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Fish mount restoration

Presented from Issue 116, June 2015
I’ve been practising fish taxidermy for several years, starting with skin mounts and fibreglass reproductions, and more recently have taken on the restoration of old mounts.

With modern day products and techniques there is no reason why a properly crafted fish skin mount should not last a lifetime. However, we’ve all seen old (and some not so old) mounts hanging on pub walls, in fishing shops or in mates sheds that have weathered badly over time . Not all old mounts need a make over. Those with least deterioration may still look rather discoloured but are best left alone with the vintage look and have a charm, character and history of their own. The worse for wear jobs with the curled fins and shrivelled heads can certainly be brought back to life.

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Trout Fishing; Published: 25 July 2018; Hits: 1322

Taxidermy

Presented from Issue 116, June 2015
There is still plenty of time left to hook up with some big tuna - off Tasmania’s coast. You often hear about the one that got away and that can be heart breaking. However with good preparation the risk of losing a fi sh of a lifetime drops enormously.

1. Keep an eye on the sky

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Tuna Fishing and other Game Fishing; Published: 20 July 2018; Hits: 1649

Tuna Fishing and other Game Fishing

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015
I don’t think we can really start talking about what May and June will bring for fishing in Tasmania without first talking about what has been happening in the Tasmanian game fishing scene recently. Tasmania has gone off, particularly the lower East coast. Bicheno has seen some battles with big yellowfin tuna with a few sad results.

Talking to one angler with years of experience he had a tale of woe. It was a day like any other off the 80 metre mark just off the top side of the Gulch, looking very fishy. The skipper decided to put in a small spread and troll out to the shelf. He had on a couple of tried and true albacore lures that had never let him down. This one particular lure he mentioned he had…. HAD.. for over 15 years. They had only been trolling for 10 minutes when the reel screamed off in earnest and within an instant they knew there was a big fish heading home with lure in mouth. They battled this fish for an hour before sighting it at the back of the boat. That’s when things got exciting !

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Tuna Fishing and other Game Fishing; Published: 19 July 2018; Hits: 1098

Tuna Fishing and other Game Fishing

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015
As April and May progress the days are shorter and they for one thing sure are colder. But the trout angler in many of us still ‘needs’ to head up top chasing those that challenge us.

End of season trout should, as a general rule, be hungry. Either pre or post-spawn. They generally feed well pre-spawn. Feeding before they move up the many streams, creeks, rivers and canals that provide the breeding grounds. The process sees the trout with little or no food for some time hence the need to add condition for energy during this very strenuous spawning period.

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Trout Fishing; Published: 18 July 2018; Hits: 1277

Trout Fishing

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015
Well this season is passing before my eyes. Maybe I’ve been working too conscientiously, but for some reason I have fished less this last season than in recent years. There are still some golden Autumn fishing to be had, if I can make it out there, but even here on the mainland, where the rivers are open until early June, the dry fly action slows right down by the end of April. With that in mind, I’m already thinking of what I might do differently next season.

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Trout Fishing; Published: 17 July 2018; Hits: 961

Trout Fishing

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015

While the action on the saltwater has been okay, the Tasmanian trout season has been far from great. Over the summer, I have fished many of the highland lakes, using both dry fly and micro-sized plastics. Although some of my trips have been productive, there have been many trips where I have put in long hours and plenty of effort, for only a few fish. It is with particular sadness, that Arthurs Lake - my favourite place to fish, has also let me down on a number of occasions. As with any fishing trip, I always endeavour to find a ‘silver lining’, and for me it has been that the few fish I have caught were noticeably larger, and in better condition, than the ones I caught the previous year.

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Tackle, Boats and other Equipment; Published: 16 July 2018; Hits: 1067

North coast

The southern calamari and squid fisheries will be closed to recreational and commercial fishing on Tasmania's north coast from 1 - 31 October 2018 inclusive.

The closure of the entire North Coast is to protect spawning calamari. During the closure period, taking or possessing calamari and other squid species is prohibited in the closed area - see map below.

East Coast

Dates for the annual calamari closure in upper south east coast waters including Great Oyster Bay and Mercury Passage are unchanged, from 15 October to 14 November inclusive.

Soft shell clams alert

An introduced soft-shell clam was recently detected on a beach near Orford in south east Tasmania. Biosecurity Tasmania is now managing the incursion of this species in accordance with national marine pest protocols. For more information see the Biosecurity Tasmania website.

From today, Wednesday 11 July, taking and possessing soft shelled clams in state waters is prohibited. This is to help prevent the spread of the clam to other areas.

If you sight a suspected soft-shell clam, do not move it, instead contact Biosecurity Tasmania on phone 6165 3777 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.?. A photo will assist with identification.

Soft shell clam

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Recreational Fisheries Section, DPIPWE
Phone: 1300 720 647
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.fishing.tas.gov.au

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies; Published: 11 July 2018; Hits: 1754

with members of the 2018 Australian Commonwealth Fly Fishing Team, in association with Hayes on Brumbys - Cressy, Tasmania.

Join members of the Australian Fly Fishing Team for a coaching and guiding clinic in Tasmania. We request a $1200 donation (tax deductible through the Australian Sports Foundation) includes expenses - accomodation and meals @ Hayes on Brumbys.

Please note there are a limited number of participants!

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Events; Published: 04 July 2018; Hits: 1305

Events

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015
Heading home I take a hand off the wheel every now and then, rub my index finger over my thumb and smile.

Torn skin rough from lip gripping seven or more giant flathead. Picked up, photographed, and slipped back into Duck Bay.

A mission ‘long dreamed’, since the first time I pulled up at the jetty in Smithton a few years back. “Jeez. This looks fishy.”

And so, on a late-March weekend it happened. I’d found time away from the family, pieced together a little bit of local knowledge, cruised the web. Mike printed out satellite pics of low tide – the mysterious waterway undressed, exposing oyster leases, channels and drains.

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Saltwater and Estuary Fishing; Published: 12 June 2018; Hits: 2400

Presented from Issue 115, April 2015
Lots of anglers seem to be deeply challenged when it comes to selecting that first soft plastic to tie on at a new location, or even to start a new day’s fishing at a well-known spot. In this feature I want to share with you some basic rules of thumb that will greatly ease the burden of this important decision making process:

Over the course of a year, I get to talk to a lot of soft plastics fishers from around the country. Some I meet at seminars and shows. Others I chat with via the various pages on Facebook that I run or help to administer (especially the StarloFishing and Squidgy Soft Plastics pages), or through my blogs on www.starlofishing.com Still others send their letters or emails to me via the various magazines I write for. However, no matter what the source of the enquiry, one question (or variations of it) dominates the calls for advice that I receive. Typically, that query begins with the words: “What’s the best soft plastic to use for…?”

: Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training; Category: Tackle, Boats and other Equipment; Published: 08 June 2018; Hits: 1298

Tackle, Boats and other Equipment

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Fish mount restoration

1. Keep an eye on the sky

North coast

East Coast

Soft shell clams alert

Soft shell clam

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