8 Duck Bay - Smithton

A premium protected estuary situated on the Duck River at Smithton. Some years ago this bay was netted regularly, both commercially and recreationally. That is now in the past and the fishing has improved enormously. Australian salmon, flathead, silver trevally and big King George whiting are regulars on bait and lures, soft plastic lures being especially popular.

Fishing around the oyster racks and gutters brings the best results for the big flathead. A good boat ramp can be found in town and on the western shore opposite the boat ramp is an area known as the "reclaim". This reclaimed land is a great place to spend an hour or two and if you are really lazy, or perhaps incapacitated you can even fish from your car, or close to it. Expect to catch flathead, silver trevally and small salmon here. P.S. The locals call silver trevally silver bream. For some unknown reason the extent of bream in Tasmania seems to finish about a dozen kilometres to the east of Smithton at Black River. The west coast seems barren of them and they reappear around the D'Entrecasteaux and Lune rivers on the south east coast.