Lake Fyans is a trout lake on the eastern side of the Grampians, stocked with brown and rainbow trout, and FlyLife’s writers describe the whole shoreline as readily accessible, which makes it a lake you can work from the bank.

It is a mostly shallow, medium-sized water, with treed shores and edges that run between sand and rock. That shallow shape matters. Trout in a shallow lake like this are often close to the margins, so a good bet is that you do not need a boat or long casts to reach them.

The first trip is a summer evening. Fish gather around the timber and reeds as dragonfly nymphs move in to emerge, and FlyLife’s writers describe evening rises and night-time mudeye feeding. Get there well before dusk, walk the treed shore while there is light to see your footing, and stay on after dark if you want to fish the night-time mudeye feeding. A slow-fished nymph or wet near the timber is the place to start.

The second trip is winter. Trout feed on Australian smelt and other small baitfish, including perch fry, and that can give you fish to sight-cast to. Bring a few small, slim streamers and keep moving until you find fish.

The third is spring or autumn, when the lake can produce strong mayfly hatches. A calm morning or evening with fish rising at the edges is the dry-fly day to wait for.

Stocked trout here grow quickly when the lake holds good water, as it has over the past decade. Check the current Victorian Fisheries Authority guide for the rules before you go, then pick the season that suits the fly you most want to fish.