Winter Fishing Options — Janet Lambert

from Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 137 2019 May

All Fishing Days are Good — Kelly ‘Hooch’ Hunt

WINTER FISHING FAMILY OPTIONS

Janet Lambert tells....

So winter is upon us and it’s time to pack the boat in the shed, reflect upon the season past and start focussing on the warmer months ahead right?...Wrong.

Although trout may be off the menu for my family over this period, things are just warming up for us in other areas and it is now we turn our attention to the salt water fishing scene.

In this article I hope to highlight some options that remain readily available to those that aren’t discouraged by a bit of cold weather and have invested wisely in some quality thermal clothing, after all, the days are often calmer over winter and the fishing can still be superb.

I am mindful that I have focussed on boat- based fishing in this article and haven’t gone into any detail regarding fishing rigs to use, this is story is purely aimed at highlighting my family’s favourite area’s that we frequent over the winter months in Tasmania.

I hope you also find them successful for you and your family.

Hot Spots

Without doubt, at the top of my list is Great Oyster Bay, when fishing here we prefer to launch our boat from the Saltworks road boat ramp which is situated some 15 minutes east of Swansea on the way to Triabunna, launching is easy and access to productive fishing remains only minutes away once on the water.

The boat launching facility here remains second to none in my opinion and once you navigate a reasonably shallow barway, opportunities await everywhere.

Often we pull up around the 21 metre mark on the sounder and let the current take us where it will, a bit of movement is vital so as to keep the boat and baits moving over fresh ground, once we find a good patch of flathead, it’s as simple as marking the waypoint and once the action gets quiet, return to the mark and start the same drift all over again.

If the day is sensationally calm, we head straight for Schouten Island and target jackass morwong or school bluefin tuna that are often found close in by the shoreline on your left as you head out of Schouten Passage, why not throw some lures out next time you’re in this vicinity, you may well be surprised! We have also caught kingfish whilst trolling for the blueys, not a bad sort of bycatch!

Zonker here. Here’s the straight talk: I’m a real scientist, because I have a lab coat and you don’t. Let’s nail one thing into your noggin’ right now: Amplitude Smooth lines with AST Plus are: the most highfalutin, highestfloating, longest-lasting, premium smooth fly lines on the market.

They last twice as long as the closest competitor, and have up to five times less friction. I should know. For the last 12 months, I’ve been holed up down in the basement running tests. These lines are, simply put, full of slickness that stay slick. And, we have features: Welded loops on both ends for easy riggin’. Three colors, to identify the front taper and end of the head so you’ll know when to pick up your line and cast. Every line has the SA•ID system that tells you exactly which line this is once it’s on your reel. As far as tapers, we’ve got the all-new Infinity, which casts like it’s covered in bacon grease. It will shoot a mile, throw your articulated junk, and still be soft enough not to spook those sneaky little evening riser devils. Then we’ve got the Trout for dry-fly stuff, the Anadro/ Nymph for getting dirty with bobber rigs, the Titan Long for huge flies and big fish, along with the Grand Slam for those frustratin’ flats fish, and the Bonefish for, well, exactly what it says.

You want the best smooth lines in the world? Don’t look anywhere else.

Amplitude Smooth TROUT

Amplitude Smooth Trout is designed specifically for precise presentations and those who love dry flies. Features the unparalleled AST Plus slickness additive. WF-2-F to WF-7-F

Amplitude Smooth INFINITY

Has the power to bomb out streamers, yet retains delicacy for dry flies. It mends like an absolute dream, and delivers flies at all distances. Built a half-size heavy, with a long head and substantial front taper, it’s perfect for trout. There’s no end to what you’ll be able to do with it. WF-3-F to WF-9-F

Amplitude Smooth ANADRO

Designed with line control in mind, its extended rear taper allows you to cast a mile, mend with authority, and turn over nearly any rig imaginable—from dredging double nymphs to larger dry-dropper concoctions. WF-4-F to WF-9-F

Weed beds in the bays around Schouten Island also seldom disappoint if you’re after a feed of fresh calamari.

Georges Bay / St Helens

Since netting has been removed from this bay some years ago, the fishing here just gets better and better and with my sister in law and her husband owning a shack at nearby Scamander, our accommodation needs are sorted!

King George Whiting, garfish, monster calamari, the ever present bream and trevally are all reliable options over the winter period, there are so many other species in this bay I could mention but the fish mentioned above are what we primarily target.

If after trevally try a 1/8th jig head , 8 pound leader and “green pumpkin’’ berkley t tails in the soft plastic range, fish it in the sand holes amongst the weed, they are awesome fun on light gear when they scream off! A word of warning, if you find your soft plastic bitten in half and you never felt the bite, the culprit will most likely be the ever present leather jacket species that reside here in numbers.

If after calamari, a great place to start is the weed beds a couple of hundred metres in front of the Akaroa boat ramp.

Tamar River

This is estuary just gets better and better in my opinion, with calamari options everywhere, King George Whiting, Kingfish, Snapper, Elephant fish, the list just goes on and on.

It is a water that my family and friends have only really just started to explore in any great detail over the past couple of years and we have been fortunate enough to witness some absolutely outstanding days fishing here.

We often launch at the Kelso boat ramp and take with us various rigs and lures aimed at specific species, more often than not, the fish , not us, decide on the day which will be the best option to focus on and my best advice is to keep moving around, mix things up and just enjoy the

Find a good weather forecast and phone a friend and give them a day on the water as well. The sure appreciate it. day. The one constant we always have without fail is a coffee and pastries at the Exeter bakery on the way home…Awesome! So that’s it really, this is what we do and the places we head, all this is a maximum trip of 2 hours from the furthest destination from our home, we leave about 7am, take our time, fish for a couple of hours and head home again, more often than not with a nice feed of fresh fish for that evenings tea and perhaps even more importantly, time spent actively outdoors with loved ones. Janet Lambert