Mersey River - Top to Bottom — Shane Flude

MERSEY RIVER — A RIVER WORTH YOUR LEARNING

By Shane Flude.

Photo by Steven Ooi

The Mersey River begins its journey with numerous small headwater streams in the high country of Tasmania near the Walls of Jerusalem. These streams flow into several larger lakes which flow into the Mersey Valley, all snaking their way down the idyllic upper Mersey valley into Lake Rowallan. Further downstream the waters are captured for hydro use in Lake Parangana. Other headwaters are captured here namely the Fisher River system which is dammed behind Lake Mackenzie. The Chudleigh Lakes extend beyond. Most of the Mersey water is diverted across to the Forth system at Parangana but the river from here to the sea offers magnificent trout fishing in a variety of locations. This article will touch on the great headwaters and go finer detail on some of the better sections downstream. To confuse and annoy the purists I will describe the water heading downstream.

I encourage you to get a good map out and follow the river’s route.

Upper Mersey Valley Waters

If you study a map of the Mersey headwaters you will see four large lakes comprising three major water sources. Lake Meston is the upper most lake on the Mersey River proper being stocked with rainbow trout by an airdrop in 1956. Hartnett, McCoy and Clarke Falls are three sets of waterfalls above Lees Paddocks that have prevented brown trout from venturing any further up the Mersey. The rainbow only fishery in the headwaters of the Mersey offer unique and isolated fishing and sets the stage really for the great Mersey River.

Lakes Myrtle and Bill are drained by Jacksons Creek which enter the Mersey above Rowallan. An exact stocking date is unknown but both lakes support a low to modest population of brown trout. They are rarely fished. On my last trip to these lakes I saw none in Myrtle and six in Bill, all around the two pound mark. Myrtle plunges into the depths around most shores and is difficult to get around. Bill is shallow enough to wade around completely.

Lake Adelaide flows down an impressive valley into Lake Louisa and again via Junction Creek; their waters reach the Mersey at the head of Lake Rowallan. I have heard reports of trout in Adelaide but cannot confirm them. I can however confirm the presence of brown trout in Lake Louisa having visited this water numerous times since 2000. In recent times with the aid of a blow up canoe and portable depth sounder I can report that Louisa plunges to around 150ft in depth. The crystal clear waters are unlike anywhere I have fished or boated in Tasmania. On a perfect summers day Louisa is remarkable. Due to its depth however the fishing is only average. 2-3 a day up to around 2.5lb is about average. Only brown trout are present.

Chudleigh Lakes Headwaters

Lake Mackenzie is a 975 metre long bitumen faced rock fill dam that holds back the waters of the upper Fisher River. It was the final dam in the Mersey/Forth scheme to be completed. When full it holds 20 000 cubic meters of water. Lake Mackenzie was stocked with brown trout around 1895. These trout and others that were released later soon spread and populated the entire Chudleigh Lakes region. In past years illegal liberations of rainbow trout into the Chudleigh Lakes have now seen a moderate population establish in Lake Mackenzie. Fish of both species up to around 2lb are fairly common in McKenzie. As a starting point for anglers heading into the more popular western lakes it has been overlooked for years as an angling destination. It is a great all round water and a long time favourite of

mine. It is well suited to trolling, spinning, soft plastics and fly fishing. I have taken trout from October to April however at an altitude of 1120 meters, the highest hydro electric water in Tasmania, the season often gets off to a slow start. Water levels fluctuate dramatically and affect the fishing accordingly. By early December the level is usually below 6m, exposing the original lakes. My best results have been on rough days in March/April using soft plastics from a boat and on warm sunny days walking the dam wall casting a dry in front of the fish that frequent the dam wall. The numerous lakes and tarns that make up the catchment waters of Lake Mackenzie are called the Chudleigh Lakes and are among the best fly waters in Tasmania.

