Introduced to Australia, redfin occur in many southern freshwater fisheries. The Victorian Fisheries Authority describes lakes, dams, billabongs and slower river water; Tasmania’s Inland Fisheries Service also notes their tendency to school around submerged timber. Those are useful clues for a first session.

Begin with structure you can reach at a controlled depth. A steep bank or weed edge can be searched with progressively longer countdowns. Cover shallow water before dropping the fly into the deeper edge, especially if you can see small fish moving near the margin.

Dark vertical bars on a greenish flank, reddish lower fins and the spiny front dorsal are useful field marks. Check the complete fish rather than relying only on red in a fin.

Redfin eat small fish and aquatic invertebrates. A slim baitfish pattern, small Woolly Bugger or yabby-style fly gives you a useful range of presentations. There is usually more to gain from finding the school than from changing between many similar colours.

A five or six weight with a floating line covers shallow fishing. Add an intermediate or sinking line when the useful edge lies deeper. Keep the fly compact enough to cast repeatedly without tiring and choose a leader that can tolerate the nearby cover.

Let the fly settle, then use short pulls and pauses. If a fish takes during the pause, preserve that rhythm. If followers keep turning away, change the speed or the fly’s size rather than making the same retrieve faster and faster.

From a boat, a repeatable drift lets you work along a contour. From the shore, fan the casts and note how long the fly sinks before a take. Move a short distance and repeat the exercise instead of spending the whole session on one comfortable casting platform.

Consult the destination’s current fishing and biosecurity advice before deciding what to do with a catch. Use Victoria’s fishing guide or the Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Service for those jurisdictions. Do not assume the handling or release provisions for trout apply to redfin.

Yes. A small Woolly Bugger is a useful starting fly. Adjust its weight and your line to reach the holding depth.

Repeat the cast’s depth, angle and retrieve. A second fish will tell you much more about the school than an immediate change of fly.