Go Behind the Scenery
Tasmania
Brown trout season kicking off HOBART
Andrew Large
As we head into the final month of winter, Tasmanian anglers are making the most of settled weather, gearing up for the 2021 brown trout season, which kicks off on Saturday 7 August. A variety of popular species are biting well too. SALTWATER Southern bluefin tuna continue to be caught in the southeast of the state around Cape Pillar. It seemed a while back that SBT were stretching from the Southernmost tip of Tasmania to Eden in NSW. Fish over 100kg seemed to have lessened off in Peninsula waters, with only the occasional report coming to light. Meanwhile, good fish to 15-21kg have picked up a little in recent days around Fortescue Bay. School fish continue to be caught in good numbers. Bluefin are now being caught from Mewstone in the south to St Helens. Albacore tuna were encountered off Bicheno recently; these were single strikes but a surprise this late into winter. We’re seeing a frenzy for southern calamari at the moment as they are still available in the
lower Derwent River and Channel areas. Further afield good numbers are available. Winter is a great time for this species. Did sand flathead hibernate this year? Definitely not. They are continuing to bite well on bait, lure and fly, and the best spots for a feed include Storm Bay, Marion Bay, Fredrick Henry Bay and White Beach.
Good-sized Australian salmon have returned, as they did last year. Alum Cliffs, near Kingston and South Arm, close to the CBD, seem to be local hotspots, while anglers fishing Cremorne in the canal to Pipeclay Lagoon have been reporting fish to 1kg. Larger specimens are available along east coast surf beaches. Still nights are a
A Halco Laser Pro 190 XDD in colour R19, having a rest recently in the mouth of Fortescue Bay, while others on the boat battle a 21kg SBT.
A healthy brown trout caught on the wet fly from the shore at Arthurs Lake. These trout were feeding in 300mm of water, the angler taking five fish this day.
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Max at short corner, and rubber band them both down to as low as you can. Grab the line from the rod tip and secure the rubber band to the line, and pull down to a point low on the transom of your boat. Make sure that the line does not foul on anything if you turn from port to starboard. This allows the lures to swim as deep as they can at troll speed and behave themselves. The biggest news in Tasmania over the last couple of months is the brand new and developing tuna fishery off Devonport on the Northwest Coast. This has been amazing to watch unfold and get involved in. Glen Saltmarsh from Seamaster Marine Devonport has been the catalyst for this astounding revelation, and the reaction has been fantastic. Get into their store at 37 Elizabeth Street Devonport if you need all the info on how to catch one of these big tuna. The key to success is keen eyes and a steady resolve to find birds and dolphins, and once you do find them, stick on them and don’t lose discipline. You may not get a bite in the
flounder fisher’s best friend, with fish moving well for the time being. A string of settled nights recently giving anglers a chance to chase these fish in mirror conditions of a night. South Arm, Lewisham, Dunalley and Orford area reported to be producing fish. Deep waters have produced tiger flathead, which have been taken off
Harry Murfet from Seamaster Devonport with his prized Bass Strait barrel.
first half hour or even the first hour, but the fish will pop up to feed a couple of times a day and you must be in the vicinity to catch them. I mentioned glass-outs and deep drop reels earlier in the article, and I can report that there have been some very good days out wide fishing for blue-eye trevalla and gemfish. There is no limit to what you may bring up from the deep at this time of year, and good rigs and good baits will have you on the money. One of the best things about a good electric reel is the ability to blind drop. You may have a sounder that is not quite up to the job at 300m+, so the ability to drop down and come up on a battery is gold. We have had a few trips where there has been little showing on the sounder but the rewards have been fantastic, with big blue-eye trevalla coming up to huge cheers and high fives. Even if the sonar side of your electronics is not helping you here, make sure you place a waypoint if you have a good drop. That way you can see your track, work out your drift and recreate the same conditions for hopefully the same result. Until next month, rug up and tight lines.
the east coast wide of St Helens and Bicheno. Limited time remains for striped trumpeter, which have been biting well on the west, south and east coasts. Settled weather has finally allowed anglers to venture out. Remember that the striped trumpeter season will close on 1 September. ESTUARY Escapee Atlantic salmon to 4kg are beginning to reappear in anglers’ bags. These fish have been caught from the Tasman Bridge to New Norfolk in the Derwent, and Castle Forbes Bay in the Huon River to the mouth of Mountain River above Huonville. Feisty sea-run trout continue to be caught in the mid reaches of the Derwent and Huon estuaries. Both these waters are open to angling to the Huonville and New Norfolk bridges by anglers holding a current freshwater angling licence. Spin, troll, soft plastic and fly are producing fish. Next month will see Granton firing as trout begin to chase whitebait. Faltering a tad, black bream are still being caught in good numbers around Cornellian Bay, Store Point, Bowen Bridge and Cadbury Point. The use of bait has been effective. So too has the fly and bibbed lures.
FRESHWATER Tasmania’s new freshwater season kicks off on 1 August, with brown trout water opening occurring on 7 August. A blinding start is predicted. For the moment Great Lake, although open 12 months of the year, is producing good fish and will continue to do so into September and October. Picking the right day early season that is conducive to good fishing at altitude is the key. Anglers are looking forward to more settled weather in the coming month. Other waters such as Lake Pedder and Lake King William are fishing well. Easterly weather lately has seen these waters relatively calm and sheltered. Closer to home Craigbourne Dam has received multiple stocking of both brown and rainbow trout from Great Lake. These fish have settled in and gained weight and seem to be around the 1kg mark, with scrub worms working well. Rainbows to 2.7kg are being caught. Fishing in August can always present a challenge but as I’ve always said, “what’s good weather for us isn’t always good for the fish,” so rug up a little and take confidence in the fact that all fish – trout in particular – tend to bite well through our slightly wilder and short winter’s days. Enjoy! AUGUST 2021
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