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 ...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 !
Our inland fisheries are amongst the best trout fisheries available in the world.
Over the first couple of weeks of this season, we have become aware that some anglers are not following size and bag limits. Of particular concern is
The Inland Fishing Code, supplied each year with your licence, is a great pocket reference to keep in your tackle box. The regulations are readily available on our website, the InFish App and on signage at major angling waters around the state.
Read more: Inland Fisheries Service Report to Anglers 2018 - Know the bag and size limits
The north coast spawning closure for calamari and squid comes into effect from next Monday 1st October until 31st October for waters from Cape Grim east to Cape Naturaliste.
Commercially purchased squid bait can be used but you cannot possess a squid jig attached to a fishing line in the closed area.
Temporary signage has been placed at fishing spots and boat ramps. Read more about the closure.
With the rivers still running high and the weather being fine for a change I decided I was going to chase the trout by hook or by crook.. I didn't have an early start either as it wasn't until 10:30 am when I finally slipped into the river. The water was running at a medium to high level so I had fished the stretches of water that I knew were safe enough to wade. After many years of fishing the rivers this is where knowing every bit of the each river I fish pays off. I never take any risks when fishing rivers as life is too short plus it's not worth drowning one's self either. One good thing was the water temp today was up to seven degrees and that's the warmest it's been since the end of the last trout season. I set myself a small target of catching & releasing five trout for the session this trip mainly because of the water flowing high & fast in most stretches if river.. I was a little undecided of what Mepps lure to start off with today, I finally made the choice of going with the Aglia Tiger Fluoro mainly because of the water temp still being a little low. Once the water temp gets to nine degrees and above then the Mepps gold or copper blades spinners will be given a good workout.
Read more: Lady lucks helps out with my best trout for this season - 21/9/2018
Over the weekend of 4 and 5 August, the 2018-19 angling season took off with a bang! Thousands of anglers around the state tried their luck with some fantastic fish caught. Our Officers were out with five teams patrolling 46 waters right across the state. We inspected 699 angling licences, 546 brown trout and 195 rainbow trout.
Read more: Inland Fisheries Service Report to Anglers 2018 - The 2018-19 trout season begins
Please find attached here the 2018 Tasmanian Carp Management Program Annual Report.
Presented from Issue 116, June 2015
Winter is a great time for tackle tinkering… Reel maintenance, fly tying, replacing the rusty trebles on lures, or even pimping up your soft plastics for the coming season! As Starlo explains, customising the colours of your plastics isn’t hard. It’s also great fun, and can be highly effective!
In this occasional series of features, I want to look at the fascinating subject of customising soft plastic lures. In my opinion, this is an avenue of tackle tinkering that far too few anglers explore. Most buy their supplies of soft plastics from the tackle store and seem to assume that these versatile lures must be used in exactly the form they were packaged in by the manufacturer. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth!
Perhaps this notion that the maker knows best and that anglers shouldn’t “fiddle” with their products is a carry over from the world of hard-bodied luring. Beyond perhaps upgrading or replacing hooks and rings, very few anglers actively modify hard-bodied lures made from metal, plastic or timber. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. For example, some switched-on trout chasers have been adding bright, pea-sized red spots with lighter-coloured halos to their minnows, plugs and spoons for years, especially when fishing the pre-spawn and post-spawn runs of trout in autumn and spring. I first helped to popularize this custom colouration more than three decades ago, and gave it the name “spotted dog” in my writings. That label has stuck, and has even been picked up by some commercial lure makers. But I certainly can’t claim to have “invented” the actual spotted dog pattern. In fact, it was first shown to me by a very canny Finnish trout fisher named Erkki Norell in the early 1980s, and it had been used in his home country (with great success) for at least a generation or two prior to him telling me about it. There is very little under the sun that is truly “new”!
Click on the map for a larger view |
Recreational rock lobster season opening dates are now confirmed:
All waters outside the East Coast Stock Rebuilding Zone (ECSRZ) - open from Saturday, 3 November 2018
East Coast Stock Rebuilding Zone - open from Saturday, 8 December 2018
The need to rebuild stocks of rock lobster on the East Coast has led to the decision to delay the opening date for the recreational season in the ECSRZ. Other areas in the Eastern Region will now open at the same time as the Western Region.
There are no changes to recreational catch limits.
The commercial rock lobster season has also been delayed, opening on 15 November in all waters outside the ECSRZ and on 11 December in the ECSRZ.
Presented from Issue 116, June 2015
Put some warm clothes on and embrace the world. Winter fishing can be great.
Great Lake is one of a handful of year round trout fishery in Tasmania that offers the die hard trout fisher a place to wet a line in fresh water.
During the months of June and July, the brown trout that have finished spawning are looking to regain condition quickly. The Great Lake Galaxia will be high on their opportunistic diet at this time, making lure and streamer fly fishing a viable option. Shore based fishing is a good bet at this time of year with Browns hunting Galaxia along the rocky shorelines. They also take advantage of the abundance of Stick Caddis over the weed beds and muddy bays. Fur fl ies, Woolly Buggers and streamers are great fl ies to use at this time of year.
Presented from Issue 116, June 2015
Cold weather can strike anytime in Tasmania and a lot of people complain about the cold constantly. Anglers are no different, but, like bush walkers it just means more appropriate clothes. And if there is a huge winter frost you know the day will be calm and bright and a joy to experience. So while it can be wild, cold, bitter and wet look out for approaching high pressure systems, plan a trip, and rejoice in the short calm winter days. The fishing can be grand.
Two inshore fish that are fun to catch over Winter are garfish and flounder. Both are pretty reliable fisheries, but preparation is the key. In fact it is the key to catching most fish.
Read more: Southport Lagoon Magic Winter Fishing - Mike Stevens
With the Mersey, Meander & Leven rivers still running very high and a day without rain plus a temperature of 15 degrees had me heading off to the tannin water for a spin session after a nine day lay off. Until the larger rivers drop to a safe wading level I have no choice but to fish the little tannin water again. There was only one problem today and that was the wind, it was gusting at 50/60 kph from the North West so it wasn't going to be all that great for spin fishing. When I arrived I found the stream was running much higher than my last trip but still good enough to hop in and try and catch a trout or two. Like the past couple of river trips I started with the Mepps #0 Aglia tiger fluoro, it was on the forth cast when I picked up my first little wild brown trout in small flat water under some overhanging tea trees.
Read more: Gale force winds, not a day to be in a river - 14/9/2018
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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 ...