Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 093 2011 August by Tasmanian Fishing

Issue 93 August - September 2011

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027

HUGE TROUT ISSUE

IFS News Great Lake Tyenna River Lake Crescent Lake Dulverton Stocking Tables Regulation Changes Derwent Sea Runners Back to Basics Flood Fishing Mayflies Casting Kayaks

Stuart Cottrell gets excited with this seven pound trout. Read heaps of exciting trout news inside.

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8 18 25 32 My Say Wow, what an issue. This is the biggest issue we have done. I don’t know how many words are in here, but it must be a lot. I would particularly like to thanks the Inland Fisheries Service for their contribution to this issue. We had a meeting with them some time ago asking for their input and expertise in areas we can’t cover. IFS and all their staff really put in, and largely thanks to them we have a bumper issue. So not only do we have some of the best fishing information ever, we also have a whole lot of background to go with it. Interestingly, we have nothing on Four Springs in this issue. It is an extraordinary fishery and some big fish will be caught there on opening day. We have concentrated on a range of other waters though and maybe you will visit one of them.

Inland Fisheries Service News Lake Dulverton Returns Monster Lake Crescent Trout Improving Fishing Access Trout Stocking Information and Tables Trout Regulation Changes From Flathead to Trout Back to Basics – Trout on Bait — Tod Lambert Tyenna River — Matt Byrne Derwent Sea Runners — Justin Causby Preparation — Christopher Bassano Great Lake from the Shore — Craig Rist Flood Fishing — Peter Broomhall Jan’s Flies — Jan Spencer Successful Techniques — Joe Riley River Mayflies — Daniel Hackett Fly Rods and Casting — Peter Hayes 46 and Great Tasmanian Kayak Spots — Craig Vertigan Old Two-Strokes are Bad — Gary Fooks Marine Fishery News Fishing, boating and accommodation services directory For me, one of the waters that pops up on the radar is Lake Crescent. Take a look on page 8 at the monster fish the IFS netted during survey work. Turbidity is at the lowest level for years and with big trout cruising the edges it may be a sleeper. We also have a ‘Back to Basics’ trout article, which is designed to help first time trout anglers, and there is also a short article ‘From Flathead to Trout’ which the IFS hope will encourage marine anglers to give fresh water a try. There is a distinct lack of marine fishing, but that will come back next issue. Finally, I really appreciate and thank all our writers and their fabulous work. They never fail to come up with topical and comprehensive stories. Please enjoy this issue - now I am off fishing. Mike Stevens

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News

Published by Michael Stevens PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250. Ph/fax; 6331 1278 Email; mike@tasfish.com Advertising: Quenton Higgs - 0427 129 949 Stevens Publishing, ABN 79 095 217 299

All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027

For Subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com or phone 0418 129949

4 5 8 9 12 14 16 18 22 25 29 32 37 41 42 44 55 48 51 56 58

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Fishing News - Page 3

Inland Fisheries News This is the Season for Trout Fishing in Tasmania There’s never been a better time to go trout fishing in Tasmania and no better time than now to renew or buy your angling licence! With plenty of water, sustained lake levels and reinvigorated fisheries, it’s shaping up to be a

bumper early season – the best in years! And with all-year-round fishing at less than 20 cents per day (cheaper with discounts), a full season licence offers the best value for money, especially if you go fishing early in the season. So what more incentives do you need? After all, Tasmania is the home of trout fishing in Australia – in fact it’s the birthplace of trout in the Southern Hemisphere. Our unique natural environment and abundant inland waters have provided the perfect habitat for trout since 1864, and now we’ve got plenty of them – big wild ones! Tasmania is famous for its world class wild trout fishery, premium highland lakes with quality fish and pristine wilderness waters with bigger fish. But it’s also known for its rivers, having an excellent sea-run trout fishery and superb lowland streams teeming with smaller fish. And it offers a unique diversity,

capturing this variety of fishing experiences from a wilderness fly fishing challenge to a safe family fishing adventure, all within striking distance of your back door! And if you’re unsure about the cost, rest assured that your licence money goes direct to managing the fishery. So it’s not just a ticket to relax and enjoy the best trout fishing of your life this season but an investment in the future sustainability of the fishery. From all of us at the Inland Fisheries Service, we wish you a fantastic fishing season this year.

John Diggle, Director of Inland Fisheries

Tasmanian inland fisheries - resurrected, reinvigorated and rejuvenated!

a result of the unprecedented rains, raising and maintaining water levels in Tasmania’s rivers and lakes over the past two years, many well known fisheries have been reinvigorated. Others have been resurrected and the entire fishery has been rejuvenated – flushed with new life. Anglers should have a huge choice of clean, clear waters this season, as well as easy access to boat ramps, and excellent numbers of well conditioned trout. The fishery is now in prime condition and the coming season is predicted to be one of the best for many years. A number of Tasmanian inland fisheries suffered significantly from extended drought conditions during the mid to late 1990s. Several important ones in the South and East, namely Craigbourne Dam, Tooms Lake, Lake Leake and Lake Dulverton, had been on the brink of non-existence and the future of one of the State’s premium highland waters, Arthurs Lake, was hanging in the balance. Still other fisheries, particularly a few of the premium waters in the Central Highlands like Penstock and Little Pine lagoons, and Woods Lake faced increased angling pressure due to the diminished options caused by the drought.

Craigbourne Dam

In the winter of 2009, the State received higher than average rainfalls, refilling lakes and increasing river flows in most catchments. The wet conditions persisted, maintaining water levels and keeping shallow fresh ground inundated. This enabled weed beds to re-grow and aquatic life to flourish, assisting the natural recruitment of trout populations and improving the condition of fish at many waters.

After being full in 2005-06, Craigbourne Dam dropped dramatically. The Service ceased stocking it by the end of the season, and by 2008-09 it was almost empty. The number of anglers corresponded with this decline. In 2005-06, an estimated 2,160 anglers fished at Craigbourne, the second highest number on record for this water, but in 2008-09, the number had plummeted to 234.

The quick return of water levels at Craigbourne Dam, and Tooms, Leake and Dulverton – to the point of spilling – provided a key starting point for the Service to re-establish these fisheries by boosting depleted trout stocks. The Service focused immediately on stocking these waters to speed up the process of recovery and capitalise on the optimal conditions. This also went for selected rivers, such as the Coal River, once a well reputed fishery, which had been brought back to life by renewed water flows.

In July 2009, the Service recommenced stocking Craigbourne Dam after nearly a three year break. Adult brown trout transferred from the highlands were used to kick-start the fishery and the stocking of ex-brood stock Atlantic salmon over the following months, re-enthused anglers. The stocking effort continued with juvenile rainbow and brown trout also being added to provide new stocks and underpin the growth of the fishery for the next few years.

Although the total number of licence holders in the State remained relatively constant over the period of the drought and since, the pattern of angler visitation changed. The statistics on angler visitation reflect the health of individual fisheries, corresponding to the fall and rise in status. This data on angler visitation are collected by the Service through its Annual Postal Survey, which is analysed each year to help monitor the effectiveness of fishery management. The following reports on Craigbourne Dam, Tooms Lake and Arthurs Lake, illustrate the changes in visitation and demonstrate the impact of the drought and subsequent fishery management. Fishing News - Page 4

A huge change in water levels has seen Arthurs go from a dust bowl to a rejuvenated fishery.

The resurgence of interest in Craigbourne was immediate and pronounced, with an estimated 2,150 anglers returning to fish there during the 2009-10 season. This was a significant turnaround from the low of 2008-09, approaching the previous highs of 2004-05 and 2005-06. It demonstrates the importance of this water for southern anglers who rely on the fishery to provide angling close to Hobart and supports the stocking of Atlantic salmon as a major drawcard.

Tooms Lake Tooms Lake was a popular fishery from 2001-02 producing solid catch rates of good sized brown and rainbow trout. During the height of its popularity from

2002-03 to 2004-05, the fishery was visited by more than 2,700 anglers, but it too suffered significantly during the drought period. Stocking ceased there in early 2006 and with very poor inflows, it is unlikely there was any significant natural recruitment. The low water levels caused blue-green algae blooms and the populations of both species of trout declined dramatically in condition and numbers. By 2008-09, the number of anglers visiting Tooms had dropped to an estimated 130. The Service began to restock Tooms after its flooding abated in October 2009. Rainbow trout yearlings and brown trout fingerlings were released, followed by the stocking of adult browns in autumn 2010. The stocking effort has continued since then in order to rebuild stocks of both species and although the fishery has greatly improved, it may still require another season or two before resident trout populations have returned to the levels of the mid 2000s. In the meantime, catch rates should continue to rise. An estimated 1,000 anglers fished Tooms last season and good catches were reported. It is likely that many more anglers will there this season, particularly given the knowlege that a further 1,000 adult brown trout have been stocked in the last few months.

Arthurs Lake Arthurs Lake, which has been the State’s most popular fishery over the past decade, suffered from a serious decline in water volume from 2006 to 2009. Boating became difficult due to the low water

........ continued from previous page levels, and poor water quality and a loss in fish condition, were a deterrent to anglers. There was a subsequent drop in the number of anglers from 10,666 in 2006-07 to 6,756 in 2008-09 and the proportion of the total number of anglers visiting Arthurs dropped significantly during this period. However, Arthurs Lake needed no restocking, only water to increase its popularity again. Higher water levels over the past two seasons have been enough to improve the condition of fish in the lake and there are signs that natural recruitment has been sufficient to maintain trout stocks. Importantly the Service and Hydro Tasmania signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last season, setting a higher level for minimum draw down of the lake which should help ensure the lake is not dewatered to the same extent seen in 2008. An estimated 9,586 anglers returned to Arthurs last season, securing the Lake’s reputation as the State’s number one fishery.

Lake Dulverton Restoration and Resurrection

Lake Dulverton, February 2011

Once

a prime trophy water, Lake Dulverton has suffered significantly from periods of drought since the 1980’s and has dried up on several occasions since then. Most recently, only the small ‘coffer dam’ – the small section at the base of the main lake – remained as an aquatic refuge. Then, after nearly 15 years, the dry main lake bed was resurrected with the drought breaking rains in 2009 and the Inland Fisheries Service began restocking it. Now, having sustained water levels over the last two seasons and supporting plenty of fish, a reinvigorated Lake Dulverton is open for business this season. Being a shallow natural lagoon situated in the dry sandstone midlands of Tasmania, evaporation

and seepage have always been a problem at Lake Dulverton. This has not deterred the residents of Oatlands, however, since the township was first settled in the 1800’s from claiming the lake as a valuable freshwater resource.

Lake Dulverton in 1920, from the north eastern shore looking back towards Oatlands, taken by Mr Thomas Dazeley and supplied by the Oatlands Historical Society. averaging in the 2-3 kg size range. It then began to dry up and by the mid 1990s, the lake had become unfishable and only the coffer dam, which was supplied by bore water, remained.

Apart from its other recreational and irrigation values, Lake Dulverton’s fishery began with the first release of trout as early as 1892. By the 1920’s it was renowned for producing trophy brown trout. Thus began the fishery’s boom and bust history as it responded to periods of inundation, featuring exceptional growth rates of stocked fish due to the natural abundance of food.

Despite this, in the mid 1990s, the Oatlands High School established an aquaculture centre on the site of the old rowing shelter. It supplied young rainbow trout in the 100 - 1,000 g weight range through to 1996, which were released into the coffer dam for the locals to catch. These stockings, along with additional stock from the Salmon Ponds, proved most effective with fish subsequently caught at over 2 kg in weight.

For instance, in 1960 and 1975, the Lake overflowed and the fishery was in prime condition through until the late 1980s producing quality fish

With no natural recruitment, the fishery has always been maintained by stocking. Over the years, it has received a variety of stock including

With excellent rainfall, reinvigorated fisheries, improved access and a bigger choice of quality fishing spots the incentives to sign up are bigger than ever this season. Renew or buy your angling licence online at www.ifs.tas.gov.au or visit your nearest tackle store or Service Tasmania shop.

0011

How big are tHe incentives to go trout fisHing tHis season?

Fishing News - Page 5

juvenile brown trout (wild stock reared by the Service), wild brown trout adults transferred from Arthurs Lake, domestic adult brook and rainbow trout, and even tiger trout (surplus display fish from the Salmon Ponds). Over the past three years, it has been stocked with 2,724 brown, rainbow and brook trout in a range of age classes (see the table opposite). Due to the natural abundance of food in the lake, primarily shrimp, snails and other invertebrates, a majority of these fish will have grown significantly by now, possibly reaching up to 2.5 kg. Hence, this fishery should produce good quality eating fish, and being situated on the outskirts of Oatlands and close to the Midlands Highway, Lake Dulverton is a valuable and accessible boutique water. It is best fished early in the season in case low rainfall and high evaporation rates over the summer take their toll on water levels.

The Restoration and Revival of Lake Dulverton Local angler, Kerry Mancey remembers the epic fishing at Lake Dulverton during the 60s, 70s and 80s, and hopes for a return of the good old days. He started fishing there in 1961 with his dad, Finn Mancey, who was the Secretary-Treasurer of the local angling club during its prosperous years. At aged 7, he caught his first trout – a 2 lb 12 oz brown – on a redfin wobbler. He has kept detailed angling records over the years and introduced a good number of people to trout fishing, including his own son James, who caught his first fish – a 7.5 lb rainbow – at the age of five. Here’s what Kerry had to say about fishing at Lake Dulverton, his memories of the past and predictions for the coming season.

‘When I started fishing, there wasn’t much weed in the lake but later it grew so thick that anglers would

Kerry Mancey in his shop in Oatlands with a cast of one of the brown trout he caught at Lake Dulverton in the 1980s. cut a patch of it using a hand scythe to create their own personal fishing hole. They used frogs as bait back then and it took a fair amount of skill to flick the frog to the back of the hole, then once the fish struck, to keep the tension on and stop it from getting into the weeds. With quite a few fish in the 6-7 lb bracket, it made for exciting fishing! ‘My best season was in 1976-77 when I caught 57 fish with an average weight of 4.5 lb for a total of 50 hours of fishing. On a typical evening of two or three hours fishing, I’d catch four or five fish each weighing four to five pounds! And they were good quality fish too – adult brown trout transferred from Arthurs Lake which was overstocked at the time. ‘The release of these Arthurs’ adult browns from Hydro Creek continued through the 70s and 80s.

Dad and I fished a lot during that time and we caught a lot of fish! We’d often have to give fish away to friends because there was no more room in the fridge! One night in August 1981, I went to Mars Point and started fishing at midnight. I fished for 50 minutes, caught three fish between 3-4.5 lbs. I’d cleaned them and was home in bed by 1.10 am! The biggest trout I ever caught in the lake was in 1987 and it weighed 9.3 lb (4.15 kg with a length of 685 mm). ‘The lake’s always produced magnificent fish because of the mass of food there. It’s a case of ‘dry food – just add water’! As soon as it fills, the shrimp just flourish and the fish clean them up. The stocked fish grow quickly up to about 5.5-6 lb and then their growth levels out.

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‘For example, in July 1988 about 200 fingerling wild brown trout of about 140 mm were released and by February the following year, they’d grown to 400 mm. In May of the same year, 70 adult brook trout weighing around 2 lb were released. I know for a fact that they were all caught by locals not long after the season opened at nearly 4.5 lb! They had very red flesh and were excellent eating – a true table fish. ‘Within days of the lake filling from the rains in 2009, the shrimp were blooming after 15 years of being dry in places. I filled a jar with a scoop of lake water to show a group of school kids and it was full of shrimp. On the same day, 6,000 young rainbows were released and I reckon they’d easily be about 5 lb by now! ‘I expect this season to be very good. The recent rainfall of about 90 mm has lifted water levels on both sides of the lake by around 300 mm and further rises are predicted. This should ensure enough water to cover us for this summer period. Plus the food chain for fish is now getting well established and we will see excellent growth rates, particularly for the new stocks that have just arrived. They’ve got plenty of water and more feed, so they should grow very quickly and produce quality fish for anglers’ bags.

Date

Number

Age

Source

Species

08/10/2009

6,000

Yearling

rainbow trout

21/10/2009

Yearling

rainbow trout

Domestic Diploid

900

21/10/2009

259

Yearling

brook trout

Domestic Diploid

600

28/06/2010 13/09/2010

370 1,000

Adult Fingerling

brown trout rainbow trout

Wild Diploid 800 Domestic Triploid 80

12/01/2011

10,000

Fingerling

rainbow trout

Domestic Triploid 20

06/05/2011

2,500

Fingerling

rainbow trout

Domestic Triploid 10

25/05/2011

140

Adult

brown trout

Wild

Diploid

1,000

27/05/2011

160

Adult

brown trout

Wild

Diploid

1,000

20/6/2011

5,000

Yearling

Rainbow trout

Domestic Triploid 200

20/6/2011

4,500

Fingering

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Fishing News - Page 7

Monster trout

The recovery of Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent brown trout captured in the May 2011 Annual Carp Survey.

Once

regarded as a trophy fishery, the status of Lake Crescent slowly declined after the discovery of carp (Cyprinus carpio) in 1995, and repeated extreme drought and low water levels caused a significant decline in trout populations. The establishment of carp in Lake Crescent not only posed a risk to the trout through the destruction of suitable habitat and decreased water quality, but also had the potential to outcompete the threatened Golden galaxias (Galaxias auratus). As a result, Lake Crescent was immediately closed from the public in 1995 and intensive fishing strategies were implemented in an attempt to

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control the spread of carp. By 2007, only one carp was caught, and all evidence suggests this pest has been completely eradicated from this lake. Continued monitoring is still occurring, but so far no carp have turned up and things are looking positive. Lake Crescent was officially re-opened in 2005, but the number of returning anglers was minimal. A combination of low water quality, as well as the reduced trout population is likely to have discouraged people from returning back to this lake. However all is not lost and Lake Crescent is continuing to show increasing signs of improvement. Since the extreme low water levels in 2008, the average total turbidity of Lake Crescent has improved considerably. This is likely to be a direct result of the dilution by clear inflows and some flushing of suspended sediments down the Clyde River.

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Currently, the water quality of Lake Crescent is the best it’s been for the past 10 years (See Figure 1). The expected high water levels this coming season combined with flushing flows this winter, should contribute further to improving water quality in the lake and help speed the rate of recovery of the fishery.

What is even more exciting for anglers were the results of the annual carp survey conducted in March 2011. It turned up a healthy number of outstandingly conditioned brown and rainbow trout, ranging from 2-4kg. This should entice a greater number of anglers back to Lake Crescent this season. There is also a lot of clear water in the back marshes of the wetlands, providing ideal areas for anglers this coming season. These marshes harbour a range of food items for trout, from frogs and galaxiids to a variety of aquatic invertebrates. The service is currently working to re-establish Lake Crescent as a trophy fishery through a conservative stocking program. In the past few months, 5000 diploid brown and 5000 triploid rainbow trout have been released to this water. Taking into account the highly productive waters of the lake, it should not be long before these fish become worthy adversaries on light line! This boost in recruitment in conjunction with increased water quality and overall productivity is bringing Lake Crescent a step closer to its former glory. Lake Crescent is open in line with the brown trout season from 6 August 2011 to 29 April 2012, and from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. It is open to artificial lure and fly fishing with a minimum fish size limit of 220 mm and a maximum daily bag limit of five fish.

800

Total turbidity (NTU)

700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

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Date

Figure 1. The downward trend of total turbidity in Lake Crescent (2008-2011).

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Improving Fishery Access for Cars, Boats and Anglers in the State (behind Arthurs and Great Lake) with consistent catch rates of well conditioned wild brown trout in a range of size classes. With high water levels this season, Woods should continue to attract high visitation and anglers are reminded to drive to the conditions of the road and respect other road users.

Enhancing the values of fisheries by improving access through the development, upgrade or maintenance of infrastructure is an ongoing job for the Inland Fisheries Service. This includes work on vehicle access roads, car parks, boat ramps and dam walls as well as signage at popular lakes but also covers the installation of gates, fence stiles, foot bridges and access signs at important river fisheries. The work often involves joint projects with other government organisations, corporations, community groups and individual landholders.

Road access This year, the Woods Lake road received annual maintenance with assistance from Hydro Tasmania, which included grading and potholing to ensure its continued use by 2WD vehicles and cater for the Lake’s increased popularity. The initial upgrade of the road from high clearance 4WD to 2WD in 2005-06 resulted in a sharp rise in angler visitation and its discovery as a premium wild fishery. It’s now well established as the third most popular water

Also receiving attention was Fisheries Lane to No. 1 Weir at Brumbys Creek. The road was severely rutted with large potholes holding significant volumes of water after two wet seasons. This required a significant investment to bring it up to standard. The Service supplied 600 tonnes of road base, and with the assistance and support of Northern Midlands Council, the road was potholed, graded and reformed. The large amount of material used will mean that only grading will be required in future years. More recently, access to Penstock Lagoon and Four Springs Lake was improved. Forestry Tasmania assisted in coordinating the work at Four Springs which involved the resurfacing and grading of the last 1.5 km of the access

Maintenance work at Fisheries Lane, Brumbys Creek road and the removal of a number of tree stumps from the road verges. The access road to the camping, parking and boat ramp areas at the northern end of Penstock Lagoon was resurfaced and drainage improved. MAST funded the resurfacing of the boat ramp with all work completed in time for the start of the season.

