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 !
2-12-2014 Trip One
On Monday the 1st December I headed on over to the Mersey River at Kimberley & Merseylea. The conditions were overcast,humid and with light drizzle on and off, but the only downfall was the wind coming from the Nth East something I never like fishing in. Once in the river at Kimberley I was lucky enough to hook a nice rainbow on the second cast, but as they've been doing lately this one did the same. It tossed the hook on the second or third jump I think it was. There were quite a few fish leaping from most sections in the river and this is always a sign that it's going to be a tough session.
Read more: The difference on a river from one day to the next
Judging by some of the chatter in the shop this week if seems that there was a lot of fishing being done last weekend. It’s a great thing that if you want to go fishing in Tasmania it is accessible to everyone. If you want to catch a trout there is a small cost involved in getting a licence and if you want to throw a line in the sea it’s free. All you need is some gear and you can fish as often as you like with little or no cost. The reward for this pastime is fresh fish for tea and it always tastes better when you catch it yourself.
There are a few reports filtering in from Arthurs lake that are encouraging. The fish are in good condition and one angler reported a mix of fish from 4lbs to 1.5lb footballs. There are some dun hatches occurring in the cowpadock area and these will increase as we move towards Christmas. Duns are also hatching at Penstock Lagoon and Little Pine Lagoon.
After having an hour of acupuncture this afternoon I was off to the Meander River for another (4.00pm) afternoon session. The last trip here the brown trout really won out by tossing the hooks more times than I can remember ever happening during a session. I don't normally lose more than I catch, but that trip (20-11-14) I did when I hooked and lost ten in a row before spitting the dummy and headed for home.
What and Who: An event to celebrate the efforts of coastal and marine conservation efforts and to raise awareness of critical issues
A range of speakers will present on topics including cooking foods from our coast, coastal climate change adaptation, Aboriginal connections to the coast, managing marine debris, balancing up aquaculture practices, and more. The event aims to challenge thinking, build knowledge, and inspire people to keep working together to care for our coastal and marine environments.
Seeing that the day was nice and fine with just a light Nth Easterly I headed on over to the Mersey River at 5.00pm for a late session. It wasn't worth going any earlier as it was to bright plus the sun was still on the water, so by around 5.00pm there is usually plenty of shade on the river from the masses of willows that line the banks.
After having a few good showers of rain this morning and with the cloud now high overhead I decided to go on over to Merseylea for an afternoon spin session. There wasn't a breath of wind, but the air temperature had dropped quite a few degrees from earlier in the day but that wasn't a problem any way.
Day One, 18/11/2014
Headed on over to Lake Leake to catch up with Samuel and Connor who are also well known as the "'Lake Leake Boys'" to have a couple of days spin fishing the Elizabeth River. I checked in at the Lake Leake Inn with mine hosts Jan & Walter Milner who always greet their guest with a warm and friendly smile. After lunch (which was great & very filling) I headed on over to catch up with the Evans family and was met with another warm welcome at their household too. It was good to see them once again as well. Samuel wasn't around as he's working two days a week now with his Uncle in the building trade doing work experience as a carpenter which is a great trade to get into.
The wind is continuing to blow and it’s a recurring topic of conversation in the shop. There have been some opportunities to go fishing particularly in the early morning and those people taking advantage have been catching fish.
If you are heading up to the lakes to go fishing there is a very useful initiative for you to check out from Anglers alliance. They have installed web cameras at the following waters: Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Penstock Lagoon, Lake Burbury, Little Pine Lagoon, lake Augusta, Brumbys Creek and Four Springs. The web address to go to is http://anglersalliance.org.au. You are able to see what the weather conditions are like from the start of the day through to the time you look at the site.
Round Two Tas Trout Classic – wrap up.
It was tournament time again for Tasmanian anglers with round 2 of the TAS Trout Classic Series run and won in the central highlands. Weather conditions were very challenging which created quite a lot of drama for the 33 entered teams.
The Tonic Eyewear Great Lake Classic got underway with the compulsory briefing at the Great Lake Hotel on Friday evening. One lucky entrant again walked away with a LOX Ambassador Hybrid Series rod valued at $350. Most entrants enjoyed the hospitality of the Hotel prior to the briefing with good food and cold drinks.
With Adrian Webb up our way for a few days, we decided to give the Elizabeth River a smashing session using the Mepps spinners. We arrived at the river at around about 2pm, where we got the gear out of the car, threw on the waders and started walking down the river. We walked a good 2.5km past the Weir, where we worked our way back up the river
The first 1.2km was unsuccessful, with only seeing 4 small trout that were easily spooked. Where I then swapped to a silver Aglia, and cast in to the faster running water where this little fish started playing up! First fish for the day, a nice little brown that was about 200grams. Back in the river he goes. We then walked through a heap of long grass, where Connor had caught a lovely brown that was about 340grams. A few photos and back in to the water he goes. In this time Adrian had caught a lovely brown around the 200gram mark as well.
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Presented from Issue 105, August 2013
We did a bit of a runaround Tasmania’s tackle stores to see what their tips for the first month or so of the tackle season were. We asked what the top three places to fish were, plus lures, flies, baits and a few other things.
Here is a rundown on their answers Whenever, and wherever you fish - anywhere, or for any fish in the world - ask the locals and especially ask at the local tackle store. They know what was caught today, yesterday and on what.