyes are about along the margins.

The third is a long shot. Golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod have been stocked recently, so treat any of them as a bonus on a trout rig rather than a reason to drive over.

Pack a five weight, a floating line and a box of buggers, and go on the next cool, still morning.