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Fishing News - Page 9

Boat launching Also in time for this season, the four major launching sites at Great Lake received major upgrades. Ramps at Brandum, Swan and Cramps bays have been extended by 25 linear metres to ensure the ramps are functional through the majority of the lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operating range. Improvements to parking, access and drainage were also completed, and the parking area at Tods Corner was extended, gravelled and groomed. Minor works were undertaken to minimise a navigation hazard from the toe of the Little Pine Lagoon ramp and to improve the Pine Tier Lagoon ramp, while more major work was undertaken at the Arthurs Lake Dam Wall ramp. This involved an extension of the rock groyne to provide better protection in northerly winds and the installation of a navigation light to assist anglers returning on or after dusk. Design options for a pontoon or landing at this ramp are now being considered. Work to widen the ramp and construct a new landing at Four Springs Lake is planned for completion early in the season. This work is in response to the growing popularity of this water and the improved performance of the fishery. Planning and funding arrangements for future works continue to be a focus for the Service and its key partners, Hydro Tasmania and MAST. The three organisations have developed a Boating Infrastructure Plan for the State to provide a long term strategy for the continued improvement of boating facilities at inland waters. The plan prioritises those waters which currently have high boat usage or future

potential to increase boat usage. Works are designed to maintain and improve existing facilities and further develop agreed sites. For instance, the need for a major upgrade of the Bronte Lagoon boat ramp, including the construction of a pontoon or landing, was identified for the 2011-12 financial year. Funding has now been secured from MASTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recreational Boating Fund and this work will commence later this season.

River access With the recent completion of the Meander River angler access project, the Service and Anglers Alliance Tasmania have now finished five major and two smaller access projects on Tasmanian rivers. Examples of onground works include installing gates, styles, foot bridges and signs, as well as removing angling hazards such as willows at designated river access points. Besides the Meander, these projects cover the Leven, Macquarie, Lake and North Esk rivers, and Brumbys Creek as well as the Huon River in the South. Projects on the Derwent and Tyenna rivers are planned to start this season. This river access work, begun in 2007, has resulted in significant benefits to anglers, opening up stretches of premium angling water that were previously difficult to access across private and crown land. Most of the rivers involve short travelling times from major population centres and are not subject to the variable weather of the highlands. They provide experienced anglers with an excellent return for effort, whilst still offering a challenge

Foot bridge installation on the Macquarie River.

Boat ramp extension at Swan Bay, Great Lake. but they also provide those new to the sport with an opportunity to experience trout fishing without the need to invest in expensive equipment.

Angler Access brochures for each of the rivers described above are available at local tackle stores or the IFS website at www.ifs.tas.gov.au.

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JIG: The revolutionary Sephia Egixile jig is the first key component to this system. Shimano developed 3 colour schemes to cover different environments, “natural” for general presentations, “shrimp/prawn” when squid require a more realistic presentation, and “Keimura” in deeper water or lower light conditions. The intuitive “Keimura” cloth is activated by UV light. UV light travels further in the water column than sunlight to give your jig more presence and glow where sunlight cannot reach. The jigs are available in 3 sizes (2.5, 3.0 & 3.5) with varied sink rates. Sephia Egixile jigs can also be easily stored in two models of simple, non-tangle and see-through (for quick, easy identification) Egi cases. The cases come in small and medium sizes to fit all size jigs. ROD: The second key component is the Sephia range of specialised Egi rods. Featuring four models made specifically to fish all sizes of the Egi jig range, the rods are rated for use with 3 to 6kg line and come in lengths from 2.08 metres to a perfect landbased length of 2.51 metres. The rods are built on a high-modulus graphite blank, feature extra-hard EVA split butt assembly, Egi “keeper”, Sea Guide components and attractive aluminium winding checks. REEL: The third key component is the Stradic Ci4 1000F ML. The “ML” stands for “Micro Line”, meaning that this reel features a shallow spool ideal for Egi fishing. The body is made from proprietary Shimano Ci4 technology which will deliver one of the lightest combos available once paired with a Sephia Egi rod. The reel weighs in at a diminutive 165 grams, has a retrieve of 6.0:1 (74 cm per handle crank) and has no less than 7 Shimano bearings. If you are looking to master squid fishing, look no further for the best in squid angling equipment than the Shimano Egi System!

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Fishing News - Page 11 8/07/11 10:19 AM

Stocking Trout Enhancing Tasmania’s fisheries

Fish

stocking is a common practice in managing trout fisheries throughout the world and has been used in Tasmania since trout were first introduced in 1864 to create and sustain fisheries. Despite the fact that Tasmania’s trout fishery is based on sustainable populations of wild trout, stocking is still an important management tool. It is used primarily in waters that are not self-sustaining, where there’s little or no natural recruitment or for particular promotional purposes. The fish stock used in Tasmania are either the progeny of wild fish reared at the Inland Fisheries Service New Norfolk hatchery, domestic stock from commercial fish farms or wild fish transferred between waters. The type and size of fish stocked depends on the management prescriptions for individual waters, which is based on the Tasmanian Inland Recreational Fishery Management Plan 2008-18 and the annual stocking program. The State Plan outlines the general principles underpinning the stockings and provides specific guidance on the stocking strategy for most trout fisheries. It sets out the broad rules for stocking in relation to species, rate of stocking, frequency of stocking and strain of fish. It is used as the basis for a more detailed stocking plan produced each year which drives hatchery production and guides the procurement of domestic fish. The Service built a modern hatchery in New Norfolk to replace the previous operations at the Salmon Ponds. It has enabled increased production of wild fish stock and allowed the Service to grow the fish to a larger size. Prior to this, the Service was constrained in the size of fish that could be grown and stocked. Most could only be grown to 1 to 5 grams before the trout needed to be removed from the Salmon Ponds and released. The Salmon Ponds, whilst an idyllic location was not ideal for raising fish. High summer temperatures and low flows caused annual problems with water quality and fish production suffered as a result. The New Norfolk hatchery not only allows fish to be grown to larger sizes but enables the Service to match the size of the fish to the needs of the receiving water.

with fingerlings (5 to 50 g) in order to achieve the same number of fish surviving to catchable size. The target of 20 g is used to optimise the survival and minimise residence time in the hatchery. The State Plan sets out the principle of stocking wild brown, rainbow and brook trout fisheries in the Central Highlands only with ‘wild’ trout, fish sourced

Currently, rainbow trout, brook trout and Atlantic salmon are sourced from commercial fish farms. They are known as domestic strains, having been selectively bred for optimal growth and are generally used to supplement stocks in ‘put and grow’ or ‘put and take’ fisheries where recruitment is minimal. The Atlantic salmon are generally ex-brood stock that are no longer required for commercial production and are provided by industry enterprises, primarily Saltas, Springfield Fisheries, Petuna Aquaculture and Tassal. The focus by the Service on its own production of wild strains has also led to an increase production of triploid wild fish in recent years. Last year, the Service imported a hyperbaric chamber from France, which is specially designed for producing triploid trout. A triploid trout is a trout that carries an additional set of chromosomes in their cells. The number of chromosomes is increased artificially from two sets to three, just after fertilisation when the cells begin to multiply in the egg. The triploiding process results in the mature fish becoming sterile. This is a benefit for fishery management because sterile triploid fish have increased growth rates once they reach maturity because the energy that would normally be used to produce reproductive

IFS Stocking List from 1 January to 30 June 2011 a.

Wild brown trout fry stockings Water Third Lagoon Lake Chipman Pawleena Dam Beaconsfield Dams Big Lagoon Total

Date Jan‐11 Jan‐11 Jan‐11 Feb‐11 Feb‐11

Number 500 1,500 1,000 1,000 1,000 5,000

Origin New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk

Strain Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Genotype Weight (g) Diploid 3 Diploid 3 Diploid 3 Diploid 4 Diploid 4

Number 6,500 5,000 2,000 7,000 23,000 5,000 10,000 10,000 15,000 10,000 4,000 4,500 102,000

Origin New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk

Strain Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Genotype Weight (g) Diploid 7 Diploid 10 Diploid 10 Diploid 18 Diploid 20 Diploid 20 Diploid 20 Diploid 20 Diploid 20 Diploid 22 Diploid 30 Diploid 30

Number 106 350 300 50 50 50 100 100 50 50 140 1,000 1,000 160 300 3,806

Origin Laughing Jack Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Mountain Creek Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal Liawenee Canal

Strain Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Genotype Weight (g) Diploid 600 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000 Diploid 1,000

b. Wild brown trout fingerling stockings Water Rileys Creek Reservoir Crescent Lake Oatlands Water Supply Dam Lake Binney Bradys Lake Coal River Macquarie River Brushy Lagoon Craigbourne Dam Break O Day River Tooms Lake Lake Dulverton Total

Date Mar‐11 Mar‐11 Mar‐11 Jan‐11 Jan‐11 Feb‐11 Mar‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 Jun‐11 Jun‐11

Wild brown trout adult stockings Water Bradys Lake Lake Botsford Carters Lake Lake Paget Second Lagoon Camerons Lagoon Rocky Lagoon Bruisers Lagoon Lake Lynch Lake Duncan Lake Dulverton Four Springs Lake Tooms Lake Lake Dulverton Pawleena Dam Total

For instance, if there are populations of redfin perch in the receiving water, then larger sizes of juvenile trout need to be grown, usually to a minimum size of 20 g. For waters that have no redfin perch, this size can be reduced to less than 5 g. However, if adult trout are present in large numbers there will be some loss due to predation. Generally, the larger the size of the juvenile fish stocked, the greater the survival rate. So, up to ten times the number of fry (1 to 5 g) may be needed compared Fishing News - Page 12

directly from the wild or first generation progeny. The latter are mostly juvenile trout raised from ova collected from adult spawning runs at Great Lake or Arthurs Lake. This is now achievable with the output of wild brown and rainbow trout generated from the Services’ New Norfolk hatchery. Prior to the new hatchery, the Service often relied on stocks of trout from commercial hatcheries, apart from brown trout which are not a commercially utilised fish species (as is law in Tasmania).

Date May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 May‐11 Jun‐11

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organs is redirected to body tissue. Also, since sterile fish do not spawn, they do not experience stresses associated with spawning such as loss of condition after spawning or becoming ‘egg bound’. The aim of the Service, therefore, is to use triploid fish in waters that do not provide for natural spawning and where natural recruitment is minimal or non-existent, and for developing trophy fisheries in the future. Waters currently planned to receive triploid trout include Lake Crescent, Penstock Lagoon, Curries River Dam, Four Springs Lake, Blackmans Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Big Waterhouse Lake, Little Waterhouse Lake, Lake Dudley, Lake Chipman, Tooms Lake and Little Blue Lagoon.

Tackle Up for the trout season Now at a new address - just across the road. Better parking and access. Well known in the tackle industry, Tom Crawford is the new manager and regardless of what you fish for or where, the team can help.

Trout night Thursday 28th July

Trout fry just released into the Western Lakes d. Wild rainbow trout fry stockings Water Date Lake Chipman Jan‐11 Lake Mackintosh Mar‐11 Little Blue Lagoon Jan‐11 Oatlands Water Supply Dam Mar‐11 Rileys Creek Reservoir Mar‐11 Waratah dams Mar‐11 Total e.

Genotype Triploid Diploid Triploid Diploid Diploid Diploid

Weight (g) 1 5 1 5 4 5

Date Feb‐11 Jun‐11 May‐11 Apr‐11 Jun‐11 Jun‐11 Feb‐11 Mar‐11 Mar‐11

Number 10,000 10,000 5,000 60,000 40,000 5,000 20,000 10,000 5,000 165,000

Origin New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk

Strain Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Genotype Diploid Triploid Triploid Diploid Diploid Triploid Diploid Triploid Diploid

Weight (g) 7 12 12 10 10 16 7 6 7

Number 5,000 5,000 5,000 14,000 8,000 2,000 5,000 2,500 10,000 5,000 10,000 6,000 1,000 3,000 5,000 2,000 3,000 91,500

Origin Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries Springfield Fisheries

Strain Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic

Genotype Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Diploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid

Weight (g) 20 7 20 20 30 7 20 10 20 20 20 10 20 20 20 7 20

Number 320 1,100 5,000 3,300 330 900 750 11,700

Origin Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries Petuna Seafoods Springfield Fisheries

Strain Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic

Genotype Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid

Weight (g) 300 120 200 120 300 500 1,500

End of Season game specials All Halco game lures $15. All Pizzhead game lure $20. Wilson Game rods at heavily reduced prices.

Domestic rainbow trout fingerling stockings Date Jan‐11 Apr‐11 Jan‐11 Jan‐11 Mar‐11 Apr‐11 Feb‐11 May‐11 Jan‐11 Jan‐11 Jan‐11 May‐11 Feb‐11 Jan‐11 Feb‐11 Apr‐11 Jan‐11

Manager, Tom Crawford showing his style.

Domestic rainbow trout adult stockings Water Beaconsfield Dams Brushy Lagoon Lake Dulverton Lake Leake Pioneer Mine Hole Craigbourne Dam Four Springs Lake Total

Strain Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Water Big Waterhouse Lake Blackmans Lagoon Blackmans Lagoon Brushy Lagoon Brushy Lagoon Derby Mine Hole Guide Dam Lake Dulverton Lake Dulverton Lake Lauriston Lake Leake Lake Mikany Lake Waverley Little Waterhouse Lake Pet Dam Pioneer Mine Hole Pioneer Mine Hole Total g.

Origin New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk New Norfolk

Wild rainbow trout fingerling stockings Water Bronte Lagoon Curries River Dam Four Springs Lake Great Lake Great Lake Lake Crescent Lake Rowallan Penstock Lagoon River Leven Total

Number 1,500 15,000 3,000 3,000 15,000 5,000 42,500

Representatives from Halco, Strike Pro, Austackle, Tasmanian Devil and PFD Inflatable jackets will all be present on the night. There will be a huge range of specials both on the night and trout season opening. 10 new colours of Tassie Devils will be launched on the night. Fly n Dry waders $220. 20% off Blue Eye sunglasses. Bookings essential - phone now. Open until late 28th July.

Date Mar‐11 Mar‐11 Jun‐11 Mar‐11 Mar‐11 Jan‐11 Feb‐11

‘Live to Fish’

Shop 4/14 Channel Highway Kingston Gateway Complex Kingston, Tas, 7050 P:6227 2400 E:sales@tackleus.net.au

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Fishing News - Page 13

Trout Fishing Regulation Changes for the 2011-12 Season

ollowing a review of the Inland Fisheries Regulations last year, there have been a number of changes to the rules and regulations governing the inland recreational fishery, which come into affect this season. In general, these changes will benefit anglers. Many redundant and often confusing regulations, which have been in place for a long time, have been removed and other changes will increase the options for anglers. While a number of changes have been merely administrative, including the omission of duplicated regulations, there are a few that may directly affect where and how you fish this season. These are summarised below and details are also provided in the 2011-12 Fishing Code, which is free with your angling licence. Anglers are reminded to check the Code carefully before fishing. 1. Lake Huntsman will open all year round with angling times remaining at one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Lake Gordon, meanwhile, will revert back to being a brown trout water, opening and closing in line with the brown trout season. The Service has a policy to limit the number of all year waters to eight and Lake Huntsman affords better access to a greater number of anglers than Lake Gordon, and is more sheltered, providing a far better winter fishing option. 2. Angling times at Brushy Lagoon and Craigbourne Dam have been limited to one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. These new restrictions are to support and protect land management authorities and land owners, by reducing the potential for irresponsible behaviour that has occurred there in the past.

Lake Huntsman will open all year round from this season. 3. All canals and associated waters at Bronte Lagoon, Bradys Lake and River Derwent at Lake St Clair will now open and close in line with the brown trout season. This will bring these waters in line with the adjacent major waters and remove any confusion over opening times, while providing additional fishing opportunities without any real impact on the fishery.

4. A range of waters that were once closed to fishing at all times are now open in line with the brown trout season. Their closure is no longer justifiable and the changes will avoid confusion and allow additional fishing opportunities. These waters include the Falls River between Russel Falls and the Tyenna River, waters flowing into Lake Gordon (except McPartlan Canal), waters flowing into Lake Pedder, St Marys Rivulet between TECHNOLOGY the white post 180 m up and down stream of NOT A MONOFILAMENT. NOT A BRAID. the main road bridge at T HE N E X T G E N E R AT IO N I N FI SHI NG LI NE St Marys, waters within the Warrawee Forest Reserve, and waters within a radius of 50 m where Agnews Creek and the canal flowing from Lake Sorell flow into Lake Crescent.

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5. The 50 metre no fishing zone around inflowing waters that was applicable to many areas will now apply only to Arthurs Lake, Dee Lagoon, Great Lake, Lake Leake and Lake Sorell. (Lake Sorell remains closed to fishing this season due to the requirements of the carp management program.) 6. The Mersey River above Lake Rowallan will now open and close in line with the rainbow trout season. This will integrate the rainbow waters of the Mersey River, Lake Rowallan and the upper section of the Mersey within the Western Lakes.

7. The River Leven above the Loongana Road Bridge will open and close in line with the rainbow trout season. This change will alleviate the previous confusion regarding season boundaries, while recognising this section of the River Leven as a significant rainbow trout water. 8. All special regulations relating to Coffee Creek (ie disabled and junior angling only) and Middle Myrtle Pond have been removed, as these waters are no longer managed as viable trout fisheries. 9. The provision for using a bush pole and for a juvenile angler using a handline in a coastal lagoon has been removed from the regulations as they were confusing and unnecessary. 10. The regulation for taking only two fish over 600 mm from the Pet and Guide dams has been removed as these waters are no longer stocked with Atlantic salmon or large trout. 11. There are new size and bag limits for Blackmans Lagoon, lakes Little Waterhouse, Big Waterhouse and Botsford. The minimum size limit for Blackmans Lagoon, Big Waterhouse and Little Waterhouse lakes has been increased to 300 mm and the bag limit has been lowered to five fish. Blackmans Lagoon also has a maximum size limit put in place with only two fish over 600 mm permitted. Lake Botsford has a new daily bag limit of one fish and a new minimum size limit of 500 mm. These changes provide additional protection for stocked fish and promote sustained catch rates throughout the whole fishing season. 12. Anglers may now continue to fish at a water once their daily bag limit has been reached, provided all fish over the bag limit are returned to that water. Previously, this regulation was inconsistent across a range of waters and therefore, confusing. This change will also assist in promoting the more contemporary practice of catch and release in all angling situations. 13. At Brumbys Creek weirs 1 and 3 the regulations now allow for the use of electric outboard motors or oars only when taking fish. This gives boating anglers the opportunity to reasonably manoeuvre their boat or even troll using an electric motor on weirs 1 and 3. 14. The boundary for the taking of bream (indigenous fish) on the River Derwent has been moved downstream to the Bridgewater Bridge. This effectively reduces the number of fishery management boundaries on the Derwent by combining the bream and year round fishing season boundaries to one location.

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Fishing News - Page 15

From

Flatheadto Trout It’s easier than you think When you get down to basics, there is not much difference between light tackle marine fishing and trout fishing, other than a few different rigs, lures or baits. Trout are found in most lakes and rivers in Tasmania and can be readily caught from the river bank, lake shore or by boat.

housands of Tasmanians participate in recreational line fishing each year with the majority fishing in marine waters. The most popular target species is flathead with Australian salmon also keenly sought.

Trolling with light gear (2-4 kg class) is a good way to begin trout fishing particularly if you have a boat under 6m and can troll dead slow. Most of the larger, more popular waters in the Central Highlands have boat ramps including Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Woods Lake, Bronte Lagoon and Lake Echo. The key is getting some timely advice on what to use, where and when. The best place to start is your local tackle store.

Tasmania has a dedicated group of over 23,000 anglers who trout fish each year, many of whom also fish in marine waters. However, a larger proportion of recreational anglers who fish in marine waters don’t go trout fishing. If you are one of these anglers, why not give trout fishing a go this season?

If you don’t have access to a boat, then rivers and lakes are your best options with the Derwent, Leven, South Esk and Mersey rivers - all excellent places to try. Worm fishing can be very effective early in the season with grasshoppers popular late. Again your local tackle store will know what works best.

If you do decide to give trout fishing a go, then you will need to buy an angling licence. A full season adult licence will cost you $68.50 and is valid from 1 August 2011 until 31 July 2012. This works out at less than 20 cents per day and there are significant discounts for pensioners, senior and juniors aged 14 – 17, while children under 14 fish for free. They are available to purchase on line via the Inland Fisheries website (www.ifs.tas.gov.au) where you can also check news and information, including stocking, seasons and regulations. Tackle stores and Service Tasmania shops also sell licences. All licence fees are retained by the IFS and used in the management of the trout fishery. That means that your licence money goes into stocking programs, infrastructure, roads, signage and protection of the fishery. With the breaking of the drought in 2009 and the good rains experienced since then, there has never been a better time to try trout fishing. Many fisheries are into their third year of recovery and are expected to reach peak condition early in the 2011-12 season. The season opens in most waters on 6 August 2011 and runs through until 29/4/2012, however there are many waters that remain open all year. If you are a keen recreational fisher and want to give trout fishing a go, then 2011-12 is the season for you.

Doo-Gun Outdoors

New location in Longford Prominent midland angler Allan Davey provides professional advice and service on all gear for the new trout season including: • IFS licences • rods • reels • lines • lures • flies • polaroids and a wide range of saltwater and camping gear available.

Doo-Gun Outdoors (at Mitre 10) 73 Wellington Street, Longford Ph: 6391 1401 Email: doogun@longfordmitre10.com.au

Fishing News - Page 16

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Fishing News - Page 17

people, regardless of where they fish seem to cast their lines as far as they can. The truth is, this is not at all necessary, as many of the trout you are seeking are more than likely right under your feet on your side of the river.... so stealth is important. Upon arrival it is always a good idea to stop and look at the area you wish to fish for a couple of minutes before you do anything. Study it and look carefully at all the backwaters and pools that are out of the main current. This is where you will more than likely find the big fish laying in wait for an easy meal to drift into them.

Back to Basics By Todd Lambert

Chasing trout with bait.

have been fishing for as long as I can remember and my passion for this sport is still as strong today as it was way back then, when I was a young boy. I grew up in the rural township of Deloraine, with the Meander River flowing through its heart. Many hours were spent along the river banks with a tin of worms and infinite patience. Sometimes I would be rewarded for it, many times I wouldn’t, and upon reflection there were far too many times when I arrived home with an empty creel and nothing to show for my efforts. That being said, and ‘once again upon reflection’, with every trip I ventured out on, I think I learned a little more, soon my luck began to change ‘dramatically’ for the better. I had learned the “basics of fishing”.

