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 !

Tidal Talk

Well we missed the tenth birthday of the Recreational Fishing Branch which was in June. So after 10 years in the harness I have decided to retire and do my bit to increase recreational fishing effort.

Tamar Bream

Southern black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) are one of Tasmania's great sport fish. They have the lot, great fighting, great eating and, on Tassie's North East and East coasts, they are in great numbers.

Fishing Highlights, August to September Daniel Hackett

The majority of Tasmanian fishers think of themselves as a relatively tough bunch, "any harder they'd rust', battling relentless snow, rain and sun (somebody has to do it). Despite the obvious ruggedness of the fishers in question, the battle hardened Taswegian trouter is more likely to be found tucked up in bed eating Nan's chicken soup during August and September rather then on the water. This is a pity because any time is a good time to go fishing, and August and September are no exceptions. Pack away your blouses, pull on a beanie and try a few of these highlights!

Catching Dead Fish.

Lawrence Archibald Smith, better known as Larry to his mates and the constabulary, is a fish catcher of some renown. By fair means or foul Larry very rarely comes home without a feed. But even Larry out did himself the day he caught and landed a fish that had been dead for several hours.

Four Springs Lake

There is no doubt Tasmania hosts the best fly-fishing in Australia, our Central Highlands Lakes are world renowned. For those who live in the North of the State there is another piece of water which gives the opportunity of a trophy size brown or rainbow trout, Four Springs Lake.
Situated 16 kilometres North of Hagley via Selbourne Rd (C735), Four Springs holds both brown and rainbow trout that regularly exceed 6 pounds in weight.

Chasing Calamary

A small fishery developed in Tasmania for southern calamary in the early 1980's, with annual landings of around 10-30 tonnes up until 1997/98.  Catches have risen pretty quickly over the last few years, recently fluctuating around the 80-100 tonne mark and prompting several research projects into the biology of southern calamary.  The Recreational Fishery Trust, DPIWE, Tasmanian Industry Fishing Council, individual commercial fishers, and the Australian Research Council, are all supporting an exciting new calamary tagging and hi-tech tracking project, based at the Tasmanian Aquaculture & Fisheries Institute.  The project began in May this year and will run until April 2006, with most of the fieldwork conducted over the next two spring/summer spawning seasons.

Squid: the biology basics

Squid belong to a group of animals called cephalopods, which includes the octopus, cuttlefish, and nautilus.  In Tasmanian waters, we have both the smallest squid in the world, the pygmy squid at a tiny 2cm, and the largest squid - the giant squid, with squid rings as big as truck tyres.  From a biological perspective, squid are rather bizarre creatures.  They have not one, but three hearts - one at the base of each of two gills to pump deoxygenated blood through the gills, and one main heart to pump oxygenated blood through the rest of the body.

Meander Valley Dam - Daniel Hackett


The proposed Meander Valley dam is one of many environmental issues currently facing Tasmanians. Despite its high profile there are still a lot of questions many Tasmanians have regarding the proposed dam and what it might create. In relation to fishing many of us ask will it be a new fishery, will it make or break the river, do we need another dam? On the 20th of May, Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News invited a number of stakeholder groups to submit their respective comments and/or opinions on the proposal. It was great to see the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, the Tasmanian Greens and The Tasmanian Conservation Trust happy to provide their opinion for Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News readers.

Liawenee Trout Weekend 

The Liawenee Trout weekend was a great success and was attended by a large number of anglers from all around the state. It was great to see so many brown trout in the fish trap and it proves what a fantastic resource the Great Lake is for trout fishing all around the state.

Early Season Trout Tips


As the start of the trout season approached the usual questions were running through most anglers" minds, Where to go for opening morning? Which lake is most likely to perform? What will the weather do? Etc etc. The truth is, although the weather hasn't exactly been kind, most lakes in the central highlands area have fished extremely well.

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