Productive fresh and salt outings

HOBART Andrew

Large

Tasmania continues to put on a display of fantastic fresh and saltwater fishing.

Mid to late autumn fishing usually comes with

Tiger flathead have been encountered in waters of 80m or more. Calmer days have allowed these fish to be targeted by drifting with baits.

Mako shark anglers are still catching the odd goodsized shark, including a zones of our larger estuary systems. Wider Storm Bay has been producing fish as well. The use of berley is a must, whether you’re using baits or soft plastics.

Cape Queen Elizabeth and Dart Bank have seen school size and albacore tuna of the shelf, with anglers at times simply striking this species as more of a by-catch while chasing SBT. its challenges. Summer is a fading memory, winter is looming, the weather becomes more and more unsettled, and popular summer species start to disappear with our warm water. to prepare for. You really need to get to know when and where they’ll be to accurately target them, especially in Devonport, Ulverstone and across to Wynyard. They were still coming over the gunwale of boats at this time last year, so nothing should change this month.

Sand whiting continue to provide anglers with great late season action in the many sandy shallows around the state. King George whiting have been gracing anglers’ bags in the north, particularly around Low Head and surrounds, with fish to 67cm being caught.

Rumours of yellowfin tuna persist, but at this point no confirmed captures have been made.

Odd captures of kingfish continue to occur state-wide, but these too are lessening as we dip into winter. The River Derwent has produced the odd fish in recent weeks, with Margate Bay/Northwest Bay producing numbers of fish and keeping anglers entertained. I’m tipping when the bait disappears, so too will the yellowtail.

For many anglers, the closure of the freshwater brown trout and coastal rock lobster seasons herald the end to the fishing season. However, the good news is that quality fish can still be targeted and productive outings had.

For the moment, sand flathead continue to bite well on soft plastics, hardbody lures and baits state-wide. Berkley nuclear chicken colour plastics have been standouts in recent weeks.

Technique is crucial with these fish, and finding a good patch that holds fish consistently is key. Finding that patch and prospecting is the fun part, and the techniques don’t change. Fishing multiple rods in a boat with two or more anglers is tricky without the right gear. Angled rod racks are a must, and there are several on the market that will fit into a standard rod holder. Three people in a boat fishing two rods each will be manageable, but it will be easier if you fish at anchor. Fishing in

133kg specimen caught at Bicheno recently. These sharks are starting to thin out but are available to the persistent anglers.

Good bags of mature arrow squid have been seen recently in both the south and the north. It’s a sign that our water temperatures have not dropped all that far.

Calamari return in the south in all the usual spots like the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and Peninsula areas.

A snapper of 70cm was recently caught in the River Derwent close to Hobart. This was one of many fish taken by these anglers. This season has been very unusual, with this species being seemingly available everywhere, even right to the very upper tidal good conditions in a boat held stationary by anchor is the best way to fish multiple lines from one boat. This will raise your chance of catching something. It will also negate the tangled lines normally encountered when drifting with too many rods out.

If you include some berley dangled from a rope and stationed on the bottom you will further increase your chances. A few small cubes of fish plopped over the side on occasion won’t hurt your chances either.

Reels in the 3500-5000 range will be great for this style of fishing. Run some 30lb braid onto them with a leader of around 50lb. Attach the leader material with an FG knot and finish with a Strayline rig.

SOUTH

The Derwent will be full of bream for you to practice your techniques on this month. This waterway biting well. Southern bluefin tuna up to 22kg have been caught, while the albacore have topped out at around 17kg. Meridian Tackle Saltshaker lures have been taking many fish.

SBT to 110kg have been available on the Peninsula, in particular around Tasman Island and Hippolyte Rocks. School-sized fish to 35kg have been caught too. Bass Strait in the north seems to have gone a little bit quiet.

Albacore that were plentiful along the entire east coast have backed off a bit, becoming more concentrated in numbers around Fortescue Bay, Dart Bank and Bicheno in the east. At this time of the year we see most of the action in and around the area

Southern estuaries are experiencing good runs of autumn black bream. Cornelian Bay and Old Beach areas in the River Derwent, and Castle Forbes Bay in the Huon estuaries, are great starting points at this time of the year as bream congregate at the upper tidal limits.

Freshwater action has ground to a halt with the closure of the brown trout waters, however rainbow and open waters remain fishable.

Great Lake is producing some tremendously wellconditioned browns and rainbows, and to be honest it’s hard to go past at this time of the year. Trollers are doing very well in 3-5m of water (around the edges) but those anglers who are trying the open windlasses are still taking a more pelagic type of trout and better numbers of rainbows, which generally prefer the more open water. Rapala Spotted Dogs in F9 have been doing a lot of the damage recently. Other good options are Y106 and No 50 in the Tasmanian Devil.

Lake King William and its lively trout have not disappointed either at the tail end of the season, and will continue to fish well over the next few weeks.

Lake Burbury is well worth a visit now as it’s actually not too far above sea level in elevation, and fishes well during winter. Anglers’ has varied terrain to hone your skills. Look for rock banks and deeper rocky areas to fish. Here you can use hardbodied lures with a much bigger bib or metal vibes, which are very popular on the mainland. Cast these out long and hard, and give them ample time to sink – this is crucial. Wake the fish up with some good rod tip lifts, and let it fall again to the bottom. Leave it there for a while and repeat. I also like fishing metal vibes off the bottom and in mid-water slowly, and have their action incite a bite from a range of species.

Most of the action down south will be around southern bluefin tuna. The area is renowned for its sensational action at this time of year, and May is jumbo time. Last month there were some big tuna caught and some were well over the 100kg magic mark. Look for the big fish to thicken up and then hope bags will be 90% rainbow trout with only the very odd brown making it on board or ashore. Burbury’s rainbows generally range from 0.8kg to 1.6kg, with bigger specimens encountered from time to time. that someone lands a true monster. There were some serious fish around last year, and with another lap of their migratory pattern under their belt they should be massive.

Enjoy what remains of our migratory seasonal species in the salt, and our freshwater lakes, and get out while you can. Winter in Tasmania closes in all too quickly, sometimes dashing hopes of that ‘one last trip’. Do it while you can.

These fish will demand that you check your equipment, as they will test it to the limit. Line that has been on reels for some years will need to be replaced, and doubles need to be retied. Inspect all your lure leaders because a nick from old battles or damage in the boat will reduce the breaking strain considerably. Lever drag reels will need the drags re-set, and it’s a good idea to service the eyes of any roller rods you have. This can be done simply by making sure the rollers move freely, and ensure that all of them are sprayed with a small amount of lanolin.