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.
Read more ...Please check all relevant authorities before fishing - www.ifs.tas.gov.au and dpipwe.tas.gov.au . Don't forget issuu.com/stevenspublishing for years of back issues !
Due to low water levels we completed a salvage of trout in the upper River Clyde. We recovered 172 brown and 51 rainbow trout. The fish were released into Lake Crescent. There were 8 dead fish.
We would like to thank anglers for letting us know that there were fish stranded in the river.
Source: https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2019/sep/19/river-clyde-fish-salvage
I said I would write about fly lines. I think it is Simon Gawesworth from RIO fly lines coloured string - and if you ever get the chance to listen to him, please do it. He is passionate about fly lines and helps explain them simply.
Realistically though fly lines are a hugely complex, so I will just give my very brief overview on floating trout lines.
Most fly lines sold are floating weight forward lines. There are a few double taper, spey, switch and sinking lines sold, but mostly they are floating WF. Lines are generally 90 feet, with a couple of lines used for tournament casters at 120 feet.
The dates for the 2019 rock lobster season will be:
The recreational sector will open on Saturday 7 December 2019 and the entire Eastern Region including the ECSRZ closes on 30 April 2020; and
The commercial sector will open on Tuesday 10 December 2019.
The recreational sector will open on 2 November 2019; and
The commercial sector will open on 15 November 2019.
South Riana Dam has become recognised as a boutique fishery in the north west. Since its creation in 2015 the dam has developed in to an excellent regional water with its convenient location just 20 km from Penguin.
Regular stocking with wild brown trout fry by the IFS has underpinned the existing trout population and some natural recruitment. Anglers are taking well-conditioned fish using all methods including bait fishing, lure casting and fly fishing.
Canoes and Kayaks are permitted and can assist anglers to access the northern and western shores of the dam.
The calamari and squid fisheries will be closed to recreational and commercial fishing on Tasmania's north coast from 1 - 31 October 2019 inclusive to protect spawning calamari.
During the closure period, taking or possessing calamari and other squid species is prohibited in the closed area. Squid that has been commercially purchased can be used for bait.
The conditions for trout fishing today couldn't have been better with a clear sky and hardly any breeze, it was a beautiful day. I had a few things to do during the morning so I couldn't get to the water until after 2:00pm, I was in it by 2:35, it was still running on the high side and a cool 3 degrees. This trip as like all my trips so far this season was to a small tannin stream, mainly because they're the only ones that are low enough to hop in for a spin session. Not only that, they're giving up a few trout where as reports from those fishing the larger rivers aren't all that flash.
Very cold blustery conditions today and again tomorrow had me thinking there wouldn't be any trout fishing going on for me until around Thursday or Friday. At 1:30pm the wind was only blowing around 10 kph & the air temp was hitting 11 degrees so that was enough to get me off my backside, grab the fishing gear and head of to a small tannin water for a spin session. The large rivers were still running on the high side so really the small streams are my only alternative for now. No sooner had I hit the water at 2:00pm up came the wind, and it hit with force, very strong hard wind gusts that would have been in the 25-30 kph range.
The first month of the brown trout season has started very well with excellent fishing reports coming from around the state.
In the south, the River Derwent is producing some lovely resident and sea run trout after a high water event in late August. Lure anglers seem to be making the most of this estuary fishing although not much whitebait has been seen. The Tyenna River has also fished well and is always a consistent performer for all forms of fishing at this time of year when water levels permit. Large fish were caught at Rostrevor Lagoon during the opening weeks and this should continue with the rain that is forecast.
On the east coast, Tooms Lake and Lake Leake are very low but should receive and boat anglers must be mindful of submerged logs and stumps. With a large easterly weather pattern hitting the state, these lakes could be the pick of the waters when levels rise. Expect bigger than average fish and plenty of them.
The IFS recently undertook an in-lake survey at Curries River Reservoir in the states north east. The reservoir is located just off the B82 between George Town and Bridport and was built in the late 1970’s as a domestic water supply for Georgetown.
The IFS have been stocking the reservoir since the 1980’s and it is currently managed as a trophy fishery. In 2019, 400 rainbow trout and 1,175 fin clipped adult brown trout were released. The fin clipped fish were released to form the basis of a population estimate based on recapture numbers and will give us information on growth rates if surveys are conducted at the reservoir in future years.
While the final results from our survey are currently being analysed, results appear to indicate that the existing population of trout is quite low. In total over the two days using 80 traps, 97 brown trout were captured with 83 having fin clips which represents 87 percent. Over both days, 4 rainbow trout were captured. All of the fish were in good condition and the presence of large numbers of galaxiid suggests that trout should put on weight quickly.
Read more: Curries River Reservoir Fisheries Performance Assessment
Hydro Tasmania is holding a community session at Deloraine this week which will give the public an opportunity to meet with Hydro Tasmania representatives and learn more about the Battery of the Nation Project.
Thanks
David Ikedife
A/Manager Aquatic
BSc. Hons.
t +61 3 6230 5344 | m +61 413 797 210 | f +61 3 6230 5414
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Hello everyone, I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself.
My name is Stephen Smith and I have been managing the website tasfish.com since May 2009.
It has been an epic journey of learning and discovery and I am indebted to Mike Stevens for his help, support and patience.
I am developing a new venture Rubicon Web and Technology Training ( www.rwtt.com.au ). The focus is two part, to develop websites for individuals and small business and to train people to effectively use technology in their everyday lives.
Please contact me via www.rwtt.com.au/contact-me/ for further information - Stephen Smith.
Scott McDonald
The first Atlantic salmon eggs used to begin Tasmania's Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry were introduced into Tasmania in 1984. From these humble beginnings a valuable Tasmanian industry has evolved with a worldwide reputation for having a premium disease free product. This industry provides a spin off to all anglers in the form of regular escapes of salmon from the farms.