Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 151 November 2022

TASMANIAN FISHING

Mental Health goes Trouty

Amazing Tuna Research

River Spinning Basics

Swim Baits for Bream

Striped Trumpeter

Small Stream Fun

Backyard Boats

Four Springs

$5.95

Mike Stevens and Jock admire a tailing brownie.

Anyone notice the rubbish we have been delivered as far as the weather goes recently?

I love my small stream trout fishing as you will see opposite. So far this season I have barely even seen a small stream - they have been raging torrents. There is a very small creek I have never noticed called Poatina Creek part way up Poatina hill. It overtook the road and caused a landslide that has closed access to much of the Central Highlands, so it is the long way round at the moment.

Another creek on Augusta Road on the way to Nineteen Lagoons was also blown out and has closed access to the Nineteen Lagoons and Western Lakes. So trout anglers are feeling helpless, hopless and deprived. However, prior to the huge dump I did have some great fishing for tailing fish as you can see from the cover shot.

There are many rivers as well that have been virtually unfishable, but there is some good news. As lake levels rise there is and already has been some great fishing. Arthurs in places you can get to it has fished well, Great Lake will probably be the best for many years and places like Lake Echo should do well too.

There won’t be a farmers dam in Tasmania that is not full and this should ease the pressure on our rivers a lot over summer.

Unrelated to this has been a huge focus and effort that anglers have put into Lake Crescent where many fish have been caught over the magic ten pound mark. Some anglers catching more than one of these trophies in a day.

Four Springs continues to be an outstanding fishery as had seen huge numbers of anglers getting out whenever there has been a break in the weather, and if you look on the bright side - when Four Springs starts to drop off the Highlands should be accessible again.

Little Pine Lagoon when rising in the first days of the season was extraordinary, and subsequent flooding events there has had some good tailing fish. Likewise before road closure the Nineteen Lagoons was fantastic and a break might do the area some good.

My best advice for the coming trout season will be to fish any lake where the water is rising - and in the past Great Lake has often done this until Christmas time. It is probably the most underfished lake in Tasmania. It does not matter how you fish - bait, lure, fly, trolling early morning or in the dark - Great Lake can turn it on. There is plenty of access and both rainbows and browns are in good numbers.

We have some great stories for you this issue. There story by Grant Wilson on boats that will put a smile on your face. It is a beautifully written anecdote that everyone will enjoy. Scotto James is a deep thinker and if you are a bream fisher. Read it slowly and take it

all in. This article started out at well over 5000 words and would have filled 8-10 pages. It lost nothing in the cut, and is full of great advice. The tuna story is incredible - about a fish that was tagged in 1993 and caught again in 2022. What a marvelous opportunity this became for scientists and fishers alike. Amazing that the tag and fish survived that long.

Striped trumpeter also featured and it is terrific to see fish targeted in different ways these days. No one ever would have thought of jigging for these, snapper or other reef fish, but now it is common and young anglers along with incredible fish finders and GPS make it so much easier.

Mick McCallum writes about ‘The Fly Challenge’. Read it even if you don’t fly fish. This is a story about how a mental health program helps those that can often have trouble reaching out. In this instance it is done through fishing. Matt Tripet has developed this program and I applaud him enormously.

You too can help a mate without doing anything more than taking them fishing. You can have fun, talk, walk, boat and just listen. The result of the fishing might be no fish, but it may help a mate enormously. If you suspect a mate is struggling take them fishing.

Look on the brightside this summer - take every opportunity that comes your way - try some new fisheries, techniques and target a new species.

Mike Stevens

Small Stream Fun

Find your happy place

Mike Stevens

IMike Stevens gives some tips about fishing small streams for little fish.

don’t particularly chase big fish. I like to catch them of course, but I would rather catch ten small trout in a stream than one big trout in a lake. Recently rains have delayed small stream fishing, although the highest headwaters are the first part of a system to return to good fishing. Fishing these predominately with small dry flies is such fun I can barely even begin to describe it. Most headwater streams have enough water and the eager little trout will come up and inspect your offerings.

Start late—finish whenever

There are real bonuses of this style of stream fishing and the first that comes to mind is the timing of your fishing day. You don’t need to start early and starting at midday will still give you plenty of time on the water. This allows the temperature to rise and terrestrial insects to start moving about. If they end up on the water the trout will soon find them. And rising trout will also find your little fly as well.

It can get too hot at this time by mid summer and a shady tree is a welcome spot to take a break. Sit back, have a snack, have a cold drink and just watch. The fish can sometimes take a break as as well as the heat gets too much for them. As the day starts to cool the fish start again and on evening caution can be thrown to the wind as the big fish come out to feed. John Diggle - the Inland Fisheries Service Director told me of the big fish he had seen when undertaking an electro-fishing survey in the St Pats River. ‘They come out just on dusk’ he said. ‘They feed for about twenty minutes, and it is the only time you see the big fish. These are monsters too - up to three and four pounds – sometimes bigger.’

More than fish

Little streams have an abundance of wildlife and recently as I sat quietly a deer came down to drink, just as as a platypus was nosing around looking for food. We live in a special place. The fallow deer, like trout was introduced, but it seems so much at home. I was just a few metres away and downwind, and sitting motionless was not even noticed. And if you are a twitcher there are many birds you will see, and many more you will hear. Pink robins are a special treat – as are numerous

Fishing can be tight in small streams.

wrens, noisy black cockatoos, the delightful azure kingfisher and many others. I carry either a small pair of binoculars or a monocular. A cheap pair will suffice and they are lighter than the superior quality.

Small streams usually offer excellent protection from the strong sea breezes we get during hot Summer days, so hidden in the canopy of trees you generally you are not battling with the wind. You still need to work with the wind though especially in the tiny open creeks where even being 3-400 mm off line will have your fly in the grass, not on the water.

My good friend, Peter Hayes and I often discuss the importance of the first cast. Presenting the fly with a a minimum of false casts and getting it in the right spot first cast will give you the best chance of success. Maybe 90% is not an over-statement. If you make two casts is might drop to 70%, third cast 25%, fourth cast? Every extra cast or false cast diminishes your chances enormously. And this is one reason leaders design is important and must be fit for purpose.

Leaders

The construction of your leader is important. It does not need to be long, but needs stiffness in the butt to turn the fly over with a tippet that is long and limp enough to give you a drag free drift over just a metre or so. My favourite leader is a 4X Maxima with 40-50 cm cut off the butt and then I add some tippet. I use three or four pound Maxima. This is tough with good knot strength. I vary the length of the tippet as needed during the day depending on the water. I also love the Ritz small stream leader which shown.

It is a huge advantage if you are able to roll cast and bow and arrow cast. You don’t need to cast 15 metres, but no one is disadvantaged if they can cast that far. You need every cast in the book fishing these streams and accuracy is vital. Yes I know little fish will sometimes - often in fact rush your fly when it lands, but you have to have line control. Perhaps the most important part of casting and line control is what obstacles are behind you rather than in front. Mostly you won’t get the luxury of open areas for a long back cast, and often you will have to curve cast under a branch, drop it through a narrow slot or roll cast away from a vertical backdrop. Accurate stream casters will catch many times more fish than those that struggle.

I put my less than brilliant distance casting down to too much wrist action casting on streams. I can cope with that.

Flies

I use a few different flies from beetles, to Red Tags, Royal Wulffs, Sedgehogs and little hoppers. The hoppers can work any time of the year, but are better as the real hoppers become active. These are certainly more effective on the streams meadow streams where grass is close by, rather that the streams that filter through mini rainforests.

One of the best all round flies I have found is a size 16 Klinkhammer style emerger pattern that hangs half under water supported by a parachute hackle. It is rarely refused by a feeding trout and I have caught more than 20 fish on a single fly. Other great flies I am more than happy to use are small Bibios, Red Tags (a bit fragile) and Royal Wulffs. When the fish are really hard I do put on a little Pheasant Tail nymph. I do this reluctantly, but not because I am anti-nymph – I just love seeing a trout put its head over the top of a fly.

In Summer when the sun is high many fish can be spotted and I love seeing them take – or even refuse a fly. Little fish can be quite fickle though and just like their big New Zealand cousins they can treat your fly with disdain — just take a look and drift off. When this happens I have sometimes spent half an hour changing flies repeatedly, getting 15-20 refusals. One can only take so many refusals and this is when a nymph eventually gets a run. It will often be taken immediately. I find it fun trying to catch a tiny trout off guard. This is a battle between a small fish with a tiny small brain and a geared up fishing machine. I love it and wonder if anyone else thinks the same way. Fish barbless or squash the barbs. Fish can be effortlessly released withought removing them from the water.

Rods and Lines

A favourite rod for me is between 6’6” #3 and 7’6”. A much longer rod can be used if you are fishing open areas, but once you are crowded in the short rods come into their own. These rods are generally not expensive, but the performance is superb. You will find fibreglass and graphite rods for around $300 that will serve you well. As explained earlier the little streams are generally wind protected by bankside growth and a little rod like this is essential to get under the trees. There are some fabulous little top end rods as well and I have them too. Sometimes I use a cane rod and I just love that, but tend to use it on more open streams rather than the ones I have to bush bash through. It is very tough, but I worry about breaking it. Lines are many and varied. I like a line with a longer head if you like weight forward lines, but don’t discount a double taper line as they are great for roll casting. If you are only fishing a short line you might benefit from going up a weight. Best way is to find a tackle store that has some lines you can try. SA Trout taper and Standard Trout are good lines, as is the RIO Gold. There are a few line designated CREEK, but I don’t think they are as good as professed.

Finding streams

I am not going to give you any names. If you are keen you will find plenty. Hobart has its share, including one running through the city. The northeast has heaps and the north across to the northwest has plenty as well. My suggestion is to look at streams that flow into our larger rivers.

Not much gear is required.

Every corner holds a possibility.

Headwaters of the bigger rivers and streams are well worth a look, and if they start in a temperate/rain forest take a very close look. Drive around a lot and then explore. You are looking for places that no one else fishes. Check out the maps and Google Earth places as well. I must warn though Google Earth is not so hot for finding small streams as the overhanging canopy often hides a treasure trove of water beneath it. Sometimes there will be a little gem of a stretch that is only a couple of hundred metres long. I love those places.

One your own - or with a mate?

A big question this one—especially when you have discovered a special spot. You take a mate there and then he does the same. In a few months there is a well worn track and one day you arrive keen on tricking tiny trout and there is a car parked exactly where you park. It is a little gut wrenching when you realise it is because you shared it. But fishing with a mate can be great – pool hopping or fish hopping – taking it in turns to catch fish. Get serious and you have to hand the rod over when you miss a strike.

On your own can be just the best therapy in the world. A stressful day or week will be well and truly forgotten as you concentrate on getting a bow and arrow cast up under a tree. You can skip a pool, fish fast or slow, or just sit and watch, catch heaps - or catch none.

Ritz Parabolic Leaders

Practice being a minimalist

One great thing about the small stream caper is you don’t need much gear—a box of flies, floatant, some tippet material, cutters/forceps, polaroids, a hat and that’s about it. Of course you can have heaps more, but it is not really needed. I used to take several boxes of flies. Organise one box with a few of everything. It is only a small box, but it has everything I need and if it doesn’t the fish will just have to change their diet. My small stream box has a lanyard and I keep the box in my top pocket.

I put the tools on a fishing necklace and it works really well. The other really useful piece of kit is a piece of amadou - the Tiemco or Umpqua cloth for drying your flies. These are fantastic for drying out soaked flies—especially wet and slimy flies you have just caught a fish on. The powdered dessicants are also great.

