The author checking out Great Oyster Bay
Explore your home waters There’s no need to travel to far flung places around the globe to chase challenging species on fly. There’s plenty here as Marty Wells explains.
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ne of the most attractive things about fishing is the amazing places it can take you, places where the fishing truly is a bonus. Whether it’s an adventure to a new trout creek here in Tassie, one of the Northern Territories large barra filled rivers or to a far-flung coral atoll chasing bonefish, the travel and exploration bug is rooted deeply in many anglers. There’s probably an element of grass is greener syndrome in play as well. Due to the travel restrictions currently in place and knowing many anglers have had their 2020 big fishing trip cancelled I plan in this article to outline some of the incredible fishing opportunities available right here in Tasmania. For those fly anglers who yearn for endless sand flats to stalk bonefish, permit and other tropical speedsters look no further than the many tidal flats around our coast. One of my absolute favourite fishing challenges Fishing News - Page 32
is to wade the white flats at the mouth of the Swan River on the east coast throwing flies at the healthy population of bream that reside there. I once heard that there were enough recreational gillnets set to completely circle Tasmania twice, the black bream has been the species most benefitted by the enormous reduction of both recreational and commercial netting over the last decade or so. The bream over the white sand are incredibly spooky in the super clear and shallow water and provide a challenge equal to or harder than fooling a Christmas Island bonefish or northern Australian permit. Bream can tail in the shallows, grub around for crabs and occasionally charge after baitfish, such is the difficulty of fooling these fish they are known as Tassie permit amongst my fisho mates. This flats fishing scenario is repeated in most east coast estuaries, Ralphs Bay near Hobart and the Port Sorell estuary in the north to name a few. Put some time in looking at Google maps or aerial photos on ListMap to enjoy the satisfaction of finding your own spot X. When you do hook one of the common 40cm+ fish your backing will appear in a matter of seconds. I have personally had most success with worm looking flies
dead drifted on the current past a cruising bream. Flies like damsel nymphs, squirmy worms and sparse rabbit zonkers have all produced for me. I know others have used small popper or foam flies to induce exhilarating surface strikes. A 4-6 weight fly rod will throw these flies with ease and as there’s very few snags on the flats it’s possible to get away with a light 4lb tippet. For fishers that were anticipating a barra trip up north the yellowtail kingfish gives a comparable alternative
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