Twenty-five minutes south of Nagambie, the Goulburn at Seymour is a different river. Upstream of here the cold Eildon releases make it one of Victoria's best trout streams; downstream it warms into the cod and golden perch water that peaks at Nagambie. Seymour sits on the seam, which makes it the one stop on this stretch where a trout and a native are both honest possibilities.
01What swims here
The VFA's angling guide describes the Alexandra-to-Seymour reach as holding good numbers of brown trout to 3.6 kilograms and rainbow trout to 2.2, with redfin, carp, Murray spiny crayfish, possibly Murray cod and golden perch, and occasional Macquarie perch. The important rule hiding in that list: Macquarie perch are protected and must be released, and the Goulburn's protected trout cod look enough like Murray cod that the standing advice applies doubly here: if you are not certain what you have caught, release it.
02Fishing the seam
Treat Seymour as two sessions. For the trout, fish the quicker runs and undercut banks with the upstream approach trout water demands, under the VFA's trout and salmon regulations. For the natives, fish it like the water downstream: structure, slower pools and low light, as covered in the Murray cod and golden perch guides. The riverside reserves in town give easy bank access, and the river changes character with irrigation releases, so read the flow on the day.
03Rules
Everything standard applies: current licence (see the licence guide), the Murray cod closed season from September through November, Macquarie perch and trout cod released on sight, and current limits with the VFA. Trout rules differ from native rules, so if you are switching between sessions, know both before you keep anything.
04Making the trip
Seymour is an easy add to a Nagambie weekend: V/Line trains stop there, the town covers supplies, and the Seymour town guide has the rest. Working downstream, the river's story continues through the camping reaches near Murchison and into the Nagambie Lakes.
05Common questions
Are there trout in the Goulburn at Seymour? Yes. The VFA lists good numbers of brown trout and rainbow trout through the reach down to Seymour, the downstream end of the Goulburn's cold-water trout fishery.
Can you catch Murray cod at Seymour? Possibly, per the VFA, but it is transition water: the cod fishing gets more reliable as the river warms downstream towards Nagambie. For a dedicated cod session, fish the Nagambie reaches.
What is the rule on Macquarie perch? They are protected and must be released immediately. They turn up occasionally in this reach, so know what one looks like before you fish it.