Getting started Fishing tackle has never been cheaper to buy and getting started is as easy as going to your local tackle store and telling them what you want to do. As most tackle store owners are fishing enthusiasts themselves, you will have the benefit of their free advice and experience to help you. Most people in the industry are more than happy to give this information freely, if they don’t, my suggestion is to get back in the car and go to another store! Some major department stores offer tackle for sale, but unfortunately due to them selling everything else ‘in the free world’ alongside it, they rarely have people on hand needed to offer specialist advice. This crucial ‘one on one’ first step, is often absent. Tackle wise, all you really need to get started is a basic 6’6” rod and a 2500 reel (preferably with two spools). You can get a pretty good setup, with some warranty for $80, but please spend as much

as you can afford. Load one spool with 3 to 5kg monofilament for bait fishing, leaving the other spool to be loaded with 4 pound braid for soft plastics should you wish to give that a try as well. By taking this option you can use the same reel for both types of fishing and it is as simple as just swapping the spools over as required. Other than that, all you need are some small ball sinkers, swivels, number 4 ‘bait keeper’ style hooks and some grub hooks, (your tackle dealer will be able to show you all of these). A set of waders (the best you can afford) are also a great addition when getting started. The best rig is a simple running sinker rig as shown below. The sinker does two things; it allows you to cast further, and also hold the bait in the current. The swivel acts as a stopper and stop the sinker running right down onto the bait. When a fish takes your bait the running sinker offers no resistance. However, if you can, fish without the sinker at all for a more natural presentation.

If you find one of these areas, cast a baited ‘unweighted’ hook so that it drifts into the pool naturally with the current and then just let it just sit there, you may be pleasantly surprised! Tip: always use the lightest weight possible. No sinker is best if you can get away with it. When looking for a likely spot, walk ‘upstream’. Trout always face into the current and are less likely to be spooked if you approach the area you wish to fish, from behind. Always walk softly, and if wading, move slowly, being careful not to make any unnecessary ripples or vibrations within the area you are fishing. Always keep a low profile and sit well back from the river bank if setting up a bait rod from the shoreline. It’s the little things like this... that all add up.

Worms The humble earthworm is probably the best bait you can use when it comes to fishing freshly flooded paddocks and backwaters; they are also dynamic bait at lakes like Arthurs and Four Springs early in the season. These little protein packets are eagerly sought by trout keen to put condition back on after the rigours of spawning and given they are relatively easy to find early in the season whilst the ground is moist, it makes sense that they are a natural inclusion to their diet. There are literally hundreds of worm species in this country alone, but for me the best ones to use are the common garden worms that have a pink almost ‘red meat’ colour to them, I tend to steer away from the tiger worms that are also common, as the trout (in my humble opinion) don’t seem to respond as well to them. The big scrub worm that is often dug up and is about 150mm in length is also good bait. Simply thread a single worm through the hook so that it is completely covered and leave one end wiggling about, this is a more natural presentation.

Another easy way to learn the basics is to join a club. Your local tackle store will give you their details or email anglersalliance@gmail and they will let you know the nearest club.

Stream craft Streams are a great place to start your trout fishing. Tasmanians are never far from a stream and virtually all have resident trout. You will probably notice that many

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The best rig is a simple running sinker rig. Use as small a sinker as you can. Fishing News - Page 18

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Fishing News - Page 19

If possible, leave the bail arm of your reel open allowing the trout to run with the line before it swallows the whole bait, when the fish has ran once with the line and stopped, simply click the bail arm over and strike by lifting your rod sharply upwards, and you should be on. Always remember to test the reel drag beforehand though, or you may just get a snapped line for your troubles, especially if it’s a big one!

Wattle grubs Although I am using Arthurs lake as an example below, most lakes that allow bait fishing will no doubt provide similar results, please be aware though that there are quite a few rules in regards to this type of fishing so it pays to read the regulation booklet you receive with your licence very thoroughly beforehand, otherwise you may catch a fine as well as a fish. Look for drop offs and not too many snags as there is nothing more frustrating than fishing for a long period of time, only to hook up and lose your fish around a submerged tree or rock. Let me say again, if you can get a hold of a pair of waders from somewhere, they are a great asset to have. Any of the shorelines in front of the Pump house Bay or Jonah Bay camping grounds are great places to use wattle grubs, especially of an evening. Wade your line out as far as you dare go, (hopefully it’s not too muddy as this depends on the lakes level at the time). When you find a suitable spot, put a long cast out with an unweighted bait and free spool the line back to shore. Set your rod (or rods if you have a licence for two) off the ground with a rod holder or rock, and leave the arm of your reel open, the fish will take the grub, run, stop.. and run again. At this point if it feels any resistance, it will most likely drop the bait. After the second run, click the reel over and strike as the trout should have swallowed your bait right down. Once again make sure your drag is set loose enough so that your fish doesn’t break the line. Wattle Grubs are quite expensive at around three dollars each but are great bait. If extracted carefully from a fish, you can quite often use them a couple of times, a good tip is to top the hook up with a worm after catching a fish on one.

The old master - Todd Lambert teaching his son, Jacob the basics. As also mentioned earlier, you can buy proper hooks designed especially for wattle grub baits. When purchasing them, ask the tackle seller to demonstrate how you go about threading the grub on, they will be more than happy to show you. I like to put the hook right through the grub, threading it head first onto the hook with the ‘barb end’ of the hook to the tail, I then put a small half hitch over the top of the head to save it coming off. Best times to fish are evening through until dark and the first hour of daylight. Always store the grubs in an individual compartment; otherwise they will kill one another. A plastic tackle box with separate compartments will suffice for a day or two, but after a while they will eat through the plastic. A tin with dividers is the better option for storing them long term and they are best kept in a fridge with a sheet of newspaper placed over the top of them, under the lid. Don’t worry about air holes, they don’t seem to need them and can live from one season to the next if you’re lucky.

Synthetic baits Over the last few years, a range of synthetic baits have become popular and run under the names of ‘Power Bait’ and ‘Gulp Trout Dough’, they are specially formulated to smell attractive to trout. Purchased in a convenient resealable jar and looking like putty you would think no self respecting fish would eat it, but they do! That being said, these baits seem successful on rainbow trout more so than the browns. This is floating bait and you will need a sinker or small split shot to keep it below the water. A lot of people use it with great success on waters such as Four Springs and Tooms Lake.

Conclusion I hope these ‘back to basics’ in regards to bait fishing that I have attempted to relay onto those of you that are new to the sport are of some help as we look towards what promises to be one of our best seasons in many years. To all anglers and campers, please remember to take your rubbish home with you and help to keep our wonderful Lakes and rivers as pristine as when you found them. Todd Lambert

Angling clubs often have access to farm dams for club days. It is a great way to learn some basics, and some very big fish can be caught. Fishing News - Page 20

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Fishing News - Page 21

Tyenna River Matt Byrne

A Derwent River tributary

he opening of the brown trout season is just about upon us and as we head into August, there is anticipation in the air as to where to head in the early months in order to get that much needed fishing fix. As Matt Byrne explains here, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re southern based the Derwent River tributaries are well worth a look.

Derwent River tributaries The Derwent River catchment is somewhat large to say the least! When you consider that the Derwent River itself starts in the semi alpine environment of Lake St Clair, you start to imagine the considerable volume of water that endlessly feeds the close to 200km freshwater stretch of this river system. The freshwater riverine environment that exists along this 200km stretch, its tributaries and beyond, provide simply outstanding Trout habitat that results in a capacity for nothing short of huge annual natural recruitment. These fish are wild in the true sense of the word and display magnificent colours to match.

Fishing News - Page 22

Shifting the focus onto its tributaries, the Derwent River has a number of tributaries namely the Clyde River, Dee River, Jordan River, Nive River, Ouse River, Styx River and the Tyenna River. The fishing opportunities are endless and too numerous to mention and in that respect this article goes into the finer details of one of the more accessible of the early season Derwent River tributaries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Tyenna River.

Location Tyenna River The Tyenna River is situated some 50 minutes from Hobart in the Upper Derwent Valley region, bordered by the small towns of Westerway and Maydena. Set amongst some stunning scenery, the headwaters of the Tyenna River are fed by the cool and clean waters of the iconic Mt Field National Park. The river itself ranges from the classic fast shallow runs found in the upper reaches between Maydena and Mount Field to the deeper slow flowing pools encountered between Mount Field

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and Westerway and beyond where the Tyenna river eventually enters the Derwent River. Perhaps what the Tyenna River is best known for is its incredibly dense trout population that is dispersed throughout its entire system and one which seems to sustain itself year in year out, despite huge fishing pressure. As you would expect, the catch rate can be excellent and for competent anglers here it is not a question of catching a fish, but just how many you may catch in a session! Brown Trout make up the bulk of the catch, however Rainbow Trout escapees from nearby hatcheries do account for a growing number of fish caught in recent years. Regardless of what angling method you favour, expect good numbers of fish up to 500 grams and as many readers would be aware, a surprising number of fish ranging from 3 – 6 kg and bigger are caught every season for those prepared to put the time in, learn the river and target them.

Early season Tyenna approach As with all other rivers in the early part of the season, water flows will ultimately determine how the angler is to best approach his chosen method. It is suffice to say that early on in the season if you are serious about putting a bend in your rod, then lure and bait will be the best bet on the Tyenna River, however all is not completely lost for the die hard fly fisher. Before we discuss specific tactics, the first approach should always be thinking about where you will find the fish! rivers are by no means featureless and as a rule most Tyenna fish will be concentrated and ready to ambush prey along the cover of the tea tree or willow lined edges or positioned in the main current behind large boulders where little eddies serve to concentrate a good proportion of the main food items. This is where the fish are and that is where you should place your lure, fly or bait. The above environment is commonplace throughout the entire Tyenna river system, however in order to narrow this field down for the everyday angler, the following locations are well advised for both their fishing and accessibility. Here we are talking about the sections of open river immediately near the Westerway township, those areas near

the two road bridges heading towards National Park and lastly the area of river both immediately upstream and downstream of the National Park bridge. A good pair of chest waders is a critical piece of equipment in order to allow Whilst the Tyenna is home to a huge population of you to work your way up or down small to medium sized fish there are a number of river of these trophy fish over ten pounds caught every season. areas and allow to your lure by using some short flicks of the rod tip. you to fish what would be otherwise inaccessible It will come as no surprise that Tyenna Trout love water. soft plastics! and will eagerly strike a well presented minnow, grub or paddle tail style plastic. I find it hard Lure tactics to go past a Berkely 3 inch power minnow either Lets start with the most widely practiced and in pumpkinseed or smelt colour or another great easiest forms of fishing – lure fishing. Tyenna River alternative are ever reliable the 2.5 inch T Tails in trout are voracious feeders and will readily attack either Black and Gold or Olive also made by Berkley. lures. All of the above mentioned locations are The YEP lures produced right here in Tassie also highly suitable for lure fishing and with the right have a good following among the regular Tyenna handful of lures these areas can be worked over quite thoroughly. A light 2-3kg spinning outfit spooled anglers and there is no questioning the results. Again, there are no boundaries with your choice of with a quality 4 -6lb braided line such as fireline is soft plastic, so simply use what you have confidence a good choice and when used in conjunction with in and fish them accordingly. a thin diameter fluorocarbon leader around 4 - 6lb it is possible to present even the lightest of lures accurately and more importantly allow those lures to maintain their respective action in the water. In the deeper and slower pools near Westerway, slowly worked bibbed minnows such as Brown and Rainbow Trout pattern Rapalas are a very good option indeed and are a guaranteed producer of fish. There are a huge amount of bibbed lures on the market these days that produce quality lures including brands such as Ecogear, Daiwa, Strike Pro etc and there is no doubt that your favourites in the 5cm – 7cm size range will also work here. Keep in mind though that you will also expect to lose a few lures on this river, so perhaps leave your $30 hardbody lures at home!! Remember fish upstream and across current and impart that irresistible action

In terms of jig head size, size 1 jig heads ranging in weights from 1/16th to 1/8th will cover most scenarios on the Tyenna River. Look at water depth, flow and rate of flow and adjust the choice of your jig head to suit. Remember that early on in the season, most trout and certainly the larger fish will be holding closer to the bottom of the river bed, so that is where your lure needs to spend as much time as possible. For the shallow or fast water typical of that found in the vicinity of the Mt Field National Park area, traditional bladed lures are a really good choice as they can be worked quite quickly over the more shallow water, whilst maintaining an attractive and vibrating action. Lures such as number 2 Celtas in green/black/gold and red/gold are especially good takers of fish. There are a number of other bladed

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Fishing News - Page 23

lure brands on the market that also work well and those with some of the more non traditional pink/ black/gold or orange/black/gold colouration do encourage some aggression from the fish at this time of year and are a handy option in the event of discoloured water. A worthy location for the lure angler of particular note are the large pools just downstream from the Mt Field National Park Bridge. It is in this vicinity that seemingly regular captures are made of fish up to 3kg with some reaching real trophy proportions over 6kg. Unlike a lot of other small streams and rivers, there is a huge amount of food in this river to sustain these large fish with big numbers of small trout and yabbies all being prime protein charged food items for these large predators, so just be well prepared with your tackle as you have every chance of connecting with one of these monsters. Lure fishing the Tyenna River is recommended if there are any increases in water flow from recent rain. These slightly faster and discoloured water conditions can often be more productive for the lure fisher in enticing some of these bigger fish to take your offering as well. Again keep any eye on the weather and remember as this location is in a good catchment area, it won’t take much rain to increase the flow on this River.

Bait tactics There would be few anglers out there who at least in their early trout angling days haven’t drowned a worm or two! As we all know, Trout simply love worms and early on in the season, it is not uncommon to catch trout literally spewing these out after feeding heavily on this prolific food item! Tyenna River trout are no exception to the rule and will happily take a tasty worm or grub drifted in their path. Your general tackle set up for lure fishing is ideal for the purposes of bait fishing and you have the option of fishing your worm on a size 6 – 8 chemically sharpened hook, either unweighted or fished on a small ball sinker via a running sinker rig. If intending to use a small sinker, just use enough weight to keep your sinker on the bottom. While there is nothing too technical about this form of fishing in terms of tackle required, location is all important. If actively cast and slow retrieve fishing your worm and working the water as you would in a similar way with a lure for example, you may cover a variety of water and many of the locations above mentioned for lure fishing are highly suitable for this form of fishing. If your choice is to simply find a quiet location, rig up your running sinker worm (or grub for that

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The variety of fishable water is extensive and all methods are productive. matter) combination and ‘sit and wait’, then a quiet pool or eddy out of the main flow of the river is more productive. The deep pools near Westerway, below the National Park bridge and the large weir above National Park (access off Weir Rd) are advised. The latter mentioned area has been known to produce big fish after dark to those anglers prepared to put the time in with either worm or preferably a grub here.

Fly tactics Athough the Tyenna River comes into its own as a fly fishery from mid spring onwards, there are definitely upstream nymphing opportunities in the shallower sections of the river over the first couple of months of the season. The area upstream of the Mt Field National Park Bridge contains the ideal mixture of shallow runs and semi deep pools conducive to upstream nymphing and allow for good, safe wading throughout. A tandem indicator/nymph rig is perhaps the best all round approach for searching likely water. Any largish buoyant and visible dry fly in a size 12 – 14 such as a humpy, deer hair red tag or foam gum beetle will suffice as an indicator or alternatively you can opt for a synthetic indicator. As for the nymph, I rarely go past a size 12 – 14 orange bead head brown seals fur nymph or a bead head pheasant tail nymph with the beauty of the bead head being that it allows you to place your offering immediately in the strike zone quickly, from the very start of the drift. The other alternative is to use lead wire when tying up your early season nymph patterns. Again, the bottom line is that your offering needs to get down near the bottom! I would suggest hanging your nymph on average 70cm – 90cm below your dry fly or synthetic indicator in most situations but again, you need your nymph as close to the bottom as possible so take time to look at water depth and flow rate.

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Any keen upstream nymph fisher will know that a keen eye needs to be kept on your dry fly indicator or synthetic indicator. As your flies drift down the current, any pause in the dry or better still a quick disappearance of your dry registers a ‘take’. The simplest way to handle this is, don’t think just strike! A further important tip is to work the water methodically and it is quite common in this waterway to extract fish after fish from the

same run or hole. Don’t be too keen to keep pushing upriver until you have worked your flies numerous times past every log, boulder and even in under trees if your casting is up to scratch. Any areas of Tea Tree lined river bank should be fished extra hard as rarely do they not carry a few fish. Remember also that the better fish usually don’t deviate from their ‘lie’ too often and your drift has to be right on the money if they are to accept your offering. There are a host of other good locations downstream of the Field National Park Bridge along Gordon River Rd the whole way to Westerway, where upstream nymphing is also an option. Often there is quite a bit of scrub bashing involved to access the lesser fished sections of river but that is just part and parcel of river fishing in this environment and is further part of the reward when you stumble onto a good run or patch of fish.

Further points As previously mentioned, there are a host of other tributaries of the Derwent River that offer similar fishing to the Tyenna River. Late last season I saw a picture of a fish taken from the Derwent River/Styx River junction just shy of the good old fashioned 20lbs and it goes without saying that there is always potential for a big reward when fishing these rivers. You will physically cross the Styx River bridge on your way to the Tyenna as you pass through the town of Glenora, so make sure you fit a few casts in this river too. The opportunities are endless and the fishing is rewarding, however is really their proximity to Hobart and the outstanding surrounds you will be fishing in when you are in the Derwent Valley. Just a couple of points in terms of the overall management of the Tyenna River. Waters like the Tyenna River will remain the special places they are well into the future for all anglers to enjoy provided we adopt the principles of catch and release. The fish in this river shouldn’t be considered as table fare, so simply take a photo and if lucky enough, return that big fish to the water for someone else to enjoy. Finally, there are a number of private properties present about the middle reaches of the Tyenna, so just be mindful and always ask permission before accessing anyone’s land. If everyone does the right thing along with leaving nothing but a footprint, a positive image of all anglers in this area will be upheld. Matt Byrne

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Derwent

Sea run fun

uch are the busy lifestyles these days it seems no sooner has the brown trout season closed and it is already July once again. And with that, the mind starts to ponder the first Saturday in August; where will the trout be this year in the Derwent River, what will they be focused on, will it rain between now and then, just how much baitfish will be through the system and last but certainly not least, searunners?

Searun trout Those two words seem to make most of us early season river anglers salivate with anticipation as the day draws near. Now with the new regulations in place from the IFS there is plenty of scope throughout the lower Derwent system to target trout/ searunners right through winter. Two seasons ago when we returned to a ‘normal’ winter, following 14 years of declining below average rainfall, the number of searun trout increased in the catch rate. Last season my records show they almost double in number again, once more following on from a relatively normal wet winter. Let’s look at what just is a searun trout. We all know that no trout begin their life at sea. Just like all other trout they start out in the rivers and streams and head down in the first year or two of their life

cycle, most likely following one of the many baitfish schools that also breed in our water ways. Any younger and they just would not survive given the much larger list of predators in the ocean. Now, what they exactly do out there I have no idea and I’m not sure anyone actually does. Likely they roam, not too far from the coast eating pretty much whatever they come across. Whatever it is they do, there must be plenty of food as I’m yet to see a searunner in less the good condition. At some stage they re-enter the Derwent estuary again following schools of bait of one kind or another. Fat and silver and full of fight with deep red flesh, perhaps the best tasting trout for the table. There is research that shows and recommends against the consumption of Derwent trout but these fresh from the ocean silver bullets are in my mind fine for the dinner table. There is a huge number of what I call estuary trout in the Derwent system. These are trout that are still reasonably silver in appearance but do not have the other characteristics of a searun trout. Most searunners will be glistening in appearance, fat with quite small heads in proportion to their size, their scales will shed everywhere in the net, boat floor, hands or river bank. Quite often you will see patches of scales missing where your line has rubbed on the fish during the fight. There is also an absence of spots with very few or far less than one would expect on a wild lake trout. Their West Coast cousins will quite often have lingering red spots, where Derwent searunners do not in my experience. I can only assume the west coast fish stay in the river systems much longer before heading to sea as these red spots are a beautiful feature of all wild river trout.

A solid runner taken on a Rapala XR8 in the middle reaches.

Regulations The Derwent has been open to year round angling from below the Bridgewater Bridge for the past two years. A current IFS trout licence is still required to target and take trout during these winter months. A bag limit of 12 fish is in place and the minimum size is 220 mm. Some new regulations will be in place from the IFS for the coming season so please check your new angling code when you purchase your 2011/12 licence.

When to target searunners My experience over the years has suggested there are two main times to be specifically targeting searunners in the Derwent. Firstly on the whitebait run and secondly, contrary to most anglers beliefs, is straight after a good flush of fresh water. To broaden the scope here though you have a chance at scoring a searunner right through the traditional closed season up until the end of October when the resident and ‘estuary’ fish feature predominantly in the bag. This however can be broken down in to sections of the river, feeding patterns and tides. It could take quite a few more pages than I have been allocated to attempt to explain all this in detail so I’ll work on several aspects that should help those searching for answers find a few of the silver bullets of their own. First we’ll look at the lower estuary from ‘open water’ below the Tasman Bridge up to the Bowen Bridge. When fishing here a boat is an advantage solely to cover more areas of the river. Shore based anglers need not feel disadvantaged as most of my best sessions happen on the river bank after dark. In this lower section of the river, it clearly fishes best on and around the high tide but only during the day. Favoured shores are between Lindisfarne Marina through to the Tasman Bridge and on the western shore from the Cornelian Bay boat sheds down to the Botanical Gardens car park. Daylight hours, one is best to cast baitfish profile hard bodies in any variation of natural colours. Soft plastics are also deadly and 3” and 4” minnow styles

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Fishing News - Page 25

choosing a jig head weight to the depth surrounding, 1/12th and 1/16th will suit most shorelines. Favourites include Berkley Pearl Watermelon and Gulp in Watermelon Pearl and Smelt colours. Retrieves I find best are a slow roll with a constant twitch of the rod tip. Most occasions this gets the best response for me throughout the river. The lift and drop technique reserved for only deeper water further up with larger jig heads.