Advice from David Scholes

David Scholes loved streams. They were the place he learned to fish—the Upper Yarra and tributaries, and then later Tasmania. He especially enjoyed the small northern streams and often chatted to me about as we sat in his sunroom.

Find the right position. He pointed out with great passion the importance of getting in the right position. ‘There is always a best position to present your fly from’ he said. ‘Take note of the flow and eddies and set yourself up so drag doesn’t ruin your drift.’

He said to me ‘it is not how big a fish you catch that makes you a satisfied fly fisher, but how small a fish you can catch and give you joy.’

A little note to end: Beware of snakes. There are a few around. I often wet wade in these little streams, but tread carefully. Best idea is to wear some lightweight waders, or at least some gaiters for a bit of protection and carry a couple of compression bandages.

It is worth a cast, no matter how many snags exist.

There is always a bridge fish.

Small, but rewarding.

You’re an Angler, and no matter how many times you go fishing you’ll want to go again and no matter how many fish you catch (or nearly catch) it will never be enough.

There will be days when the fishing is better than one’s most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home. You’re hooked, along with us.

WE ARE TONIC!

Swim Baits for Big Bream

Tiny jointed marvels that will surprise you

Scotto James

Within the mouth of a bream

Vivid still, is the memory of tying on a swimbait for the first time. Fishing at Lake Leake in Tasmania’s Eastern highlands, a near-perfect redfin imitation was clipped on and retrieved. The first thing that is noticeable with a quality swimbait is how lifelike the action is. To our human eye, these tiny jointed engineering marvels appear to move through the water in the same manner as the item they so perfectly replicate. Moving around the lake shore that afternoon produced a session where a strike a cast was the norm for an extended period. If you’ve chased trout long enough in this fishing life, you’ll know just how rare that is. The brown trout of the ‘Big Woody Shore’ couldn’t refuse the presentation. That session on brown trout, not bream, remains etched in this fisherman’s memory as clear as if it was yesterday. However, it took two years to join the dots and make that first presentation to a bream. To visual, shut down bream where all applicable mainstream methods had failed. The strike a cast session was repeated. The rest, as they say in the classics, is history.

For many folks, the biological structure of a breams mouth is quite possibly something they’ve never taken into consideration in regards to lure selection, presentation and technique. It’s intrinsically different to the mouths of most lure fishing targets. Snapper have somewhat similar dentures and there’s no surprise their diets can reflect some comparative traits. Their frontal tooth assembly is a series of strong and shortish peg-like teeth, transitioning into crushing plates at the rear. Bream do

not have sharp or cutting teeth, nor fine needle-like grasping teeth and are not implosion feeders. Most mainstream lure targets are one or more of the above. The odd species may fall somewhere in between, but

Light braids and spinning gear will get the best out of the little swimbaits.

in general terms, fish that prey on fish and other fastmoving underwater lifeforms can approach and take prey at speed based on their dental anatomy and/or mouth size. Either ambush stalkers like flathead that can engulf or hold prey or the frantic speeds associated with many pelagic species that bite or slash at their targets. Even large yellowfin whiting have fine needlelike teeth to hold prey. Black bream have the perfect mouth for disabling and crushing crab and destroying shellfish like oysters, mussels and barnacles. Anything relativity stationary and hard. Their jaw pressure at pounds per square inch would be expected to be very high. They are good diggers and explorers and can extract yabbies, worms, shells, shrimp and more. They are also opportunistic, and if it can be eaten, bream will have a crack at it.

In many ways, black bream are a bit of a lure fishing anomaly. Their mouths are not built to attack prey fleeing their approach at speed. But they have come up with a pretty cool way to get around this. Understanding this is key to presentation and the key to sending your bream catch rates through the roof. For the most part, bream fishos fall into one of two broad categories. Anglers that catch a lot of bream on lures and anglers that don’t. There are probably not a lot of folks out there having consistent average results on quality fish. Understanding where bream will be in a system is one thing. Good bait fisho’s slay bream. However, bringing consistently good results to the table on quality fish on a lure can be significantly increased by understanding the mouth structure of the fish and how they must feed or bite because of it. What is on offer next, is theory and anecdotal evidence only. But backed by a lifetime of lure fishing for various species and 30-plus years spent beach fishing for target species that are not bream, but in waters where bream are

present. The beach fishing part is important as the conclusions drawn would be impossible without it.

How bream disable prey fish

In general terms, black breams are ‘pause’ takers. This means they are more comfortable taking a lure stationary or near stationary, although they will hit actively moving lures on occasion. Lure fishing for bream is about bringing the presentation to life. Or perhaps alive, but dying or injured, is more descriptive. Part of this process, whether it be hard-bodied lures, vibes, plastics, crabs or swimbaits, involves all of those lure styles being stationary during parts of the retrieve. Long pauses on plastics, for example, perhaps shorter ones on hard bodies, though true suspending lures can be twitched while motionlessness for long periods and to very good effect. Let’s now digress to beach fishing to try and pull the theory together. Here the scenario is concise. Anyone throwing pilchards off beaches around the country for tailor, salmon or mulloway, among others, would be more than familiar with retrieving a bait to find a neat, semi-circular bite from the stomach section of the pilchard and its common knowledge that these bite marks are most likely bream, (regularly the more aggressive yellowfin bream, however, blacks can be on beaches too) and more often than not, are.

Bream bites on larger baits like pilchards are readily identifiable as bream to those who have put in the hours, standing on beaches. The first ‘pick’ however, is likely to be to the underbelly, a deeply entrenched behavioural trait by a predator that intimately knows the limitations of its dental hardware. Is it fair to assert then, that without sharp biting teeth or needlelike grasping teeth, that bream, with their strong but comparatively small mouths, disable live prey by taking to the section that is the softest and most vulnerable on

the said prey item? In boxing terms, it’s a bone-jarring overhand right to the solar plexus. Disable and devour. With this knowledge, we as anglers can present lures that imitate fish (and other prey) in a way that makes it far easier for bream to have an obvious pathway to the lure’s midsection. Stronger evidence of this theory is how an ‘A’ typical hookup on a swimbait appears visually. It’s one or both sets of hooks on the outside and underneath the fish’s bottom jaw. If we imagine the bream with the tiny gut section between its pegs, the weight of the hooks forces them to hang below the lure. As we strike and hook up. the hooks penetrate from the outside in. It is a very unique hook-up style and one that other lure styles replicate less often. We also see them taken whole at times because a 50mm presentation is so small. Interestingly, the initial disabling bite is a characteristic of most other lure forms as well. Not just those imitating fish.

Identifying bream takes

Black bream take lures in a relatively consistent manner, whether the material is plastic, metal, resin, wood, or other. As mentioned above, there are no steadfast rules but the overwhelming amount of takes will be similar. They regularly begin with a concrete pick. This in all likelihood is the disabling bite. It’s not heavy but it is uniquely firm and regularly a single peck. The hit to the gut on a hard, or the kill shot on a soft plastic. There is not another take like it in lure fishing and with a little experience they are readily identifiable as bream takes. Black bream also enjoy interactions with other fish like large mullet, and birds like swans. Swans root up plant and bottom matter which can create feeding opportunities for bream. Meanwhile, both offer mostly vegetarian excreta and polaroiding fish in clear water will reveal bream eating their poo. After the concrete pick should come subtle weight. Striking on weight will generally get the job done. Striking at the pick will yield less consistent results. On hard-bodied lures, the pick may also be followed by a series of rapid-fire pecks. These are quite light even

Fluorescent colours work in a range of situations.

Small swimbaits are incredibly effective on large black bream.

when the fish involved are large. This is also a good time to set hooks.

Introducing swim baits

Swimbaits have been around since the late 1980s and are recognised as multi-jointed resin or wooden lures with a life-like fish profile. There are soft plastic presentations now being called swimbaits and the term has been bastardised to include many lures that are not representative of the original genre. For bream purposes, we’re concentrating on the small, jointed lures described above in 50 and 80-mm lengths. For the most part in 50mm. Although the larger, 80mm pattern can be deadly in the right conditions and forms an important part of the swimbait arsenal. Swimbaits were first devised to catch striped and large-mouth bass in the United States. They are regularly a large to very large lure. Inadvertently perhaps, they stimulate most fish that feed by creating a vacuum whilst opening their mouths to engulf prey. On species that feed this way, swimbaits are no doubt a worldwide phenomenon. They will almost certainly change lure fishing as we know it here in Australia and their mainstream emergence may well replicate the second coming of soft plastics. That’s an enormous wrap and they’ve earned it. The key to their success is to unlock their hidden potential and fish them. Not simply retrieve them. They retain a sink rate (slow and fast sink rates are available) and an angler-induced ‘death flutter’ action that can’t be replicated by other lures. Added to this is that larger swimbait models are already smoking natives like barra and Murray cod in other parts of the country.

Mainstream lure type limitations

Most of the lures presently accepted as mainstream within bream circles have limitations. That’s one of the reasons many of us carry such an array of styles. Throw into that equation that bream can reside and feed in nearly all estuarine locations within a given year (in microsystems within a day at times) and they will also feed specifically at varying depths within the water column, from the surface to the bottom and everywhere in between. They can be structure orientated or appear on open flats. Minnow-style floating and suspending hard bodies are depth orientated to design (and open to manipulation) and retrieves are mostly horizontal. They can’t be fished throughout the water column unless that column is within the diving depth of the lure. Furthermore, most sinking models can’t be fished effectively on the drop as they move through the water column too quickly. The relatively recent introduction of slow sinking pencil type lures, with a similar appearance to many traditional bibbed lures, differs from the above.

Sinking hardbodies, crabs, vibes, blades, and weighted plastics are regularly dependent on fish feeding head down, tail up, and near the bottom. Many have sink rates far too fast for consistent results fishing during free fall. Add other structural features like a weed, rock or timber on the bottom, or around banks and undercuts and it will either render them useless, partially useless or cost you a bucket full of cash. Unweighted,

Texas-rigged (weedless) plastics probably offer the next most scope for general all-purpose use and results. This is another fairly new bream technique and slow sinking designs in an array of shapes and colours are now available. Current can be a significant issue angling this way, as can be sorting technique and casting considerable distance. That said, this form of sink rate fishing will gain greater acceptance via angler awareness and it’s very effective. As it’s also a form of sink rate fishing similar to slow sinking swimbaits, we are exploring this method of fishing thoroughly. A slow sinking, dying or distressed-looking offering that can move both vertically and horizontally through the water, be visually appealing and fished from top to bottom throughout the column, can rock a bream’s world when the going gets tough. Swimbaits have proven they will work in most situations, most of the time and can most definitely open up shutdowns. Nothing on the market portrays a fish in distress more effective and within that lays their unique fish-catching ability.

Black bream techniques

It’s uncommon for black bream to respond to the awesome action of a slow-rolled swimbait. They do not imitate a distressed animal and the fish seldom chase them down.

