In springtime every year there is a great opportunity to catch sea run trout as they enter estuarine waters and the lower reaches of rivers chasing the runs of white bait as they make their way upstream on their annual migrations.

These migrations take place from mid-August through to mid-December, peaking from mid-September through to mid-November. Fishing the incoming tide with whitebait pattern wet flies will result in some great catches, sof plastic and hard body lures also take their share of fish.

Fishing hotspots for these whitebait feeders are generally bottle necks in the animal’s migration such as river mouths, the first set of freshwater rapids on rivers along with manmade weirs. Basically anywhere that there are aggregations of whitebait, there will usually be hungry trout.

Specifically worthy are a few rivers on the state's rugged west coast. Bait runs on the west coast are traditionally later than elsewhere in the state, normally peaking during October and November. The Henty River is a favourite amongst those that fish the west coast but it does not see a great deal of angling pressure. Other rivers to investigate are the Arthur, Inglis, Leven, Forth, Mersey, Derwent and Huon.