Above: Tony Robertson prospecting with hard body lures along the Lindisfarne shore. Left: A variety of hard lures. They all work - some better than others.

Hard bodies favourites include Diawa Double Clutches and Presso 6F minnows, Nories Laydowns, Rapala XR6/8 and Ecogear MW62/72’s. All of these and many more in baitfish imitations will produce the goods. The fly angler is also well catered for again in baitfish styles like BMS, zonkers and whitebait patterns they way to go. After dark and this applies to all sections of the river you will maximise your chances on the run out tide. Position yourself on one of the multiple rocky points or outcrops on any of these shores and work a Gulp minnow slowly on a light head. Scent is the key after dark. There is no need to move around, the fish will come to you in the river.

The biggest fish tend to fall to the bait anglers, not fished inanimate but cast up current and let drift down drawing slowly back to your position. Takes can be exceptional soft with this method, but always let the fish run a little before setting the hook. By far the best baits are the Jollytail, the native ‘Sandy’and Glassy’s. A lot of talk centres on Prettyfish, and while they do work they are the least effective in my book as they do not hold as well on hooks and rigs. As the season proper draws near I tend to fish the Bowen Bridge region exclusively and find it the most productive area prior up to the first Saturday in August. There are two standout areas here, the 300-400m north of Store Point and the shore line directly below the Bowen Bridge at Dowsing Point. Similar techniques are employed although much of my fishing here is literally 15-20 minute sessions, on the way home from work, that are almost never fishless. Smaller baitfish profiled hard bodies seem to be the best bet in this region. In that last 30 minutes of daylight it would seem the searunners find it hard to resist an Ecogear MX48 or Jackall Colt Minnow in the Laser Wakasagi pattern is very hard to beat. The Store Point shore is shallower and requires shallow running lures but the Dowsing Point side has a nice shelf where a pair of waders is advantageous allowing you to fish closer to the edge of the drop. Both positions here require the outgoing tide which again may be converse to most people’s opinions solely from what they have been told over the years.

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Wading the shores can be just as productive as fishing from a boat. a few of its secrets. The southern point here is another classic bait holding area. Again on the run out tide all manner of techniques can be very productive.

Top: Author Justin Causby with a typical sea runner taken while drifting from a boat. Below: Like father above, son Toby gets in on the action. The lower point at Dowsing is dynamite particularly on a tide ripping out. Get there early, fish the plastics and hard bodies and settle in with some fresh rigs for nightfall. The point gets two distinct current lines, one from the main channel and the other from Prince of Wales Bay. The baitfish hold up here and the trout certainly know it.

Another productive spot nearby is either of the two rocky points each side of the old Otago boat wreck just north of the Bowen Bridge. Same lures, same techniques and again and hour before dark is likely to net a trout. From here the river changes dramatically with shallow bays and deep channel lines the main feature. Don’t overlook the shallows; Elwick Bay in front of Rosetta High School and Windermere Bay a little further north are excellent on a high tide. You will be surprised at the size and number of fish that frequent water less than 1m deep at any time of the year. With a little rain around the creek inflows in these areas are deadly and always worth some time. I saw a lovely 3.8kg searun hen come from around 70cm of water a couple of years ago on opening day in one of these positions. Cadburys Point is possibly the highlight of the middle section of the river. I nice cut comes off the corner of the northern part of the point dissecting the shallow flat between the shore and the channel marker. It can be difficult to fish such is the speed of the current but is very worthwhile once one learns

Looking at it, you wouldn’t expect it but Old Beach Jetty has given up some cracking fish over the years. It does seem that a jollytail after dark here is what is required for the big searunners, fished inside the line of the jetty. Out wide and you’ll not see a trout in a hundred years. The whole shoreline at Old Beach north of the jetty can be very productive on a high tide and again any of the little outcrops are worth prospecting a little longer particular on the run out just prior to nightfall.

Likewise, directly opposite the shoreline at Austins Ferry north of the Yacht Club holds some excellent trout. I’ve had some memorable session here, albeit in a drifting boat, but well within casting distance from the shore. It’s a constant 1.5m deep all the way along the train line here and is very good pushing up to a high tide and for the hour after it turns with sufficient water remaining.

many fish these days. Some real trophy fish have been landed here back through the ages. Surprisingly if the water is clear searunners tend not to feature highly if at all in the catch. This will break one of the biggest myths with searunners in the Derwent. Give the river a good dose of rain, visibility down to a metre or less and bang, one week later you’ve got a bag full of trout that has for me on days consisted solely of searun trout. I’m not sure what it is exactly, maybe the cold triggers the searunners to move up, or maybe it’s the signal to the whitebait that the water is flowing it’s time to move and the trout just follow them. Whatever happens, it switches them on and there will be a permanent feature right through until the end of October, right through to New Norfolk. With the season open the river above Bridgewater is open and this is my playground. I love the fishing in this region and I tend to do very well here, but I have spent every opportunity I have on this section of the river for the first three months of the year over many many seasons. Even then, when you think you have it figured out you cop a curve ball every time. The Limekiln Point and Masons Point are the only two places for shore based fishing in this stretch. Both are exceptionally good.

As we move further north to Bridgewater your techniques will need to alter again. I usually leave this region alone until the trout season is underway. Provided there has been no major flooding opening day should produce big numbers of trout here. There are a couple of fantastic shore spots in the Bridgewater area, these again are points and all will produce fish. The bridge itself is a hot spot with a procession of anglers jostling for position here on opening night over the years. The southern end of the bridge is where the action is at and really the only spot with a chance to land your fish, walking it to the abutment to be netted. It is traditionally the domain of the bait angler drifting a Prettyfish in the swirling current here although plastics account for

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Fishing News - Page 27

spot. Early in the season trout can be seen here swirling around the middle of the river, in stark contrast to their behaviour in any other part of the system. These fish are feeding on Lamprey’s that migrate up the river to spawn. The trout can be very focused on them but a well placed cast usually produces a vigorous strike. A large unweighted plastic is the key to success. Use a good sized hook as some very big trout can frequent this region. Shore based anglers at a local spot known as ‘The Wash’ do exceptionally well fishing the local ‘sandy’ after dark, again taking some magnificent searunners and resident trout. Whitebait feeders are a feature here also hard in along the rocky and tea tree lined banks. There is plenty of scope for shore based success but a boat with an electric outboard is the best way to target these fish. The circuit either side of Norske Skog including Sorell Creek are very popular. This section of the river features several deep water reefs that tend to be excellent fish attracting structures.

Perfect position - an outgoing tide on a rocky point with good shore access. Fly fishing Mason’s Point is my recommended approach here, the bigger the tide the better. The Limekiln Point has scope for all tides and all manners of angling.

beds in Dromedary Bay. At least you know when you have weed on a Devil as the rod tip will stop working. Hug the rushes, all the way to New Norfolk and you’ll find plenty of great fish.

A boat or kayak is required to make the most of the Derwent from Bridgewater to New Norfolk. The trolling angler features highly here with it being the mainstay of this section. Tassie Devils in colour #92 “Mosquito Fish” and #54 “Smelt” high on the radar. Lead line can be very productive although not for searunners. Most of these are taken on top lines. When trolling, Tassie Devils are recommended purely because of the sheer amount of weed that can frustrate anglers coming off the large weed

Drift spinning is also very productive again hard in along the rushes. The stretch below Norske Skog paper mill down to the road monument is very productive as is the area around Green Island. A 4” minnow on a 1/8th jig head can be very rewarding in the big deep pocket a few hundred meters below the island. Murphy’s Drain shore is well worth a look with plenty of water around. At New Norfolk itself the straight stretch where the Lachlan River enters the Derwent is a favoured

Summary I really have just broken the surface on this magnificent fishery. I am never short of praise for the quantity and quality of fish the river produces each and every year. There is always something to learn and for the past 3 or 4 years I really have opened my eyes to the areas outside of my comfort zone so to speak. One thing I can’t understand is seeing all the boats towed out of town the night before opening day heading up the lakes. It used to be me once but now I know just how much greener the grass is on this side of the fence. Justin Causby

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Preparation Christopher Bassano

For the new season

inter can seem to drag on as mayfly hatches and beetle falls become a distant memory. I hate sitting around and waiting and although we are still able to fish some waters during the cold, dark months, ‘opening day’ holds a special place in all fisherman’s hearts and minds. The usual decisions on where to go and what to use will no doubt demand deep thought but it is the preparation for the coming season that can influence your success for the ensuing months.

Preparation is everything - and results will reflect that.

Rods, reels and fly lines These should have been cleaned, inspected, updated or replaced depending on what condition they are in. Methylated spirits cleans cork handles beautifully and although it may seem like an over kill, I have had fishing nets eaten by rats while stored in outside storage areas due to the remnants of fish slime on the netting and had rod handles chewed to pieces by Tasmanian Devils during over night camping trips for the same reason. Check that your rod guides have not got grooves cut into them. The continual casting and stripping of fly lines will cut a sharp edged furrow into the metal guides causing cuts to appear on lines. It also affects a lines ‘shoot-ability’ and can cost you a fortune in new fly lines. Closely inspect each guide and replace all of those which are worn or etched. All good fly fishing stores will do this for you. Rod wax should be applied to all ferrels to prevent them sticking together and not being able to pull them apart. I broke two rods this way last season. It can also help in keeping the rods together while fishing if you have a ‘loose ferrel’. Fly reels have to be cleaned. The build of dirt in a reel has to be seen to be believed. Take the spool off the reel and as long as the manufacturer allows it, wipe down and lubricate the reel. Some manufacturers such as Lamson are happy to have you wipe the reel down but do not want you touching the ‘working parts’ within the housings. Check first! If you do not have a large arbour reel, I suggest you buy one. They are so much better for many reasons and amongst others, will increase the longevity of your fly line. For those without a large arbour reel, take your lines off any spools you might have, stretch and clean them and before putting them back onto the spools, redo your connections to both the backing and leader. Some floating lines may have started to sink in the tip section. These

Worn guides can wreck your good fly line. need to be replaced or a very small amount of line needs to be cut off to remove the core which has absorbed water. Be sure not to cut into the taper!!! Sinking lines at this time of year are very important if you are planning on fishing our larger

impoundments. They help to get the flies down to the warmer water where most fish will be feeding and are more than handy throughout the season. (See Joe Riley’s article on pg 42 for more info) I guided someone a few years ago who came to Tasmania chasing a ten pound plus fish. When he did hook the fish (which headed for the other side of the lake) I asked him how much backing he had on his reel. He didn’t know! With only around 25 metres of backing out, the loop knot was spinning around the bare spool. If it wasn’t for a very cold swim and a lot of good luck, that fish would have got away. Backing is something that you rarely need but when you do, you really need it! That is the fish you do not want to miss out on because of your backing or lack there of. Most mono filaments will also deteriorate over time. Check all of your tippet material and test their knot strength paying particular attention to the finer diameters. Many flurocarbons don’t degenerate as quickly but check them anyway.

Waders and clothing If you haven’t already patched up any holes in your waders you had better get to it. Leaky waders at this time of the year spells disaster. There is nothing worse than being cold, and wet feet will do it every time. Neoprene is certainly a lot warmer than Gortex waders as long as you don’t sweat in them. As the sweat evaporates you will cool down. Two pairs of socks, thermals, gloves and a beanie are essential. I recently began wearing a neck warmer and that has now become a must have piece of equipment. Definitely get one. This brings me to your outer layer. The best water proof jacket you can afford is the one to buy. The first ever pay check I received was spent on a Gortex jacket and it is still Check your waders carefully. the one I wear Leaking waders are bad. today when I am bush walking. It practically saved my life one day while lost in the fog of the distant western lakes and is as water proof today as it was twenty years ago. Don’t go fishing at this time of year without one.

Flies If you are a fly tier then the cold winter days should have been spent behind the vice. Those fly

Christopher Bassano’s fly tying desk shows what he does over winter. patterns that were not used last season are unlikely to be used this time around and a general clean out of your fly box is in order. Tie and buy more of the patterns that you like using and not as many ‘experiments’ which lead to a cluttered fly tying desk and rows of ‘test’ flies. I am not telling you to ignore your creative side but try and keep it realistic and spend most of your time tying the flies you know you will use and will work. I hate running out of my favourite flies only to find a box of flies I spent days tying that are not going to be used. Having to spend time tying flies in the early hours of the morning that I need for that day is more than just annoying. For this time of year concentrate on woolly buggers, yetis, fur flies and woolly worms. Black and green are hard to ignore and larger flies in sizes 6 -8 are the best. Bead head flies are especially important for those fishing from a boat. Of course stick caddis, scud and snail imitations, etc. need to be included but your bread and butter will be large ‘attractor’ flies. For those fishing the rivers, heavily weighted nymphs with a splash of colour will work well fished in deeper pockets. Tungsten beads help to get the depth you need in strong flows. Dry flies are not to be discounted in head waters. Water temperatures will surely be very low which makes fish lethargic. Get your flies to drift as close to the fish as you can. The less distance they have to move, the more likely they are to eat your fly.

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Fishing News - Page 29

Those with boats should have had their motors and trailers serviced over winter. Inflatable life jackets also need servicing and gas canisters replaced. Much like your fly line backing, life jackets seem unimportant until you need them and then you will be pleased you took the time to get it right. The start of a new season can set the tone for the months ahead. There are a couple of things that I think are worth considering as we go full bore into another nine months of trout catching. Over the past few years I have been getting my clients to fish with barbless hooks. They are much less harmful on the fish for those who are practising catch and release but just as importantly, they are far safer than the barbed variety. No longer do I have to pull barbs out of clothing, skin and nets. Everything happens seamlessly when a fish comes to the boat and with more than one person casting at a time, facial damage is much less of a concern. For those who think fish are much harder to land with a barbless hook, you will be surprised at how easy it actually is. Simply keep constant pressure on the fish and soon it will be in the net. Over an entire season of fishing over two hundred days, we would have less than five fish lost due to barbless hooks.

Purchase a light enhancing pair of polaroid sunglasses. Being able to keep your polaroids on until darkness falls makes for much safer fishing conditions. Most polaroids have a dark tint to them as some people think that they help in harsh light conditions. I use a light grey or yellow pair of glasses, both of which make it lighter when it is dark and darker when it is light. Saving your eyes from being penetrated by a hook is well worth the investment. Purchase a ‘Buff’ or a Tasfish ‘Groper’ tubular neck bandana to protect you from the sun and wind. ‘Buffs’ are a tubular piece of material that go over your head and sit around your neck. They can be left as such to protect your neck from the sun or can be manipulated into different shapes to cover your entire head and neck or part there of. They keep you warm when it is cool and cool when it is warm. As they come in many different colours, they add a splash of colour to your fish pictures and are regularly seen on ‘cover shots’. Originally warn in the tropics to prevent sunburn, they have found their way down to Tasmania and I now carry three of them in my boat. With our ozone layer, sunburn is a real issue but with these you can still wear a baseball cap over the buff and be safer than when you are wearing a wide bream hat.

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An early season brownie from Little Pine. Good luck for the 2011 / 2012 season! I hope that it fulfils all of your dreams and wishes and is your best to date. Remember, ‘perfect preparation prevents poor performance! Christopher Bassano

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Great Lake From the shore

Craig Rist

he Great Lake supports a healthy population of brown and rainbow trout. Because of the sheer numbers of fish, the majority of the lake is open all year round to all methods of fishing. Like many hydro lakes in Tasmania, the water level can change from year to year. The amount of rainfall, evaporation and the volume of water being discharged through the Poatina Power Station at the northern end of the Lake all contribute to its current level of approximately 12 m below its full capacity. When the level is rising from well below the Lake’s high water mark, it is often flooding over parts of the lakeshore that have little or no trout food available to encourage fish away from the established weed beds that are now well out into the Lake. This can quite often be the case on the shallow shores that have a gradual slope into the Lake. The areas of the Lake that have a steep shoreline are less affected by the rising water and are often more productive as they are still within casting range of the shore based angler. It’s not until the water level

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in the Lake starts to cover some of the more established vegetation on land, that insects such as cockroaches, beetles, spiders and any drowned worms become a real option for foraging trout. When this happens brown trout can be found right in amongst this flooded vegetation.

Windy shores When the wind has been blowing steadily from the one direction for a long period of time the wave action, created by the wind, can distribute large quantities of aquatic insects into the windblown shore. When this happens, shores that had previously very little to offer a foraging trout are now packed with galaxiids and aquatic insects, such as stick caddis and snails, that are easily carried close to shore through this wave Stick caddis are action. These shores will often have a dirty eagerly eaten by

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Fishing News - Page 31

or EWB, for quite some time now, with very rewarding results. The fly is basically a woolly bugger with a foam head and some weight added near the bend of the hook during the tying process. This ensures the fly hangs down at approximately 45 degrees. This fly was originally tied to represent a dying baitfish at the surface to allow me to see that magical sight of a trout taking a dry fly. The fly is fished just like any other dry fly with the occasional strip to bring it to life every now and then. Because it represents a baitfish it is something trout are looking for early in the season and throughout the year. This concept does not stop with the woolly bugger, as the same foam head can be incorporated into many different fly patterns. Other flies like, Montana Nymphs, tadpole patterns and all the variations of fur flies can be made to suspend at the surface to promote a surface take from a trout. I have even tied the same foam head on salt water flies like the Lefty’s Deceiver, Surf Candie and the BMS fly. The possibilities are endless when you can tie your own flies. Searching the rocky shores of Great Lake with this type of fly does makes a nice change to stripping wets early in the season and if you happen to come across a fish tailing in the shallows, it has been known to catch a few of those as well. Like all flies it’s not going to catch every fish you put it to. You still need to persevere, have confidence in a fly and be prepared to learn and change tact with what you are experiencing on the day.

Great Lake can produce some great shore fishing. band of water hard in along their edge. When this shoreline water has deep water nearby, rainbow trout are also attracted to these areas. Stick caddis and snails are a stable diet of both browns and rainbow trout so although the windward side of the lake isn’t as pleasant to fish as the more sheltered waters on the other side of the lake, they can at times, have more fish available within easy reach of a shore-based angler. It’s just a matter of wearing the appropriate clothing to be warm and dry. Casting a lure or fly directly into a strong wind is hard to do for any length of time so it pays to choose a shore that is shallow enough to wade, to allow casts to be made across the wind or directly back into the shore with the wind. If you can find a shore that can allow you to do this comfortably, you will be able to stay on the water for a much longer period to make the necessary casts to eventually cover a fish.

Sheltered shores During the cold winds, snow and rain, the sheltered shores are without a doubt the most pleasant place to be early in the season. Of course being huddled up next to the fire in the hotel or shack would probably be number one, but you can’t catch trout there, can you! During the summer months, trout are attracted to these shores to intercept all kinds of insects that are prolific at that time of year. At the beginning of the season, however, this is not the case. The wind blowing off shore has very little to do with accumulation of large amounts of insects along this shore. Trout have two basic needs - food and shelter. So, if the shore you choose has none of the above, then it is very unlikely you are going to see fish there. Fortunately, Great Lake has many rocky shores that provide shelter for trout, particularly brown trout, and habitat for the native Paragalaxia (baitfish) and snails. These galaxiids live amongst the rocks along the shoreline and provide a welcome protein hit for a hungry trout that needs to recover after spawning. Combine this with an area that has an established weed bed such as those in Swan Bay and you a have very good chance of finding a fish or two.

rod on Great Lake. Many different fly colours will work, but if in doubt choose black or green. Fish will respond to many different retrieves, from fast, to very slow. A slow figure eight or strip and pause retrieve usually does the trick. I like to use a leader around 14 feet so that I can cover more water with each cast and have less chance of lining a fish with the fly line. A six-pound tippet is enough to withstand the sudden shock of an aggressive take, providing you allow the larger fish to take some line after the hook has been set. I tend to keep moving along the shore by the length of my leader after fanning out four or five casts. Blind searching wets can make it hard to stay focused and positive at times and I think that is why I like to continually fish new water. With each cast comes the possibility of landing the fly next to a fish lying in wait or patrolling the drop. Picking out large submerged rocks, trees and drop offs are not only good places to fish, but also give you something to cast at. Wearing polaroid sunglasses with yellow or amber lenses, even under cloud cover, will make picking out these fish holding structures and individual fish, a whole lot easier.

Weird flies: Emerging Woolly Buggers.

Fishing proven wets early in the season such as, fur flies, Woolly Buggers, Woolly Worms, Hamill’s Killer, Montana Nymphs, Firey Brown Beetle and Black Beetle, is a sure way of putting a bend in your Fishing News - Page 32

Lure fishing Bibbed Lures

Fly fishing Wet Flies

Strike Pro Smelta - colour 553.

Early Season Dry Fly Option For those who love fishing the dry fly, I have been using a fly I call the Emerging Woolly Bugger

Fishing small bibbed lures on light lines and light rods is a very effective and enjoyable way to catch trout from the shore. The growing popularity of catching bream and trout on these lures has seen rod and reel manufacturers come up with rods and reels specifically designed to cast these ultra lightweight lures. Rods such as these are also used for soft plastics, which gives the angler a very good combination to cover fish at all depths. These rods are rated for lines with low breaking strains to allow long casts and to be capable of absorbing the power from a large fish without breaking the line when the drag is set correctly. A typical rod would be between 6 and 7 foot long and rated between 2 and 6 pounds. Match this with a nicely balanced reel with a good drag and you are well on your way to regularly catching trout anywhere in the State.

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Fishing News - Page 33

your range and believe me, there are a lot to choose from. To keep it simple, if you have a few lures that will swim between 0.30m and 1.5m and are around 45 to 80mm long, such as the Rapala Originals, X Rap 6 and X Rap 8 in the Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Redfin Perch colours, this would be a good starting point for someone who wanted to give this type of shore based fishing a go. A slow steady retrieve is all you will need to start with. Throw in some 50mm Gary Glitter Squidgy Fish and you’re good to go.

if that is all you have available. The last alternative is to use a fly rod and fly reel spooled up with 10 pound Maxima. Using this method the bait can be cast out with one forward motion while releasing loops of the 10 pound Maxima from your line hand that had previously been pulled off the reel. The cockroach and line is then simply drawn in by hand until a fish has been felt taking the bait. Using this method there is no need to hold the rod tip straight up as the line is simply allowed to be taken from your hand as you feel the fish taking the bait. This last method is one of my favorite forms of bait fishing and is effective all year round.

