Great Lake in Winter — Shaun Cooper

The edges of Great Lake are easily accessed and productive.

Great Lake in winter

Shaun Cooper

For most angler’s winter is a time for resting weary legs and stocking fly boxes. But for some such as myself the thought of not fishing for a couple of months is too much to bear.

So where does one fish for trout in June? And how does one find someone as mad as they are to join them in braving the arctic blast that is a Tasmanian winter. Lucky for me I have a couple of mates who are not quite as delusional as me but do give in to peer pressure easily.

Pete, Brendan and myself met at a bakery in Cressy at the gentlemanly hour of 10am and headed up the mountain to the Great Lake. Great Lake can be a daunting piece of water if looked at as a whole, but when broken down into sections and looking at the bays as a series of smaller lakes it becomes a lot less over-whelming. And if you are lucky enough to have a couple of gun anglers to formulate a plan with as I was it becomes easier again.

We hit the water around lunch time and it was hard to tell if the tingling was from the thought of crossing paths with some wily trout or the effects of nerve damage from the bone jarring drive in but either way, we were glad to be out of the car! Unsurprisingly fish activity at this time of year is at a minimum, so we started out by searching the shoreline with Galaxia patterns and gradually worked our flies out towards deeper water. It wasn’t long before Brendan www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

was battling it out with a sprightly young brown taken out wide. After a couple of high fives and a selfie that Pete took of himself on the front facing camera instead of the trout in Brendan’s hands we were back to leap frogging around the shore line. This is an effective way to ensure you are fishing fresh ground with a group but still staying within earshot of each other, which is more of a curse than it is a blessing if you have friends like mine.

Moments later the boys were hooked up again and I was beginning to wonder if my fly even had a hook in it. Like the fish landed earlier it was caught out wide in the deeper water along a rocky shore line. With this in mind I decided it was time to abandon my hopes of finding a bow waving brown launching itself at my fly in the shallows, and disappearing into the middle of the lake with my fly while the backing sang through the guides, and started casting to the deeper water. A few casts later and my fly rod finally had a buckle in it! The fish was landed and my cabin fever was cured.

Over the next few hundred metres the action really slowed down which we suspected was the result of now being on sand flats and shallow water, we were getting the feeling that we had walked away from the fish so decided to make our way back to where we started.

It wasn’t long before the presence of fish was felt with a few bumps and swipes which justified our decision to turn back. By this point the mountain had decided we had stayed long enough and began to give quite firm hints in the form of sideways rain that it was time for us to go home. We had approached the area where we had started our session and the sight of a warm car triggered thoughts of sitting on a warm back seat and offering helpful driving tips to Pete on the way home.

One last cast up along the edge of a submerged log was made and an unusually polite brown took me up on my offer. Unlike some of the fish caught earlier in the day it was in quite good condition which isn’t always the case on the great lake in winter.

The final fish proved the theory that fish were holding in the deeper water and a slow retrieve was much more successful. The equipment nor the process need be complicated for this style of fishing, your trusty 5 or 6wt and a floating line is plenty to get the job done. Like most anglers I use a traditional fly pattern that I have tweaked to my liking but I think any woolly bugger in black or olive would do the trick and likewise in soft plastics if that is your weapon of choice.

Brendan Turriff with a lovely Great Lake brown.

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE NEW HOME OF FISHING.

There’s nothing like starting your day in the dark. Hitting the road with only the promise of hours spent chasing fat browns and elusive rainbows.

The solitude, the unpredictable conditions, the patience, it takes years to master, but once it’s in your bones it’s impossible to get out. Fishing becomes a part of you, it’s why you keep coming back again and again.

We at Miena Village understand that, which is why we’re making sure we’re the ultimate destination for your next fishing adventure. From the latest in fishing gear and clothing to steaming homemade soups for your flask and even fuel for the drive, the staff at the Great Lake General Store will have you on the water in comfort and in style in no time at all.

And while you’re out for the day, our team at the Great Lake Hotel will be busy getting the log fires stoked, the leather couches plumped and the fridges stocked, for your inevitable return with tales of victory, or chance encounters with the ‘one that got away’.

Situated in the heart of the Central Highlands on the shores of the Great Lake, Miena Village is only a cast away from some of the world’s best freshwater angling. You’ll be so spoilt for choice, the only question you’ll need to ask is, ‘Should I stay for the day, or stay for the week?’

If the fish are not close in sometimes a few casts out wide will work.

Winter fishing Is not for everybody but with some warm clothing and a water tight set of waders it can be very enjoyable, Sure you might get cold, wet and potentially not catch anything but it is a good excuse to check in on your mates and enjoy the incredible fishery we have in Tasmania.

My tips:

Flies – Black bead head woolly bugger size 8 and 10

Line – 6wt floating

Rod Weight – 6wt

Cast length – Long casts with a slow retrieve

Habitat – deeper pockets of structured bottom

Locations – Brandums Bay, Cramps Bay, Boundary Bay.

Access – 4x4 is desirable this time of year to access the shore line but many of these locations can be accessed on foot.

Time of day – late morning to sunset.

Wind – strong off shore. Shaun Cooper