Fishing platform Risdon Brook Dam |
Anglers with disabilities and mobility issues often have difficulty finding fishing spots. The IFS recommends a number of locations that may be suitable depending on your specific restrictions and available assistance. There are purpose built platforms at Risdon Brook Dam that are specifically designed and reserved for anglers with a disability. Other options in the south are on the River Derwent at the New Norfolk esplanade and Windsor Corner on the Lyell Highway. In the north a platform at Four Springs Lake is a great location particularly early in the season when lake levels are high. In the north west a level path provides access to the grassy shores of South Riana Lake and good access to the waters edge is available at the north western end of the Pet Reservoir.
All of these waters have plenty of trout so get out there!
Source : https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2023/oct/18/fishing-opportunities-for-anglers-with-disabilities
New stairs and pathway |
Works have been completed at the Penstock Lagoon Day Use Area. The works consist of the construction of a 1 meter wide gravel pathway along the levee with ramp and stair access to the carparks on either side of the penstocks. The pathway extends from the Day Use Area at the spillway to the Angler Access Sign on the southern side of the icebreaker.
The Inland Fisheries Service contributed to this Hydro Tasmania initiative which has improved foot access for anglers and visitors to this popular area. The work was completed by Tasmanian company, Mtn. Trails Pty Ltd.
Siurce - https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2023/oct/06/penstock-lagoon-day-use-area-improvements
The Parks and Wildlife Service advise the boom gate on Lake Augusta Road has been re-opened for public access as of today (25 September 2023), along with the boom gate to Double Lagoon.
Vehicle access to Pillans Lake and Talinah Lagoon will remain closed with a view to reopen on 1 November 2023 (approximately) subject to road inspections determining conditions are suitable for vehicular traffic.
For any further information please contact the Great Western Tiers Field Centre on 67012104.
Source : https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2023/sep/25/lake-augusta-road-and-double-lagoon-boom-gates-open
A number of waters around the state are still open. Refer to the Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code 2022-23 or go to the Infish app 2.0 to see where you can fish through winter.
The wild brown trout spawning run is underway and you will be able to see them at Trout Weekend on 20-21 May at the Liawenee Field Station.
After having my weekly dose of injections this morning I decided to have a mid afternoon spin session in one of my favourite tannin waters. The conditions were quite good with mainly overcast conditions and a light South Easterly breeze. By the time I got myself organised and headed off, it was 2:20 pm by the time I hit the water. Seeing as I was using the same set up as my last trip I left it at that, no lure change was made, I stuck with the Mepps #00 March Brown Bug spinner.
Rex Cambell with a Lake Crescent brown trout |
The big fish keep coming at Lake Crescent with good catches of trophy sized brown trout. Clearly, this is the best season that the lake has had since European carp were eradicated in 2009.
Better catch rates this season are in part due to better water quality in the lake. The Inland Fisheries Service has been tracking water quality (turbidity) in both lakes Crescent and Sorell since 2006 and the latest sampling results show the lowest turbidity readings in both lakes for the last 25 years. The latest testing revealed clarity down to a depth of 60 - 65 centimetres.
With high lake levels it is expected that this trend will continue. This all bodes well for the remainder of the current trout season, the 2023/24 season and beyond. Anglers are reminded that the bag limit for Lake Crescent is 2 fish combined with only 1 fish over 500mm. For more information go to the Lake Crescent Fact Sheet.
Source : https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2023/feb/28/trophy-trout-in-lake-crescent
Sand flathead are Tasmania's favourite recreational fish, but stocks are in trouble. Action is urgently needed to improve the future of the fishery.
NRE Tas Fisheries is working with fishers, researchers and the community to address this decline in stock levels, identified in a new report from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
Around 1.6 million sand flathead are caught by recreational fishers per year in Tasmania. In fact, 70 per cent of all recreational fish taken are sand flathead, placing a huge amount of pressure on one species.
I was in two minds whether or not to go fishing this morning because I was still recovering from a long eight hour spin session one day ago. In the end, I thought why not go because I only require five more trout to reach my two hundredth for this season and with the weather being fine I headed off to the Dasher River. It was 8:45 am by the time I hopped in the river and even then there was a light Easterly breeze blowing straight up the river. The river itself wasn't running all that high today, it had dropped to a nice wading height and was also a light tea colour, just right for chasing trout. I started the session using a Mepps #00 White Miller Bug inline spinner for the first five minutes without a sign of a trout so I changed over to a #0 Aglia fluo brown spinner and it didn't take all that long before a small brown fell to it. The next cast was straight back into the same stretch of water and that's when I picked up the second trout of the morning, another small aggressive brown was landed.
Even though I was a little stiff and sore from the short spin session yesterday, as the morning went on the better I felt so a late start was had in a small tannin stream. In what was pretty good weather it was 11:50am when I finally hopped in the stream, the water level was good and the water itself was a nice medium tannin colour, just ideal for trout fishing. I started the spin session off with the same trout gear as I used yesterday which was the Okuma Celilo Finesse ULS 1-3kg trout rod, Okuma ITX-1000 spinning reel & the Mepps #0 March Brown Bug inline spinner and of course the reel was spooled with the ever reliable ultra strong Platypus Pulse 4lb Mono line. The first few casts and retrieves, not a lot happened until I lobbed the spinner close to the right hand river bank, on the retrieve a dark object appeared behind the lure and followed it for a short distance before it turned and moved off not to be seen again.
The weather here in Sheffield today was great, it was sunny with a temperature of fifteen degrees so I headed off for a mid afternoon spin session in the upper reaches of the Mersey River. With the majority of rivers that I fish still running high the upper Mersey was the go to place to fish. The long stretch of river I headed to required a long forty minute walk, it once was very good trout water until the 2016 floods wiped the river clean of fish in this area. It's been five years since I last fished this area, so today I'm hoping the long walk to the river will be rewarding by catching & releasing a few wild brown trout, and I'm not fussed about their size either. I arrived at my entry point a little worse for wear after the long walk and it took me a few minutes to settle down before I hopped in the river at 2:20 pm, the lure of choice to start with was a Mepps #1 Aglia Fluo micro-pigment rainbow inline spinner. The river height was still on the high side and pushing quite hard on the legs, with the rocky river bottom being slippery and tough on the body, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy time spent in the river.
Seeing as it's been a few days since my last fishing session and with the weather being more settled for the next day or so I headed back to one the tannin streams again, mainly because the larger rivers were still running on the high side. One thing I was sure of was that the small stream I headed to would be at a nice wading height, the only problem would be the amount of trees that would be across the stream. A few weeks ago we had a massive storm in the area which brought down thousands of large trees in several areas across the state. A few of my favourite streams just happened to be in one of those areas that was severely hit by the 165kph winds. Anyway, by the time I parked the car and made my way to the river it was nearly mid-day by the time I hit the water.
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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.