Knowing that it’s their mouth that dictates much of this behaviour is important as it governs presentation. You can have a million images in your mind or near as many on your sounder and then create action and presentation unique to the properties of the lure and the given situation. With swimbaits, if the fish are in one metre of water or four metres, there’s rarely a need for a lure change, just an adjustment of technique with the same lure. It’s a lure style where the person behind the rod dictates all terms, rather than a situation where the individual lure styles’ swimming characteristics are the mainstay of the presentation. For the most part, swimbaits like the Izumi ‘Shad Alive’ in the 50mm size

do a lot of good work on the drop. The drop speed is similar to dense burley pieces in the water. It appears very natural at 5 to 8 seconds per metre. This of course can be manipulated via the diameter of the leader, the material chosen, fishing straight through braids, the gauge and size of hooks, the use of line clips and rod orientation. They are beautifully designed, so subtle differences do impact on sink rate. Get the sink rate right for any given day and positive results are likely to follow. What may seem like a small difference in sink rate to us as humans, like easing the rate from 5 seconds a metre to 7 seconds a metre, can deliver explosive results on strike and catch rates.

The science/data on fish mortality is that approximately 70% of dying fish sink. So to that extent, it’s what scavenging feeders like bream are accustomed to. All we are doing is presenting them with a very familiar situation to consider regarding the day’s menu. The next thing to do if you’re keen to try these fantastic lures is to grab some and tie one on. Both loop knots and small figure of 8 clips, like the Spiral Snaps from Decoy, are very practical attachments.

A perfect stretch of water to work a swimbait through for big bream.

Because the lure’s action is going to be completely at the discretion of the angler, tying directly to the lure may influence movement even further. Consider removing the split ring. Now place yourself adjacent to a metre or two of clear water and count down the sink rate accurately in seconds per metre. It’s pretty simple stuff and then start to subtly flick your rod tip and observe the fluttering action imparted on the lure. As the lure sinks, a tiny flick will momentarily halt the sink rate as the swimbait either stalls or rises a few centimetres in the water, turns over and continues to descend. This is what we refer to as the death flutter. A short time is spent repeating and observing the behaviour of the lure when stimulated and it’s time to make your first cast and get the lure performing as previously witnessed. If there are any limitations to this lure style it’s likely to be weight related. But you cant trade sink rate for more or less overall lure weight in a 50mm size lure.

Gearing up

If you are finding bream on varied lure styles consistently, continue what you are doing regarding your choice of rods, reels, leaders and tackle. Bream aren’t regularly an easy lure target so you’re already getting a lot of stuff right. Getting consistent results or year-round results in the same water is not easy. No one lure style will be your best bet over a breams biological year as their behaviour changes so much within that time frame and in many waters year-round results are not possible. In setting up to fish a swimbait that weighs 2.8 grams, the ability to present at distance

is crucial, so line diameters need to be fine. Braided mainlines of Pe 0.3 to Pe 0.6 work well. Actual, rather than stated breaking strains will likely be in the four to the seven-kilogram range. This point is bought up as a matter of fact as many braided lines break well beyond stated limits. Some folks fish straight through fluorocarbon or monofilament though it’s difficult to advocate for an advantage with this method over quality braid, good line management skills, four to six-metre co-polymer leaders and a repertoire of high-breaking strain knots. Shifting to specific brands of copolymer leaders or super mono has been a huge stride forward in technology (versus fluorocarbon) that’s regularly offering breaking strains from 70 to 100% stronger for the same or even smaller diameter. For those that dare, the next generation of thinner, stronger braids offers the new alternative of straight-through braid which can offer unprecedented strength-to-diameter ratios.

While tiny eggbeaters are a joy to use, they have some limitations in throwing extra long distances and ratio rates which impact the centimetres of line gained by each revolution of the reel handle will struggle to accommodate the retention of a tight line when large fish change direction at speed. When bream turn on the afterburners during directional changes, either a standard or fast 2500 or a 2000 with a ratio of at least 6:1 will afford a far greater extent of control. I find Shimano’s 2,5/4kg drags perfect for bream fishing and fishers won’t go far wrong with their mid to upmarket models. Other quality brands will suit people with different needs. We have found during trials with

swimbaits, and in general terms as bream techniques with other lure types have evolved, there is no single greater all-round advantage when presenting to spooky black bream than distance. The behavioural differences in bream being aware of an intrusive presence at 10 to 15 metres versus little or no awareness of a presence at 30 to 50 metres plus, really has to be experienced to be believed. Fast taper rods with a maximum length people are comfortable with are suitable for small swimbaits. Fast taper and length generally equal far greater casting distances and allow for easier operation of vertical presentations. In creating extreme distance, the subsequent issue of the weight created by the line and lure in the water is a factor to consider. You do not want your rod folding up into its butt section during the strike. It equals limited lure movement coming toward you in the water as you try to achieve hook-set. An equivalent issue arises if drag settings are too light and the drag gives upon striking. At this point, your lure cannot be moving forward. So rod choice and initial drag settings are crucial and not all long rods are created equal. There appears to be a trend toward softer rods as a fail-safe to stop (the perception of) hooks pulling. The issue here is hook-set in the first place. Hooks can bend more easily if the fish have not hung up in the hook’s gape; the strongest part of the hook. To remedy the technical problem of not setting hooks, with some parabolic nonsense that affords little control over large rampaging fish during the fight, is replacing a problem with another problem. People can disagree with that if they wish. We get to brutalise fish on rods designed to set hooks and play large fish on the same hardware as everyone else and hook problems are not evident. The importance of hooking fish properly cannot be overstated. Nor can the importance of the correct tool. Asking a rod builder’s opinion who is fortunate enough to regularly encounter large black bream may offer a differing mindset to an internet forum.

We use 2-4 kilo, fast tapered, light sticks from 8 foot 6 inches (including 9 foot 6 inches) to 10 foot 5 inches on high quality, graphite blanks and 3 to 6 kg models over dense cover if necessary. While this is not the mainstream approach to bream rods, length is gaining in popularity, especially from some specialists within the field. These lengths and strengths may be new or different for some, but large bream will consistently take you to the cleaners on noodle sticks. Big bream go hard!

Summary

Miniature swimbaits are new to most people and very few folks have used them on bream. The above is a beginner’s guide. There’s no rule book and the possibilities appear unlikely to be defined by limit. Get out there and create your own story. New players to embrace and produce swimbaits outside of current brands will no doubt spread like wildfire. These are a technically challenging lure to engineer so discretion is advised on untried or unknown swimbait brands.

A beautifully condition black bream.

Backyard Boats of a Bygone Era

Grant Wilson

Tasmania’s history of boat building is the richest in the country. But it’s the unknown boat builder who sets us, and their vessels on a journey through generations. I feel this story needs to come with a disclaimer. It will contain nostalgia, daydreaming and imaginings that will have you drifting off to a place in time that I can only picture through stories and stereotypes. It’s the 60s. Inland Fisheries had their first official meeting, Black Tuesday Bushfires raged across the state, Daylight savings was introduced along with the breathalyser and the state abolished the death penalty. Hooray. But out in York Plains, deep in Merino country, on the grating of a shearing shed a wooden boat was being born.

From Convicts to a Country Boy

There were a few ups and downs in Tasmania’s early boat-building days. All the ingredients were there to build boats of world-class. The best timbers, the greatest engineers, a workforce 1000s strong and enough whips to keep them working no matter the weather. But boats were breaking in half less than a nautical mile from where they were launched, or worse, on the other side of Hells Gates. Turns out, if you take men and women from the other side of the world and dump them on the cold, leach-infested coast of Southern Tasmania. Feed them rations that would starve a wallaby and lash them with whips until they build you a boat. They don’t put their heart and soul into the task at hand. In fact,

they weren’t even putting nails in. So something had to change, the convicts wanted better conditions and the government wanted better boats. A deal was struck and for the most part, both sides held their promise. Out of this came boat after boat built to the highest specs and with it a reputation that the best boats, from the best timber, came from Tasmania.

We can thank those convicts, along with the temperate rainforests that grow these magical timbers for setting up an industry that still thrives today. Our state’s boat building industry is so important that if you are constructing a vessel and need a piece of timber just the right size, with just the right grain from the right type of specialty timber and it can’t be found anywhere. A man with a big steel ring full of keys will take you into a vault and find the exact board you need. Prove it’s for a boat, prove you can’t source it anywhere else, give up your first born and you might just be leaving with what you need. It’s called the Wooden Boat Board Bank, and I’m told there is a secret handshake. Feeling the nostalgia yet? Didn’t think so, that’s why we need to talk about Athol Dove and his Clinker ‘Split The Wind’.

Click Goes the Shears - Clack goes the Hammer

I can imagine the look on Betty’s face when Athol drove his Holden into the yard with a stack of planks poking out the window. Betty was Athol’s wife and ran the local Newsagency while Athol was the town

electrician, but during his days of running wires and fitting off power points, he was daydreaming of bigger things. If you are the kind of person who likes a good project, is passionate about a hobby or dedicated to a sport then you will know what it’s like to drift off thinking about these things. It’s hard to imagine the time and research that went into building your first boat in the early sixties.

We live in a time where we can have answers to all life’s difficult questions in an instant, the thought of going to a library or buying a book to research something is completely foreign to me. It’s sad I know because I imagine there is a thrill trawling through books looking for that eureka moment when you find your answer. Or reading the same chapter multiple times until what you are trying to learn is embedded in your mind. As opposed to watching a video online, it’s not as glamorous.

For Athol, it was quite handy owning a newsagency, I imagine him walking through a section and eyeing off the woodworking magazines. Maybe ordering special copies from different publishers as he built his arsenal of information, in preparation to plunge the saw into the first plank. From what I’ve heard and seen of his work, Athol seemed like the kind of man who had all the time in the world. I imagine he was quiet, calm, patient and placid. But with a drive to complete what he started to the finest of standards, bloody handy traits

Split The Wind back home in Lake Crescent.

if you want to build a boat I’d say. Athol set up shop in his father-in-law’s shearing shed, tools meticulously lined up on a shadow board. Boat plans are pinned out on the wool table and a blank space on the shearing board for a boat. Hundreds of hours would have been spent building his boat. Because when it comes to building a boat, boat building is the last step of the process. First, you need to construct a form to build the boat around and knock up a steam box to steam the planks for bending. Beg, borrow or steal all the hammers, saws, planes, thicknessers, jointers, rasps, clamps and other miscellaneous tools you might need. Gather your nails, screws, copper rivets, glues, timber and paint. Then finally you might be ready to think about building a boat.

It’s fair to say that during this period if you didn’t know where Athol was, look in the shearing shed. I can easily imagine a very idyllic scenario. Shearers lined up at their stands, backs bent and sweat on their brow. The buzzing of their narrow handpieces all but drowns out the AM radio in the corner, yet they all seem to know the cricket scores and cheer every time the West Indies lose a wicket. Richie Benaud was making a name for himself as captain and won the series 2-1. Roustabouts pick up the fleece and throw it high in the air, landing it on the wool table for the wool classer to skirt and place in a bin to be pressed into the bail.

Over in the corner sits a half-built boat, currently being used to store a few of the finer fleeces to enter the Campbell Town Show. When knock-off time comes around a few of the shearers walk over to the boat, long neck in hand, and start asking “What’s this Athol?”

“Did you build this mate?” and of course, there’s always one “ What the bloody hell do you want a boat for?” Athol just smiles and sweeps up the last of the wool, waiting for them all to leave so he can get to the real work of finishing his dream. On a summer’s day sometime in the early sixties, His dream was realised.

Breaking the Champaign

A Holden sedan leaves the yard towing a freshly painted dinghy. Athol in his terry towelling hat, stubby shorts and blue singlet. Betty in a floral blouse, sun hat and sunglasses. Picnic basket overflowing with scones, jam and cream and a billy soon to be brimming with tea. The family heads to the lakes. Past Mike Howes Marsh, home of the famous Bushranger. Through the corners of Old Mans Head, before finally arriving at Interlaken. Home to the famous trophy waters of Lake Crescent. It must be an amazing moment to finally float the vessel you have been working on for what may have been years, all that build-up and anxiety quickly turning into joy and relief as she slides off the trailer and sits proudly in the canal.

