Opening of the 2010-11 Trout Season

by Sarah Graham

The 2010-11 Angling Season, which is based on brown trout waters,
opens every year on the first Saturday in August. This year it falls
on Saturday the 7th, while rainbow waters remain closed until Saturday
2 October. Now is a good time to renew or buy an angling licence, to
prepare fishing gear and think about where to go on opening weekend or
to plan a fishing trip for early in the season.

Opening of the 2010-11 Trout Season

The 2010-11 angling season starts on Saturday 7 August, with the
traditional opening of brown trout waters. Rainbow waters will remain
closed until Saturday 2 October this year.

Get a Licence!

You require a current angling licence to fish at any open inland water
in Tasmania (including farm dams on private property), except at a
registered private fishery where you generally pay to fish. You can
purchase or renew an angling licence by visiting a licence agent (at
major tackle stores or any Service Tasmania shop). Licences can also
be purchased or renewed online at www.ifs.tas.gov.au.

Angling licences range in price from a full season adult licence at
$66.50 to a short term weekend licence for $20. The full season
licence offers anglers the best value for money; being a 12 month
licence with the opportunity to fish every day of the year; and with
significant discounts for juniors (80% less at $12.00), pensioners
(45% less at $36.50) and seniors (25% off at $53.00).

Other benefits include the convenience of being mailed a renewal form
each year before the start of the season, which contains a durable
licence card. The Service also targets full season licence holders
with information and special offers such as the automatic entry into
competitions to win prizes.  This year, we are repeating the offer of
free entry to the Salmon Ponds on presentation of a full season
licence card and also a Voucher, mailed out with the renewal notice,
for a free weekend licence to ‘Take a Mate Fishing’.



Know the Rules!


There are rules and regulations that govern inland fishing in Tasmania
and apply to individual waters. They cover seasons and times, bag and
size limits, angling methods and boating. The general rules that apply
to most waters are:


Waters that are an exception to these rules, such as waters open all
year round, rainbow waters, waters closed to fishing at all times, and
all waters in the Western Lakes area are listed in the Tasmanian
Fishing Code 2010-11, which is provided for free with your licence.
You can also search the regulations applying to individual waters by
visiting the IFS Waters Database at ifs.tas.gov.au.

Of special note is the closure of Lake Sorell this season under the
Inland Fisheries (Delay or Prevention of Spread of Controlled Fish)
Order 2003. This is due to an outbreak of juvenile carp in Lake Sorell
in 2009-10 and to assist the Service in intensifying its effort to
control the population during 2010-11