Waters flowing from Mackenzie are diverted via a concrete and earth canal for several kilometres before plunging the 650 meters decline to the Fisher Power station. This canal contains a moderate population of small trout its entire length. On calm days numerous rises can be seen as you drive alongside, often tempting you to stop and cast a line. Yeates Lagoon lies about 500 meters north of the canal where it is diverted briefly underground. It’s only a 10 minute walk from the main road across the open moorland. At around 2-3 ft depth it is a fly only water. Despite this depth the weedy bottom makes polaroiding difficult. It supports a modest population of well conditioned brown trout that grow to around 3.5lb. It is worth a look if you have a spare hour or two and is rarely visited. The lagoon can only briefly be seen from the McKenzie road travelling west before the underground section

Lake Parangana

The waters from McKenzie flow down into the eastern arm of Lake Parangana. The lake is the lowest dam across the Mersey, some 48m high. From here most Mersey water is diverted over the hill to the Forth valley. In recent years minimum guaranteed flows downstream have maintained the river’s health. Parangana is really boating only water and supports a large number of small brown trout and small numbers of escapee rainbows from Rowallan. There are numerous camp sites and launching spots in the main area half way along the lake. There are some good beetle hatches in summer as the lake is contained between thickly forested shores but fine conditions in summer usually sees us fishing more productive lakes. The hot spot is the shallow delta where the waters from Rowallan flow in. The Arm River also joins the lake in the area and also contains plenty of small trout. Blackfish are plentiful in Parangana but anything over a pound is big. If you are intent on catching a feed of these rather nice eating fish bear in mind they actively protect small areas of shoreline like trout have their beat. You will quickly catch the fish from your chosen casting location. When the action slows down move down the shore a bit a throw in another worm then repeat the process, you will soon have your bag in this lake.

Clumner Bluff backdrop above Rowallan

The Mersey between Rowallan and Parangana looks very inviting when the water is flowing but when they turn the water off it looks anything but. There is too much water regulation here to support a worthwhile fishery so don’t bother even casting a line. It’s a great white water rafting and canoeing location.

Lake Rowallan

A local favourite for many anglers and a designated Rainbow water opening later on the first weekend in November. If you like fishing between drowned trees then this is the lake for you as when the valley was flooded they left them all behind. Although most of the shoreline can be reached with moderate ease and fished it is attractive boating water due to the drowned timber. All methods are practised here, again the blackfish are plentiful and the worm will produce a reliable feed of these. There are some excellent beetle and jassid falls on this lake in the March/April period. A number of locals fare well with grasshoppers in the trees around the same time. The lake height can vary enormously but the lake is often drawn down to the old river valley by the end of most summers. Locals tell me this is the best time to fish as there is far less water between fish. On the flip side when the lake fills quickly in most early seasons there are some great flooded shallows towards the top of the lake. The Mersey above Rowallan is regulated as a rainbow fishery and remains open to fishing up until the end of May. By mid to late May the browns begin their spawning run up the Mersey as they move upstream from the main lake. The upper three kilometres of the Rowallan Lake bed, which by

May will be exposed by low water levels, offer the best fishing. I had heard rumours of large spawners of 8- 10 pound running up at this time and after several trips now over the last few years I can indeed confirm that fish of this size are present in the river at this time of year. The leviathans I spotted eluded me so sorry, no photographic evidence. Rainbows in low numbers are also present in the brownie runs. We only had one trip in late May this year, claiming four including one rainbow up to just over two pound. Total fish seen was around forty.

Mersey downstream

I will describe the Mersey in sections downstream between bridge access points, the first being from Parangana to Liena. The river here flows over gravel and large shingle/boulders. I have taken trout on nymphs in inflow rapids to most pools and a few smallish fish on dries. The Liena area fished well up until about three years ago but now appears to only support low numbers. I checked numbers with a mask and snorkel and found some great rainbows swimming mid water but only around the bridges, elsewhere very few fish. I wondered if cormorants were the reason, being scared away from the bridge pools.

Liena to Union Bridge is about a 15 klm section of river that is fished heavily around the Union Bridge area, particularly the first 2 klms or so upstream. Over the summer months it attracts many swimmers and day campers. The further upstream you walk the more solitude you will find. There are some great pools and runs and it is well worth the walk. A gravel track through old forestry past Dogshead hill finishes at a very deep pool which I am yet to see a fish in. There are several other minor access points to the river of this track and the river holds some lovely fish in this section. It is still cystal clear in this area.

Below Union Bridge as far as the Mole Creek

quarry the Mersey holds some great fish both rainbows and browns. It’s only a 25 minute walk down to the quarry. A deep long pool just upstream of the Mole Creek inflow holds some bigger fish which cruise the edges. The long pool just downstream of the bridge holds good numbers. Very keen Mersey angler, Adrian Webb, about to release a nice brownie.