Once the boat was loaded with the food, family and fishing gear, Athol would have wrapped a cord around the crank of the Wing petrol engine and pulled it into life. Taking the 300-odd metre ride up the canal and into the lake itself. Who knows if there were any fish taken that day, do doubt using those classic flatfish lures every grandfather had in the tackle box. But Athol got to live out his fantasy, and now 3 generations and 2 families later I’m living out mine.

Restoration

Athol soon parted with ‘Split The Wind ’ selling the boat to his mate Bruce - my grandfather. Bruce was very much a social butterfly type. He and my Grandmother June would hold dances at all the local halls, then hold the afterparties at their home in Parattah. During the last song, Bruce would Waltz June around the floor of the hall twirling his hand above his head signalling to everyone it was time for a ‘Nightcap’. Everybody knew Bruce and

June and in turn, knew the little wooden boat parked in their yard.

In the second chapter of Split the Winds life it spent a lot of time down the Tasman Peninsula catching flathead by the garbage bin full at Sommers Bay, Murdunna. And many hours trolling Lake Sorell catching mostly garbage. My father jokes about the boat catching “300 tonnes of flathead and 3 kilos of trout”.

The Third chapter isn’t very glamorous for the little clinker. After Bruce passed away the boat sat idle, his grandchildren would often play in the boat while it was on the trailer. But as time went on and those children grew into adults, the adventures that were imagined on that boat faded along with its paint. The tyres gradually deflated, and the grass grew tall, mother nature was trying to pull that little clinker back into the soil to reclaim what was hers. But I had other plans.

As I drove into the yard with Split The Wind on the back of the Ute and my partner looked out the kitchen window, I like to think she had the same look on her face that Betty did all those years earlier. The look of “What is that and what is he doing with it?” so was quickly unloaded in the shed before I was told to get rid of it. I had very little knowledge of clinkers and restoring them when I began this project. I call it a restoration but looking back it was more of giving it a well-needed birthday. Out with the heat gun and I start stripping the paint off the hull, night after night once the kids were in bed I’d be scraping like a mad man. As I work my way in towards the skeg I hit a patch of rot, an inexperienced boat restorer’s worst nightmare.

“That’s it,” I tell myself “The boat is ruined, there is no way this could be repaired for under $10k” this project was a disaster. Or so I thought, a good night’s sleep and a phone call or two later, I enlist the help of Denman Marine. After a quick inspection of the boat, he informs me that it’s barely rotten and if I had stopped poking it with a screwdriver there would be no need for a repair. Whoops. But now there was and he was happy to repair it, for a fraction of the price I had dreamed up. A couple of months later and the boat was back in my shed, upside down and ready for a coat of paint. 6 coats of paint to be exact, with sanding in between every coat.

This cast had been a long time coming!

Athol and Betty, the original owners of ‘Split The Wind’

All wooden boats leak a little.

The boat got its official relaunch this year at the opening of the trout season on Tooms Lake, lined on the shore with all the other boats in various shapes and sizes. I was proud to hear people talking about the little clinker, and I was more than happy to talk about it with them. No fish were taken on that trip, but I left smiling from ear to ear. Looking in the rearview mirror, probably more than I should have been, staring at my wooden boat wondering what adventures lay ahead.

Reflections

The fruits of being back on the water again.

It might seem a bit selfish of me to talk so much about Split The Wind. It wasn’t built by Reg Fazakerley, the famous Tasmanian clinker builder. It’s not worth any more than a few thousand dollars and only holds sentimental value to a small handful of people. It would hardly get a second glance parked on the Hobart Wharf at the upcoming Wooden Boat Festival, and in a race, it would cross the finish line in last place because it’s been said: “it would hardly split a breeze let alone the wind” but this boat, along with thousands

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of others, was built in the backyard of a Tasmanian home. And enjoyed by thousands of families.

Whether it be through fishing, water skiing or cruising the waterways of our amazing state. But for every 10 boats that made it to launch day, there is still one half-built boat in the back of pop’s shed that he’s too old to finish but too committed to give up. That unfinished boat still has a story to tell, perhaps it’s the butt of a joke that comes up every Christmas

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because he promised it to his kids 30 years ago. Or maybe it will go where all good wooden boats go it die, in a child’s playground half full of sand with an old steering wheel bolted on the front. Whether it be a King Billy Clinker, Double Diagonal Planked Huon Yacht, a Plyboard Mirror Dinghy or Cedar Strip Canoe. People are drawn to wooden boats; they ooze character and charm. Just like the people who built them.

Wooden boats not only have style, they all have a story to tell as well.

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Striped Trumpeter on the Jig

How to target Tasmania’s premium fish

Jarvis Wall

It’s no secret that striped trumpeters are one of the most sought-after table fish in our southern waters. While plenty of fish are caught using more conventional methods such as bait, one thing that does seem to go under the radar is targeting these fantastic fish on artificial lures. Recently I have been spending quite some time putting in the hours to find out just how effective using metal jigs and even baited jigs can be and the results have been speaking for themselves. In this article, I’m going to share with you the tips and tricks that I’ve learnt over the past months of targeting striped trumpeters which will hopefully help you get the confidence to go out and find yourself having just as much fun as I’ve been having.

What is a Striped Trumpeter?

Striped Trumpeter or more commonly called “Stripeys” is a robust medium-sized fish capable of growing to around 120 centimetres in length but they’re

more commonly found in the 50-80cm range. They can range in colour from plain white and brown to yellowy/ gold and brown and they’re easily identified by their 3 stripes that run horizontally down their top quarter. Although they do have little teeth inside their mouths, they have big blubbery lips which once a hook goes in, it doesn’t normally come out which is a massive bonus!

Habitat - Where to Find Them?

From the information I’ve gathered in my experiences with trumpeters, is that the correct type of bottom structure plays a huge part in finding success. I try to stay away from the really hard reef as you get so much unwanted by-catch for one bite from a trumpeter. I also believe that the trumpeter prefers the broken rubbly silt/gravel bottom for their hunting grounds. I’ve encountered a large number of trumpeters coming into the boat that are covered in silt coming out from their gills and all over their flanks. I’m a firm believer

that they dig up the bottom and suck up crabs and other molluscs living in the silt and rubble on the ocean floor. Quite often these grounds are given away by huge showings of fish tight to the bottom which are usually huge schools of ocean perch. The trumpeter absolutely loves hanging around these massive schools of fish so never stray too far from a mark once you have found it as you’re certainly in the right area. It can be very hard to pick the bottom structure with your sonar as it’s generally not a big rise up off the bottom or a solid hard return like reef as the ground is still partially soft. If you find a likely area on your charts just spend twenty minutes driving around watching your sonar, putting the time into scout ground properly will pay off in the long run.

Techniques and Lures

This has been the most enjoyable aspect of spending the time targeting trumpeter with jigs as it’s been a

Specific jigging rods will make the task easier.

completely blank page to start with. Trying to find out what they like hasn’t been that difficult though as it seems they’re quite happy to take a variety of lures from traditional metal slow pitch jigs through to soft plastics and baited jigs like the Vexed Bottom Meat. One question I often get asked is what size jig for what depth and a simple method I like to go on is for every one metre of depth add one gram to your jig and work up from there until you find what feels best on the given day, for example in 80 metres I’ll use an 80-100gram jig or if I’m fishing the West Coast in 140-160 metres I’ll use a 150-200 gram jig depending on the day. On the east coast, you can find fish pretty readily from 50 metres all the way out to 120 metres or deeper so your smaller jigs will work best here. You can find yourself having some amazing fun in the shallower water with light metals and light tackle. I like my metal jigs to be small but packing good weight, I believe the smaller profile definitely helps, not just for trumpeters either.

If I’m targeting trumpeter in shallower water with metals it’s generally a very energetic retrieve, with four to five slow-medium mechanical jigs up off the bottom then a complete un-braked free spool and fall back to the bottom. I’ve found with the slowpitch jigs, if you do try and brake the fall with your thumb they don’t flutter on the drop and actually sink dead straight which is far less effective. A lot of the time you’ll feel the trumpeter clunk your jig while it’s in total free fall and that’s because the jig is falling slower by fluttering correctly than it actually would be if you were trying to aid the fall by slowing it manually. It’ll take a little to get your head around it but the results will speak the truth. When picking brands to use my go-to’s are Little Jack Metal Addicts in 80-150 grams and Vexed Dhu Drops in 110 and 130 grams.

When it comes to the deep water side of stripey jigging, I always find myself going for something like a baited jig to begin with as it’s generally going to be dark and if it’s the West coast for example the fish are more scarce than the East but usually larger on average. A slowly worked Vexed Bottom Meat in either a 150gram or 200-gram weight would definitely be my first pick. Dressed up with a strip of squid, these lures are extremely deadly on striped trumpeter. I’ve found you don’t have to work the Bottom Meats as thoroughly as the scent of the squid works most of the magic down in the darkness. It’s easy to get excited when you feel a fish bite but be patient as the little pickers can be annoying, especially if you are constantly hooking them and winding them up 140 metres. The desired trumpeter will just come in and annihilate it, there’s no mistaking their bite. Set the hooks and hold on!

Gear of Choice

Slow pitch jigging rods are a very specifically designed piece of equipment. Finding the correct rod for you can be as easy as matching up the jig weights you plan to use with the ratings of the recommended jig weight on the blank of the slow-pitch rod you’re looking at. I have found that PE ratings are far too inconsistent between brands which makes it hard to match one brand’s ratings to another so basing your choice on

a rods jig rating is far more reliable than trying to go off of a PE rating. For example, if I plan to mainly use 80-150 gram jigs I’ll look for a rod that has a jig rating in that area as that rod is going to work the jigs I plan to use most effectively. My set-up is a Howk Hot Spot 150 slow pitch jig rod with either a Shimano Ocea Conquest 200HG spooled with a 15kg Gosen braid for when I’m in shallower water on the east coast. When I’m fishing deeper on the West Coast, I opt for a Shimano Ocea Jigger 2000nr-xg spooled with 15.8kg Tasline and I tie on a 20kg leader for both scenarios. Try to avoid using thick heavy braids as they’re more at liberty to the currents and finding drag which causes an unwanted belly in your line, direct contact is imperative.

One of the most important tools you can use is your sonar unit and transducer set up, being able to sound up the correct areas to fish and the fish themselves will make your success rate go through the roof! Quality gear equates to quality readings which end up leading you to better results so if you’re dead set on getting into jigging of any sort it’s definitely worth investing in a top-quality set-up. I run a Garmin 8416xsv with a Garmin TM275LHW 1kw transducer which is a great

One gram of weight for each metre of depth will help you select the correct jig for your location.

option for the deeper water and I also have a Garmin 953xsv set up with a Garmin GT56UHD transducer which is great for the areas from 50 metres out to 80 metres.

Hopefully, this helps you find some striped trumpeter next time you’re out on the water and also gets you enthused to try to catch one of these amazing fish on the jig as it’s a bundle of fun and a great way to find yourself with an ice box full of beautiful table fish!

Big heavy jigs are most effective in deep water.

