Feast and famine

HOBART Andrew Large

All areas are a go with anglers enjoying some of the best fishing Tasmania has had to offer in years.

It’s certainly true what they say a drought on land is a drought in water, and vice versa this year! The third wet winter in a row seems

Island at the southern end of Bruny Island.

Snapper too have been a surprise package this year in the south with numerous captures being made at Dover, Southport and Port Huon areas. Close to Hobart, Storm Bay has produced good fish on the right tides and fresh squid baits. Snapper have made their way well into the unusual higher Storm Bay or Tasman Peninsula and Tasman Island, but the River Derwent with two confirmed captures in recent weeks! And on Kingfish 110 Halco Laser Pros and 6” Sluggo soft plastics – more surprisingly, on 3-5kg spin outfits. SBT have also been captured around the more traditional Tasman Peninsula and Bruny Island and wider to have fish going ballistic this summer, even after a late December start for nearly all species.

A bag limit of yellowtail kingfish recently caught in the River Derwent.

In the saltwater we see an amazing run of yellowtail kingfish that started early December. Amazing captures are now being made as far south as Partridge

Derwent estuary and have been caught as far upriver as the Tasman Bridge.

What is it about the River Derwent this year?

Southern bluefin tuna have also been captured by those chasing kingfish, as far up as Blackmans Bay – not the more slightly

Storm Bay as well. Sand and tiger flathead have been encountered off Marion Bay and further up the East Coast.

In the South East, good bags of striped trumpeter have been caught around the Friars and Pedra Blanca. Smaller specimens have been encountered around the Tasman Peninsula. Soft plastics and other fresh baits have been working well.

Black bream continue to take lures and soft plastics in our southern estuaries with better catches being made in the lower more tidal zones of these systems.

Southern rock lobster continue to pot well in most regions. Remember only six weeks left of the season.

Freshwater anglers have not been disappointed either with nearly all inland waters remaining relatively cool for this part of summer. This is evidenced by the very short mayfly and dun hatches being experienced by dry fly fishers across the state. The heat is just not there to promote terrestrial insect