Recently Atlantic salmon seems to be a very hot topic amongst local anglers, especially those in the south of the state in the D'Entrecasteaux area. Northern anglers should take a close look at the Tamar as there are opportunities here as well.
The recent "great escape" has provided a perfect opportunity for fresh and saltwater anglers alike to experience some truly memorable sport. Tasmania's pristine, clean and cool waters are the perfect nursery for the Atlantic Salmon and as our local fish farms produce more and more fresh quality seafood it is a fact that there are going to be tangible consequences.
Went back to Merseylea this morning for a few hours on the worm. Here's the result, only the one brown for the morning. I did head back this morning to Merseylea and found the river had dropped by around 3 feet and I could get to a nice little spot just below the bridge. Using a rig with a running sinker and just the one hook set up flicked out the two baited rods and sat back and waited. The weather wasn't too bad except for the wind that was starting to strengthen and it wasn't a warm breeze either. There were a few other having a fish here as well but after an hour they left empty handed.
After August the 6ths wet conditions with some 44mms of rain in and around the Kentish area I thought another trip was worthwhile to the Mersey River once again. Left home in cool and sunny conditions and arrived at my ever reliable hole on the Mersey and had both worm baited rigs in the water in no time at all. The river was at least 350mm higher this morning than on Monday and I was a little unsure of how my little fishing hole would go as there was a fair flow of water pushing through it. I could see that it had been much higher too as there were the signs of flattened grass along the river bank and I could see the high water mark that it had reached. The Mersey had already dropped around 400mm from that mark which was good for me. Had it been at that height this morning I would be looking elsewhere to drop a worm.
Here is something that has really made me angry, and it is the destruction of the large grassed area along side of the Minnow River near Beaulah, plus the destruction of river banks from Off Road vehicles such as bikes, Atv's & 4wd's. These Morons and that's what they are do not give a dam of the damage they cause, not to mention the bottles, cans, car parts and rubbish that they also leave behind. This little river has struggled over the past few years from below average rainfalls to keep it in top condition and now it has to put up with this type of destruction.
BRIGHT AND WINDY CONDITIONS, BUT STILL MANAGED A FEW 20/3/2013
After spending a few days on the East Coast and having a spin session in the Upper Scamander River without even spotting a fish over a kilometer of working the river, it was back to Sheffield a day earlier than originally planned. The wife and I left Scamander around 8.30 am and headed for home and once home the car unpacked, then it was a bit of a rest, some lunch and off to the Mersey River.
I shot off to Merseylea late this afternoon for a spin in mainly overcast conditions and light winds, hoping to finally get a few fish and break my dry spell. Arrived around 5.00 PM and found the river to be low and very clear and it was clear of the green cotton like algae that I experienced at Weegena a while back. The river bottom was still covered in a brown slime and there was a lot of water weeds in.
After 32mm of rain in the Sheffield area yesterday I thought the Mersey River was worth a go this morning in humid and foggy conditions. Headed over to Weegena to have a fish upstream from the bridge. When I arrived there the river was like a mill pond as there was not a bit of wind about, and it looked perfect too. Looking upstream and downstream from the bridge I noticed the river had risen by a couple of inches plus there was not a sign of a fish on the rise either. This was a good sign for me as I thought it's going to be a top day for the spinner. I was wrong, as it was to be the opposite. Once in the water that was crystal clear and had a nice flow to it, and then after my first cast and retrieve the anti kink and the # 00 Black Aglia were fouled by the dreaded green cotton like algae that has been in the majority of the Mersey of late.
Another 3 hours were spent on the Meander River this afternoon fishing in sunshine and a north easterly for most of it, not my favourite type of condition to fish in. Still there were several areas that had shade on it thanks to the many Eucalypts along the river and this was where the fish were holding. The river seemed a little higher today which was a good sign, because the last trip here it was way too low. Hydro must be releasing more water for irrigation purposes and I was hoping this may give the river a much needed lift for fishing.
Kevin Blackwell recently discovered this oarfish washed ashore under the Tasman Bridge. It weighed 20 kilos and measured 2.2 metres in length. Kevin donated it to CSIRO in Hobart. Below are the details from John Pogonoski to Kevin.
I fished on of the toughest stretches of the Meander River this afternoon from 2.45pm to 6.15pm in mainly overcast conditions and low, clear water. This stretch of river that I fished is around 1.5 kms in length and always gives up a few fish, but it's tough going and you earn every fish that one catches. It's full of every size rock and boulder that can trip you up at any time if your mind's not on the job. Take time and make sure you have good footing under you before taking the next step forward. It varies from water depth below the knees to waist deep in many sections in fast and slow sections of it and one slip and could be a few bruises or a wet backside. This stretch of river has many fast water areas along it which I love to fish especially at this time of year and it does give up some nice medium browns that usually average around 360 gms.
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Presented from Issue 100
Considering the world class quality of our sea trout fishery, these fish are not sought after by enough anglers. Sea runners live in the salt water and run up our estuaries and rivers from the start of August to the middle of November. At this time of the year, they are here to eat the many species of fish that are either running up the rivers to spawn or are living in and around the estuary systems. Trout, both sea run and resident (Slob Trout) feed heavily on these small fish which darken in colouration as they move further into fresh water reaches.
The majority of these predatory fish are brown trout with rainbows making up a very small percentage of the catch. They can be found all around the state but it would be fair to say that the east coast is the least prolific of all the areas. They still run up such rivers as the Georges (and many others) but their numbers along with the quality of the fishing elsewhere make it difficult to recommend the area above the larger northern, southern and western rivers.
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