Four Springs Lagoon

Mayfly feedering trout - and how to catch them

Logan Reid

Like many Launcestonians, Four Springs lake is a favourite early-season water that I like to fish in the first few months of the Tasmanian trout season. I fish this lake early because the water is going to warm up faster with the lake’s lower altitude. Warmer water makes the fish and insect life more active. So if numbers of fish are what you’re after then the lowland lakes will offer the best sport. The lake was built for anglers, not water storage, nor irrigation and was opened to the public in 1999. Early season fishing consists of mainly pulling wets like Magoos or Shreks, but it doesn’t take long and only a few days of 16-20 degrees before the water is warmed up enough to start getting the mayflies moving. This time of year is my favourite on Four Springs. Great hatches of duns will take place on overcast windy days and good sport can occur when you present nymphs or dries to fish.

This lake can be a tricky place to work out. The fish are pressured and educated, and often just leave us puzzled and shaking our heads. You can picture those wily brown trout looking at us and smiling as we fall short of tricking one into taking our fly. In this article, I will be covering the three main stages that fish will prey on mayflies, and how I go about targeting those fish that are feeding on them to help you enjoy the lake as much as I do. The three stages of mayflies are the nymph stage, the dun stage and the adult spinner stage.

Fish a team of nymphs

Often the best way to catch fish when the duns are about is to fish a team of two or three nymphs on a floating line. You have to imagine that if you’re seeing 10 or 20 duns floating on the surface of the water there must be ten times the number of nymphs under the surface of the lake. You might see a few duns floating on top of the water, which for the trout are easy prey to feed on. Using a team of nymphs is a very fun way to fish! For the leader setup for nymphing on a lake, I usually go with a level leader of about 18 feet (about 5.5 metres) double the length of a 9-foot fly rod and I like to use a three or four-kilogram tippet. My favourite nymphs I like to use are an orange beaded claret nymph on the point (the last fly on your tippet furthest away from your fly line) an unweighted claret nymph on the middle dropper and something a bit different on the top dropper. Something like a stick caddis or something with a bit of flash in it. To fish this method with a floating line you will need to put out a cast of about 20 metres, do a couple of long strips back in to get a straight line and have proper contact with your flies. The retrieve is a slow figure eight just fast enough to keep up with the drifting boat. You want to be almost fishing the nymphs static to mimic the actual speed of the real mayfly nymphs.

Something else that will help you catch more fish on a day whilst nymphing is a drogue to slow your drift on a windier day. A pointer that will help you detect more takes is to retrieve your cast with the rod tip about a foot above the water and watch the fly line going from the rod tip down onto the water. What this does is show you as soon as a fish has taken your fly. The bit of line between the water and your rod tip will dart forward or jump from one side to the other well before you will feel any take. You will need to be reactive and strike as soon as you see any little bit of movement in that line from the rod tip to the water. A strip strike usually has a better hook-up with nymphs, the same as wet flies, rather than a lifting strike.

Fishing a team of dries

A team of dry flies on a floating line can be an effective way to catch fish on certain days and as many people say there’s nothing more exciting than seeing a trout rolling over a dry fly. The leader setup for dry flies is the same as it is for nymphing, I like a level leader of about 18 feet (about 5.5 metres) double the length of a 9-foot fly rod. Again, I like to use three or four-kilogram tippets and I tie my dries off of droppers. With this setup you want to fish relatively close to the boat to have the most control and best line connection, only casting about 15 to 20 metres from the boat. If

you’re casting too far out, the belly of the line will put too much pressure on your tippet and flies which in turn will lose you some fish. Make sure you keep an eye on your dries otherwise you’ll be sure to get a take and not know about it until it’s too late. Another reason to keep an eye on your flies is to get a better hook-up rate. If you see a fish moving from left to right then striking to the left will give you a better hook-up rate because you’re bringing the fly back into the fish’s mouth instead of out of its mouth. And the opposite is true when a fish is feeding in a right-to-left motion, in this case, you will need to set the hook to the right to set the hook back into the fish’s mouth. If a fish

is moving away from you this is the easiest fish to hook a firm lift straight up will embed the hook into the fish’s nose. Now the hardest fish to set a hook into is a fish that has taken the fly moving towards you, for this hook set you will have to hold your nerve and not strike too early otherwise that fly is most likely going to come straight out of the fish’s mouth. You may need to have a two or three-second pause before setting the hook so that the fish will turn its head down enough to allow you to set the hook, this will take some practice to work it out but you can do it!

Single dry to spinner feeders

After a mayfly nymph swims to the surface of the water and emerges as a dun, this dun will take to the wing and find a spot in the grass on the edge of the lake or up in a tree for a day or two to moult for the last time and to go through its last transformation, the adult mayfly spinner. Spinner feeders can be awesome fun, they often will jump out of the water to inhale a spinner flying above the water. To sight a fish feeding on them and tracking where its beat is (the beat is the area in where a fish will feed from) and then presenting a single dry fly, is something pretty rewarding. The reason I use a single dry is to allow me to get a better presentation to the fish. I have found in the past if you have two flies on especially if they’re too close together a fish will take one fly and the second fly will skate across the surface of the water in turn spooking the fish and you will get a big explosion from the fish but not a hookup. When working with dry flies I use a floating line. To the floating line, I add a tapered leader of about three metres down to three kilograms to a tippet ring and then I will add about another metre and a half of a three-kilogram tippet. At the end of my tippet, I then tie on my dry. On Four Springs the duns

will turn into the red spinner adult mayfly so I’ll tie on either a palmered spinner if there is a bit of wind and chop on the water to allow both myself and the fish to more easily see my fly. The palmered hackle fly will float better in windier conditions. If the water is still on a calmer day I’ll go with a normal hackled spinner just to have something that looks more realistic for a trout feeding in the glass. Again for this technique with dry flies, you will want to cast relatively short to get a better connection with your fly to get a better hook set when a fish takes your fly.

Gearing for mayfly feeders

For all of these methods, I’m using the same rod, the same reel and the same line. I use a fast action five weight rod. A fast action rod will help you punch into the wind if needed but is still gentle enough to not smash your fly line on the water. Many lake fishers like to use a six weight fly rod to manage the bigger fish you find in lakes and also give you a farther cast as you will sometimes need it on the lakes.

I like to use a five-weight rod because I like to be a little bit more sporty. My line holder is the Orvis Clearwater reel. It has a smooth drag and its weight, paired with the five-weight rod balances well. The fly line I’m using at the moment is the Orvis clear water floating line in five weight. I don’t overload my line weight because I believe that the lines are put together really well these days and the Orvis clear water lines are half a weight heavier than they say.

Inland Fisheries make sure there are plenty of great fish in Four Spring to catch each season.

A mayfly nymph an a a ‘wing-perfect’ Four Springs mayfly

A well-rigged drogue will make fishing for mayfly feeders easier.

Four Springs has great shore access. Shoreline where you will find spinner feeders.

It can be a busy lake, but there is always plenty of space and fish to catch.

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Big Trout - Small Rivers

Jonty Krushka

Once summer rolls around and I’m looking to target trout I generally turn my attention from the larger rivers and lagoons to smaller, faster flowing streams. Generally at this time of year, the water levels in the rivers have dropped and the clarity has improved making wading much easier. Fishing the smaller rivers often produces high numbers of smaller fish however bigger fish over the four-pound mark are not out of the question.

Areas to Look

One of the more difficult things can be finding the areas within kilometres of likely-looking rivers that will hold fish. Although a lot of rivers look very similar and there will be fish all through them, there are a few places I like to focus my efforts. Deep holes and deeper than average stretches of river are a favourite of mine during the warmer months. I’ve found the bigger fish often won’t stray too far from a deeper section of the river. They may not be sitting down deep in the middle of the hole but they will generally be sitting on the edge or at the head or tail of the pool. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had multiple casts into a perfect-looking deep hole for nothing only to spook a solid fish out of 20 cm of water on the edge.

Other areas which often produce better than average fish are fallen trees and log jams. Logs running parallel to the flow as well as across the river are great spots to target. Larger log jams are also a great spot to target. Fish will sit in both the eddies behind the structure and also in front of the structure. I prefer to fish the front edge of the structure and let the current push my lure in underneath. As for logs running parallel to the flow fish will usually be sitting tight beside the log. Overhanging trees are another great piece of structure. They provide both shade and cover which trout love to sit under. This is especially the case on open stretches of river and bright days.

Areas of the river where it narrows and the current increases are other spots the fish will hang around. River bends are also a great area to target. These highflow sections of the river will also form undercut banks which are another place trout love to hang out. Flow can also be increased where small feeder creeks join the main river. This additional flow can often congregate fish in the area.

I have found that generally anything different in a stretch of the river tends to localise the fish. This could be a rocky section in a river that has very few rocks or

a weed bed in a river with little weed. Weirs and road crossings are also spots that will often hold fish. As well searching for good structures watching for rises, and bust-ups and scanning the water for fish is also very important.

Fishing the River

By far my preferred way of fishing small streams and rivers is to hop in and wade. In a lot of the rivers I fish, wading is the only option as the banks are too overgrown to effectively fish along. Being in the river also allows for easier casting to both sides of the river and allows for easier snag retrieval which is inevitable when fishing overgrown, shallow, fast-flowing rivers. My usual approach is to get in the river and slowly fish my way upstream casting to all likely-looking spots. Big casts are not always the best strategy, often dangling the lure off the rod tip in front of a log jam will produce the biggest fish. I will usually fish through areas that don’t look so good pretty quickly and spend longer in the better-looking holes. However, it is always a good idea to cover all the water with at least one cast as quality fish will sometimes come from the most inconspicuous looking areas. Having a few extra casts in areas where you catch fish or see fish is definitely worth the time.

A trophy size brown from a northern Tasmanian river.

Although trout are not necessarily schooling fish, I have found they definitely tend to localise in particular stretches of the river. It’s not uncommon to walk a few hundred metres up a river without seeing a fish and then catch three or four in a 50-metre stretch. Even if the stretches of the river looked identical.

Lures and Techniques

I have used a wide variety of lures when chasing trout in the small rivers and they all have their pros and cons. Soft plastics are a great option as the depth they swim at can be controlled quite easily. In shallower snaggy areas I will often high stick my rod and wind quite fast and then drop the rod tip and slow down in deeper areas. Plastics are also great for sinking underneath the structure to fish that might be holding down deep. This versatility makes soft plastics a great choice in rivers which vary a lot in depth, flow rates and structure. Some of my favourite plastics for small river fishing are the Keitech 2-inch easy shiner, Savage slim minnow, Berkley t-tail and Daiwa baitjunkie 2.5inch minnow. I normally rig these on a 1/16th once jig head with a size 1 or size 2 hook. As for colours I prefer natural colours like black and gold, or greens and browns. I will normally fish soft plastics with a constant retrieve at a speed just faster than the current or whatever is required to stop the lure from getting snagged on the bottom.

Shallow diving hardbody minnows are another great option. They can generally be fished slower in the shallow snaggy areas than a soft plastic which can often entice a bite. They can also be floated into really snaggy territory without the risk of getting snagged up on the bottom. Having trebles can also improve hookup rates on small fish that are nipping at the tail of a soft plastic. My favourite hardbodies are the Cranka minnow and the Ecogear mx48 in any natural baitfish or trout colour. A slow roll is my favourite retrieve with a hardbody minnow.

