Sea-run trout fishing this year got off to a cracking start in most areas, with the majority of anglers employing nearly every trout fishing technique to secure fish in local estuaries statewide.
Even those anglers fishing the "off-season" lower down in our estuaries for sea-trout commented on the number of fish moving in early August.
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 !
An interesting discussion took place in my shop a couple of weeks ago between a group of anglers trying to determine what are Tasmania's most used and most popular trout lures.
This had obviously been spurred on by something they had read somewhere, and a healthy debate now ensued as different opinions were expressed. Listening to these anglers it had me thinking what are the most popular lures used in Tasmania? As we all have our own differing opinions I decided to speak directly to the people that know. I spoke to tackle store owners and staff from around the state to find what their biggest sellers are for trout fishing. After all I thought if we based this argument on actual sales the facts couldn't be argued. I decided when asking the question I would lump all lures of all forms, shapes and sizes into the equation so we could get the bigger picture.
Most of these lures have been around for a while now, but it was interesting to note how soft plastics are now playing a major role in our fishing practices. These are some of the results.
Read more: Tasmanias Most Popular Lures An unbiased and truthful analysis
Angela Woods
All this talk about soft plastics. "I would like to try them, but they all say I need a 2-5 kg fast tapered rod, special and expensive 2500 size reels, braided line, fluorocarbon leader material and jig heads in 10 different weights. It sounds all to hard and expensive, and what happens if I don't like it".
Well, you don't need all that stuff just to try it. It can cost under ten bucks for a packet or two of pre-rigged plastics. If you are keen check out how you can give it a try. And hey! A packet of plastics costs about the same as bait and most don't smell at all. You've gotta love that.
Peter Hayes
Muz Wilson is perhaps Australia's best know fly tier and more importantly he is one of the most innovative fly designers on the planet.
Recently while Muz was visiting Tasmania and participating at a fly fishing workshop at our Cressy facility Mike Stevens was able to identify the importance of this man and his contribution to fly fishing. Mike has asked me to pen a few words about this remarkable individual.
Dan Clifton
As the open season on trout waters arrives there will many keen anglers heading to the highlands to catch the first of the hungry, post spawn, browns.
With the winter well underway and some heavy frosts often covering the ground, I find myself keeping my trout fishing close to home. It is great to get home to a warm house, shower, warm meal and I really like my own bed.
Do not eat any bream and- limit consumption of flathead and other Derwent-caught fish
- Pregnant women and young children should limit consumption of flathead or other Derwent caught fish to no more than ONE meal per week, and avoid eating other fish in the same week.
With rising Winter and Spring rains Lake Echo has really hit its mark.
Shane Flude has fished Lake Echo extensively for many years with excellent catches. Here are his tips from Issue 70 Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News.
Tasmanians can again take up the much-loved pastime of whitebaiting with the annual opening of the whitebait fishing season at the start of October. The season runs for six weeks from 1 October to 11 November in selected rivers around the State. Reports from the South and North of the State are that the whitebait runs are just beginning, with only a small number of fish being sighted making their way up some rivers. Hopefully, the high flow rates will subside enabling a solid run of whitebait and good numbers of fish available to fishers.
by Sarah Graham IFS
Inland Fisheries Service inspectors recovered a number of yabbies believed to be the mainland Cherax species, along with some mussels and foreign weed, from the edge of Great Lake on Thursday 27 August.
Received a call from ******** as he headed home from Woods Lake Saturday 12 Sept. Road very rough, but fishing today was exceptional. Party finished with four with others hooked and lost but saw some magnificent fish at the boat ramp and no one seemed to come off the water empty handed. Didn't matter what you put at them, they took it, he said. The fish are in good condition.
(Name deleted to protect the guilty.) Had a couple of days camped at Bronte Lagoon. The lagoon is as high as anyone can remember that we have spoken to. On Wednesday night the water was a good metr above our previous campsite water level but with the tailrace into Brady's fully open the water was dropping fast and dropped about 400 mm over two days. This may account for the lack of trout visibly tailing.
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When you have finished for the day, why not have a brag about the ones that didn't get away! Send Mike an article on your fishing (Click here for contact details), and we'll get it published here. Have fun fishing - tasfish.com
Here is a list of all of the Article Categories. The number in Brackets, eg (13) is the number of articles. Click on Derwent River and all articles relating to the Derwent will be displayed in the central area.
Visit https://www.windyty.com/
Hello everyone, I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself.
My name is Stephen Smith and I have been managing the website tasfish.com since May 2009.
It has been an epic journey of learning and discovery and I am indebted to Mike Stevens for his help, support and patience.
I am developing a new venture Rubicon Web and Technology Training ( www.rwtt.com.au ). The focus is two part, to develop websites for individuals and small business and to train people to effectively use technology in their everyday lives.
Please contact me via www.rwtt.com.au/contact-me/ for further information - Stephen Smith.
During the trout off-season I tend to spend a bit of time chasing bream, to continue getting a fishing fix, and spend time tying flies and dreaming about the trout season to come. It’s a time to spend doing tackle maintenance, stocking up on lures and dreaming up new challenges and goals for the trout season ahead. When the new season comes around I usually spend the first few months targeting sea runners. Sea run trout are simply brown trout that spend much of there lives out to sea and come in to the estuaries for spawning and to feed on whitebait and the other small endemic fishes that spawn in late winter through spring. Mixed in with the silvery sea runners you can also expect to catch resident fish that have the typical dark colours of a normal brown trout as well as atlantic salmon in some of our estuaries that are located near salmon farm pens. Living in Hobart it is quick and easy to do a trip on the Huon or Derwent and is a more comfortable proposition compared to a trip up to the highlands with snow and freezing winds to contend with.
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