The river through the Allum Cliffs Reserve area looks magnificent from above but I have not made the long trip down to the water nor spoken to anyone that has. The fish can have this section to themselves. Next bridge down is off Kellys Cage Road. This is perhaps one of the most popular sections of the Mersey, both upstream towards the cliffs and downstream to Dynans Bridge. It is simply a brilliant part of the river to fish, easy to access, has a variety of pools and excellent nymphing runs and supports a high population of rainbow trout. 30% of the trout I caught last season here were rainbows up to 1.5lbs. The lower sections of most slow pools were also home to small schools of grayling. Perhaps the only negative aspect of this section of river is the ludicrous number of European wasps that appear from late summer. They appear to have developed a taste for willow grubs.

Dynans bridge both upstream and down is also a highly productive part of the Mersey. The large pool under the bridge holds a huge number of mostly small fish, again browns, rainbows and grayling are present here. I have not been able to negotiate the huge deep pool with cliffs about 2ks upstream of the bridge but have generally caught enough by then anyway.

From Dynans down to Kimberley sees the river flowing past the old Armistead property on the west and numerous private properties on the east. There are some great pool and runs along this section but access is difficult and the river is not often fished here. For you canoe and kayak fans beware the Roaring Meg rapid just past the power lines. It doesn’t look much on Google earth but up close it’s really nasty and well worth some portage.

The section between Kimberley Bridge as far

downstream through Mersey Lea to Hoggs Bridge

is probably the most popular section of the entire river. Access via the three bridges is well signposted and fish numbers are high. The odd 2-3lb monster lurks in the deeper pools but the average size here is just under a pound. The river has no large rapids in this section and has many long slow pools and long runs. The majority of the river can be waded save a few deep holes that need to be passed. There are some magnificent caenid hatches through this section commencing in early November right through until April. The action can

Allum Cliffs. You can walk down to the fish

be fast and furious from first light until mid to late morning. A size 16 or 18 Adams does the trick. It is also a popular spinning section and set rod bait fishing near all the bridges.

Between Hoggs Bridge and Latrobe there are no more bridges but access is readily gained in the Lovetts Flats area. The river gives way to longer and more sluggish pools with several productive nymphing rapids. This access has been invaded by four wheel drivers and resembles a war zone in places. Just park where the road get rough and walk up or down from there.

The Miles Ford Bridge crosses the Mersey at Latrobe and lies just downstream from the high tide mark. As such these areas as far down as the main estuary and as far up as the new Mountain bike area on Shale Road are the basic extremes for sea trout fishing. Action usually begins in early September when the ever diminishing white bait runs start. In years of floods the runs are naturally later as these small bait fish are pushed back downstream. When they do run it is simply a matter of watching the school make its make slowly upsteam and taking careful note of the area they are attacked by the waiting trout. White bait will shower into the air and can be seen from some distance away. I have watched several trout closely over the years in this estuary and they usually return to their favourite log or rock for the next school. In the early days I caught and used the natural fish and tidlies from nearby creeks as bait. Night time on a rising tide and a dark night were best. I have now progressed to several favourite white bait flies which I use in daylight hours. Condition factor of the Mersey sea trout is remarkable, these fish are really worth targeting. There have been a number of double figure fish taken from this estuary over the years, I can only boast several to five pound. There is another run of larger bait fish from late march till seasons end. Again just follow the schools and wait for the exploding action before you cast.

2016 Flood

An article on the Mersey would not be complete without mention of the D day flood (6/6/16). Over 450 mms of rain fell across most of the catchment in a couple of days. The level of Lake Parangana was drawn down 5 meters the day before the rain and over the next 8 hours it rose by a full 10 meters. Whether the resulting flood was caused by cloud seeding is debateable however it’s interesting to note that our last cloud seeding event occurred on 5/6/16 where a 1 hr 34 min flight targeted the Upper Derwent catchment. The massive flood that rushed down the Mersey was catastrophic. It damaged or destroyed 7 of the 10 bridges and numerous roads nearby. It literally scoured the entire river system from Parangana to Latrobe. Almost all of my favourite pools and runs were altered, many no longer exist. As expected the 2016/17 season was a poor one for the Mersey, it’s amazing all the trout were not washed away. Somehow the river has now mostly recovered and I would have to say some places are now better than before. The hatches last season were at least equal to pre flood days. Size and condition of the fish is also similar. I look forward to the remainder of this season and only expect fishing to improve. See you on the water. Shane Flude