Fishing surface lures is another great way to target small stream trout. At times trout can be very aggressive towards surface lures. I’ve had small fish launch completely out of the water like a Spanish mackerel when chasing down a surface lure. I have found slowflowing pools that are around half a metre to a metre deep with overhanging trees tend to be the best. Also, any area where a fish is rising is often a good place to throw a surface lure. These fish are already looking towards the surface and are normally more eager to eat a top water than fish holding close to the bottom or not actively feeding. My favourite surface lure is the Hurricane switch 66, small walk-the-dog style lures such as the Smith towadi are also effective. I normally work the surface lures with a classic walk-the-dog style retrieve, being a constant slow wind and short sharp twitches of the rod tip

A lure I have recently started using and have had some great success on is a fly tied onto a regular jig head. They are generally tied in the style of a woolly bugger or dog nobler in olive

or black onto a 1/16th once size

2 hook jig head. I have found when fish are a little reluctant to commit to other lures these little jigs can normally convert follows and bites into hookups. I fish them with a similar retrieve to a surface lure, short sharp twitches of the rod tip whilst winding fast enough to keep it off the bottom.

Rod, Reel and Line

My go-to set up for fishing the smaller rivers is a light spin outfit, consisting of a six-foot eight-inch two-piece BKCustom rod, matched up with a 2500 size Daiwa reel. Some of the bush surrounding the rivers is very dense and overgrown, having a two-piece rod that can be broken in half makes bush bashing much easier than with a one-piece rod. The reel is spooled up with a four or six-pound braid and an FG knot connects a five or six-pound leader. I like to use a reasonably long leader of around 12 to 15 feet. The reason I do this is so if I get snagged somewhere that I can’t get to I can reach my leader and snap off the jig head without losing the leader as well. This saves the time of having to retie an FG knot and also stops the line from being left in the river.

Other Gear

There are a few other items that make chasing trout in the smaller rivers much easier. A good pair of breathable waders are arguably the most important. Not

only do they keep you dry but they also stop you from getting cut to pieces when trudging through the bush and give some protection against snakes. Packing light when you are walking a long way through the rough country is a big advantage. Something that helps with this is a life straw. These water filtration devices are great for lightening the load and freeing up space in the backpack for more fishing gear. If you are fishing with someone else it can also be an advantage to take two nets. A small net that is easy to access can be very helpful when small fish take a lure right at the rod tip. Having a larger fold-out net is also a good idea in case a bigger fish comes along. A good pair of polarised sunnies is another vital piece of equipment. Not only will they help you to spot fish but they also help spot any trees or logs which can prevent snagging up and losing gear. Being able to clearly see where you’re going also helps prevent falling in and filling your waders up.

Targeting small river trout can be a great option on those summer days that are a bit too windy to get out on the blue water. The dense bush and river banks often offer a bit of protection from the wind and make fishing a lot more enjoyable than it would be anywhere else. Not to mention it’s often a very visual and super fun way of fishing.

Effective lures for Tasmanian trout rivers.

Likely areas to cast your lure.

Brown trout such as this will smash a well worked lure.

Tuna catch yields amazing results

Collaboration applauded between recreational fisher and scientists

Jonah Yick and Naomi Clear

In early September 2022, 17-year-old Ryan Gazzola managed to land the fish of his lifetime, a 135.4kg southern bluefin tuna (SBT). What made this catch even more incredible was the fact it had a tag in it. Catching a tagged tuna is already a great achievement, given the odds of recapture are generally low. However, the recapture of this fish was much more significant than Ryan could ever have imagined.

The tuna was tagged and released on 24 February 1993 off Esperance, WA, as part of a large-scale tagging program run by the CSIRO. It was 52cm long and probably weighed less than 5kg, with an estimated age of one year. Fast forward to 3 September 2022, and Ryan recaptured this fish while trolling wide off Gunnamatta Beach, VIC, where it measured 195cm and weighed 134.5kg. This tuna was in the wild for 10783 days or 29.5 years since it was tagged and released, making it a record for the longest time at liberty for a tuna tagged by CSIRO.

You would think that this capture alone is an incredible story, however, the events which occurred after the tuna was caught were just as astonishing. A day after recapturing the tuna, Ryan decided to message the hosts of a local Victorian fishing podcast “Wind Against Tide”, as he was aware that they were friends with a Tasmanian fisheries scientist. This was after he noticed “CSIRO, HOBART, AUSTRALIA” printed on the tag. Adrian Lieutier and Dave Standing are two fanatical recreational fishers and, after receiving

the message early Sunday morning, wasted no time in contacting their Tasmanian associate. Jonah Yick, a fisheries scientist and Scientific Ambassador for the Tuna Champions Program was excited to hear the news of this tag, and promptly called his friend Dr Peter Grewe, Head Geneticist at the CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere. Ironically, while these calls were being made, Jonah and his partner Helen O’Neill (who also works at the CSIRO) were packing their trailer boat to fish for SBT that day!

Despite being a Sunday, Dr Grewe was more than happy to follow up on the details of this tag and made another call to his colleague Naomi Clear, a fisheries scientist at CSIRO. The excitement began to build as the tag number was checked in the database and confirmed that this was indeed a very old fish. In addition to the age, this tagged fish was even more significant, as it

had received further treatment. It had been injected with a strontium chloride solution at the time it was tagged and released. Strontium chloride is a non-toxic salt that occurs naturally in seawater and results in a “mark” being laid down on the otoliths, or ear bones, of the fish, which is visible as a thin line in the otoliths when they are sectioned (cut in half) and viewed under a powerful electron microscope. The otoliths continued to grow after the fish was tagged and released and if 29 bands are counted after the strontium mark, the scientists know their method for ageing SBT is correct.

There was now an amazing opportunity to validate the otolith ageing method for this species, which has never been done before in a fish of this age. This information is used to calculate how fast the fish grow, i.e. how big they are at different ages when they mature, and what their rate of mortality is. The only

Ryan Gazzola and the 135.4kg tagged southern bluefin tuna.

problem was that after the CSIRO scientists stressed the importance of retaining the head of the tuna, it was found that the head has already been disposed of! Multiple frantic phone calls and texts were made between Jonah, the Wind Against Tide team, the CSIRO scientists, and Ryan to work out whether it was possible to salvage the head. Given it had been disposed of the previous evening at a boat ramp bin, there was still a high chance it would be there. Ryan was unable to make it back to the bin that morning, so instead, Adrian decided to drive 40 minutes to attempt to retrieve it. While travelling to the boat ramp, Adrian called Dave who lived closer to the boat ramp, to attempt to find and secure the tuna head first.

Despite being at a Father’s Day brunch, Dave left his family and drove down to the boat ramp. As he arrived, he was shocked to see the waste collection truck parked at the bins! With Adrian still 20 minutes away, Dave had arrived with just seconds to spare. The waste collection staff waited while Dave sifted through the rubbish to determine which head/carcass matched the tuna that Ryan had caught. After further phone calls, Dave was able to find the important tuna and safely removed it.

Once Adrian arrived, further calls were made to Jonah in Tasmania, who at that point was about to launch his boat to start tuna fishing! Adrian carefully packed the fish frame on ice in an esky bag, then transported it back to a cool room in his factory (he fittingly owns a refrigeration business!). Three days later, Naomi Clear flew to Victoria and met Adrian at his factory to remove the important otoliths. Adrian not only graciously donated his workspace for the dissection but also his power tools! Both otoliths were

The tag which managed to last 29.5 years, with “REWARD CSIRO, HOBART, AUSTRALIA NO. 73198” clearly printed on it. A testament to the CSIRO tagger

removed carefully, while Ryan, his friends and family also came to meet and talk to Naomi.

The otoliths of this tuna are now awaiting to be processed and read, which will then reveal whether the strontium chloride marking was successful and whether validation of the ageing method has been extended to 30-year-old fish. This success story highlights the importance and power of recreational fishers (citizen scientists) and fisheries scientists working together. Without swift action and effective networking between these groups of people, the opportunity to collect important data would have been lost.

The release and recapture points of this tagged fish were both in Australian waters but the fish probably

spent time in the Indian Ocean. Information from electronic tags deployed by CSIRO shows SBT migrate annually across the southern Indian Ocean to feed, while adults migrate from southern foraging areas (such as around SE Australia) into tropical spawning areas south of Indonesia. Together the tagging data and information about age and movements are used in population models to estimate how many SBTs there are and determine sustainable catch levels, to ensure this valuable and important resource will continue to improve for many years to come.

Anthony deFries, as well as the tag company Hallprint!

The initial text message sent from Ryan to the Victorian fishing podcast “Wind Against Tide”.

The tuna head and the waste collection truck. A few seconds later and the opportunity to validate the age of this record fish would have been lost!

Adrian Lieutier from the Victorian fishing podcast “Wind Against Tide”, removing a portion of the tuna’s skull to access the otoliths.

Fisheries Scientist Naomi Clear from CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere removing the otoliths from the tuna head.

The otoliths or ear bones of the tuna.

Spinners are Winners

Some tips for the inexperienced

Adrian Webb

Ibegan spinning for trout in 1965 in the Finnis River, Yundi, South Australia at the age of 19, I am now 76 and I still enjoy it just as much today, if not more than the first time I fished a river. I now live here in Sheffield and spin the rivers in the north, and they are some of the best rivers in the state to fish. Rivers like the Mersey, Leven, Meander, Iris, Vale, Emu and Flowerdale Rivers are just a few of the many across the North West to fish for trout. These like many others are all good for spinning and wading.

Gear to get you started

I found the best set-up for most rivers is a nice well-balanced lightweight one, such as a 1-3 kg Ultra Light 6’6’’ or 7’ spin rod coupled up with a 1000/2000 spinning reel spooled with a thin good quality 2kg or 3kg clear mono line. When spinning with blade spinners I also use an anti-kink set about 40 cm above the spinner, the anti-kink will stop any line twist that can occur when using fine mono-lines. If and when you use hard body lures then the anti-kink is not required. There are quite a lot of good brands of rods and reels available for you to choose from that will suit your budget. If you missed my last article issue 150, my river gear is as follows, there are two rods I use in the large rivers that I rotate from one trip to another. Trout Rod: TT Red Belly 7’ ULS 1-3 kg and an Okuma Celilo Finesse 6’6’’ ULS 1-3kg, the reels are all Okuma spinning reels in 1000 and 2000 sizes, the line

I use is the Australian-made Platypus mono-filament Super 100 UHT and Pulse mono in 2kg and 3kg, these mono lines are super tough, they’re also one of the strongest too. A good pair of waders are essential too if you intend to take river fishing seriously, preferably a pair of breathable waders matched with a good pair of wading boots.

The most expensive equipment doesn’t mean that you will catch more fish, so shop around and you will find a set-up that suits your pocket. One bit of advice though, if you do intend to go fishing regularly then it would pay you to spend that little bit more. I use breathable waders and non-slip wading boots, and importantly, a good belt. Once on, put the belt around your waist and tighten, this will stop them from taking in water if and when you happen to take the plunge, and one day you will.

I do know that many river fishermen like myself have taken a dive in a river, I have gone in several times during my

many years of river fishing. The most important thing to remember when wading any river is not to take any silly risks. SAFETY must be your priority as no fish is worth drowning over, water depth can be deceiving. It is often deeper than it looks, so DO NOT go out of your depth, it is not worth it.

Now with that out of the way your next item you need is a fishing vest which can be purchased from most tackle stores, but make sure you pick one with plenty of pockets for your lure boxes. Now it’s time for the range of lures.

A nice light weight trout set up for river fishing.

The author with a nice river brown trout.