Places To Try Boundary Bay Set rod bait fishing Duck Point Bay Set rod bait fishing Brandum Bay Set rod bait fishing Swan Bay to Haddens Bay

A cockroach can entice some very fussy fish and is highly regarded by some anglers.

Elizabeth Bay

The humble garden worm or wood grub takes lot of fish in Great Lake early in the season. Popular locations are Swan Bay and Boundary Bay where there is a gradual slope down into the Lake. Bays such as these are found all around Great Lake and are well suited to the set line bait fisher. A light running sinker rig or a single un-weighted hook is the most common method if fishing a worm or grub. The reel is usually left in free spool to allow a fish, that has just picked up your bait, to take some line before setting the hook.

Bibbed lures are made to float, sink or suspend, depending on their intended use. They are also made to swim at different depths and come in many different lengths and colours. Once you have experienced the effectiveness of fishing lures such as these, you will no doubt be looking to expand

Dud Bay out to Beehives Point Lure and soft plastics, Fly, bait

Bait Fishing

Lure fishing can be very productive around the shores.

Lure and soft plastics, Fly, bait

Another very good bait is the black cockroach that is found amongst woodpiles and under the stones amongst the timbered areas around Great Lake. These can also be used with a set rod by suspending the cockroach under a bubble float and allowed to drift off shore, with the wind, to your nominated distance from shore. Alternatively, baits such as these can be used to actively search the water as you would with a lure or fly. A long rod is an advantage here as it allows a long smooth lobbing action to be used to cast soft baits without tearing it from the hook. The use of a spin cast reel on a long spinning rod allows the reel to be put into free spool very quickly when a fish has been felt taking the bait. This prevents the trout tearing the soft-bodied cockroach from the hook and allows it turn and swim away before re-engaging the reel to set the hook. By retrieving soft baits with the rod tip pointing straight up, it will give you the opportunity to quickly lower the rod tip to give some slack line as the fish takes the bait and swims off. The action may also give you time to open the bail arm on a normal spinning reel

Lure and soft plastics, Fly, bait Christmas Bay out to Beehives Point Lure and soft plastics Little Lake Bay Lure and soft plastics, Fly, bait Gin Point Lure and soft plastics, Fly, bait Tods Corner Lure and soft plastics, Fly

Rules And Regulations Great Lake With the exception of Canal Bay and Tods Corner, Great Lake is open to all methods of fishing, year round. With a daily combined bag limit of 12 fish with a maximum of 3 rainbows.

Canal Bay Canal Bay opens on the first Saturday in December and closes on the first Sunday in April. It is reserved for artificial lure or fly only.

Tods Corner Tods Corner is open all year round and is reserved for artificial lure or fly only. Legal size for browns is 300mm. Bag limit 12 fish. Legal size for rainbows is 400mm. Bag limit 3 fish. Craig Rist

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New location in Longford

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Approx. 38km to Deloraine STATE F OREST Bay

Lake Levels

Little

LAUNCESTON

Dogger

Doctors Point

Sh alf or mo e

1039m Full Supply Level (FSL)

Lake

1022m 17m Below FSL

e Whitehors

Breona

LOCATION

Bay

GREAT LAKE

Weed Beds

Grassy Bay

HOBART

HYDRO LAND

C E N T R AL PLAT E AU C O N S E RVAT I O N AR E A

Brandum Bay

HYDRO LAND

Cider Park Bay

2km

Brandum

South Brandum

pumphouse

Brownie Bay

breakwater

HYDRO LAND

Reynolds Island

Reynolds Neck

G R E AT Helen Island

Cramps Bay

Howells Neck Island

PRIVATE PROPERTY

RA I N B OW P T C ON S E RVATI O N A RE A

Canal

Liawenee

Symbols

Bay Clarks Point Island

IFS Field Station HYDRO LAND

LAKE

Camp ground

Duck Point Bay

Toilets

ROAD

Duck Point

LAKES

Boundary Bay

HIGH

HYDRO LAND

Accommodation

Low Lake Level Boat Launching

Petrol Tourist information Public telephone

One Tree Point

HYDRO LAND

Scenic lookout

Shoobridge Island

Christmas Bay MacLanachans Point Island

HYDRO LAND

DudSea Beehives ls Bay Point Sh ore

Shore

www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

Bay Miena Dam

Swan Bay Haddens Bay

Tods Corner

Becketts

rle

PU B LI C RE S E RVE

CROW N LAND

Miena

Shannon Lagoon

GREAT L AK E CONSERVATION AREA Tods Corner

HYDRO LAND

PRIVATE PROPERTY

To Bronte

Boat ramp

Bay

ROAD

LAND

Burneys Island Muddy

Gin Point

Camerons Lagoon

B11

HYDRO LAND

Elizabeth Bay

PRIVATE PROPERTY

Howells Bank (submerged)

LI AW E NE E C O NSE RVATIO N ARE A

Rainbow Point

GREAT L AK E CONSERVATION AREA B51

Cramps Bay

HYDRO LAND

Parks and Wildlife Field Station

CROWN L A ND

Howells Neck

To Western Lakes

CROWN LA ND

cana

PUB L IC RESERVE

Sandbanks Bay

Middle Brandum

C EN T R A L P L ATEAU C ON S E RVAT I O N A R EA

GR E AT W E S T E R N T IE R S CON S E RVAT ION AR E A

To Launceston

Alanvale Bay

HYDRO LAND

CROW N L AN D

Telephone Bay

CO UNCIL L A ND

Arthurs Lake

Approx. 56km to Bothwell

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Fishing News - Page 35

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Channel Marine Services Lot 10 Gemalla Road, Margate Phone: 03 6267 1456

C.J. Marine Pty Ltd 8 Legana Park Drive, Legana Phone 03 63302277

Fishing News - Page 36

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Flood Fishing Peter Broomhall

From garden worm to Woolly Worm

he little pistol grip fishing rod complete with its Abumatic closed face spinning reel rests neatly in the crook of a forked stick that has been pushed into muddy ground slowly being inundated by the rising river waters. Soon the rod tip gives a slight bounce, a pause and then a more urgent bounce was noticed. The loop of line near the reel is pulled out from under the stick and soon line is peeling out through the guides. This action on the rod and line quickly brings the teenage angler to attention. He knows that another fat Mersey River brown trout has succumbed to his earthworm bait that had been cast into the flooded river backwater only minutes earlier. Given plenty of time to completely swallow the worm the trout is then hooked, quickly played and then unceremoniously dragged from the water. This trout is quickly despatched and then added to the string of others hanging from a nearby willow tree branch. Fast forward this scene to the present, a mere blink in time of around 25 years, the same angler crouches at the very same flooded river backwater this time with fly rod in hand waiting for signs of actively feeding trout, either a swirl, boil or a tip of a fin cutting through the still surface. Once sighted the angler quickly gets into position to present his rabbit fur fly in front of the fish and then eagerly awaits signs of a take. A subtle boil in the vicinity of the sunken fly or a simple straightening of the leader are the usual visual indicators that he is looking for. Once an acceptance of his offering is confirmed there is a firm lift of the rod and the trout is hooked. Another fine Mersey brown is played and then slid up onto the wet grass. A difference this time is that the glistening trout is quickly admired, the fly removed from its jaw and then slipped back into the cold late winter water and freedom.

So begins another trout season!! The scenes described above have been repeated innumerable times over the period of my fishing days. The gradual transition from fishing baits and lures to fly fishing began in my late teens. It was in these formative years that I really learned how to find and catch the elusive trout. Many hours spent on the banks of my home river, the Mersey, patiently waiting for a bite provided invaluable insights into the habits of the wily river dwelling brown trout. These were lessons never forgotten. Much of my time away from the riverbank was spent reading the writings and works of one the forefathers of Tasmanian fly fishing, David Scholes. His eloquent words were able to easily transport me to the rivers and lakes that he frequented. The pools, runs and backwaters on famous northern river basins such as the Macquarie and Break Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day were as familiar to me then as my own little backwater on the Mersey was even though I had not actually set foot on their hallowed banks. Back then it was his stories about chasing flood water feeding trout on these rivers that I could really relate to and it was these words that set me on the path to becoming a fly fisher.

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Fishing News - Page 37

flowing in to the lake than the hydro need to take out for power generation. Some sensational fishing can be found when the lake levels gradually inundate marsh areas and grassy shores previously left high and dry for long periods of time, sometimes years or as in the case of Great Lake in the late 90’s, decades! The trout will soon follow the rising water levels up over the new ground gorging themselves on the worms and grubs being flushed out by the water. An added bonus is when small ponds and soaks get inundated by the rising water. These small waters will often have an abundant population of water snails and various crustaceans that had been segregated from the marauding trout for a long time. The fish will really target these areas so if you can find them the action will not be too far away. Specific areas on these large lakes are many and varied. The black silt shores on Great Lake, the Northern marshes on Lake Echo, the Cowpaddock bay area on Arthurs and any of the extensive Lake King William mud flats are all well worth a look when the waters are rising.

Lakes during the early part of the season are often high and flooding.

Early season flood water fishing Late July the thoughts and prayers of most trout fisherman are for some heavy rainfall leading up to the first Saturday in August. For many the ideal way to bring in the new trout season would have to be waiting patiently at dawn beside a flooded river backwater or lake margin watching for a trout to reveal its whereabouts. Unfortunately nature doesn’t always work to Eastern Standard Time so quite often we have to wait a few weeks for the perfect conditions for this type of fishing but in most years there are quite a few opportunities that present themselves in the period spanning from early August to late September.

River Levels During late winter to early spring any heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and middle reaches of my two favourite rivers for this type of fishing, the Mersey and Leven, usually results in swollen levels further downstream. The MerseyLea and Gunns Plains sections on these rivers have many areas suitable to look for flooded backwaters. Low lying marshy depressions in open paddocks, farmers drainage ditches and side creeks all create the required conditions for trout looking to seek refuge from the strong flows of the main river at flood time and they also contain the bonus of vast quantities of food such as worms, slugs, grubs, frogs and the like being flushed out by the rising water. It is in these areas the trout will gorge themselves on the available food supply while the high waters last. The main attribute to look for in these areas is a good entry and exit connection to the main river. Deep channels at the entrance to a “light globe” shaped backwater are absolutely ideal.

The major or destructive flash floods such as we experienced last year rarely result in really good fishing in the main rivers. The rapidly rising water seems to keep the trout in their lairs and not willing to venture out too far. Rapidly dropping water levels also make it difficult to find the trout as they will depart the shallows edges to ensure that they do not get stranded in ponds disconnected from the river. The use of technology in the current age takes a lot of guess work out of finding the perfect river levels. Many rivers have their levels trended and are accessible on the internet. The Bureau of Meteorology website (www.bom.gov.au) is useful as it has current river levels, rainfall data, and radar images available at your fingertips. A quick view will be able to tell you whether the river at your favourite spot is rising or falling. It also pays to have a few areas picked out that flood at different river heights. That way you can move quickly to the next section if you find the river too high or low. Almost all major river systems will have areas that provide reliable flood water fishing opportunities. Apart from the ones already mentioned, the Meander, South Esk, Macquarie and Lake Rivers have well documented fishing of this ilk. Add to these rivers like the Ringarooma, Flowerdale, Gawler etc.. and you have a multitude of options available when the rains come.

Then there is the fishing opportunities created on the smaller waters by locally heavy rainfalls. Highland lakes such as Little Pine Lagoon, Gunns and Little Lakes , Pine Tier Lagoon, Lake Fergus, Lake Augusta and the Nineteen Lagoons rise extremely quickly given the right conditions. The trout in these smaller storages seem to know that the elevated levels and associated access to a different food source will be relatively short lived and generally react accordingly. The fishing can be fast and furious if you are lucky to be in the right spot at the right time. It can be a problem deciding which trout to cast at these times. Certainly a nice problem to have though you would no doubt agree! When targeting the smaller lakes the timing is crucial, the peak fishing can occur over a period as short as a few hours. As with the rivers the use of technology makes it much easier these days to predict good fishing on the lakes. As well as the various weather sites on the internet for rainfall figures, up to date lake levels are available on the hydro website (www.hydro.com. au/water/lake-levels). Some of these levels are also trended which makes it easy to predict when that lake is going to reach that magic height! The best of the fishing in the highlands is often a little later than the lowland rivers and streams. Although it is possible to experience good fishing in August in the lake country, if you decide not to brave the cold conditions much more reliable fishing is found from early September onwards.

Weather

Ideal weather conditions will be an overcast day, light winds with maybe a few passing showers. High Water on the Lakes These conditions will sometimes keep the trout feeding throughout the day and relatively easy to There a few distinct types of flooded margin spot. Heavy rain and strong winds make the subtle fishing on the highland lakes. swirls and boils of the worming trout difficult to see. Firstly there is the slowly rising water level on A perfect example was a quick trip early last season the large hydro lakes such as Great Lake, Arthurs, up to the Leven River at Gunns Plains after work. Echo and King William. This condition is created by Slowly rising and sustained high river levels Upon arrival I found the river at a perfect level for a wet winter and spring and hopefully more water create the very best conditions to find feeding trout. backwater fishing but pouring rain made it all but impossible to see any feeding trout. I stood on the edge of my favourite backwater for half an hour or so waiting and then almost left without taking the fly from the keeper ring but a sudden abatement in the rain left the surface of the water glassy. Now easily visible were no less than half a dozen trout actively feeding within a casts length in front of me. The tiny swirls and boils had been made invisible by the downpour. Quite a few of these trout were successfully targeted before the others were sent scurrying out by the The Lower Macquarie just starting to flood over the banks. Look for slowly filling backwaters and ditches. commotion. Fishing News - Page 38

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minutes from home but it is an entirely different proposition if a drive of a few hours has been undertaken to get to the lakes. So it pays to have a fall back plan. Blind fishing or targeting the likely areas can be an effective fall back if the trout are not showing themselves. Working wet flys along gutters and around structure such as flooded vegetation can result in heavy bags of early season trout. Sometimes the flooded areas can be deep enough so that the fish are feeding without disturbing the surface so it pays to put a few casts across them.

The Equipment Fly rods ranging in weight from 2 up to 7 weight are suitable for this type of fishing. If fishing in windy conditions, which is so often the case in Tassie the higher weight rods are in order, especially so if fishing with bulky flies.

Some large browns come out to play in flood waters. Bright sunny days often confine the best of the fishing to the few short hours around daybreak and dusk. Those that have fished in these conditions know that these peak periods are all too brief and you just run out of time. If I had to make a choice on which end of the day to fish I would select dawn every time. Although the sun peaking over the horizon can slow down the fishing, if the food supply is great enough you just never know!

The Fishing Backwater and margin feeding trout will usually follow a distinct beat or path. Trout very quickly tune into the areas that contain the most food and will return to the same areas almost like clockwork. This makes it quite easy to set up an ambush to catch them. As mentioned before, keep a close eye on the water for swirls, underwater boils, bow waves, etc…. These are the usual indicators that will alert you to the presence of feeding trout in your chosen spot. Sometimes when they are feeding really aggressively the trout will show tails, fins and even entire backs out of the water as they wriggle through the grass trying to eat as much food as possible while the levels are high. Trout caught at this time frequently exhibit greatly distended bellies and commonly disgorge masses of worms and the like while you are unhooking them.

Birds and other wildlife can also be good indicators of the abundance of food in the backwaters and flooded margins. Ducks, crows, grey cranes and even seagulls will patrol the edges also taking advantage of the easy pickings on offer at flood time. Another regular visitor to the flooded river backwaters is the platypus. These amazing animals are sometimes the first to arrive in the ponds. What fisherman doesn’t like to share his spot with them and if the fishing is slow just observing them going about their business is worth the trip alone. To target these trout the angler needs to be able to adapt quickly to changing conditions and feeding habits. My first option is to try and ascertain the likely movements of the trout and leave the fly in its path or beat. Imparting little or no movement to the fly once the trout has detected it quite often results in a take. Watch for leader movement or swirls in the vicinity of the fly. If this method is not proving successful a steady strip will sometimes do the trick. In short be prepared to vary the retrieve rates to find what is working on the day. As you would have ascertained by the tone of this article my distinct preference is for sight fishing for the trout but there are of course times when this cannot be achieved. It can be quite easy to leave the river without having a cast if you are only a few

As the vast majority of flood fishing is in shallow water floating fly lines in a weight forward configuration are all that is required. A lot of the fishing will be close up so a line that loads the rod with minimal line out is recommended. Some “overweight” the rod, eg go up a line size or two, to achieve this purpose. Accurate casting is the recipe for success. Long leaders are not essential with the standard 9 footers a good choice. I prefer to use Maxima Ultragreen tippet material in either 5 or 6 lb breaking strain. Ultra-light tippet material is not required and in fact can be a decided handicap as the flooded areas generally contain lots of drowned vegetation which can catch the leader regularly. The next trout to bury itself in a drowned kerosene bush after hookup won’t be the first, or last!!

Fur flies and plenty of them will work well.

The Flies Early season flood time fishing is usually the domain of the wet fly. Although dry flys can be effectively used at times, especially if critters such as Spiders and bugs are being flooded out by the rising water, the vast majority of the food available to the trout at this time of year is under the surface. My favourite fly for flooded backwater and margin fishing is the Rabbit Fur Fly in either black or natural brown/grey colours. This fly seems to be able to imitate a wide variety of the common food sources that trout look for at flood time. Quite often trout will pick this fly up from the bottom without any movement having to be imparted to it. Other reliable flys are the Woolly Bugger, Woolly Worm, Yeti, Montana Nymph and Matuka’s (and their variants). Black or dark coloured flies with a maybe a little red, yellow or orange in the makeup are typical. Another fly that has gained some popularity in recent times is the chenille based ‘earthworm’ pattern. As the name suggests this simple fly is a very good imitation of the humble garden worm or scrub worm that floodwater trout so love to eat.

Summary

Flooded marshes give up another well conditioned fish.

Although the conditions in the first few months of the new season can often be wet and cold, the floodwater feeders give us the first real chance of sight fishing to wild Tasmanian brown trout. My advice is to do a little research and then pack your rain coat and beanie in the car and get out there amongst them. Peter Broomhall

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Fishing News - Page 39

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Jan’s Flies Jan Spencer

ell here we go again. That three months went rather quickly. There really is a lot of catching up to do through the winter months. There is more water in the lakes than I have seen for a long time. Arthurs Lake last season did not fish well at all until towards the end of the season when there were some quite good hatches. Here’s hoping that this season will be a really good one there. Flies for the lakes or rising rivers, I find woolly worms, matukas and Mrs Simpsons will be effective. Always have a look at the shallows first as fish will move very close in looking for tasty morsels. This could be snails or very small nymphs. I think at this early stage of the season, because of the lack of food, if it is life-like the fish will attack if the fly is presented right. In saying this never fish to the fish, let the fish find the fly. If fishing wets in the shallows, quite often landing the fly with a small plop will get their attention.

With tailing fish, the early season has found me using a dry, yes a dry, very small in either a very dark brown hackle or black. If the fish are in shallow water, they will see it. This will also work on tailing fish on the river backwaters, particularly if the water is rising and washing out all the tasty beetles which are among the tussocks. Put the fly a little in front of the fish. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is landed with a little plop and those Western Lakes trout love it. Not quite sure what they take it for, perhaps a floating snail. It is also wise to cut the hackle off quite short so there is a surprise starter for you. A couple of seasons ago I took twenty-six fish in the first two weeks of the season and all but one were taken on this fly. If blind searching the shallows, I find this no different than blind stripping a wet fly of some sort.

Floating snail Hook: size 14-16 short shanked Thread: black Foam: black Hackle: black or dark brown 1. Take thread along shank and halfway around bend. 2. Tie in a strip of foam and take thread two thirds back along the shank. 3. Now with the foam strip, wind forward making sure each turn is overlapped slightly, tie down firmly and cut away the excess foam. 4. Tie in a hackle dark brown or black, if you do not want to trim the hackle make sure the hackle is small. If it does not offend you to trim the hackle then a bigger one trimmed will do the job. 5. Tie down hackle with thread, whip finish, cut thread away and varnish.

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Fishing News - Page 41

Riley’s success recipe Joe Riley

The keys to this sort of fishing are: • Fish the right length of dropper for the depth. • Fish an adequately weighted nymph for the depth. • Present the dry fly and nymph and mend well to allow a long drag free drift. • Strike as soon as the dry goes under even if you think it was for a snag or the dry simply sinking.

Proven techniques and flies A

s winters chill hits and it’s time for a break from fly fishing for trout, it’s good to go over what occurred during the season and what stood out, what flies produced good results what days were red letter days and why. Usually there is no single cause and a great day is really a combination of reading the conditions, reacting to what is happening at the appropriate time and using the right flies and styles of fishing to make the most of opportunities that present their selves. As I review each year I am always reminded that I rely on a few patterns for both lake and river fishing, these flies seem to prove their worth time and time again. This is no doubt largely because they can be fished with confidence, with the knowledge that they work for me when I need them and the fact they spend more time on the leader than other experimental or back up patterns. More than anything else though they are used with the proven techniques at the right times. Fishing competitions means you need to be able to produce the goods, when fishing is good you need to produce the biggest numbers and when fishing is quiet you have to be able to wrinkle out one or two fish to stay ‘in the mix’. Consistency is the key to this and relying on experience using the proven patterns and techniques applicable to the given conditions gives you the best opportunity to produce the goods and put that fish in the landing net.

