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 !

A 12-year-old girl from Selbourne in northern Tasmania has won $10k as part of Inland Fisheries Service’s (IFS) Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion, during the 2020-21 angling season.

Member of Westbury Angling Club and Tagged Trout Promotion recipient, Fiona Batterham caught the tagged trout at Lake Rowallan at 11:15am on Sunday 18 October, which also marked national Gone Fishing Day.

This is the first of five tagged trout caught as part of the promotion, which involved IFS releasing five tagged brown trout into lakes across the State.

Each tag is worth $10,000 to the angler that returns the fish, tagged intact to the IFS

2020 10 12 The Bug get s the first of the dayRain and windy conditions were the forecast of the day again today so I had planned to stay home, then as the day went on the weather wasn't all that bad so I headed off for a spin session in the tannin waters. It was 1:30pm when I finally hopped in the water and started flicking a small #00 White Miller Bug spinner around in the tannin stream. The flow was pretty good due to recent rain and the water was a little cloudy but still had that nice tannin colour to it, that's the reason I went with the White Miller spinner. This time I'm fishing approx one kilometre of water and one that has quite a few log jams on it, also one that hasn't given up a trout in two previous trips let alone see one. Several days ago I caught seven trout two kilometres downstream from here and that's why I want to give this area a go today, I feel there may be a few trout here now.

gone fishinGone Fishing Day

This Sunday, 18 October is national Gone Fishing Day. It's a great chance to get family and friends together and explore local fishing spots.

You can also register for prizes through the National Gone Fishing Day website.

Due to Covid group restrictions, Fishcare isn't running any organised events but we're encouraging everyone to throw a line in. Try to keep groups small and follow social distancing guidelines at your local fishing spot.

As we move into better weather, keep an eye out for our Summer Fishing Program in January. Prior to this, schools and community groups can contact Fishcare by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 6165 3039 to organise small fishing clinics.


2020 09 26 Trout of the day 455 gramsThe conditions weren't ideal for trout fishing today seeing the wind was gusting up to 30kph, the good thing was it was sunny so I decided to head off to have another go at catching trout in tannin waters. I knew once I was in the water I would have some shelter from the wind, though there would be times when I won't as well.

The water level was much lower than my last trip back August, it still had a reasonable flow and was a nice light tannin colour, plus the water temp was seven degrees, much better than the two/three degrees that it's been. I started off using a small #00 Aglia gold, and yes it was a well used spinner which I prefer to use as often as possible.

I hate breaking in new lures for some reason, even though I know they'll do the same job, I just like the old used ones. Seeing as this tannin water has only given up one trout for the season I wasn't feeling all that confident of catching all that many trout this trip.

Tas WaterDo you like to plan before you go fishing? Social media is a great place to gather information on where is fishing well. For weather information the Bureau of Meteorology is a good spot to check the weather. For daily lake levels go to Hydro Tasmania.

However, when it comes to rivers more generally and those lakes not managed by Hydro Tasmania, it can be much harder to get timely and reliable information. One site that is available to fishers is the Bureau of Meteorology. This site provides river level and flow information for many of the major rivers, along with continuous water temperature, some turbidity data and other water quality information for a select few major catchments. If you are having trouble working out all the information you can download the Getting Started manual.

2020 09 14 First and only trout takenFine sunny weather, hardly a breeze and lower river levels gave me the opportunity to head to the upper reaches of the Mersey River at Weegena for a couple of hours of spin fishing. On my arrival (11:05 am) I found it was running a little higher than I thought it would be, good thing was it was still at a safe wading height. The water was a nice light/medium tannin colour and the water temp was sitting on 4-5 degrees which was much better than the two degrees on my last trip here. My main concern was if the trout were here and are they here in good numbers yet, or is it going to be one of those fish-less days that happens more often than not early in the season.

2020 09 10 First only trout caught todayTrip one: Sunday 30th August

Poor weather forecast again today and with the larger rivers still running high it was back to the small tannin streams for the next two days. The first trip was to my favourite one on private property, a small tannin water that really fished well last season, but for some reason it's been on the quiet side to date. The other small stream is also on private property and closer to home, this one has only given up the odd trout from time to time. It was 9:45 am by the time I hit the water in what was reasonable weather conditions given the forecast. Looking to the South West I could see there was a build up of dark clouds slowly moving my way so I had to get a move on as quick as I could. The water level was down to what it was a week ago, the flow was still good and the water was a light tannin colour. I started the session off with a small well used #00 gold Aglia Mouche Noire spinner, it's an oldie and a goody, it's also caught quite a lot of trout in it's time of use.

The Meander Valley Council advise that recent water sampling indicates that the recent algal bloom has cleared and the water has returned to normal. The Caution Notices have been removed from the Dam Wall and Boat Ramp. This improvement in water quality is likely to see an improvement in the fishing also.

Source : https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2020/sep/04/brushy-lagoon-algal-bloom-has-cleared

2020 09 01 The micro pigment Aglia rainbow gets the first of the dayWhile the weather is still cold & damp I'm not fishing all that far from home at the moment, plus the larger rivers I would like to have a fish in are running too high for my liking. There are several areas on them where I could fish from the river banks, but for now I'll settle for fishing the smaller streams & creeks. This spin session was done in two different stretches of water on private property where permission to gain access is a must. The weather wasn't looking all that flash when I headed off, looking towards the mountains it was pretty dull with dark, heavy clouds moving in. By the time I arrived at my destination it had started raining, only lightly though, which was okay as I had a lightweight rain jacket in the car. After putting on the waders and wading boots as well as the waterproof jacket I decided not to wear the fishing vest.

2020 08 25 2020 08 25 This brown fell to the Aglia Mouche NoireWith the weather still being unstable and more rain forecast as the days goes on I thought it worthwhile to head to the Dasher River on private property close to home. Once there I could see the river was on the rise and running a little on the cloudy side, not enough to put me off fishing it though. After a twenty minute walk to my entry point I was soon in the river (11:15am) flicking a small #00 gold Aglia around. The water temp like the air was very low and cold, today I did wear a waterproof jacket which helped to keep my upper body warm. As I slowly made my way upstream I found the river bottom was pretty slippery and there was quite a lot of green cotton like algae covering them.

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