Presented from Issue 105, August 2013
Christopher Bassano fishes over 250 days a year. This interview was recorded just before he headed off to fish for Australia in the World Fly Fishing Championships in Norway 14-17 August 2013.
I live on a small stream and at the start of the season I like to go off on a bit of a discovery mission and fish the headwaters of the creeks and rivers I feel an affinity with.
These small rivers include the St Pats, Meander, Forester, Little Forester and others. The further up you go on these rivers the clearer and lower the levels. They are often less affected by the rain and runoff and you get some good opportunities. Get as close to the source as you can and you will find some good dry fly fishing. Don’t limit yourself to those I have mentioned. Most headwaters will hold trout.
Read more ...Lakes with only a few articles ...
Presented from Issue 112, October 2014
October, November what a great time of year to be fishing for trout around the highland lakes. As spring progresses the weather is becoming more stable, temperatures are going up, both the air and water temperatures which in turn are making more food available for trout. The odd terrestrial beetle is getting around; aquatic hatches are commencing, midge, then the diminutive Stone fly, Caddis and then Mayfly. Trout aren’t necessarily hugging the bottom anymore and begin to freely rise when the food is there to tempt them to the surface.
Presented from Issue 107, December 2013
Located in the southern Central Highlands is the township of Tarraleah — an ex Hydro village, built in the 1930s and located around one and half hours from Hobart and 50 minutes drive from the Great Lake via the Marlborough Highway. Tarraleah is a great place for fishing with a number of waterways all connected by canals. They hold excellent stocks of trout and its unique in the fact that only trout inhabit these waters as far as I know, with no eels or redfin perch present. It is suitable for all types of angling and a wonderful option if wanting to either explore some new water, or if the weather is rough on the Great Lake side of the hill.
Read more: Tarraleah Trout - Varied and productive - Daniel Pursell
Presented from Issue 102
At an altitude of 1120ms above sea level Lake Mackenzie is one of the highest lakes you can drive to in Tassie. It is the upper most catchment on the Mersey/Forth Hydro scheme, its waters being dammed in the early seventies and diverted via canal and pipe to the Fisher River Power Station. The original Lake Mackenzie, Sandy Lake and Pine Marsh have since become Lake Mackenzie although for most summer months the original bodies of water are obvious.
Please refer here for current information.
http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/about-us/publications/tasmanian-inland-fishing-code-2016-17
Presented from Issue 97
Most fisherman I know have a spot or two that when they go there they get that same sense of feeling that occurs when you arrive back home after a lengthy absence. One area that never fails to generate this nostalgic feeling for me is when I journey out to the two diminutive lakes located roughly north east of Arthurs Lake named Gunns Lake and Little Lake.
A chance meeting….
My Gunns and Little Lake odyssey started approximately 20 years ago on a calm and sunny September morning when long time fishing companion Todd Lamprey and I journeyed out to the two shallow natural lagoons on a purely exploratory mission. Todd and I had been in the highlands for a few days already on a multi day trip and we had decided on looking for a location for the days sport that didn’t require a lot of walking to get to. The preceding days had been spent hiking in the Western Lakes district and Todd and I both really needed to rest tired legs.
Read more: Gunns and Little Lake - Home of the Golden Bellied Brown Trout
Presented from Issue 94
Lake Plimsoll is a “brook trout only fishery” located near the heart of our rugged West Coast. It is also water that many of Tasmania’s angling fraternity would have heard about, but seemingly only a small minority have ever taken up the challenge to explore at any great length.
Is it a wasted effort or is it just a very well kept secret by those in the know? Todd Lambert, along with two of his mates, Dale Howard and son Trevor, spent some time there recently and in this article, he attempts to shed some light on this fantastic fishery that seemingly “ flies under the radar” to so many of us.
Refer to the Fishing Code for current regulations
It had been over 16 years since I last fished Lake Rowallan. As a young man growing up in the rural community of Deloraine, it was a lake reasonably close to home and where I spent many a night camped on its shorelines. My last trip there was 14 December 1994. I remember this as I have a picture of a 14 pound brown trout on my lounge room wall with that date on the plaque. It is my biggest ever trout and the memories of that catch remain with me as if it were yesterday. To see a fish of that size come out of Rowallan’s light tannin coloured depths was something I will never forget but as I was a bit of a “scallywag” in those days, and I won’t elaborate on that, it was a reward that to this day…. I hardly felt that I had earn’t. Many things have changed since then, the most notable is the outlook and respect I now possess for our fisheries and those charged with looking after them. Anyway, with this all in mind, I decided to hook on the trailer, grab a couple of mates and head back for a day’s fishing at a lake that I seemed to have forgotten about . Why it’s been so long between drinks I cannot answer, perhaps it’s just another one of those lakes that are largely forgotten about… and I don’t know why. It is a lake close to many of our major population areas, yet seems to fly under the radar of most of the State’s freshwater anglers. In fact I would go so far as to say that many wouldn’t even know where it is. It is well stocked, has some absolute monsters in it and is very easily accessed, especially to those living in Tasmania’s North and North West. You hardly ever hear of any fishing reports coming from it and those that do fish it on a regular basis seem to like to keep it that way.
This 2 kg trout was caught on mudeyes at the Guide Reservoir today.
Regards Neville
Background Information on the Guide Reservoir
http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/archive/IFSDatabaseManager/WatersDatabase/guide-reservoir
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I headed to Tomahawk on the weekend, and decided to have a fish in Blackmans Lagoon on the way down. Arrived at around 1:30ish and got my 3 metre Zodiac off my 4wd with my 2 hp Johnston and headed off, the weather was very bright with 10 knot winds decided to try a Yep golden seducer around the edges. Bang had my first fish on and had this trout on for 15 mins and wasn't sure if it was a brown or a rainbow, but it was a good fish. Got it within 5 metres of the boat and saw the fish and know straight away that's it a really nice fish and could of easily be double figures, but then the hook pulled... Damn!! Kept on fishing for another 30 mins and hooked up a nice rainbow around the 4lb mark and was a very nice solid fish.
Cheers Bailey Zanetto
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Arrived at Bronte this afternoon, great day, the fish are on the chew netted 3 dropped 4 and put 2 back . Strong, and all in good nick. All spin drifting, black and red Kandles.
President Reg Travers
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Christopher Bassano
Fishing guide Christopher Bassano explores his favourite fishing-and shares a few tips that will help you discover the world of trout near the sea.