While Czech Nymphing and Long leader or French nymphing are all in vogue, nymph under dry is still a very effective technique. As a nymphing technique you don’t need any special rods or 10 metre leaders and fished correctly it is a very effective fish catching technique. What is important for nymph under dry is to ensure that the nymph fishes at the right depth to get the attention of fish. This is easy in an even depth smooth run, probably the place where nymph under dry is still a most effective technique, however moving upstream through runs and pools, constant attention is needed to lengthen or shorten the distance from the dry to the nymph, likewise added weight in the nymph is also needed on the deeper runs. This can also require a change of dry fly indicator to a more buoyant pattern in order to keep the heavier nymph suspended. All of this adds up to a lot of changing, however it works and will increase catch rates. One way to short cut this is to have ‘jigs’ made up and stored on a block of foam. You can have a 600 mm dropper with a small dry fly and a lightly weighted e.g. 2 mm bead head nymph, then a 900 mm dropper with a moderate dry fly and a 3.0 mm b/h nymph, and a 1.2 m dropper with a big dry fly and a 3.5 – 3.8 mm bead head nymph. By tying a range of nymphs about the same size but adding bead in various weights you can effectively fish a range of depths confidently.

Boat fishing lakes Boat fishing lakes early in the season is generally all about sinking lines. There are exceptions where a midge emergence or evening sedge hatch might bring fish to the surface, however in the majority of situations if you are fishing water even one metre deep then your catch rate can be increased with the appropriate use of sinking lines. Everyone has their favourite wet fly pattern; I would say that the most effective are woolly bugger patterns which employ the use of tungsten beads and marabou tails. The seductive movement created by the front weight of the bead and the soft tail gives a superbly life like kick, it is an action that when presented at the right depth it is hard for a trout to resist. There are ways and means with all techniques to increase your effectiveness. Using a consistent methodical approach to wet fly fishing is essential to increase your catch rate. A few of the key elements to achieving a higher success rate are. • Remove slack from the line – As soon as the cast has been achieved take up slack. Many takes are connected as the flies sink and in the first few pulls on the retrieve. If the slack is not removed from the cast and a belly or curve occurs takes will not be felt or will be perceived as nips or short takes as the fly is actually being rejected after being mouthed by the trout for some time. • Count the line down – Use a countdown sufficient to get the flies near the bottom. This will change depending on the sink rate of your line and drift of your boat. On windy days you may need to use a faster sinking line even in shallower water to make sure you get to the ‘strike zone’ quicker. • Vary your retrieve. Try various retrieve styles and speeds. As a guide, windy rougher days require a faster retrieve, not necessarily because the fish like a fly fished more aggressively, you need to retrieve faster to still impart action to the flies to compensate for the faster drift of a boat.

River Nymphs – There are literally hundreds of variations when it comes to nymphs, but Mr Sawyer a couple of centuries ago came up with a ripper, the pheasant tail nymph. A pheasant tail is one of my main stays for river fishing. Mr Sawyer and his associates relied on wrappings of lead as an under body to get any weight into their flies. We are fortunate enough now to have tungsten beads and they can be applied in various sizes to a pheasant tail to make your weighting system immediately recognisable. These nymphs weighted appropriately to the depth of water you fish will catch trout anywhere in the world. You can add you own little touches, a bit of glister here & there, a gold or pearl flash back, but a basic pheasant tail nymph, ribbed with fine gold or copper wire for durability and an appropriately weighted tungsten bead will always hold you in good stead.

French and Czech nymphing is very productive, but not for everyone. Fishing News - Page 42

You can’t have too many nymphs in your box. Use one under a dry.

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• As light increases use a smaller version of the fur fly. Fly patterns come and go, some flies seem to catch big numbers of fish for a few seasons and then seem to lose favour either with fishermen or trout. Some flies have stood the test of time and still seem to catch fish as effectively as when they were first tied, some hundreds of years ago. The flies that have

stood the test of time, if used with proven techniques will catch trout effectively anywhere that they feed. Practice techniques and fish well, you can increase your bag or catch that big cruising trout in a few inches of water with a proven approach and the right fly. Joe Riley

Walk the shore, walk slowly and observe carefully. • On calmer days down size your flies and slow your retrieve, this time you are compensating for the slow drift of the boat and also make the flies move slowly and seductively through the right depth of water. • Move regularly and find the depth the fish art at. Don’t fish deeper than you can effectively fish with your sinking lines in the conditions. i.e. Don’t fish 20ft of water with a line that sinks at 3 inches a second, it will take you 80 seconds to reach the appropriate depth and you will have run out of line to retrieve by then! • Once you find fish, concentrate on the depth and area, certainly do repeated drifts over the area you find the fish to maximise your opportunities.

Walking the shore Walking the shore is a great way to catch fish with a floating line early in the season, by walking shallow bays you can find fish in a depth range that a floating line can easily reach. The proven method here is targeting moving fish with the Tasmanian favourite, the fur fly. This is a fly that has caught some of my biggest and most memorable fish. Four Springs Lake has provided some superb early morning walks for me with big brown trout on the prowl. Not only has Four Springs provided this exciting fishing but most lakes in Tasmania with shallow margins and brown trout, in fact Huntsman Dam at Meander, after a rain has more moving fish than Bourke Street has pedestrians!. The fur fly in various sizes is one of those super simple flies that imitates life and will catch fish hand over fist. Cast the fly in the path of a cruising trout, judge his movement direction and speed, this is the real skill and then cast

into the anticipated path of the trout. A slow draw retrieve to get the attention of the trout once more it is a judgement game, if you get the cast short or only just along the unpredictable line of the fish you will have to wait and only give a short draw, however if you get it past the path of travel you can give a longer draw in order to get attention. A mixture of fly sizes is important, in low light at dawn or dusk you can use a bigger fly around #8, however in lighter conditions reduce the size of the fly down to #12 or #14.

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There a few times that I will grease a leader for fly fishing, fishing the shallows for tailing or cruising fish is one of them. Grease the leader to within 12-18 inches of the fly, sometimes you will have to leave the fly stationary to keep it in range of the trout and therefore a visible leader close to the fly is the best strike indicator you can muster. Look for a slight draw on the leader to show that the trout has picked up your offering and strike accordingly, you will not always get it right but this approach is more effective than seeing a trout snooping around your fly and then heading for the depths after taking and rejecting it without a visible clue because your leader was sunk.

Once more there are keys to success • Sight the movement of the fish and judge the direction of travel of your quarry. • Cast accurately in the anticipated path of the trout. • Draw the fly to get the trout’s attention, but not so much as to draw the fly out of range of the fish. • Grease the leader to within 18” of the fly so a take can be seen on the leader.

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Fishing News - Page 43

River mayflies

Coming to a river near you

Daniel Hackett

ugust may be the first month of the fishing year, but for stream fishers, it marks the nearing of the mayfly season. The mayfly will be hatching by midSeptember, just six weeks or so into the fly fishing year, an event that marks the traditional beginning of the dry fly season. The October long-weekend is the traditional start of the mayfly year for some, but the third week of September actually sees the first consistent mayfly hatches. David Scholes recorded this in his writings, and the mayfly season continues along these dates today.

Finding the hatches

Duns

Finding the first hatches is a pretty simple equation, based around water temperature. The warmer the water temperature, the earlier hatch, which means low altitude creeks and rivers are the best place to be. The middle and upper Macquarie River offer some of the earliest hatches in the state, and are worth an early visit. Tailrace rivers such as Brumbys Creek will feature the latest starting hatches of the season, due to the colder mountain water.

The Duns themselves are typically dulled coloured insects, and float statically or with a bit of an erratic twitch along the surface. Traditional fly fishing uses high-floating imitations to match the hatch, patterns with palmered hackles and delicate upwings such as the Tasmanian Highland Dun or the British Iron Blue Duns. These patterns certainly work, but I recommend fishing through this stage of the hatch with an emerger.

Nymphs I like to fish a hatch from start to finish, and in order to do this, we use nymphs, emergers and high-floating dry flies. Each hatch begins with the nymphs rising from the weed and riverbeds towards the water’s surface. The trout feed on the nymphs as they rise from the depths, often with a side-to-side swiping or turning motion as they feed. Our favourite fly is the Ostrich Herl Nymph at this stage in the hatch. The fly can be presented by itself, or hung from a dry fly. Classic patterns such as the Chocolate Brown (seals fur) Nymph are also very effective.

Emergers As the nymphs swim to, and enter the surfacefilm of the water, they are known as emergers. This term describes a process that the nymphs undergo whilst in the film. The outer layer of skin breaks open over a period ranging from seconds to minutes, revealing a winged mayfly known as a dun. The Dun pops onto the surface of the water, where it then floats along drying its wings. They float for as long as it takes to dry their wings and fly to the safety of bankside vegetation, which is usually less than two minutes on the rivers.

Brumbys Creek is a great mayfly water. Fishing News - Page 44

During the emerging stage of the hatch, we like flies that sit half-in and half-on the surface of the water. Not surprisingly these patterns are called emergers, with our favourite being deer hair or possum Shaving Brush variations.

While this might seem strange, it makes sense after some thought. The mayfly are at their most vulnerable when stuck in the surface film of the river, so trout target emergers out of preference to duns. Secondly, most good emerger patterns are half nymph, half dun in their imitation, so you can hedge your bets (or imitation) with the single effective pattern.

Spinners While in the safety of bankside vegetation, the mayfly adults undergo a second shedding of skin. This time they convert from the drab brown and slatey-grey colours of the duns, to more often reds, oranges and jet blacks of the spinners. The mayfly spinners are the mature form of the insect, and the life-stage at which they reproduce. Only living for twenty four hours or so, the spinners amass over the water in clouds of insects, reproducing, and eventually returning to the water dead or dying (‘spent’ in fly fishing lingo).

The red spinner excites both fish and angler.

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Spinner patterns are deadly during the later half of a hatch, and low-riding, sparse patterns are the key to success. Parachute style spinners are the most common, and Bruce Gibson ties some rippers, but I’ve grown to love our un-conventional ‘porcupine’ hackle style even better. Whatever your preference, the fly needs to be visible, and presented accurately to trout that will now be leaping after hovering spinners, or sipping spent insects with slow but deliberate takes.

Gear Gear for fishing the mayfly hatches on the rivers are simple. I prefer a 5 weight fly rod, though a 4 weight can also be great. On the other hand, a 6 weight line can often land too heavily on the water for this style of sight fishing, leading to spooked fish. A floating fly line with a reasonably long front taper (to offer a gentle presentation) is perfect, and my favourite is the Rio Windcutter. As for leaders, I always recommend tapered knotless leaders, with a 6 lb Maxima Chameleon my favourite for calm days, while a 6 lb Rio tapered leader is better in the wind (these are made of stiffer materials). On to the end of the tapered leaders I tie either 4lb Maxima or 5lb Rio, with both having about the same breaking strain. Remember that the main trickof-the-trade with gear is to keep it

simple, be familiar with what you’re using, and have it all ready to go before you get to the water.

Locations Now is the time to scout out some locations for the mayfly season. The Macquarie, Esk rivers, Brumbys, Meander, and to a lesser extent St Pats and Mersey, are all excellent locations. The IFS has some good mayfly fishing amongst their Angler Access Points, but catch and release in these areas is highly recommended and appreciated by other users. There are also some free maps online, including those on our RiverFly guiding website. Now is also an excellent time to research a bit about our mayfly species, which include red spinners, black spinners, caenids and baetids. Each river suits some mayfly species better than others, and each species has a different hatching preference than the other. For example, caenid mayfly species hatch early in the mornings, while red spinner mayflies prefer to hatch around lunchtime. Knowing these traits can definitely help to make sure you are in the right place, at the right time. All fly styles mentioned in this article are available in Fly Cards fly tying booklet by Daniel Hackett. Daniel is offering free fly tying lessons during September and October, to register your interest Email Daniel at info@riverfly.com.au Daniel Hackett

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Fishing11/07/2011 News - Page 45 4:44:53 PM

Further evidence of this goes back many years to my tournament casting days. I was once a champion with a fiberglass rod. When the rod was stolen and I had to replace it with modern graphite rods I was never any good again. Softer rods always roll cast much better than their stiffer counterparts. Roll casting should feature heavily in any river fishing situation. Finally, generally smaller fish are encountered and it is NOT necessary to have a stiff rod to fight them. Give them a break… fight them gently with a softer rod with more feel. Try it. You might even enjoy it.

Rod stiffness Gary Nutall using his Taransky cane in tight conditions.

Short and Soft? More versatility, greater accuracy and better feel I like to river fish. In fact I always have, since I was a boy growing up in St Leonards on the North Esk River. Now, four decades later, I am a guide and there is nothing more that I love than to show my clients the great fun and excitement of small stream fishing. Being boys again I suppose. It is funny how as life becomes more complex we gravitate back toward the more simple things. To fish small streams well you must have a short rod. I remember years ago fishing with the great Rodney Foy who has been several times Australian Casting Champion. We would wade quietly up the stream taking it in turns to cast to sighted fish or likely lies. So often did I hear the words “you better take this one Haysie”. You see… Rodney’s rod was a 9 foot 5 weight (Interestingly the most popular and highest volume selling rod in the world). My rod was a 6 foot home made fiberglass work of art that started off as an 8 foot blank. I had cut it and telescoped it in two places and trimmed a little off the butt. I could cast where Rodney couldn’t. Time and time again. Now that was back some 25 years ago and some things have changed.

The short rod means that the leader join is often being pulled inside the runners and this nearly always sticks just when you don’t want it to. The fix for this is for you to order a Whitlock glue kit from me and start gluing in your leaders. Another downside is that while overhead false casting the line is obviously lower to the ground and if you are not on the case with higher tempo casting the fly can snag high grasses.

Rod stiffness

Rod materials Fibreglass These days Fibreglass has made a big resurgence. In the USA there is a real cult following. A friend of mine, Warryn Germon, had a rod maker build him a rod a couple of years ago. The 3 piece, 7 footer, for a #6 is a sensational fishing rod. From memory the rod cost Warryn $1300 which is similar to the latest offerings from the leading carbon fibre companies. Vision do a beautiful casting and fishing rod. Friend Mike Stevens has one and incidentally it is called a Vision Cult. Mike’s rod is a #3 weight and 5’9”. He loves it.

Cane I love cane rods and I want everyone to know. Long cane rods are for killing snakes and tying up Tomatoes. Short cane rods are superb. There are as many actions and models as there are days in a year. They are robust and have longevity. If you invest in a cane rod it will be more valuable in the future. Not so with Graphite.

The stiffness of a rod is how much it bends for a given weight. I personally like the feel of a rod that bends a lot when I cast it and when I catch a fish. It is purely a personal thing.

Good makers include Peter McKean of Launceston and Nick Taransky of Queanbeyan. The downside is that waiting lists for their rods are in excess of more than a year.

Over the years rod company marketing has had us believe that stiffer and faster is better. Why? I don’t know but it is simply not true. Trust me – I know.

Graphite

From a casting point of view the softer rods having greater feel give me a better understanding of where the rod tips travels through the air. I am definitely more accurate with a softer rod. This is much better for hand eye coordination.

There are of course many modern short graphite fly rods on the market today. Two that I have had first hand experience with are Sage and Vision. These rods are featherweights compared to their longer and stronger brothers and they cast like rockets. You would not be disappointed with either brand should you buy one. Peter Hayes

For one, both Rodney and I are well healed enough to own McKean and Taransky cane rods. Rodney’s rod is a 7 footer for a 4 or 5 line and he believes it is the best wade polaroiding rod he has ever used. The rod is ideal for the fast, accurate, short casts that are often required in this fishing situation.

Virtues of being short Well to start with the obvious thing is that a short rod can be used in tight spaces where you simply cannot swing a 9 foot rod. That is a huge advantage in small stream fishing. A short rod is less inclined to spook so many fish because it doesn’t stick up in the air so much (this is another reason why Rod likes his for wade polaroiding). There is much greater accuracy with a short rod rather than a long one. Given that the flyline, and ultimately the fly, follow the path through the air that the rod tip takes, it is fundamental that during the forward delivery cast the rod tip travels in a straight line path toward the target. I am sure you will understand that this is more easily achieved with a shorter stick than a longer one. The only downsides that I can think of are that it is difficult to cast as far with a short rod. With creek and stream fishing this is not an issue though. Fishing News - Page 46

Mike Stevens with his favourite small stream rod - a Vision Cult 5’9” #3.

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Kayak Tassie’s great Fishing Spots

it thrashed its head about near the surface. Having seen some of the reports of the big salmon captured I’ll be back again to try my luck. My most successful areas in the lake have been the shallow western shore north of the boat ramp, the rocky drop offs on the northern shore, the drowned timber and some of the shallow weedy shores in the north east arm. But I’m also keep to drop some big plastics and vibes along the dam wall area, since this is where the shore fishos do so well. A good approach on the kayak is to troll between spots using a fish finder to monitor the depth to keep your lure in the zone. Then find the small bays and weedy shallows and the drowned timber and stop there for some cast and retrieve. The plastics are ideal around the deep water of the drowned timber and the deep edge of the northern shore. Before the drought years I came across some good hatches of flies in the shallow weed beds in the north east arm, with the trout sipping them down early in the morning in glassy conditions. Hopefully these bugs have recovered back to good numbers in the last couple of years.

Meadowbank Lake

his is the first in a series of articles highlighting some of the great spots in Tasmania that are well suited to fishing from a kayak. As proven by some intrepid kayak anglers there is nothing stopping you from fishing in some pretty hostile or far off places from a kayak. Such as the captures of blue fin tuna from kayak last season. I read an article recently about a mainlander who even lands mako sharks from his kayak! But in reality most of us who choose to fish from a kayak do it to take advantage of the stealth of the kayak, or to mix some relaxing exercise on a beautiful water way with catching some fish, or to go to places not frequented by a lot of boat traffic. Using these reasons I’ll come up with a list of some ideal spots that lend themselves perfectly to kayak fishing. With the trout season looming I’ll start with nominating these two lowland freshwater gems: Meadowbank Lake & Craigbourne Dam. The reason for putting them both together is that they are both lowland lakes, regularly stocked with a mixture of browns, rainbows, atlantics and the occasional brook trout in Craigbourne, and they are both open all year round. This makes them the ideal waters to visit in the closed season for most other trout waters as well as a great early season option through spring when the weather is still often too chilly for comfortable kayaking in the central highlands.

Craigbourne Dam Craigbourne received 750 adult Atlantic salmon in May, in the 3-4 kg range, while Meadowbank received 300 adult Atlantics around 6kg. Both waters receive a regular stocking of adults and fingerlings each year.

Craigbourne in particular has had an intensive stocking program after the period of drought years that brought the lake down to the original river bed at 3% capacity. The Dam is now as full as I’ve ever seen it. The last couple of years of good rainfall have brought it back to its former glory. One thing I have noticed the last couple of years is the lack of redfin perch. They must have been heavily hit by the drought and as such have not recovered to the large numbers that used to inhabit this water. There’s a number of reasons why this is a good lake for kayaking. Number one would have to be it’s proximity to Hobart – only 50km drive from the City. Next on the list is that this is quite a small lake. It is very easy to paddle the whole circumference of the lake in a few hours. I recently did a trip to try to get one of those monster Atlantics. Being a cold wintery morning I took my time about it and arrived at ‘gentlemen’s hours’ to find that the car park at the boat ramp was completely full. I counted twenty cars. The good news was that I found a spot to park on the side of the dirt road coming in and could easily slide the kayak across the grass and into the water there. I took a keep it simple approach since I only had a couple of hours on the water. I had a Daiwa Infeet 1-3kg rod with a Daiwa Luvias 2000 reel rigged with 4lb braid and a 6lb fluro leader. On the end I tied a Rapala F7 floating minnow in the rainbow trout colour. I then started a leisurely troll up the western shore across to the northern side and then across to the point north of the dam wall. It was here that I finally hooked up a feisty rainbow, which did the typical rainbow acrobatics. I got this one in the net but lost another one shortly after doing some cast and retrieve in the same little bay when

Meadowbank is good for kayak fishing for much the same reasons as Craigbourne. In addition you’ll find that this lake doesn’t receive as much angling pressure as Craigbourne so the serenity is A class. Just make sure you don’t turn up on a weekend when there is a waterskiing event on! Though it’s not really a problem if you head north of the bridge where there is a 10knot limit. On calm days when the lake is glassed over it is pure pleasure to go for a paddle. It’s surrounded by farmland and there is abundant birdlife such as black swans,

The drowned timber at the north east corner of Craigbourne.

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Fishing News - Page 48

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hawks, eagles, diving musk ducks as well as countless smaller birds. There are also plenty of platypuses who sometimes fool you into thinking a big fish just surfaced. You can put your kayak in at the boat ramp, though I generally go across the bridge and park in the picnic area to the northern side of the bridge and wheel the kayak across the grass in to the shallow shore near the little island. The area on the northern side of the bridge has extensive shallow weed beds on the western shore and deep edges with sunken timber on the eastern shore. In the middle of the lake you can find channels amongst the deep weeds. This for me is the best part of the lake, especially for kayaking. In the shallows I have seen 4kg atlantics and big browns cruise up into knee deep ditches a metre from shore. So stealth is the name of the game in the shallows. In my moss green kayak and wearing camo colours I’ve been able to get close and personal with the fish, which gives you a better chance of spotting them and hopefully catching them. The northern shore has a lot of little bays, inlets and ditches in shallow water. These are perfectly suited to a stealthy low profile attack from the kayak. Start out by fanning some casts around the entrance and then paddle/peddle slowly in and cast to all the likely looking fish holding spots.

This Meadowbank Atlantic took a bibbed minnow cast to drowned timber.

Fish like this will keep you coming back.

how big are the incentiveS to go trout fiShing thiS SeaSon?

I’ve had success using brightly coloured lures such as orange and pink, redfin colours and more natural baitfish colours. There are also some great hatches that occur in the northern basin. Plus with the long grass a hopper should go well in late summer. Below the bridge the eastern shore holds extensive weed beds and the western shore has some deep rocky drop offs. In the deep sections it’s worth putting on a 1/8th jig head and a soft plastic with some scent such as a Gulp fry in pumpkinseed or one of the Squidgy Pro Range wrigglers. There are some good sized brown trout and some monster atlantics that cruise along the deep edges and they give you a real battle in a kayak.