There are several different brands to choose from like Mepps, Vibrax, Celtas and Maruto to name a few. Since day one (57 years ago) when I first started trout fishing, I have always used the Mepps inline spinners, they have the best variety and sizes available for trout fishing and have been around since the 1950s.

The models I use are Black Fury, C omet, Bug and Aglia in sizes #00 (1.5 g), #0 (2.5 g) and #1 (3.5 g) as these are quite suitable for every trout river in Australia, there are larger sizes available if you need

them. Choosing the colour of the spinner’s blade will play a big part in triggering the trout’s attack, so what’s the best colour to use? The following may help you. Silver for early morning use or when the light is not strong (evening, overcast or shadowy places) and when the water is cold the metabolism of the trout is so low that they need to be stimulated into attacking the spinner. Gold is a very good all-round colour that works well on trout in most conditions. Black works well in strong sunlight and also shows up well in turbid or flooded water conditions. Copper, gold and white blades for teacoloured water. My first choice of spinner to use is the Black Fury copper or gold colour, these have been my most productive spinners followed by the Aglia (plain and fluoro) range. Another great inline spinner I would like to mention is the Bug Spinner (Stonefly, March brown and White Miller) these inline spinners work well on the trout too. The White Miller Bug works extremely well in dark tannin waters, it has saved the day for me many times when fishing dark tannin rivers and streams.

Practice makes perfect

When you have yourself set up, it’s time to practice your casting! Go to a reserve and place a few objects around, stay in one spot approx 20 metres away and practice

casting at them. Keep this up until you get within 100 mm of the objects then move to another spot and start again. Do this until you feel comfortable with your casting and accuracy because when you fish the rivers you will need it.

Heading to the river

Once on the river, you will find it quite different from the reserve, keeping your footing and balance for starters. Pick a section of river that has a gentle flow and is not over deep, then go out a few metres from the river bank and have a few casts to different areas around you. Face yourself upstream and cast that direction and bring the spinner back downstream as this appears more natural to the trout, as they always face upstream waiting for food to drift downstream. Once you get the hang of it the confidence will follow, and then you can start to venture out to the centre of the river.

Most rivers and streams in Tasmania have rocky bottoms and can be quite hard to wade and pretty rough on the body as well. Don’t rush into it, take one step at a time and make sure you have good footing before taking the next step. A lot of the rivers I fish are like this, so care must be taken. Given time, you will gain the knowledge and confidence of wading a river. When you fish the same river over a period of time you get to know the sections of the river that are easy and those that are not. Don’t forget once you are out in the middle cast towards the river bank and continue the casting until you have worked a full 180 degrees, to the opposite bank. By doing this then you have covered every section of water around you.

When the water depth is between the knees and the belt around your waist then that is the deepest you should go, any deeper can become a risk. Trout are very often caught in fast water stretches of rivers too, the majority of trout I catch during a trout season is in these areas. Care must be taken because this is one place you can come unstuck easily, if possible DO NOT go above knee depth if and when you fish these sections of river.

Some wading tips

Always keep these two rules in mind when wading in any body of water: wade with caution, and wade with care. There are obvious and not-so-obvious dangers inherent with wading. Following these tips will help you experience a safe and enjoyable trip.

• If you are new to wading a river I advise you to use a wading staff to feel the bottom before stepping ahead. It will give you support and also help to keep your balance.

• Never wade alone until you are fully experienced.

• Always wear waders that fit properly and preferably stocking foot waders and a pair of felt-soled wading boots.

• Wear a wading belt to create a seal between your body and the wader.

• In rivers and streams, identify potential dangers like

A safe stretch of water for the novice angler.

Water like this is not for the novice angler.

This lovely brown fell to an inline spinner.

how deep the water is and how fast it is flowing before entering the water.

• Wade slowly, smoothly, and carefully, there’s no need to be in a hurry when trout fishing a river.

• If possible, wear a personal flotation device, fishing vests are now available with a fitted flotation advice.

• Always be aware of currents, and water level changes especially if the river has a regulated flow from a lake.

• If you take a fall, stay face up and don’t panic, don’t fight the current, work with it. Try to face your feet downstream, and allow the current to drift you downstream as you work yourself towards the closest bank.

The top and bottom ends of pools are always good spots to cast a spinner into as well, the trout will sit there waiting to pounce on anything that comes towards them. Trout fishing can take as long as you want it to, even more so when fishing rivers as there are so many stretches of a river to fish. I am in the river for an average of four hours most times I go spin fishing, I’m always wondering if there may be a trout in the next section of the river ahead of me.

N Sniper lures

Two new fish catching colours added to the range!!!

To me, trout fishing rivers is like a disease and hard to get out of one’s system once it’s there, I just can’t get enough of it. For the best results though, you do have to cover a good length of the river. No less than one kilometre otherwise you may as well put a worm on a hook and sit back and hope for the best. Another way of gaining experience is to join an Angling Club, there are plenty of good fishermen in these clubs that will gladly offer you advice.

Good luck and get out there and have a go at spinning and wading some of Tasmania’s great rivers not only in the North but all over this great State, you won’t regret it. I have had some very memorable times fishing the rivers here in Tasmania and hopefully can get many more over the next few years or so.

Make sure to call into your local tackle stores and find out what is available, and ask for advice. Most tackle store owners and staff are experienced anglers, not just salesmen.

Hopefully, this article will help anyone wanting to take up spin fishing in any State of Australia not just here in Tasmania. I am a 90% blade spinner fisherman, the other 10% is when I use a hard body. I know there are a lot of fishermen out there that use hard body and soft plastics, but this article was written to help the novice to get into a river and start spinning for trout. Once they have gained more experience and confidence, then they can move on from there if they wish to do so.

Ocean’s Legacy Hybrid Contact Slow Pitch Jigs, Slingshot Casting Irons, Keeling Stickbaits and specialised Rods

A variety of Mepps inline spinners the author uses.

The ideal stretch for the beginner to fish from the bank..

Mental Health gets Trouty

The Fly Program and Bayer help well being

Mick McCallum

In April this year, I was fortunate to join other farmers from across the country for a two-day trout fishing retreat at Currawong Lakes. The Bayer’s big fish challenge is an Australian-wide free friendly competition, which in its fourth year, brings each state’s winners together for the retreat. Throughout the year Bayer donates $1 per every centimetre of a fish uploaded via the app which goes to support mens mental wellbeing programs. Bayer together with Matt Tripet, the founder of mental health charity `The Fly Program’ and state winner gets to spend two full days at the 2000-acre retreat overlooking three beautiful lakes. This year Bayer also invited well-known NRL star and fishing celebrity Andrew ‘ET’ Ettingshausen who would be filming an upcoming episode. Also, joining us each day were local fly fishing guides to help the farmers catch that famous sought after Tasmanian brown or rainbow trout.

The fishing program - Day one

Each morning everyone would enjoy a fully cooked breakfast by hosts Richard and Mez followed by a fly lesson by Matt Tripet. After everyone is full of food and knowledge, it’s time to go fish! The state winners

are split up into groups, and each group has a guide to help catch the biggest or most fish for the session. Each group gets one of the lakes allocated for the two hour session. After the session everyone meets for a brief of the fishing events and lunch. Fishing was slow going with not too many brag stories told over lunch. I picked up a 44cm rainbow in a corner I remembered fished well the season before. Using a 6wt fly rod and floating I line, I made a cast with my dry and dropper setup and waited for the fish to show itself. While the rainbow didn’t make a great account for itself once hooked it is always so rewarding to feel the line go tight! It was an awesome feeling watching the fish slide up to the reeds and I could get a closer look at it before quickly popping the fly out and seeing it swim away.

After lunch, we got to let off some steam with a skeet shooting event. Currawong lakes not only has three pristine lakes, but it also holds an Olympic size clay shooting range.

With most of the clays remaining intact, many laughs were had and some great banter was flung throughout the event. If memory serves me correctly, The Bayer team along with Matt and ET came out

victors over the farmers. Back to fishing, another twohour session on now a different lake for the afternoon. Again, the fishing was tough. Many of the anglers had more success with the dry/wet combo, with a bushy nymph in a light brown colour being a good producer while suspended under a parachute dry, and retrieving over the cast and wait for strategy.

With all fish being released it’s a photo of the fish on the brag mat for proof and bragging rights. I picked up another smaller rainbow at 43cm on a dry as many insects were out and about for the session. It seemed that once the clouds lifted and the sun started to shine the bugs went crazy and the fish started to rise. It was a flat calm day so you could see the fish taking the bugs off of the surface easily.

With the session over, it was time to shower and meet up for a beautiful five-star three-course meal supplied by the hosts again. The evening involved sitting around the fire and a chat with ET and Matt covering the topic of men’s mental health and life stories. It was great to hear about ET’s footy career ending and how he had set up his TV show ready for the next part of his career.

The 2022 crew of rural anglers of the year.

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Day two

Day two involved the same catch-up over breakfast followed by a lesson again with Matt. We learned how to get the perfect cast while stalking a fish instead of waving our arms too much with false casts and spooking everything. After the lesson, we each were allocated new guides for the teams for the third and final session.

The wind was up during this session which saw many choosing the offshore side of the lakes to set up and cast and wait. I spotted a large swirl between some reeds which caught my eye, and after a few minutes it got the better of me and I stealthily moved my way along the bank. There’s nothing quite like quietly stalking up and getting that perfect cast right in the zone.

No less than 20 seconds later the fly disappeared and the action started. This fish put on a great fight, running across the lake as the line sprung onto the reel “I’m going to need a net for this one” was the call. Scott a local guide was running around half the lake to my pleasure and netted the beautiful healthy 53cm Rainbow.

The fish was again taken on the dry dropper rig with the bushy nymph under the parachute dry. After a few quick pictures and a moment to admire the beautiful rainbow, it was slid back into the lake.

A big learning curve

After fishing Currawong lakes for two seasons now, I feel like each day or even hour has you changing tactics or positions. You definitely can’t go in with last night’s plans, you need to be thinking all the time while you’re out on the water. Watching what the wind is doing, where the insects are hatching, and keeping a close eye on any fish that are moving.

Even the slightest sign of a fish can change the day’s outcome dramatically. Overall, it was tough fishing

for the farmers with Dale Mott taking home the title for team WA with three fish during the six-hour competition. Apart from the premier class fisheries with big trout up to 15 pounds and the Olympic-style clay shooting, Currawong is highly recommended just for the serenity and accommodation. Hosting over 102

documented bird species and hundreds of fallow deer it’s a photographer’s dream. Currawong Lakes has three bush cabins, a hunters cabin and the five-star lake house situated right on the lake, it’s a must-visit for any fly fishing angler visiting Tasmania.

A rainbow the author stalked in reeds.

The author prospecting around some fishy logs.

Early morning on the middle lake.

The 2022 winner Dale Mott with a rainbow.

Long rods make controlling the fish during the fight easier.

Is longer better

Some thoughts on whay a longer rod is better from a boat

Lubin Pfeiffer

There is no doubt that Loch-style fishing has proven itself to be one of the most effective ways to catch trout from a boat in Tasmania. With any job or skill, having the right tool is important to getting the best out of your time and effort. Regardless of whether you are fishing with a team of flies on a sinking line, working some nymphs or dries with a floater, the length of the rod you are using will make a huge difference to how effectively you can fish. For many years, nine-foot rods were all that anglers were able to get their hands on, whereas now there are many longer ten-foot rods on the market which have made fly fishing from a boat easier than ever. Let’s take a look at why you should be increasing the length of your rod while fly fishing from a boat in Tasmania for trout.

