Regulations

Min size: 220 mm Bag limit: 5 Method: All methods (bait, lures and flies) Season: 5/8/2023 - 28/4/2024

Background

The Blythe River flows into Bass Strait near the town of Heybridge, a few kilometres east of Burnie. Its headwaters are some 30 km south in the Surrey Hills.
The river flows through pasture and thick scrub. The water is tannin stained. Halfway upstream from the mouth, the river flows through gorge country and disappears underground in places. Above the gorge the river is a mixture of rapids and pools.

Getting There

The Blythe River can be accessed at South Riana Road (C115) 5 km west of South Riana 410395E, 5434598N and from the Bass Highway (1) at Heybridge 414780E, 545227N.

Angling Notes

Fishing in the estuary for sea fun and resident brown trout can be productive during the spring whitebait run (juvenile Galaxia). There is a weir three kilometres from the mouth that slows the migration of whitebait, fishing at this point can be exceptional.
In the mid reaches around the Natone/Camena area where the river flows through farmland. Bait fishing can be extremely productive, particularly after rain events as the river rises.
The upper reaches are set in steep terrain through natural forests. Access can be difficult, but lures and flies fished in the pools and rapids will produce good numbers to stream fish. Fly fishing is best in summer and autumn.
South Riana Lake is in this catchment and filled by a tributary of the Blythe River.