Extra Notes If you’re going to fish either of these waters during winter and spring I recommend wearing a kayaking dry-suit. Even a quick dip in the frigid waters could bring on hypothermia, so play it safe. Modern dry suits are breathable and windproof and add a great deal to your comfort level. It’s also worth taking a dry bag with some spare clothing along with a thermos of coffee. A pair of fingerless gloves is also a necessity on cold mornings. Conversely I’ve had some ripper days on these lakes in glorious weather with shorts and t-shirt down. For those in the north of the state there are equally good lowland lakes that would be ideal for kayak fishing. Four Springs, Brushy Lagoon and Huntsman Lake all look like ideal waters for kayaking. I think I may have to take my yak on our next trip to Launceston and head out to Brushy or Four Springs. Craig Vertigan

Big rains – lots of water The Tasmanian trout fishery is in peak condition after two seasons of good rainfall. Higher water levels and the persistent inundation of fresh ground have brought an abundance of aquatic life. Weed beds have regrown in previously dry areas, providing habitat for aquatic invertebrates and excellent foraging grounds for trout. This season is predicted to be one of the best in forty years.

Big opportunities all year round

Huntsman Lake, a new fishery resulting from the construction of the Meander Dam in 2008, has a large population of wild brown trout. It’s already a popular fishery, being easily accessed from Devonport and Launceston, and it is now open all year round. Other all-year waters include Great Lake, Lake Barrington, Brushy Lagoon, Craigbourne Dam, Lake Burbury, Lake Pedder and Meadowbank Lake, along with the estuarine sections of the Leven, Tamar, Derwent and Huon rivers.

Big stretches of quality rivers

Big improvements to roads and ramps

Stretches of quality angling water found in several of Tassie’s renowned lowland rivers, which were previously difficult to access through private property, have now been opened up to anglers. These include long sections on the Leven and Meander rivers, and an additional 12 km on the Macquarie River. These projects add to those already undertaken on the Macquarie, Lake and North Esk rivers and Brumbys Creek, along with the Huon River in the south, since the River Access Program began in 2007.

Maintenance of access roads and boat ramps is an ongoing job. This year, the roads at Four Springs Lake, Woods Lake and Fisheries Lane at Brumbys Creek were upgraded. Works were undertaken at the dam wall at Four Springs Lake to protect it against erosion. At the boat ramp at Arthurs Lake dam wall, a rock groyne was constructed and navigation light installed to improve safety. Also this year, extensions to three boat ramps at Great Lake and works on the boat ramps at Penstock, Little Pine and Pine Tier lagoons were undertaken.

Big numbers of wild fish Now in its third year of operation, the IFS modern hatchery is producing increased numbers of fry and fingerling stock from wild fish for stocking the recreational fishery. These offspring are being grown to larger sizes before their release, resulting in improved stocking effectiveness. This supplementary stocking helps sustain fisheries that have poor or no natural recruitment (e.g. waters in the Western Lakes), and to develop specific fishery types (including trophy fisheries such as Penstock Lagoon and Four Springs Lake).

Following the rains in 2009, previously drought stricken waters in the south-east – Craigbourne Dam, Lake Leake, Lake Dulverton and Tooms Lake – refilled with water. They’ve been stocked intensively since, reinvigorating these fisheries and reclaiming their previous popular angling status. They’re well worth a visit early in the season when the weather in the highlands may be less favourable.

Big choice of fishing spots

Big for family fishing

Another benefit of the increased rainfall has been a bigger range of attractive fishing options throughout Tasmania. This has helped to relieve the pressure experienced in recent years at some of the premium highland waters, including Penstock, Little Pine and Bronte lagoons. There should be plenty of un-crowded waters, banks and shores to choose from this season.

Big wild trout waters Premium wild trout fisheries in the Central Highlands such as Arthurs, Great and Woods lakes have benefited greatly from higher lake levels, and fishing there is only expected to improve. These are the most popular waters in the state, having large populations of wild trout and providing excellent fishing using all methods. If the high levels continue, less frequented waters such as Echo and King William, and Laughing Jack Lagoon, will also tend to fish even better this season.

Big rejuventation

Easy to catch adult domestic fish are stocked in lowland waters, particularly those promoted as popular regional fisheries. These include Lake Barrington in the north-west, Brushy Lagoon and Curries River Dam in the north, and Lake Meadowbank and Craigbourne Dam in the south. These stockings, particularly the periodic stocking of trophy size Atlantic salmon in some of these waters, will continue throughout the season.

Renew or buy your angling licence online at www.ifs.tas.gov.au or visit your nearest tackle store or Service Tasmania shop.

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Fishing News - Page 49

4. Rapala Brown trout 3cm 5. Berkley 2.5” T-tail Black n Gold

Flies 1. Gibson’s Mudeye Green 2. Gibson’s Gold Bead Woolly Bugger Olive and Orange 3. Gibson’s Woolly Bugger MK2 weighted 4. Gibson’s Bull Head olive or black. Okay so there are not a lot of mudeyes around but this fly works a treat. Also nymphs are particularly good.

Water Temperature Often the water temperature at this time of the year is to cold to get a hatch. But nothing is impossible.

Tom Crawford

Always keep an eye out on the surface for any movement or insect life. When there has been insect life I have found it is usually between

Tom’s trout tips

1pm to 4pm. So if you are going to fish dry flies this is what I suggest.

arly season trout fishing can be extremely rewarding. But why is it that so many anglers refuse to go and consider it a waste of time. I understand the clutches of a warm bed are hard to fight but for those heroic enough to venture out the rewards can be plentiful. Fishing for trout in the colder months is just as much as a mental thing as it is a practical. In this article I hope to teach you about the techniques that many experienced trout fisherman use to catch fish in this less than inviting time of year.

1. Chernobyl Ant 2. Glister Tag 3. Carrot Flies

Technique The key is to work lures and files slow. Remember the water is cold and just like you the trout are slowing down.

Reading the water

So slow down. Often slowing your technique down to 5 seconds between lifts or strips can be the difference between fish and no fish.

This may seem simple enough, but time and time again I see anglers walk straight past perfectly good water to have a cast at the spot they caught fish last time. Now I am the first to admit some spots are just good all year round but trout will move to feed and different temperatures will put them into different areas.

I mentioned earlier about fishing on the top, bottom and mid water. For example if fishing an area from the shore. Cast out and fish the bottom first. Either with a weighted fly or heavier lure. Soft plastics work particularly well for this style of fishing as you can rest them on the bottom and they sink fast.

The key is to not look at the lake or river as one big vast section of water, but to pick a section and analyze it. Where are the deepest parts, where is there structure, can I see foot prints from some one who has just been here, is there any water flowing in. Once you have done this fish the spots thoroughly. On the bottom, on the top, mid water. To some of you this may seem obvious but time and time again I see people walk past trout at their feet.

When fishing mid water suspending bibbed lures work best and as we mentioned before they can be paused for a good period of time in the strike zone. Un-weighted wet flies also work well.

What Lure or fly? The easiest way to answer this question is simple. What are they feeding on? If you are a lure fisherman than you are hoping they are feeding on bait fish. And at this time of the year they are more times than not. So here are my predictions as to what lures and files you should use this time of the year.

Lures 1. Berkley Gulp 3” fry Pumpkinseed 2. Yep Tassie Tackle 3” Flapper in Black n Gold 3. Tasmanian Devil Red Nosed Brown Bomber

Surface fishing is also a great method whether it is dry flies or popping style lures. Fish will come to the surface to grab a lure in the colder months. In particular popper fishing at night works particularly well. The nights you are looking for are those cold still nights with the moon out. The moon helps silhouette your lures and flies on the surface and trout often can’t resist.

Gear Now I am not going to tell you which brand rod, reel or line. This is a personal choice and if you are reading this article than you probably now what to use. Instead I will talk about it briefly. Use nice long leaders when using braid. Often I settle for a 4 lb leader but at this time of the year I suggest you use more like 8 lb. The water often has a lot of debris from the rain and snow melting. So 8 lb just gives you that little bit more abrasion. The same applies to fly leaders. Don’t be afraid to use a slightly heavier leader. If fishing plastics use a variety of jigeads. But remember work the lures and flies slowly.

Waters

A Black and Gold Yep Flapper or Berkley T-Tail will catch plenty of trout. Fishing News - Page 50

Rug up and get amongst some of Tassie’s great trout.

Early Season Dry Files

There is never a sure fire bet as to which water to fish early season and we all have our favorite waters. I tip for good fishing early season is certainly an easy one. Bradys Lake has recently been stocked with some nice browns and although it may not be every one’s cup of tea it certainly will fish well. I also predict Tooms will fish well but please be mindful this water is still recovering and hard fishing will do it no favors.

Cloud Cover So we have all heard it, fish like over cast days. But why? Well it actually turns out that trout and insects are more active in low light conditions. The theories for this are as follows. 1. Fish are better protected from predators in particular birds in low light conditions. This in turn makes them feed more aggressively. 2. Trout are able to rapidly adjust their eyes to light intensity. This gives them the edge when hunting in low light conditions. 3. Only cloudy days hatches tend to happen later in the day and will produce a steady number of bugs as opposed to larger intense hatches. The advantage to this is that in an intense hatch it can be hard to get your fly noticed.

Barometer For those of you who don’t know what barometer is the following is from Wikipedia. “A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. It can measure the pressure exerted by the atmosphere by using water, air, or mercury. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Numerous measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, high pressure systems, and frontal boundaries.” Now I know my father has a smile from ear to ear as he has been telling me to fish to the barometer for years. And you know what? He is right. I have wasted a lot of fishing time in my younger years fishing the wrong time of day. In terms that are relevant to us a steady or slow change in the barometric pressure will result in good fishing. A fast dropping barometer makes trout stop feeding. When you have a dropping barometer there is a decrease in air pressure this in turn inflates a trouts air bladder making it go off its food. Often to counter act this trout will go deeper to fix their swim bladder. So I suggestion is if you are fishing and the barometer is dropping head deep.

Warning Just remember are central highlands are extremely cold this time of year and in turn can be quite dangerous. So rug up read the water and the weather and go catch some early season trout. This article is only a brief example of early season trout fishing. If you have any other questions please feel free to call me or pop into our new tackle store in Kingston. You will find Tom at Tackle Us, Kingston, Ph:6227 2400

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Old technology 2-stroke motors are bad for the environment By Gary Fooks

Gary Fooks is a keen Qld based angler. An Academic, Gary sat on the Environment Minister’s Expert Panel on Outboard Emissions standards in 2005 and has since advised Industry, Governments and authorities including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Ecotourism Australia.

Are outboard engines really doing harm to the pristine fishing resources we all want to enjoy? Some hold an extreme viewpoint that man should not be allowed in nature at all. On the other side, some boat owners are in denial that outboard emissions could ever cause any damage at all. The exhaust pipe of every outboard comes out under the water and even though most of the gasses can be seen bubbling to the surface, something must end up in the water? Who hasn’t seen a slight oil slick behind a good old two stroke? Fortunately we don’t have to guess or listen to fisherman’s exaggerated tales because there is plenty of published research on the topic. For those who can’t stand the suspense any longer, the bottom line is clear: Good old cheap two strokes produce a huge amount of emissions compared to a 3 star rated outboard (most 4 strokes and the newer Direct Injection two strokes like E-TEC). Few readers will be surprised that an old technology two stroke will push out more emission than a four stroke.

Some will be amazed that an 8hp carby two stroke pushes out more emissions than a 150hp four stroke. These aren’t some obscure brands but a very well-known Japanese brand, the market leader in Australia. When the manufacturer’s own test results, audited by the USA EPA show that the 8hp actually produces 60% more emissions per hour than the 150hp, that you can understand why these engines are no longer sold in the USA, Europe, Japan and Canada. Even China stated regulating small engine emissions in 2010. There is so much research available because the question of outboards and emissions has been asked and answered in many other countries. In every case the answer has been outboard emissions regulations.

When you see old two strokes smoking like this remember all outboards exhaust into the water. This smoke contians high levels of hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide. In Australia? The outboard Industry and governments have been discussing emissions standards since 2003 and the best estimate is that in 2012 we will match the USA- currently the world’s toughest standard. The Tasmanian government has already expressed support for a national standard. That shouldn’t be a major problem. Over half of Tasmanians already buy clean outboards and have for some years. As for the rest- nothing you own now will be ‘banned’, and the new engines will save 30% or more in fuel costs.

What emissions are we talking about? Hydrocarbons - basically unburnt and partially burnt fuel. In such small amounts it can’t be compared to an oil spill of course. Hydrocarbons, from different sources have been shown to damage aquatic plant life and are no doubt a fish repellent. Divers say they can taste it in the water when using a two stroke. Nitrous Oxides - which may alter water pH and is blamed for acid rain. These chemicals mix with water to make nitric acid. Very heavy boating traffic on crowded US lakes before emissions standards where shown to have slightly altered ph. As any gardener knows, getting the pH right is key to a thriving garden. Aquarium owners worry about pH too, so should anglers. Carbon Monoxide - highly toxic to humans, but isn’t water soluble so its not a fisheries issue, and excluded in my comparison above. This is really a human safety issue, and a proposed limit on CO from outboards is long overdue. The Australian standards, whenever they arrive will not only regulate outboards but all small off road engines. That means everything petrol driven from lawn mowers to generators. Diesel standards are in the pipeline and due to follow about two years later. Australian Boat Building standards (AS1799) were already updated in 2009 to reflect the heavier four strokes, so any boat sold since then should be ready. Hand in hand with exhaust emission standards will be an evaporative standards for fuel tanks. Again we will follow the USA as they currently lead the world. Evaporative standards will require fuel tanks to have an expansion capacity and a carbon filter on the breather tube. In the main the regulations are all about reducing air pollution, but if it gives us cleaner waterways and better fishing, most fishers are on side. After all we have had car emission standards for thirty years. Having no standard at all on outboards just doesn’t make sense today.

Some engines can no longer be sold in the USA, Europe, Japan and Canada, but they are still on sale in Australia.

For Anglers If you own a four stroke or a 3 star rated DI two stroke you have already done a lot to reduce your emissions. You can make a little difference

by keeping your engine tuned, the hull clean and reducing weight by taking out that gear you don’t need. Of course running at 80% instead of WOT will make even more difference.

If you own a carby or efi two stroke it’s time to consider trading up to a fuel efficient clean engine. Until then, avoid WOT and keep the oilfuel mixture to no more than manufacturer recommendations.

For regulators Five years ago the management of a popular recreational fishing lake in Queensland made a rash announcement to restrict access to small outboards. It took two years and the intervention a State Minister for the Authority to swallow their embarrassment and produce now rules based on actual research and not rumour. Their eventual solution was to phase out the use of high emission engines, and allow clean outboards of any size. That, with speed restrictions due to risks from sunken trees, has proven a viable water quality solution while actually expanding the level of local tourism and recognized the importance to the local economy. A win-win.

Calculations How the %^%$$ can an 8hp two stroke push out 60% more emissions per hour than a 150hp? Spend enough rainy days doing these calculations and you will get some shocks. Who did the data? Well the international industry Association ICOMIA decided the five point test cycle. In the hour of testing there are minutes spent at WOT, at idle and three power settings in between. To get an engine certified in the USA, manufacturers do their own testing, which was subject to audit by the USA EPA. In other words the manufacturers have no beef with the data. Those test results are all published on the USA EPA web site. In our example one 8hp two-stroke will produce 59 per cent more emissions per hour than a 150hp “clean” engine. Or in other words a 150hp clean outboard has 37% LESS emissions per hour than an 8hp 2 stroke! Yamaha 8CMHS 322.7 g/kw/hr of HC+NOx ( source USA EPA database) Yamaha F150AETL 10.8 g/kw/hr of HC+NOx ( source USA EPA database) 322.7 x 8hp x .75(kW) /1000 = 1.94 kg/hr 10.8 x 150hp x .75(kW) /1000= 1.22 kg/hr

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Fishing News - Page 51

Sell your boat the fast & easy way! From just $35 total cost Minimum 9 colour photos

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Fishing News - Page 52

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Okuma SLV Fly

BERKLEY 3B CRANKBAITS – NEW COLOURS

The rigid diecast aluminium, super large arbour spool, of the Okuma SLV Fly reel fit the demands of the most experienced fly anglers. Its multidisc cork and stainless steel drag system and one way clutch bearing make the SLV a highly regarded piece of fishing equipment; covered by Okuma’s Lifetime Warranty and available in four sizes; 2/3wt, 4/5wt, 5/6wt & 7/8wt.

Designed by Adam ‘Mad Dog’ Royter the Berkley 3B range of hardbodies encompasses a range of shapes from surface walkers to deep divers. A selection of new colours is now available across all the ‘Dog’ series. Drawing on over 2 decades of catching fish on lures, Adam Royter has developed the 3B Dog series to perform in both fresh and salt water with its roots firmly embedded in the art of bream spinning. Fitted with Owner hardware 3B cranks feature durable poly carbonate resin construction, built in sonic rattles and realistic finishes. Covering everything from hot surface action over the racks to a shut down day 2 tournament bite, these lures have the easy working actions and colours to not only get the fishes attention but to make them bite hard! “3B’s are my baby. I’ve spent years perfecting sound, action, vibration and colour to create the best hard body

on le a S r e p u S e id w e r Sto ies r o s s e c c A d n a m o o Showr me o s y b s g in v a s e in Genu s r e li p p u s r jo a m r u of o

lure you can get. Tie a 3B on, you won’t be disappointed!” Adam Royter. Visit the website to view the entire 3B range and watch PFTV to see Adam Royter ‘s preferred retrieve techniques for every 3B shape. Purefishing.com.au

Boat show on all new bonus and packa boats ges Competitiv e

Used Stock

It’s ON ..........

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DEEGAN MARINE

BOAT SHOW Saturday 13th August 9 am to 4 pm Sunday 14th August 10 am to 3 pm

Stocked up and ready to deal • MAST Education and Demonstrations • Fishfinder and GPS Workshop • Manufacturers Reps (Talk to them about the technical stuff)

• Fishcare - Education and Kids pool

• Live trout display • Lucky Door Prize • Fish ‘N’ Chicks Challenge (for the girls) • Hourly Prize Draw • Club Marine Insurance

www.deeganmarine.com.au – Ph: 6425 2238 – 102 Eastlands Drive, Ulverstone – “We Take Tasmania Boating” www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 53

Snowbee Prestige Breathable waders Most anglers prefer the advantages that breathable waders afford us. They let us move about more easily as there lighter to wear and you don’t sweat in them but you can still keep warm by wearing thermals or track pants under them. The Snowbee range of prestige wader is made for the angler who expects more for his money. These waders are made of a totally new material called “Vapor-Tec” covered in a tough Nylon outer shell for added durability. The inner membrane allows vapor transfer to keep you dry and comfortable all day. A new way of thinking with in the manufacturing process has thrown away the idea of stitching pockets to the chest instead

Snowbee XS Wading Boots

welding the material together and placing a YKK waterproof zip on each pocket, in short no stitches no leaks.

Its funny how many people are finding the benefits of wearing proper purpose built wading boots. I mean today’s angler wants the best for his money so most now when buying waders will buy breathable waders of one brand or another. Nearly all breathable waders come with neoprene booties molded in and not ‘hard’ soled shoes or boots. So purchasing footwear to fit over these booties is a must. When looking around there are plenty on the market but for my money I definitely wouldn’t go past the Snowbee XS wading boot. The thing with wading boots is they have to put up with the rigors of being in water all day but more importantly they should act and wear like a good hiking boot, you need comfort and sturdiness with a good grip. The Snowbee XS

The Prestige wader comes with an adjustable harness which can be removed quite easily allowing you to convert the chest wader into a waist wader. The wader comes in 4 styles being Chest, waist and thigh high and the chest are available with a full length waterproof zipper down the front. This a huge innovation in chest waders as they allow you to get them on and off quicker but also allow you to use the mens room without having to shed half your clothing to pull the wader down, simply unzip them like a pair of trousers. Snowbee Prestige waders ask your local store to show you a pair. Leroy Tirant

NEW

PRODUCT

boot does this with ease and it doesn’t matter if you’re walking the back lakes with a pack or in a river in rock and shingle. The boot has a multi faceted sole pattern which makes it grip on just about any surface. Best thing about the Snowbee XS wading boot is the price these boots retail for under $200 which is a bargain for quality boots that are made to last. These boots are available in either plain rubber sole or rubber studded sole for extra traction. Leroy Tirant

GROPER Seamless Tubular Bandana

Multifunctional Microfibre Textile Tube

• FITS ALL SIZES AND SHAPES • 100% Polyester Microfibre

12 ways to use your GROPER Bandana

CAP

Pull inside out, put on your head and rotate and then pull down over head.

SCARF

HEADBAND

BLINDFOLD PROTECTOR BUG STOPPER SCRUNCHIE HEADBAND DESERT CAP

Pull inside out, rotate an overhand knot.

GROPER Bandanas are a multifunctional, seamless head and neckware accessory made from stretchy microfibre. Gropers are light and flexible which protects your face and neck from both the cold and sun. Ideal on cold mornings, but also keeps you cool in summer and protect your head, ears and neck from the harsh sun. Wet it and the evaporation will help keep you cool. There are 12 versatile ways to fold the GROPER, it is perfect for any activity where comfort and protection are important. Two patterns available: Multi-coloured Fish and Paisley A product from Stevens Publishing Pty Ltd

From good tackle stores and online from www.tasfish.com

Lifestyle with an Income

Fishing News - Page 54

PIRATE CAP BALACLAVA WRIST BAND

Bigfin Sportsfishing, a well established tackle shop located in Devonport has been put on the market so Leroy can move into semi retirement. Bigfin isnt just a store its a brand well recognised across Australia. Located in a large premises around the corner from the Spirit of Tasmania terminal Bigfin provides the first stopping point for the tourist fishermen, catering a large array of tackle from freshwater to gamefishing and everything in between.

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

If your looking for the lifestyle of doing very little and spending your time talking to anglers or go fishing whilst earning an income this is the business for you. Imagine loving your job and being excited to get to work so you can talk fishing and play with tackle all day everyday. If your’ve ever thought this is the life for you stop dreaming and start doing, it is as good as it sounds. $160,000 Phone Leroy 0428 347 736

Lagoon of Islands Rehabilitation Project

n response to a continually deteriorating ecosystem, Hydro Tasmania is progressing its ambitious project to rehabilitate Lagoon of Islands towards its natural wetland state. Located in Tasmania’s central highlands, this unique ecosystem characterised by floating islands of terrestrial vegetation was flooded by Hydro Tasmania in 1968 to deliver irrigation water to downstream irrigators along the Ouse River and offset water releases from Great Lake. Downstream demand exceeded the capability of the natural catchment and in 1984 Ripple Canal was constructed to divert a number of small tributaries of the Shannon River to the lagoon. Though substantially increasing the yield from the lagoon this action proved to be ecologically disastrous as the canal also contributed large volumes of nutrient rich water ultimately resulting in a collapse of the natural system and unacceptable water quality. Low inflows in recent years combined with the poor environmental conditions have prevented any water releases for irrigation purposes requiring expensive releases from Great Lake to occur. Addressing the issues at Lagoon of Islands is one of the key objectives of the Ouse River Project that aims to resolve a number of inter-related water related issues in this area. Construction of alternative water supply infrastructure for Ouse River irrigators is being progressed and, once commissioned, will render Lagoon of Islands redundant and allow for the dam to be decommissioned and the water body to be rehabilitated. A panel of internal stakeholders and external experts was assembled to advise on the best course of action to improve the poor environmental conditions persistent in the lagoon. In May 2010, the first major action was taken with the decommissioning of Ripple Creek Canal. Four tributaries artificially flowing into Lagoon of Islands were redirected back to their natural course and into the Shannon River. Planning is currently underway to breach the dam wall to allow for natural water levels to occur. Further interventions are being considered but will depend on the lagoon’s response to removing the canal and dam. Full recovery of Lagoon of Islands to its original state is unlikely in the short to medium term. However, Hydro Tasmania is confident that the approach will see improvements in water quality in the short-term and set the lagoon on the best path to long-term recovery. For further information please contact: Andrew Jones Project Delivery Manager Hydro Tasmania

How Well Can You Cast? Why worry about this? Catch rates It never fails to surprise me how everyone always wants to, 1. Tell me how many fish they caught and 2. Ask me how did you go? My answer is always that ‘we had a terrific day thank you. Knowing that this does not answer the question they were asking. Within a minute I can guarantee you they re ask the question ‘well, how many did you get’. I guess it is a ‘boy thing’. The fact is we are all interested in catching a few fish and that most of us are interested in catching MORE fish. I can assure you that in fly fishing you success depends to a great extent upon how well you can deliver the fly to where the fish will see it.

Job satisfaction To me this is paramount and probably the main reason I like to fly fish these days. It is always nice to know that you can perform any task with some precision and quality. Bad casting SUCKS, and you know it. I will bet that there are many times a day where you know you stuffed up good opportunities at catching fish. You need to lessen the stuff ups.

Example: Fishing with a guide. A coupe of years ago I fished a local river with a client. Conditions were good and I did my utmost to help him catch 8 or perhaps 9 fish for the days effort. He was completely happy with his day. I had the following day off and I fished the same water with a mate who is a Montana based guide. We only fished half heartedly and managed 57 between us. It was so much fun to watch this master in action, particularly after my day of frustration the day before. The point I am trying to make, not very well, is that in many cases we ‘don’t know what we don’t know’. It is not until you fish with someone who is a magician with a fly rod that you realize just how unskilled you are.

What can you do to improve ?

Planning is currently underway to breach the dam wall to allow for natural water levels to occur.

1. Identify requirements Is the type of fishing that you do all about quick and accurate casts? Is it about distance? Or maybe it is about casting in tight situations with alternative and unique casts. Whatever the case try to assess what is required and work out where you are lacking. Be honest, put aside the ego and look in the mirror. This is often the hardest part of improving. Accepting that you should work on improving yourself.

2. Develop practice regimes Once you have recognized what areas of casting that you need to practice then regular practice is paramount. You don’t need to spend thousands of hours but instead invest a little time regularly. Document results and set reasonable goals It is important to monitor your progress and document your progress. Develop points for set accuracy targets and try to better your highest score each week. Work on distance casts down the park with a tape measure that will never lie to you. Write down your record distance each week. Always have a competition with yourself. Refine the practice As your results get better and you get a better feel for what is actually important to focus on then reset your objectives and goals. Cast to smaller targets or do the sequence faster. Cast your distance now with a heavier fly etc. Set new challenges and make sure you make it all enjoyable and fun to do. 3. Seek professional help I’ve just been working with the Australian Fly Fishing Team, they are not too stupid, or too proud to seek help in any way that they can. In just a few short sessions on the casting pool and with targeted practice regimes I can proudly say that the team is now more competitive. Simple things that can be measured easily include their wet fly boat fishing efficiency. It was easy to show them that if they could add a further 15 feet to their casts and cast without tailing loop tangles then they would fish their flies through 14km of water in a session as opposed to 9.5 km. Now, in a World Championship that is important to them. The humble Roll Cast was something else that we worked on to tremendous effect. With a simple and quick flick of wrist the guys can now roll cast long distances with good accuracy. You never know when this ability will catch you a fish that your competitors at that level will miss out on. The difference can be a Gold Medal at that level.

Practice makes perfect So…. Go and practice. You may enjoy fly fishing more and I guarantee that you will get better at catching fish.

Hayes on Brumbys

Casting Classes, Weekend Workshops and Fly Fishing Conclaves Sat 26 Nov: Beginners half day $165 Sun 27 Nov: Inter/advanced day $230 Nov 26/27: Live in Weekend $500

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 55

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS FISHCARE FOCUS ON SCHOOLS

Who should become a Fishcare Volunteer? Ideally, Fishcare recruits are recreational fishers who • communicate well and like talking to people about fishing; • are interested in educating kids about good fishing practices; and • are keen to help keep Tassie’s fisheries sustainable.

Volunteer Norm Bird talks to Princes Street Primary students at the Woodbridge Discovery Centre

Fishcare Tasmania is a program funded by recreational fishing licence fees that educates the community about sustainable recreational fishing practices.

There is no upper age limit for Fishcare volunteers, so men and women, young and old are encouraged to apply.

The Marine Links Education Resource Kit

Fishcare has recently increased their focus on its popular Schools Program by visiting more Tasmanian classrooms to spread the responsible fishing message to schoolchildren. As part of the push into schools, Fishcare Volunteers will be using the newly upgraded Marine Links Kit. Marine Links is a hands-on, practical teaching resource full of useful fishingrelated teaching aids. It’s a fantastic Tasmanian marine education package that’s freely available to all schools by contacting Regional Fishcare Coordinators. Research shows that educating kids in their early years is the most effective time to teach sound fishing practices. Did you know that kids who fish responsibly also influence the entrenched habits of older folk such as their grandparents?

Marine Links is an education resource kit funded by Fishwise for use by teachers in Tasmanian schools. The Kit contains a wide range of interactive marine teaching materials including: • model fishing gear including rods, pots/rings, nets and setlines • moulds of popular recreational fish • fisheries posters, pamphlets, maps and fisheries brochures • marine textbooks and classroom exercises The Kit aligns with school curriculums and works best when presented by teachers working in partnership with Fishcare volunteers.

Marine Links Education Folder Cover

• Give up their time to educate the public about responsible fishing; • Attend fisheries and community events eg. boat shows, Agfest, fishing events, schools and fairs and talk to the public about responsible fishing practices; • Volunteers only participate in educational activities; they do not have any enforcement role.

Volunteers are asked to give a minimum of around 4 hours per month to the program.

Training Induction and training is provided to all recruits in topics including fisheries rules, fish identification, communication skills, and volunteer rights and responsibilities.

Fishcare Schools Program

The Volunteers have access to resources including fishing gear for students to use. They can also bring marine textbooks and fisheries display posters to the classroom as well as distributing Recreational Sea Fishing Guides, rulers, gauges and stickers.

What do Fishcare Volunteers do?

How much time is involved?

As a recreational fisher, you may be interested in becoming a Fishcare Volunteer yourself. Whether you like talking to adults or children about fishing, your regional Fishcare Coordinator can find a volunteer role to suit you.

Fishcare Tasmania volunteers are available to deliver in-school presentations to primary and secondary age children. Many volunteers have completed specialist training at the Woodbridge Marine Discovery Centre so they can assist teachers to conduct practical classes about fishing. Presentations can be in the classroom or at a suitable local fishing spot.

Fishcare volunteers David and Phil at Agfest

Fishcare Regional Coordinators are located in each region of the state. Please contact them if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer.

Become a Fishcare Volunteer – We Need You Fishcare Tasmania is looking for new recruits. Becoming a volunteer is a great way to do your bit by looking after our sea fisheries and to meet other like-minded people. Our volunteers attend exciting fishy events around the State and have the satisfaction of knowing they’ve made a difference.

Need more information? To enquire about the Marine Links, the Fishcare Schools Program or becoming a Volunteer, contact your Regional Fishcare Coordinator: South: fishcaresouth@dpipwe.tas.gov.au or Ph: 6233 6208 North: fishcarenorth@dpipwe.tas.gov.au or Ph: 6336 5474 NW: fishcarenw@dpipwe.tas.gov.au or Ph: 6443 8624 Phone 1300 368 550 (local call cost) or visit fishing.tas.gov.au

Fish deeper ..... Better results Alvey deck winches

• Massive line capacity • All stainless and brass construction. • Dual multiplate clutches on larger models. • Double winding handles on larger models to make winding easy. • Made in Australia. Free catalogue

Name........................................................ Address ..................................................... ................................................................. Postcode ................................................... Fishing News - Page 56

For your free copy of our 84 page catalogue and guide to better fishing simply fill in the coupon and send to: ALVEY REELS, P.O. Box 105 Goodna, Qld 4300

Kevin Nichols - Tasmania Photo courtesy Bill Corten

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

ST-11 trebles. 55mm in length and 2.6 grams in weight, the CT55F dives just shy of 1m, making it an excellent presentation for bream anglers in shallow water situations. A recommended addition to any keen bream anglers hardbody tacklebox, both tournament and social.

Cultiva Selection CT55F Minnow The new Selection CT Minnow range from Cultiva features high quality craftsmanship with superb lifelike finishes in both clear and holographic styles. Selection CT55F Minnows include Cultiva’s chatter rattles, living eyes and sport super sharp Owner

Outboard Servicing Mobile service, saves you time, money and convenience. • Servicing greater Launceston, east, northeast coast and central highlands. • Latest computer diagnostic equipment to suit most models. • Quality work guaranteed. Grant Garwood: 0428 382 130. Email: ggarwood1@hotmail.com

www.purefishing.com.

5.2m Stessl Bass Boss 115 Yamaha Saltwater series 2 (low Hours), 85lb 24 v Minkota Maxum 2 x 235 Amp Trojan batteries, 2 x GPS Sounder / Fish finder New Casting Deck, Twin Console, Bimini Top Under Deck Storage, Stainless Prop, Original prop also included This is the perfect fishing boat for Tasmania’s Lakes and Estuaries. This Boat is Very stable and suitable for many methods of fishing $16,400. Enquiries to Nick on 0400 02 66 88

Winner of the recent Down Town Tackle/TFBN/ Birchalls promo. Winner was Mr Michael Woodroffe, Newnham. Dean Wadley Manager News & Magazines Department Birchalls presented Michael with a rod and reel combo from Down Town Tackle.

Quality craftmanship, premium paints and the best products ensure your trophy will last a lifetime

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AAA Rating

P: 0457 449 715 E: mrskinnem@bigpond.com W: www.airbrushedtolife.com

Subscribe today Subscribe, Back Issues: Just fill in the form, or send your details as below. Fax to 03 6331 1278 or post to Stevens Publishing, PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250 or email details to fishn@bigpond.net.au Classifieds - FREE for subscribers Email______________________________

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www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 57

Fishing and Boating Directory Advertise here for $77. Contact Mike Stevens 0418 129949 Located on the shores of the Great Lake - the gateway to Tasmania’s central plateau and over 3,000 lakes. • Lounge with library, private bar, two open fire places and a restaurant/dining area plus conference room. • Hearty home-cooked meals, soups, delicious deserts and a superb collection of Tasmanian and mainland wines. • A traditional meeting place for keen fly fishers discussing the hatch on Little Pine or the big one you bagged over

a cold beer or a warming glass of wine around the fireplace. • Private lake where you can brush up on your fly casting with a lesson or two from our trout guide or maybe even tangle the 2 to 4 lb wily browns, that cruise the edges! The room facilities include ensuite bathrooms, heating, electric blankets, fridge, TV and tea and coffee making facilities, with wader hanging racks outside.

Relax in Comfort at Central Highland Lodge Ph: 03 62 598 179 www.centralhighlandslodge.com.au

STOLEN from Boat at Paradise 3 Shimano TLD 50A game reel & rod combos and 1 Tica Game reel & rod

Reward offered for info leading to recovery . Ph 64 912414 Outboards / Sterndrives / Service and Repairs www.seancosseymarine.com.au

The Tamar’s fishing authority For the very best advice on fishing the Tamar River and surrounding area call in and see Sarah and Damon Sherriff. For the best range of fishing tackle and watersport gear in the Tamar Valley. Open: 9 - 5.30 weekdays 9 - 1 Saturday

44 Macquarie St George Town Ph: 6382 2373

Launceston’s Only Authorised

Aluman

Engineering

Vandieman Seaman boats Proplate custom boats Boat repairs

Dealer and Service Centre

8 Legana Park Drive Legana Industrial Estate, Ph: 6330 2277 Email: chris@cjmarineandkarts.com Fishing News - Page 58

Reach NEW customers for $77 Phone Mike Stevens to find out how. 0418 129949

Call in for all your fishing tackle including full range rods, reels, lures, landing nets and bait. Also life jackets plus diving gear and stuff for all water sports. Scott, 53 King Street Scottsdale.Ph. 63522357 Julie-Anne, 41 Quail Street St Helens. Ph. 63761390

Top Service – Top Price

BURNIE MARINE Services

• Over 30 years experience on all types of motors • Approved insurance repairer to boats and motors • Propellor rebuild and refurbishing • Repairs of all types - including skegs etc. • Contact: Cyril Stevens Phone 6431 3082 Fax 6431 1255

Gone Fishing Charters

Propellor repairs Mark Tapsell 424 Hobart Road, L’ton Ph 6343 3341

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

• East coast estuary and bay • Bream, salmon, garfish, flathead, mullet and squid • Specialising in BIG BREAM • Soft plastics, lures, flies and bait • 5.8 metre sportfishing boat.

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens Michael Haley 0419 353 041 mhaleycharters@bigpond.com www.breamfishing.com.au

SPECIALS

by the wind, tides and currents. Offshore from the Tasman Peninsula is not a place for novice kayakers. OKUMA TITUS GOLD 15S $330.00 Safety gear: A 20S $350.00 marine VHF radio is especially handy, and Advertise here for $77. Contact Mike Stevens 0418 129949 I routinely car r y an EPIRB, flares, whistle, SHIMANO TLD50 FULL ROLLER 24KG ROD paddle float, strobe light $575.00 (for my own epileptic Fishin g Sea marine disco), map, World class fishing in the heart of the central highlands son compass and a GPS. I Stay in a luxury art deco 3 bedroom cottage barely ever use them, Atmospheric Highlander Arms tavern on the doorstep but its comforting to 3 course meal provided each night know they are all there. Catch your own salmon in Tarraleah lake and learn how to Fishing gear: A prepare it with expert chef handline is much cheaper 18 lakes within 30 minutes drive SHIMANO TYRONU S 50 than a rod and reel and ROLLER TIP 37KG ROD seems to work fine for $779.95 (03) 6289 0111 this type of game fishing A dream fulfilled and thankful to be on hard ground again. BULK MONO LINE providing you have a @tarraleah.com PRICE PER METRE Handline trolling for bluefin from a kayak info is not easy, but is way to securely attach it, 10KG $0.04 www.tarraleah.com achievable as the author shows. 15KG $0.06 and plenty of line (I use 24KG $0.08 Endurance: You might need to stockpile some patience, about 300m of 37 kilo mono). Don’t forget your gloves. Include 37KG $0.10 a couple of lures that swim well at kayaking speeds, ideally fitted since the reality is you’ll be slow and with only one lure out STORMY SEAS YES!! WE CAN with long heavy mono traces. A gaff, knife and club to pacify your chances are low compared to other boats. But when MARINA WET SPOOL YOUR the fish are all potentially useful. You’ll need plenty of water your time finally arrives.... its hard to imagine any other WEATHER SET YOU REELS FOR fishing experience coming close. Best of luck out there. and high energy food to keep paddling for hours. $39.90 Bluefin tuna from a kayak, it is indeed possible. JACKET & PANTS Nick Gust

ASE SCOOP PURCH

Fishing and Boating Directory

www.sportsfishtasmania.com

Tasmania’s huge online fishing website with forums, classifieds and the latest fishing news

cosy wood fires

wine & whisky Stay and tasting Fish the

guided fishing trips Peninsula - Advertorial Feature

great pub

STORMY ZIP OUT SLEEVE JACKET NETT PRICE

$305.00 HOT PRICE SURE CATCH ALUMINIUM GIMBAL BELT

SMALL BAIT BOARD

$49.95

380 Pirates Bay Drive Eaglehawk Neck Toll free 1800 639 532 (03) 6250 3262 www.lufrahotel.com or lufrareception@bigpond.com

The Lufra - close to all the (fishing) action

It is no exaggeration to say the Tasman Peninsula is truly remarkable with possibly the best sport fishing, highest sea cliffs, outstanding diving in giant underwater kelp forests, renowned fine food producers, Australia’s leading convict site and some of country’s best bush walks. Situated at Eaglehawk Neck, and just one hour from Hobart, The Lufra provides relaxed affordable accommodation close to Port Arthur and natural attractions and is ideally located as the base for you to enjoy many activities, sitting as it does at the narrow isthmus which connects the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas. Visit the Lufra and you’ll share more than a stunning view because the area abounds in many attractions — both natural and made-made — all within easy driving or walking distance. Close to the hotel are several amazing rock formations and attractions - The Blowhole, Tasman Arch, the Devil’s

Kitchen and the Tessellated (or tiled) Pavement. You will be impressed by the drama of these geological wonders, sculpted by Mother Nature over millions of years. A mere 15 minutes south by car the history of Tasmania’s convict past comes alive at the former penal settlement of Port Arthur and other historical sites on the Tasman Peninsula. Nearby you can also indulge in sports and pastimes like deep sea fishing, surfing, and bushwalking, or visit other nearby attractions like wildlife parks and wineries. $59 pp twin share incl. The Lufra Hotel offers comfortable accommodation continental breakfast or in a range of rooms and self-catering units as well as a $65 pp with hotrooms” breakfast. limited number of “fishermen’s at very affordable rates. · 66 Stylish Additional car parkingRooms development allows substantial car and· boat parking. Our licensed restaurant and bistro CBD Location restaurant are complemented by a games/recreation Affordable Rates room, ·TV/lounge area with open fireplace, café/coffee shop and two bars. · Conference Rooms Australian aviation pioneer tourism entrepreneur · FREE Parking · and FREE Movies Sir Reginald Ansett is reputed to have described the Lufra · FREE Fitness Hotel as “the hotel with theRoom best view in the world.” No wonder· there has been an accommodation house on Wireless Broadband the same site for more thanon 150 years. · Three Steps GeorgeThe Lufra Hotel Bar - Restaurant 380Heritage Pirates Bay Drive Eaglehawk Neck www.colonialinn.com.au Toll free 1800 639 532 (03) 6250 3262 www.lufrahotel.com or info@lufrahotel.com

$39.90

ROD HOLDER OR RAIL MOUNT AVAILABLE HEAVY DUTY GAFF

$129.00 1.8 METRE

LARGE BAIT BOARD

C E N T $99.90 RAL TASM ANIA

TAMAR MARINE TOP 4 SELLING BLUEFIN LURES HALCO LAZER PRO 190

$18.90

Tasmanian maps for any

RAPALA X-RAP 30

$34.95

ap and ER VIBE KILL An gling N o .90 tes $22

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TASMAP’s Central Tasmania Map and Angling Notes

6-8 WEST TAMAR ROAD, LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA 7250 is an invaluable guide to the world class trout fishing in the PHONE (03) 6331 6188 FAX (03) 63342681 thousands of lakes andOrders tarns located throughout the region. Phone & Mail

welcomed We accept...

in store

It covers most of the Central Plateau, shows all of the lakes, Outside waterfront INGthere FREE ADget TRto how along with launching facilities, our accommodation, HOURS PARKING boating and fishing store. camping fuelPM supplies services.8AM TO 12.30PM MONand TO caravan FRI 8AMareas, TO 5.30 SATand MORNING CLOSED SUN. & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

The reverse side features detailed notes and maps covering Ph:stories 6331 Fishing News - Page prime fishing lakes. The notes are packed with valuable WWW.TASFISH.COM - Over 850 online.6588 Get the knowledge–get the the fish.

information on regulations, fish types and the best fishing locations and methods.

St Helens

Your every need catered for • Eight en-suite cabins • Convenience store • Hot takeaways • Groceries • Newspapers • Boat parking • Fuel • Bait and tackle • Boat and car wash

It is available online, along with TASMAP’s full range of maps, books and historic charts, at:

www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

Hillcrest Tourist Park & Mini Market 100 Chimney Heights Rd. St Helens 6376 3298

Maps may also be purchased from Service Tasmania outlets and TASMAP agents statewide.

Depar tment of Pr imar y Industr ies and Water

www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

Fishing News - Page 59

Issue 93 August - September 2011

HUGE TROUT ISSUE

IFS News Great Lake Tyenna River Lake Crescent Lake Dulverton Stocking Tables Regulation Changes Derwent Sea Runners Back to Basics Flood Fishing Mayflies Casting Kayaks

Stuart Cottrell gets excited with this seven pound trout. Read heaps of exciting trout news inside.

WWW.TASFISH.COM - 1000 FISHING STORIES

Print Post approved; PP 702512 00027