Contact and control

Consistent successful fish captures are created by having good contact with your flies and being able to control what they are doing and being able to repeat this time and again. A big change in my fishing that I did many years ago to help with this was to move from using a nine-foot fly rod in a boat to moving to a ten-foot rod. The extra length helps in a few different ways. Firstly, casting is improved, especially when using a team of three flies on a long tippet, generally

fifteen to eighteen feet. Regardless of whether I am using a floating line or sinking line, being able to consistently land, tangle free, a long tippet with multiple flies is a game changer. During the retrieve my rod tip is closer to the water which not only gives me better control, it also gives me direct contact, so as soon as a fish touches the fly, I’ll know about it. Fishing in amongst weed beds is also much easier with a long rod, with short casts and a high rod enabling the angler to individually search through each likely pocket while dangling the long tippet and three flies with ease. Nearing the completion of the cast, it’s time to hang, which is also made far easier with extra length in the rod. Now I can create a larger arc to hang my team of three flies. Being able to hang each fly as it exits the water for as long as I need means I can fish each fly

Throwing streamers is a great way to connect with big rainbows.

as it was intended to. Quite often being able to dabble a claret dabbler on the surface for a few moments is a great way of imitating a mayfly emerging and enticing a fish to strike after it may have followed for some time. Once that top dropper has had its chance I have still got plenty of length in the rod to slowly hang the next two flies in complete control before recasting.

Take the fight to the fish

Once all the hard work is done and you’ve got the fish to eat the fly, a longer rod will also help greatly. Whether it’s a small fish that needs to be brought to the net quickly or a large brown trout that wants to hang deep and slug it out, a longer rod allows for much better control of each situation. A ten-foot rod is far more powerful than that of the same weight as a nine-foot rod so you will be able to dictate the fight. Once the fish nears the boat, a ten-foot rod will allow you to draw the fish into the net easier. Longer leaders with a team of flies attached always have a habit of allowing the top dropper to attach itself to the top guide of a short rod, while this can happen on the odd occasion when using a ten-foot rod, it is far less common meaning more fish in the boat. I can tell you there is nothing worse than working hard for a capture only to have it turn into a disaster as you try to get it in the net!

Selecting a boat rod

I like to have a full set of lake lines that can be either used wading or in the boat. The only thing that I change moving from the shore to the boat is the length of the rod I am using. So I have a couple of specific ten-foot rods that I will only use in the boat and stick to nine-foot rods while wading. Buying a ten-foot rod is easier than ever with several rod manufacturers now making this style of rod. While you can spend as much as you like (good gear is always very nice to use) I see little point in spending more than $500 on a boat rod. There are several models in the $300-$500 that are a pleasure to use and will catch you a lot of fish. I would actually prefer to buy two of the cheaper models so that I have a spare while on

the water rather than putting all my money into one really expensive one. The best way to find out which rod is right for you is to drop into Essential Fly Fisher and have a cast. For pulling streamers, you’ll want a bit of power in the rod to ensure you can cast those bulky flies and heavy sinking lines. If you are mainly fishing with nymphs and dries, you’ll want a rod that has a bit of tip to it which will give you a much better feel. Regardless of which lake you are fishing across Tasmania, there is no doubt you will greatly increase your success with a longer rod while fishing from a boat. If you haven’t already, I can strongly suggest checking out adding some length next time you hit the lake!

This Arthurs Lake brown trout was caught using a 10ft rod.

Contact and control are keys to consistent success. Making the switch to a longer rod will increase fish captures.

TROUT

STANDARD

TRUE TO WEIGHT LINE

• Features the revolutionary AST Plus slickness additive for superior shooting ability and increased durability

• Floating Texture on the tip section for the ultimate in flotation; it simply keeps dry flies floating longer

• Shooting Texture running line delivers longer casts, thanks to a reduction in friction

• Mid-length head for exceptional mending and accuracy at distance

• The casters line

• Braided multifilament core

• SA AMPLITUDE STANDARD WF X F (X = line weight)

TARFish delivering wins for recreational fishers

The Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing (TARFish) continues to gain momentum, delivering clear results for recreational fishers according to CEO, Jane Gallichan.

“We have secured some significant wins for recreational fishers recently. Overturning of the abalone rules that would have halved recreational abalone bag and possession limits, most notably.

“This is a milestone for recreational fishers and, we believe, an unprecedented overturning of fishing rules in the Legislative Council and I thank Meg Webb and all the Legislative Councillors that supported our position.

At direct request from recreational fishers, TARFish strongly advocated for the recently adopted Rock Lobster rules relating to catch sharing and transiting provisions. This is another major win for fishers.

“It is important that our members, recreational fishers generally and the government specifically know where we stand on key issues and that we will work relentlessly to have them implemented,” she said.

Southern calamari is shaping up as the next big issue and TARFish has just released it’s position which was developed in consultation with members and fishers from around the state and is available from their website.

Southern Calamari stocks have been assessed as ‘depleting’, driven in large part by commercial fishing targeting spawning aggregations across northern Tasmania and total catches that exceed a sustainable level.

“Our top priority is to return the calamari fishery to a sustainable level in a way that protects recreational fishers’ access,” said Jane Gallichan. Calamari is not the only issue in the pipeline for TARFish in the year ahead.

“The review of the Living Marine Resources Management Act, development of a new harvest strategy and resource sharing agreement for abalone, and a rebalance of the East Coast catch available to recreational rock lobster fishers will all be addressed in the next twelve months.

“While that work is necessary and pressing, I will be focussing on flathead this year. A depleting fishery over a number of years, it is at serious risk, particularly in the south-east. We will be advocating for action now. We will be advocating for a decent amount of funding to deliver a flathead recovery program and we will only support a fisher-led stewardship program”, she said

“The only way we can help protect the rights and aspirations of recreational fishers is if we know what they want. Your contributions are massively important to us and are a crucial part of the process to secure wins and deliver results for recreational fishing,’ she concluded.

If these issues sparked your interest or you have one you want TARFish to take up, make sure you become a TARFish member by visiting their website. This will allow you to be on the frontline of emerging topics and adds weight to your feedback.

www.tarfish.org

issues

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS

New artificial reef installed in D’Entrecasteaux Channel

Recreational fishers will reap the benefits of a new artificial reef which has been installed in Great Bay in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The reef, the first of its kind in Tasmania, creates new fishing opportunities for reef-attracted species in an area where little natural reef exists.

The Great Bay reef is the first of two deployments going ahead in Tasmania this year, with the second being installed at Turners Beach on the North West Coast in December.

The reef is made up of 166 pre-cast concrete modules, each weighing between 1 and 3.5 tonnes. The modules are set in a cluster arrangement across an area of four hectares and deployed at around 12-14 metres. This is deep enough to attract key species but shallow enough to reduce impacts such as barotrauma. A crane mounted on a barge deployed the modules over six days, with contractors working to precisely positioning the modules into the desired position.

The reefs are the fulfillment of a Tasmanian Government commitment to provide exciting new opportunities for recreational fishers. The Turners Beach reef will be comprised of 152 concrete modules.

It is anticipated that species such as snapper, morwong and yellowtail kingfish will be attracted to the reef sites, particularly once marine invertebrates and macro-algae begin to colonise the modules. This process may take several years and will be closely monitored by research teams, particularly in the first five years. We look forward to seeing which fish species are caught from the reef sites and the benefits to recreational fishers in these areas.

Both reefs have received environmental approvals.

East Coast FADs deployed for summer

Four of the five East Coast fish aggregation devices (FADs) have been re-deployed after being retrieved during the whale migration season. Locations include Coles Bay (X2), Binalong Bay, Pirates Bay and Wineglass Bay, with the fifth FAD off the Tasman Peninsula at Foxy’s Reef to be deployed by midNovember.

Large migrating fish use FADs as a resting place, feeding area and geographical reference point. Schools of fish can be found near the surface, at depth or some distance away from the FAD.

The FADs have now been engineered to make whale interactions extremely unlikely. Therefore, they will now remain in the water year-round. It will be great to see which species are attracted to the FADs and if they are successful in holding the fish for a longer period.

Thanks to fishers for providing feedback about locations where more FADs could be deployed around the state. Guided by your feedback, we are progressing new deployments with authorities including TasPorts to check the viability of suggested locations.

Rock lobster rules - what’s changed?

The new Rock Lobster Fishery Management Plan starts on 1 November. The Plan introduces several rule changes to increase the sustainability of the rock lobster fishery, as well as improving compliance and reporting.

Rules that are changing for recreational fishers include: female size limits, size limit zones, tail

marking, sharing rock lobster when group fishing, and for some fishers, making transit reports.

Rules that aren’t changing are: bag, boat and possession limits, seasons, and the East Coast Stock Rebuilding Zone season opening area.

We’ve produced some short videos to explain the main changes which are on Youtube at: www.youtube. com/c/fisheriestasmania

To check the new rules go to: www.fishing.tas.gov. au/rec/rocklobster

Rock lobster gauges

New rock lobster gauges will be available from Service Tas in early November. You can continue to use the current multi-gauge - it still has the correct widths but the text about zones is out of date.

Changes to Macquarie Harbour netting practices to reduce endangered skate interactions

Changes to recreational netting practices in Macquarie Harbour are being implemented to reduce interactions with the endangered Maugean skate.

Fish attracting devices FADs) for the East Coast.

New Rock Lobster rules start November 01.

The status of the skate has worsened recently, requiring a multi-faceted approach to address threats including net fishing in the Harbour. Recent research indicates that Macquarie Harbour is now the only place in the world where the Maugean skate is found.

Effective from 1 November 1, 2022, there will be three main changes to recreational netting:

1. Several areas of the harbour that are preferred habitat for Maugean skates will be closed to fishing.

2. Overnight netting will no longer be allowed –nets will be able to be set from sunrise to two hours after sunset.

3. The maximum soak time will be two hours.

The changes have been informed by IMAS research on reducing threats to Maugean skates and developed in consultation with the NRE Threatened Species Unit. NRE Tas has worked hard to provide a balanced approach in providing protection for this important species while still allowing some netting access for local fishers. This includes some night netting to catch flounder.

The changes are interim measures to address increasing concerns about the Maugean skate. Further consultation on Macquarie Harbour netting will take

place next year during a statewide review of the scalefish rules.

Management actions are also being progressed for the two commercial scalefisher endorsements holders in Macquarie Harbour.

Garfish closure now includes recreational fishers

Seasonal spawning closures for garfish will apply to recreational fishers for the first time from 15 November 2022.

The closures have applied to the commercial fishery for several years because garfish is classified as a depleted species.

There are two separate closure periods, both now applying to recreational and commercial fishers:

15 January - 14 February All waters north of a line from Cape Grim east to Cape Naturaliste (the same as the North Coast squid closure area)

15 November -

14 December All waters south of the above line.

The closure has been declared for three years.

The closures are a precautionary measure aiming to restrain catch and limit disturbance during part of the peak spawning activity to help maintain garfish stocks into the future.

Fishers may not take or possess of any species of garfish in state waters during the closed period. Need more information?

Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app Go to fishing.tas.gov.au or facebook.com/ FisheriesTasmania

Phone: 1300 720 647 or 03 6165 3233

Email: fishing.enquiries@nre.tas.gov.au

Areas closed for all garfishing over Summer.

CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY. CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY. BOATWISE? BOATWISE?

ARE YOU DODGY BOATWISE? ARE YOU DODGY BOATWISE?

CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY. CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY.