Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 111 2014 August

August - September 2014

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 111

Lures and Techniques

Nine stories to help catch trout.

Page 5, 10, 13, 15 and more.

A Guide’s Guide to Flies Christopher Bassano top tips.

Page 20

Inland Fisheries News

Big Arthurs trout and more.

Page 39, 42 and 43

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Bait and Lure Tips

Photo: Peter Broomhall

Adrian Webb with the low down.

Page 34

The Trout Opening Issue

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Inside this edition — everything you need to know about catching trout in August - September

The trout season is closed for a short time, but it is a significant ‘interruption’ to many and the ‘new’ season opening is keenly awaited.

The enthusiasm and optimism for the opening is genuine, and as David Scholes often said of fishing ‘Fish with confidence, or don’t fish at all’.

The new season brings great hope and Arthurs Lake is coming back. The IFS found some really big fish in the spawning creeks, as well as an abundance of smaller fish. See page 42.

So enjoy our new look and the best trout season opening issue we have done. It is chock full of trout.

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Fishing News - Page 3

Lure Techniques — Shane Flude

5

Three Trout Tips — Peter Broomhall

10

Starting Trout Fishing — Joe Mangan

13

Six Essential Lures — Joe Mangan

15

Anti-kinks – Yes or No — Justin Causby

18

Strategies from a Trout Guide — Christopher Bassano

20

Pet and Guide Dams — Billy Lane

24

Kayaking Arthurs Lake — Michal Rybka

27

Jan’s Flies — Jan Spencer

31

Best Four Flies to Start the Season — Joe Riley

32

Bait and Lure – River Tips — Adrian Webb

34

New Products

37

Inland Fisheries Service News

39, 42 and 43

Why You Should Join a Club — Justin Causby

40

Marine Fishing News

44

I hope you like our new look. For 17 years we have been the original size and reluctant to change. Our readers loved the size, and I am sure much of that was because it looked like a newspaper. It was meant to — and to deliver fishing news.

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News has always had a policy of delivering news and running positive stories about where to fish, how to and what for.

So, why the change? The newsprint you are holding is manufactured in Tasmania by Norske Skog at Boyer on the Derwent. This new, heavier weight paper is a credit to Tasmanian manufacturing and no old growth trees are used. We like that. We changed

because this paper became available and by changing the size a little it was economical to use better paper and get better reproduction without extra cost.

This issue is packed full of trout tips, techniques, strategies and tactics like never before. Writers such as Bassano, Riley, Flude, Broomhall, Rybka, Webb, Mangan, Causby and Lane should be read carefully, slowly, and with great attention. These people can fish and their words, heeded, will help you catch more fish than you thought possible.

Please keep up to date on our Facebook page and website, where the latest fishing news is available daily.

Mike Stevens

Mike Stevens talks fishing with Chris Wisbey ABC Statewide

Saturday mornings 6.40 a.m.

Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Published by Mike Stevens: PO Box 7504, Launceston, 7250.

Mike Stevens – P: 0418 129 949 or E: mike@tasfish.com Stevens Publishing, ABN 79 095 217 299 All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; 100003074

For subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com or phone Mike 0418 129 949 One year $36 - two years $68 includes postage.

Fishing News - Page 4

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L

Lure techniques for early trout season Shane Flude

Hard body, or soft plastic lures should be fished slowly early in the season.

A boat is a definite advantage on Huntsman, however the entire western shore is easily reached from the road or the BBQ area. The flooded marshes here are one of the most productive places on the lake. Fish size has remained on the small size as you would expect on a lake with many spawning streams. Numbers have fallen over the past 12 months with many locals blaming the cormorants. If they have been to blame then the remaining fish should put on some weight this year so let’s all be content with the fat one pounders that may come to the net.

Fish size in this lake has changed the way I fish it. Firstly with soft plastics and my old favourite the Berkley T-tail in black and gold or green. After numerous nips and taps I started to pinch about a centimetre off the top of the plastic before threading the jig. This resulted in a better hook up rate almost instantly so I have adopted this technique in all waters I now fish where the fish are small. I still fish with fairly heavy jigs, around the 4-5g weight and allow about a foot per second of sink time.

Along the western BBQ bank on Huntsman about 100 metres out is all about 3-4 metres (10-12 feet) deep and the 10 second count works well. I usually stick with plastics until the weather starts to blow and then opt for small hard bodies along the entire southern shore, particularly if the wind has stirred the shore up. Cast in shallow to those muddy corners, the fish can often be found in only a few feet of water. I have tried any number of lures but still come back to the ever reliable rapala in a CD 5. The jury is still out on whether the rainbow, brook trout or hot mustard muddler works best. Suffice to say I have a good stock of all three. A quick stop start retrieve has always proven effective, the trout often grabbing it as it stops and you The black and gold Berkley T-tail is a stand out plastic. start winding again to feel instant weight.

W

ith the opening of the trout season on us it’s time to review the good old trout diary and look back at what has worked and where with the new season in mind. I know each season is different however most of us will be suffering the cabin type fever associated with our winter closure and itching to get back into it.

I have reviewed the past few years and narrowed down the best waters and techniques.

Although I live for the warm days of high summer when trout will rise freely to my rather scrappy homemade dries, the fly rod rarely leaves its tube in the first two months of the season so this article will concentrate on the lures, locations and methods that have served me well.

Huntsman Lake, although it’s open all year round, still receives an influx of anglers in the opening weeks.

As the lowest in elevation of the waters I will mention, the arctic conditions of the plateau do not quite extend this low and it is often one of the most pleasant places to fish early on. The often snow lined highlands around Huntsman make this a very scenic place to visit and fish. By early august it is usually rising and or spilling and this makes for exciting fishing around much of the western and southern shorelines.

My favourite ‘early water up top’ on the plateau for the past three years has been Woods Lake.

The fish last season were in excellent condition right from the outset. I’m told that their condition and size only increased right through till April. Due to the size of Woods I usually troll to my chosen location before resorting to spinning or plastics. The water clarity will probably never improve so this is a lake where bigger can be better. Last year just to be stupid I trolled a 12cm floating minnow and still caught trout. I regularly troll CD 9 Rapalas here, rainbow pattern seems to work best.

This size lure can run to 8ft and even early season the weeds beds can foul the lure.

All along the northern shore a few hundred metres out should see a constant depth of 15 feet and a weed free troll with these larger lures. Around most other shores I use the CD 7. The only exception is the bay at the southern end. This is really exceptional water when the wind is blowing from the north. I fish a CD 5 or floating hard body here as the water in close to shore is only a few feet deep. Again fish the stirred up water right to the bank. It pays to land the boat in the trees on the western side and slowly walk the entire bay. Beware the deep creek channel that flows through the dead trees, good spot to cast a lure but bad spot to step as I discovered last year.

Rapala CDs are a long time favourite.

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Fishing News - Page 5

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Arthurs Lake

PRIVATE PROPERTY

Shore based angling amongst the trees can be very rewarding.

STATE FOREST

WOODS

PRIVATE PROPERTY

I had poor results on the plastics, however, but generally only used these out deeper and probably away from the majority of fish in the flooded margins.

There are patches of shore that can be fished on foot here but Arthurs is better suited to boat fishing, particularly around the flooded bushes. It’s a huge lake and can cut up quite rough making progress slow. In these conditions it always pays to troll some lure along behind. For me it’s still the ever reliable Rapala however many locals swear by their cobras. As has always been the case with fishing whatever you catch the first fish on will probably make its way back onto your line by the end of the day no matter how many lure changes you make.

Best places to fish Arthurs early on are numerous. At 64 square kilometres there will always be some quite corner with no other anglers. Fish according to the weather and select the shore that is windblown and stirred up. For me last year is was the three kilometre stretch from the dam along the western shore in the prevailing north westerlies. The lake level will probably start about the minus one metre mark where it did last year. If it rises quickly like it did last year then that’s the time to go.

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Very early last season the soft plastic fishing was brilliant and I caught most fish in the 12-15 ft mark and all down near the bottom. Strangely the eastern side was the most productive, an area I previously had not had much luck. So no guesses where and what I will be doing the first reasonable weekend in August. The same two colours of the T Tail work best. The gary LOCATION glitters in black and gold also produce.

One of Tasmania’s LAUNCESTON favourites, Arthurs Lake WOODS LAKE has really been the talk of many anglers for the HOBART coming season. The fish condition slowly improved all last year — and how could they not, with all that flooded ground. I had great success on this water flicking small hard bodies into the extreme flooded margins. Again the best shores were the ones exposed to the weather or where pockets of muddy or stirred up water mixed with clear. This method produced well right up until November.

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Life’s too short to take chances

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Brown trout illustration Kristii Melaine

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PUBLIC RESERVE

LAKE 738 m

PRIVATE PROPERTY

CROWN LAND Todd Lambert

PUBLIC RESERVE

PRIVATE PROPERTY HYDRO LAND N 0

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Fishing News - Page 7

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Come and see the new superstore as we take it out for it’s first off road adventure. Bradys

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PRIVATE PROPERTY

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My favourite water though is Lake Echo — another reliable PRIVATE early water and often just below the snow line making access PROPERTY possible. I have traditionally fished this water several times early on, and rate September as the best month. I particularly like the third weekend as a non football fan and often have the lake to myself. This year will see the lake very low to start the season so quickly flooded ground will be a feature from opening weekend. The three Bays on the northern and western shores are best. A boat is now needed for Teal Bay access with current shore restrictions. The three kilometre STATE FOREST journey south from the Large Bay ramp is well worth the trip with rising levels. Spin the wooded shores right to the edges.

The tree choked creek mouth leading right out into the lake HYDROPerch pattern works is the hot spot. Use Cd 5 or 7 Rapalas.

Lake LAND very well at Echo due to the resident redfin perch population.

Big Jim Dicks Marsh Away from the trees the deeper areas of all the bays are reliable plastic areas. Best depths in August/September have Teal Bay been the 15-20 foot mark. I have had best success with the green T tails, perhaps due to the perch. The absolute hot spot SU at Echo is the Monpeelyata Canal mouth which is usually KE S running flat out for the first two months of the season. A boat is necessary to reach the mouth and fish it. Beware the horrendous 5 kilometre journey back across if the weather gets up. Hard bodies are the only way to go at the mouth.

Start where the water drops off into the depths and slowly Lake Samuel work in to the mouth. Carefully fish the edges of the main Brown Marsh current lines, these are great fish holding areas.

PRIVATE PROPERTY The biggest fish on most trips to Echo come from the PRIVATE mouth. Plastics would probably work here but it is snag city PROPERTY Bronte so keep them high in the water.

Fish size was down Lagoon C173 last season at around 36 cm, the rainbows are scarce.

Although Great Lake is open year round it is again visited Highland by many on opening weekend. I only fish Great Lake after Waters a careful weather analysis. 15 – 25k winds from the north/ north west are best. Head straight to the windblown shores which in these conditions include the Beehives, Dam shore, A10 STATE FOREST Becketts Bay and McLanachans Point Island. Fish the waves with hard body or soft plastic and hang on. Takes on hard

Dee Lagoon

STATE FOREST

submerged trees

www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

To Dee Lagoon, and Ouse One ofStrickland the author’s favourite - and according Dee

to many it is largely underfished.

Lagoon

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bodies will often be at your feet. Flog any small inlets or bays that are particularly stirred up, they nearly always hold trout in these early months. Becketts Bay is a complete dog to wade due to the uneven rocky bottom but is well worth the effort with a very shallow running hard body. Don’t forget the start stop retrieve. McClanahans Point is worth the bone jarring 4wd trip out from Todds Corner. Park nearest the water and then do a complete lap of the point. The last 12 months has seen the demise of most of the slabs that have frequented Great Lake

for the last two years. The spawning streams had good numbers of smaller better fish. Great Lake will certainly be on my list of early visits.

So leave the fly rod in the tube, pack the winter woollies, select your water, sharpen those lures up and get fishing. It’s all about to start again.

Shane Flude

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Fishing News - Page 9

A A river trifecta

Three effective river techniques for early season success

T

Peter Broomhall

he trout season opening is upon us again. This time of year nowadays is, for me, a real quandary.

I know that the really reliable fishing of spring is still weeks if not months away, but ever since I started trout fishing all those years ago I have looked forward to the first Saturday in August with a real hunger. The night before for me was always like Christmas Eve, I couldn’t wait to see what ‘gifts’ the river would bring each year.

While this boyish enthusiasm has worn off slightly over the years the opening day of the new season still holds a certain magic for me personally right to this very day.

Most opening days early in my trout fishing journey were generally spent either casting lures if the local river was clear or soaking a humble garden worm if flooded waters were found. Both methods were particularly Fishing News - Page 10

successful ways of targeting the fish in the early part of the trout season, and no doubt still would be now.

Simple lures like silver Wonder Wobblers (spoons for those too young to remember them) and green and gold devons were all that was needed to fill the bottom of the fishing bag on most trips if the weather was suitable.

Since taking up fly fishing full time in my early twenties the early season river trout became somewhat of an enigma. The often fast flowing icy cold water was rarely conducive to sight fishing for the resident browns and migratory sea runners and very little time was devoted to working out the rivers secrets. The trout would be generally lying deep in the frigid water and for me — trying to counter the extra drag created by trying to control the thicker fly line in the fast water was extremely frustrating to say the least.

Trips to flowing waters in August and early September each year were generally confined to chasing worming trout in flooded backwaters whenever these conditions eventuated and therefore the vast majority of my late winter and early spring forays were spent on the lowland still waters such as local farm dams or the larger waters such as Four Springs Lake.

Of course the obvious was right in front of me all the time and river trout that could be caught regularly

on lures could also be successfully targeted on fly tackle.

The answer was fishing across and down the flowing water with wet flies or deep nymphing. The hardest part of the lure fishing scenario to imitate with the fly is the flash and movement which draws the fish to the imitation. This action is of course built into the lure during manufacture which makes it quite easy to fish.

The challenge for the fly fisher is make the fly behave similarly. Once I stared to work out how to fish these waters the confidence started to build and now the rivers are the preferred starting point for the new season again no matter what the conditions.

So, for fly fishers considering hitting the rivers in the early part of the season the question is what tactics should be employed and where should I go?

Clear water tactics

The methods that I would employ if high but clear river waters are encountered in the first weeks of the new season is by either fishing wet flies using an across and downstream presentation or by upstream indicator nymphing tactics. Both tactics can work particularly well given suitable conditions at any stage of the year but are particularly useful if there is no obvious surface feeding action occurring as is the norm early on.

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1. Across and down wets

The vital part of this particular style of wet fly fishing is in the description. Wet flies are cast diagonally across and swung downstream. The major difference in this technique being the angler will normally work downstream instead of the traditional upstream style associated with dry fly and nymph fishing. Areas to target are slicked areas in patches of otherwise fast broken water. These disruptions, generally caused by large rocks or logs are areas that trout will frequent and therefore the challenge for the fly fisher is to get their fly into these zones at the correct depth and without drag.

Maintaining drag free drifts and keeping constant contact with the fly is probably the major obstacle to overcome with this style of fishing. A good rule of thumb is that the faster the water the more downstream angle is required. Slow water casts can be virtually straight across and then mends are made to keep the fly travelling across the current at around the same speed that it is moving downstream. Every effort should be made to swing the fly across any likely holding lies, remembering that trout holding in fast water invariably face upstream. Once the fly has swung back across and is directly downstream from your position let it hang for a few seconds before recasting. This pause is also vital as trout sometimes follow a moving fly for some distance before deciding to eat it or not. The pause can often be enough to convince a reluctant trout to open its mouth. Lengthen casts a few feet at a time until all the

water is covered and then take a few steps downstream and start again.

A multitude of wet fly patterns can be utilised for the across and down technique with my personal favourite being the woolley bugger style of fly. A range of weights in your fly pattern is also handy to ensure that the full water column is covered. Fly weighted with either lead wire underbodies and/or bead heads are standard.

In most Tasmanian rivers a floating line is all that is required to cover most situations but sink tip lines are also a useful addition when we really need to plumb the depths.

Easy right !!

Well probably easier said than done but with a little practice this style can be mastered relatively quickly.

2. Upstream nymphing (Indicator)

Early in the season most river trout will be laying deep in the current mainly feeding on immature nymphs, crustaceans, water snails and creatures of similar ilk. Rises are rare at this time of year so the angler needs to get his imitations down to the fish. An effective way of doing this is to fish heavily weighted nymphs under an indicator.

A team of nymphs which for me is usually two flies, are tied onto a standard 9’ leader. Approx 6 foot up from the top fly an indicator, usually a bunch of sheep’s wool is half hitched to the leader. My preference is to run a heavily weighted fly, ie tungsten beaded, on top with a lighter fly trailing a few foot below attached off the bend of the top fly.

Variants of Pheasant Tail and Hares Ear nymphs are typical for this sort of fishing with the good old Woolley Bugger also worth a spot especially early in the season. A variety of colours in the beads is also useful with copper, gold and black nickel featured heavily in my nymph box.

Medium to fast runs are ideal for this technique.

Similar to the across and down fishing described earlier, areas of slicked water amongst the broken water in the ripples are the spots to target. Anglers need to cast upstream of any likely lies so that the flies reach the targeted depth before the get to the prime spot. Anglers should treat the indicator as they would a dry fly and mend line during the drift to

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Fishing News - Page 11

ensure a drag free presentation. A close eye must be kept on the indicator at all times so that any unnaturally movements, such as abrupt stops, sideways movements, and sinking can be reacted to immediately. Some of these movements can be caused by the fly touching the bottom but sometimes it is a trout. All possible takes should be met with a sudden lift of the rod as you just never know.

3. River floods

Most local river anglers generally do a rain dance in the week leading up to the trout season opener. Heavy rains high in the river catchments result in rising water levels and in turn flooded backwaters and ditches particularly in the lower reaches of river systems. These freshly flooded areas provide a veritable larder for the trout looking to stack on condition after a long hard winter. Worms, grubs, slugs, frogs and a host of other creatures are flushed out by the rising waters and instantly become a viable food source for the trout.

If conditions are conducive trout fishers should look for flooded areas with little or no current running through them and also with a good deep connection back to the main river. Rising or stable water heights are ideal and visibly feeding trout can often be found in these areas given suitable conditions. Keep an eye out for swirls, tips of fins and tails, bow waves or even in some situations whole backs out of the water. Fly fishers should cast to these disturbances as quick as possible trying to pick the trout’s direction of travel, which can be difficult at times. Flies should be placed just ahead of the trout so that the sunken imitation is at or near the bottom when he arrives. The fish will often just pick the fly up without having to move it but if it goes unnoticed a quick strip will result in a response on most occasions.

Mornings and evenings are generally the best bet to find these fish but overcast rainy days will often keep the trout in the backwaters all day long.

The trout will begin to retreat back to the main river as soon as levels start to drop so timing is crucial for his sort of fishing.

Your usual river gear will suffice in these circumstances with the typical 3, 4 and 5 weights ideal for the task.

Slightly heavier tippets are the go in the combination of murky waters restricting the fishes vision and flooded vegetation which creates some hazards when trying to land a feisty trout.

Fly selection for the flooded waters are again the usual suspects with variants of Woolley Buggers and Rabbit Fur flies gaining a position of prominence in my early season fly box.

Where

Almost all of the major Tasmanian river systems will have suitable areas to deploy the techniques described above with the Macquarie, Meander and South Esk rivers in the north, the Mersey and Leven rivers in the north west sector and the mighty Derwent and its tributaries in the south the pick of the waters The lower reaches of the local systems are generally where most of my own early endeavours are concentrated, especially in the case of across and down wet fly and indicator nymphing techniques. The smoother gradient results in a nice mix of runs, ripples and glides on the Mersey, Leven and Forth rivers where all the above tactics can be tried. A nice bonus here is the presence of the migratory sea run brown trout. These hard fighting silvery fish certainly let you Fishing News - Page 12

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know when you have hooked one‌ For the flood water feeders the Merseylea section of the Mersey River and the Gunns Plains section of the Leven provide a multitude of options if water levels are suitable.

In these locations there are a myriad of side creeks, farmers ditches, depressions and boggy marsh areas that provide perfect opportunities for early seasons forays.

Many of the Tasmanian river systems now have designated angler access areas provided.

These areas are sign posted and almost all are equipped with stiles to provide easy access to the water. A reminder to all that are using these areas please obey all signs and if unsure of the access please ask permission before entering private land.

Summary

T h e Ta s m a n i a n r ive r s and streams are a greatly underutilised resource for anglers — particularly early in the season. It is quite rare to see another fly fisher on the rivers in the first few months before the insect hatches commence. Hopefully the tips and techniques that I have described above will encourage a few others to sample what can be marvellous fishing on offer early on.

Grab your raincoat and beanie and I will see you out on the water.

Peter Broomhall

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Getting started in trout fishing Joe Mangan

T

here has sometimes been a view that trout fishing is reserved only for the experienced angler, stories of hours spent trying to unravel the mysteries of the cunning trout by elderly gentlemen dressed in tweed is what often comes to people’s minds when they think of trout fishing. Regarded by many to be the premium, freshwater sports fish of the world, it is not surprising that the many anglers put the humble trout in the too hard box. Truth is, trout can be as easily caught as any fish, perhaps not always as accessible and your bread and butter saltwater species, but none the less, with a bit of perseverance with the correct equipment and technique, results can come more quickly than you think!

In recent years, more emphasis has been put on making Tasmania’s famous trout fishery more accessible to newcomers to the sport. This has been achieved by increased stocking regimes into waters with lower fish numbers, improving access to waters and more information resources available such as the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) website and IFS Smartphone App. Angler surveys have also given the managers of our fishery a better understanding on how they can improve certain aspects of the fishery. This year is the 150th anniversary of trout fishing in Tasmania, and with a Ford Ranger up for grabs for buying a licence, what better time to give trout fishing a go? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Choose an appropriate trout set-up

An effective trout fishing set-up consists of a light weight spinning rod in the 6-7 foot range, a light-weight, reliable spinning/eggbeater style reel and line in the 4-8lb range. Often an existing lightweight saltwater outfit will suffice. Lures and baits for trout are generally small and lightweight in comparison to other saltwater lures and baits, often designed to imitate natural food items such as frogs, baitfish, yabbies etc. This lighter

This fish and 6 more just like it were caught on Great Lake on a chilly day in the middle of June. The winter fishery on Great Lake is hugely underrated! line set-up will allow you to cast lighter weight lures and baits far easier. The sky is the limit for this type of equipment, but a good functioning outfit can be picked up for around the $100 mark.

When rigging your lures and baits for trout, remember to use as little terminal tackle as possible and keep everything light!

Trout can be very fickle when it comes to fishing line and the tackle used. Clear water, bright sun and fishing pressure can make trout cautious when it comes to how fishing gear is used. Dirtier water or rough weather conditions causes them to be less cautious as do other factors such as fish density in a given waterway, availability of food and the time of year.

Leave big flashy bright swivels and clips for your saltwater fishing. Try and use small, discreet swivels and clips and if you must use a sinker, make it as light as possible. Use hooks that suit the bait you are using.

Chemically sharpened hooks in the size 6 and 8 range will cover most fishing situations. Trout baits such as worms, grubs and mudeyes can be purchased from tackle stores, take a bit of extra time when rigging these to make them look as natural on the hook as possible. Artificial baits such as the Berkley Powerbait have proven to be very successful on trout and can be stored away and used again without stinking out your tackle bag.

The selection of trout lures in any tackle shop can be daunting, so ask for help if you’re unsure. The cobra style lures made my companies such as Tasmanian Devil and Lofty are easy to cast, catch fish and won’t cost the earth. These come in a variety of fish catching (and fisherman catching!) colours. Red and black, Gold and Black and Green/Gold/Black combinations have been catching trout in various Australian trout waters for many years.

A healthy brown taken on a cobra style lure.

Do your homework

You can have the best trout fishing equipment, waders and casting arm in Tasmania, but local knowledge about the area you’re fishing is second to none. Tackle shops, fishing clubs, local shops and pubs, magazines, books, online resources such as the Inland Fisheries Service website, fishing forums and social media are all places you can find out more about a particular water. The angler access information provided by Inland Fisheries cuts out a whole lot of guess work that was never available before. These brochures can be picked up at any tackle store at no charge or on the fisheries website.

They show in detail how to access different waters all over the state, from which location you can access the river or lake and what fishing regulations you may need to be aware of.

Check out www.ifs.tas.gov.au for a full list of waters covered in these angler access brochures. You will also find all latest stocking information and fish transfer information on this website.

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Fishing News - Page 13

Waders are your friend

Although there are plenty of spots to fish from where you don’t need to get your feet wet, a pair of waders will make life a lot easier! Whether you intend on fishing a river or a lake, riparian vegetation and shallow water can make fishing very difficult. Trout will happily feed in water barely deep enough to cover their own backs but waders will allow you to access far more fishable water.

During the summer months, wet wading can be done easily with some sort of foot protection (old walking boots, aqua shoes etc) but trout unfortunately do not like warm water so for your own comfort, waders help!

Dam walls and deep sided water edges like those found at Craigbourne Dam, Lake Binney, Brady’s Lake, Brushy Lagoon are ideal locations for some dry foot fishing. Rivers can be more difficult to find land based fishing platforms as the banks are often overgrown with vegetation. Waders allow you to slip out into the river and cover water with minimal tree hang-ups! The larger, slower moving rivers around the state tend to be better suited for land based fishing. The Meander and Macquarie rivers, Brumby’s Creek and sections on the Derwent River above Granton, the Huon River below the bridge are well suited to land based fishing.

Make time to give it a go

Time constraints are always going to be a factor in any hobby or activity other than the must do parts of our life! Truth is, these activities ARE a must do part of our lives and have been proven to be a big part of our health and well being. Tasmania is lucky enough to have freshwater lakes and rivers everywhere, and in the last 150 years, most of these waters are now populated

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with trout. Some of the best of these waters are within an hour of Hobart’s CBD. Craigbourne Dam is a great water for those looking to give trout fishing a first try, it’s close, easily accessible, you can fish straight from the bank and it is always loaded up with fish through artificial stockings. Other great waters close to Hobart with similar credentials include the Derwent River and the Tyenna River. For the northern anglers, there are waters such as Brushy Lagoon and the North and South Esk rivers.

Basic pointers to remember

Start talking to people, read up and do a bit of research. There are A typical River Derwent brownie from the more resources available to you speedboat area above Granton now than ever before.

You don’t need to mortgage the house or sell a kid Keep yourself updated on what’s happening on the to get equipped with some good gear, quality fishing IFS website, fish transfer information, stockings and gear is very affordable. angler access updates will help you narrow down which You don’t have to travel 2 hours from Hobart or waters suit your individual needs.

Launceston into the Central Highlands, there is a lot Most importantly, don’t take it too seriously and of very good water close to home. have fun!

Waders will help you catch more fish! If you don’t Joe Mangan have access to a boat, waders are the next best thing.

They will open up more fishing waterways than you could possibly fish in one season!

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Six must have trout lures Joe Mangan

I

f you’re anything like me, your tackle box is overflowing with various trout lures that you have hardly used. I insist on keeping them however, just in

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case ‘the right time’ happens. However, realistically it is pretty much the same six lures that get tied on every trout season, simply because I have the most confidence in them. This confidence has come from years of these lures constantly producing good results; it is not easy

for a lure to make the cut at being one of the six. There are so many good trout lures on the market today, lures that grab your eye as soon as you walk along the lure wall, however these six lures don’t just catch fisherman, they catch trout.

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Fishing News - Page 15

OUR BOAT — SURTEES 6.7 Game Fisher Stan Kaine , Kelly ‘Hooch Hunt’, Clinton Howe , Adrian ‘Mozza’ Morrisby

T

eam PENN have campaigned a SURTEES BOATS 6.7 Game Fisher this year. It has been the ultimate sea test as competition game fishing will quickly reveal any flaws in a vessel.

REEL GOLD has been tested in some of Tasmania’s wildest weather and also fished for marlin off Port Stephens in NSW. The SURTEES 6.7 Game Fisher handled everything in its stride and is a significant vessel that punches well above its weight pound for pound.

When it comes to a game fishing weapon, to fish four anglers, in speed and comfort you would be hard pressed to find better.

When assessed against form and function in all areas the 6.7 is hard to top. It has ample room on deck for all crew to move around and do their job. The dance floor on the SURTEES 6.7 is fantastic.

The ability to point into the teeth of swell and sea is a welcome feature in any hull design. In a recreational sense in foul weather you can lay off as you desire and adjust your

speed according to your personal preference. In competition fishing when that radio cracks and “righto boys lets go fishing” comes over the air waves Team PENN and other teams like to get to the fishing grounds maximising any and all fishing time. We go, and go as hard as we can. Not for everyone, but this is an excellent test of any vessels ability in a head sea. We are confident and trust this boat’s seaworthiness.

The 6.7 Surtees Game Fisher’s ability to cover ground in poor conditions is amazing. The water ballast tank allows a new dimension to an alloy built vessel. Hatch shut with a touch of trim tab to pull the nose down, and in fetch and rubbish sea condition, the Surtees is good as you will find. When the swells are big and spaced well apart, drop the hatch emptying the ballast, take the trim tabs out and trim out the nose and she is a rocket! The soft riding hull never ceases to amaze when coming off the back of some serious water.

REEL GOLD is gold class.

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Rapala floating lure A very popular lure used extensively in Tasmania and Australia, the Rapala floating lure in Brown trout colour, is a proven fish catcher. Available in sizes from 3 cm through to 13cm, this lure can be used in any trout fishing situation. I have found the smaller 3cm model deadly on small rivers and creeks when not only fished the traditional down and across technique, but cast directly up stream to the 1-2 O’clock angle and allowed to float back towards you. By just keeping the line tight enough to keep the lure submerged, with the occasional tweek, the F3 looks like injured prey and is often jumped on by the larger cannibalistic trout in the river! Often trolled in conjunction with cobra style lures, the Rapala floater will swim slightly deeper than cobras and allows anglers to cover a deeper zone.

Very similar to its close relative the Rapala Countdown, the reason it pips its deeper running brother is because as its name suggests, it floats! This comes in very handy when you choose to cast and retrieve this lure amongst snags and timber. Once cast towards the bank, a steady, stop/start retrieve is very effective. When casting this lure into shallow water, keep your rod tip high on the retrieval and if you feel the lure bump the snag, a pause will allow the lure to float out of the snags and the retrieve can be continued. As you swim the lure out into deeper water, you can lower the rod tip to allow the lure to swim deeper. If casting from the shore into deeper water, the same method is used but in reverse, begin the retrieve by lowering the rod tip and begin to lift as the lure reaches shallower water. This will avoid snag ups and ensures your lure stays swimming in the zone.

Smith Panish Whilst using this lure in the Derwent River to target finicky black bream, I found it to have a welcome side effect, it was dynamite on the local trout! It has since proven to be my number one go to hard body lure for cast and retrieve fishing in our lakes. Its slim profile and action mimics a range of natural prey items and it is available in a range of natural colours. This lure suspends in freshwater and with the addition of lead tape to the underbelly of the lure, you adjust its rate of ascent back to the surface. I have found this particularly useful when fishing for sea-run trout in the lower reaches of rivers such as the Derwent, the Lune and the Henty. This lure is ideal for cast and retrieve fishing in shallow water and gradual deepening shores where it is hard to fish soft plastics. Unlike the soft plastic, once paused on the retrieve, this lure will sit perfectly balanced mid-water. It is often on this pause that it will get eaten!

The 65mm Panish isn’t cheap, but well worth the dollars spent. Both a fantastic bream and trout lure.

Ashley Spinner Bill Williams is a great fan of the Berkley Power Minnow and Black and Gold T-Tail.

Berkley Power Minnow 3’’ After hitting the market during the re-vitalised soft plastic craze 10 years ago, the power minnow 3’’ in Pumpkinseed colour stood out as being a great fish taker, especially on Arthurs Lake. The size and colour roughly resembles many of the natural bait species upon which trout feed in our lakes. These lures are best fished on the lightest jig head that you can use whilst still being able cast it effectively. It is also important to be able to keep in contact with it as you retrieve it. Factors such as wind, depth of water and current will have an effect on how heavy a jig head you should use. The lighter you make these lures, the more natural they look in the water and the longer they take to sink – giving it more time to be eaten! Best reserved for deeper shores, they should be allowed to sink as long as possible and then jigged/hopped back.

Berkley T-Tail The Berkley T-Tail has become a famous fish taker on waters such as Arthurs Lake, Great Lake, Lake Echo and Woods Lake. The same fishing technique used for the Power minnow can be used for the T-Tail; plenty of stop-start retrieves and lifting and dropping of the rod to impart a darting fish action. The tail on this lure provides plenty of action when slowly retrieved unlike the Power minnow. The same rule applies as the Power minnow when selecting jig heads for the Tail; go as light as possible. Try not to use a long shank in the hook either as longer shank hooks will stiffen the body of the lure and reduce its mobility. Many anglers find it hard to accept that a fish will get hooked when the hook is only covering the first 1/3rd of the lure. Have faith!

The hopping, random movement of the lure gives the fish little chance but to grab the whole lure in its mouth resulting in a solid hook-up.

Available in various colours, the Black and Gold T-Tail remains a form favourite in the top six.

This lure has been forgotten to some degree, overlooked by flash new lures like the Panish and the T-Tail, however the humble Ashley Spinner still remains a classic trout catcher. The Ashley Spinner no.14 is a must-have lure for this coming trout season.

Inexpensive and simple in design, it is very effective on any of our lakes and larger rivers. Using an anti-kink above this lure will help to eliminate tangles or twisting of the line. I have had great success with this lure when cast and retrieved along rocky, wind facing shores. The rougher the day the better for this little lure!

Shown: Ashley Spinner in Colour No. 14

Cobra The cobra is Tasmanians’ trout angler favourite lure .

It’s cheap, comes in a range of various colours and sizes and is very effective as both a trolling lure and a casting lure. Available from various manufactures including Tasmanian Devil, Loftys and Tilllins, the cobra has a unique flutter when retrieved/trolled at a steady pace.

The cobra can be rigged in a few different ways, but I prefer to run this lure with a simple bead and single hook. I have found this set-up to provide better hookup and less likely to snag. Available in several sizes, the smaller 7gram cobra is a great lure for larger rivers with the standard 13 gram size being a fantastic trolling or casting lure on the lakes.

Shown: The Tasmanian devil ‘frog’ is a must for any trout angler.

Shown: The single lure hook rigging equipment.

Joe Mangan

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Fishing News - Page 17

As a rule I tend to go by the KISS principal. Keep It Simple Stupid. That is to have as little clutter as possible on my line at all times. Line tied directly to the lure or snap and that’s it. But there are times when it is necessary to use an anti-kink.

There are several different types, mostly plastic for want of a better word, although there are weighted lead, aluminium and brass version floating around but these tend to be older styles. All are designed to act as a keel and track straight through the water. All are shaped like a semi-circle or half-moon probably the best description.

The lead version served to purposes. Firstly to stop line twist and secondly to get your lure down deeper.

These are effective although handling lead directly is not recommended.

Plastic style anti-kinks generally come in two styles, ones with swivels and those with three to four small holes through the flat side of the keel. This style with the holes is basically pointless. You thread the line through the antikink and slide it approximately 40-50cm up the line and tie on your lure using your preferred rigging method. If Justin Causby you have a lure that is spinning, for whatever reason and nti-kinks are a unique piece of inexpensive tackle. we will cover this shortly, it will allow your line to twist They can be very useful used correctly. By definition up behind the anti-kink until it builds enough pressure they are design to stop your line twisting and developing and then it will begin to spin itself leaving you wondering what you did wrong. ‘kinks’ which are the result of line twist.

The only style of antikink to use is the fully optioned variety; a solid wire through the backbone or flat edge of the keel with a loop or eye at one end and a swivel protruding from the other.

The correct way to attach the anti-kink to the line is with the eye end facing your reel and the swivel end facing your lure.

Tie approx. 50cm of line to the swivel and the other Qualified service end attach to your lure or snap swivel as preferred. A staff snap swivel is ideal for easy changing of lures.

New workshop As mentioned i n o p e n i n g I wo u l d Comprehensive recommend not using an anti-kink unless necessary range of parts so let’s cover a couple of for all major scenarios that may require the use of a keel. brands Tassie Devil style lures are fantastic and affordable Authorised lures that work extremely well out of the packet. sales/service There no need to add any dealer for extra action, you attach SeaDoo Jet Skis them to your line and cast away or troll the lake. Their and Jet Boats inherit design which gives then this great wounded 6 Effingham St, Moonah baitfish type action can also cause them to spin if fished too fast. www.maynesmarine.com.au Now by too fast we are sales@maynesmarine.com.au talking at speeds unlikely

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Fishing News - Page 18

used to catch fish anyway. So where would we see this occurring. Fast flowing water in a river is the usual suspect.

Overseas Tassie Devils are used to catch migrating salmon in big fast flowing rivers. There they are let flutter down the current bouncing off the bottom and being hit by stationary fish in fast water. Locally we would cast a lure across a stream or river Lure action is great for the initial part of the retrieve but then as it hits the current mid river a great deal of speed is added. This can cause line twist. It’s in the situation I would recommend using an anti-kink. The line behind the keel can spin and the swivel will allow this to happen without line twist moving forward of the anti-kink.

Kids. They are impatient and love to change lures. A lot. There’s nothing better than spending an afternoon on the water with the little tackers but they do like to change colours very often. While trolling you are moving at 4kph on average let’s say. This is fine and a good speed for catching trout. You can do this all day long and never see one loop anywhere. If the little ones are cranking in a lure every five minutes to put on a pink one or a green one or a spotty one, each time they do so they are multiplying the trolling speed by about five times. This will without doubt cause line twist. If you’re fishing with kids an anti-kink can allow for many hours of tangle free fishing.

Spinners. The locally produced Ashley spinners are deadly on the humble trout. They are also deadly at creating line twist of you are not set up properly. I like to keep line light as always. This will twist easier than thicker heavier line but that won’t catch as many fish either. Ashley’s or devons as they are also known come in left and right spinning varieties which are a Godsend. But as an angler you must be aware of timing and change regularly and at even and short time gaps to keep everything in order. I’m not so regimented in that approach so I will always use an anti-kink when fishing a devon spinner. Plus as a little tip fish these things fast.

The trout can’t resist them. Again rig the anti-kink with the swivel facing the lure.

Spoons. While out of favour a little these days are very effective lures. They are used extensively in New Zealand but again used to flutter in fast water. Here we use things like Wonder Wobblers and Pegrons as a cast and retrieve lure or trolling to a lesser extent. I used to favour a couple of spoons back in the Sorell days. While they caught fish and rainbows in particular they were inherently prone to twisting line in an instant, one large spoon was dynamite at both landing fish and destroying a spool of line. It was probably my first real experience with the positive effects an anti-kink can have in a set up.

Fly Dropper. I have seen people rigging a fly dropper to the anti-kink but personally I wouldn’t recommend it.

The fly could engage the line behind the keel and prevent the swivel from doing its job. If you feel a fly dropper is necessary and if that’s what gives you confidence, and confidence is the best lure in the tackle box after all, then I would suggest adding a small swivel about 20cm above the keel and adding the dropper here. If spinning with this rig I would shorten the line to the lure to 40cm to assist with casting.

I hope those few tips help you land a few more fish.

Never let a situation prevent you from fishing a given piece of water. Adapt to it and tackle it the correct way and you’ll find a few more fish on the end of that line.

Keep in minimal where you can but use what we have at our disposal to help you fish effectively when necessary.

Justin Causby

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Fishing News - Page 19

E

Early season strategies

T

Christopher Bassano

ackling early season trout is a totally different proposition to fishing during the mild, calm conditions we had at the end of April. Fish have now spawned and are looking to put condition on, while the cooler weather of Spring is not conducive to insect hatches. Water temperatures are very low and levels are high. All of these things require different tactics. I will not discuss sea trout as they run and feed off a totally different set of circumstances. I will concentrate instead on inland lakes and rivers.

Trout seem to feed best in water temperatures of around 16 degrees, but you are not going to find much warm water in August and September. Having said that, I don’t believe that there is such a things as being ‘too cold to catch

Penstock Lagoon is a water that often performs Fishing News - Page 20

a fish’ as long as the water isn’t frozen over. Although water temperatures are far from ideal, a change of tactics will still bring results. Don’t expect enormous bags of fish but certainly enough to make it worthwhile.

Find the warm water

On stillwaters, try and seek out the warmest water.

This is much easier when fishing from a boat through the use of a good sounder. Once you locate the warmest depth, the most active fish will usually be happy to eat the fly. This depth can change quite quickly but usually, the 12 – 15 foot mark is a good starting point.

The shallows cool down quickly with frosts and snow affecting it in a negative way. Wind and subsequent wave action however can help to mix the water and increase the temperature by a few degrees. Even a half a degree rise in water temperature can increase your success rate.

It is all relative.

If you are shore based, finding a warmer section of water is more difficult, but again, the shore on which the waves are breaking is a good starting point. Lack of ice is another good sign! It can even be as simple as going to the shore in which the sun is shining and avoiding the shade.

Rivers are also greatly affected by water temperatures. Surface fly life is non existent and many of the insects that live in the substrate are still juvenile and therefore very small. The metabolism of the trout has greatly slowed at this time and they are not feeding very hard.

These sound like negative things but in fact, by reducing the number of tactics we can employ to catch them, it makes everything much more simple for the angler.

Just as it is a good idea to fish faster water in summer when the water is well early. warm, at this time of year, the slower,

deeper water should be found as the temperature will be warmer. You don’t necessarily have to fish the deep, slow pools as this would require you to move your flies and in that case, you may as well go and fish a lake. Look for the deeper depressions just off the current where a fish could hold without depending too much energy but still collect the food morsel. These sorts of spots will often hold numerous fish. It may appears as though they are schooling but in fact they are just looking for the same type of water while the temperatures are down and food hard to find.

Slow things down

As the metabolic lethargy of the fish means they are less inclined to chase flies that are retrieved at pace and much prefer a fly that practically sits in front of their face. In a river this means that a slow drift through a depression with your flies on the bottom will be your most successful drift. If your flies appear to be moving more slowly than the current, you are in a good spot.

In lakes, as hard as it is to do, a very slow, twitchy retrieve is usually best. Takes as your flies are falling through the water after the cast (called, ‘on the drop’) and at the end of the retrieve as you lift the rod and stop before lifting the flies out of the water (called, ‘the hang’) are very common. Fish these fazes of the cast with diligence. Because you are not retrieving your fly very quickly, you need to use flies that have plenty of movement built in. Whether that is with long marabou tails or soft, fur tops, it does not matter. Just think movement.

Unlike some other times of the season, the warmest part of the day is often best. There is not much point in going out too early in the morning or fishing until too late at night. With the sun on the water and heating things up your chances will increase. Even if it is snowing hard or raining, the middle part of the day usually brings about the best fishing. Remember that it only takes a small increase in water temperature to get the fish more active.

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Fishing News - Page 21

When it comes to water temperatures, it is also important to remember that as you go up in altitude, the water will be cooler. For this reason, the lakes closer to sea level are normally better propositions than those in the highlands at this time of year. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions but working around this model will increase success.

Some highland lakes that fall into the ‘exception to the rule’ category are Little Pine and Penstock. Without going into too much detail (because that is another story in itself), these lakes will still fish well from opening day because the fish have nowhere to go. They do not have deep water to swim to and get away from the angler making them very accessible.

The same cannot be said for the deeper lakes.

It is also very important to realise that there will come a point in time when fish move into the shallows as they are warmer than the deep water. In order for this to happen, it will take numerous days of warm weather without snow, hail or large frosts. All of these things cool the water in the shallows quickly and considerably as the body of water is not deep enough to hold the heat. This can be demonstrated by placing one centimetre of boiling water in a mug and filling another up with boiling water. The smaller amount of water will cool down to room temperature much more quickly than the full mug and the same principal applies to the shallows of a lake just as the smaller amount of water would warm up more quickly too.

Water height

Water height is the next factor to consider. Coming into Spring, water levels are often on the rise or high.

Stillwaters will always have the odd fish occupying the shallows but very early in the season, this is often not the place to look. Drop-offs are a much better option.

Seek out an area where the water drops away allowing you to fish various depths by simply changing your retrieve or the weight of your flies and line. By finding these areas, you are effectively fishing through the depths to locate the fish. If you are getting takes as the fly is falling, soon after the cast, the fish are clearly up in the water column. Conversely, if all of your takes are coming after allowing your flies to sink into the depths,

Small headwater streams often escape floods and can fish well from opening day. there is no point persisting with light flies. If there is a thermocline, you are far more likely to find it by wading out to a drop off.

A rising lake during a warm period of weather may well have fish in the shallows but not if this is due to snow melt. Again, the water temperature plays a large part in success when levels are rising. If you are fortunate enough to find rising water that is warmer than the body of the lake, there is no need to get your feet wet!

Polaroiding

Early in the season, the shallows are often very clear allowing for good polaroiding if the sun comes out. As the sun is still low in the sky, conditions won’t be ideal and the window of opportunity may be small. On the flip side, the fish will not be moving at any pace and this gives you more chance of seeing them first. Often, they are just lying on the bottom and look like a rock.

Creeks and rivers

A Peter Broomhall photo of tailing trout.

Fishing News - Page 22

In flowing creeks bring food from the hills — such as earthworms that trout love to eat.

While the shallows can ice over at this time of year, flowing water very rarely does in Tasmania.

That means the water around the mouth of these creeks is probably slightly warmer than the surrounding shallow

water and is well worth a few casts. It is very important however to make sure that it is legal to fish in the creek / river mouth as many of them are off limits at all times.

These details will be in the code book you receive with your licence.

A rising river brings a slightly different set of circumstances. When trout sense that a river is rising, they will tend to push towards the edge of the river.

No fish wants to be stuck in the middle of the river as it the water pressure increases. Instead, they will go to the edge and try to find refuge behind depressions in the bank, trees, fallen timber, rocks, etc. This has a direct bearing on how and where to fish. There is no need to cast across the river. Fishing along the bank will be much more productive. Rivers are at their hardest to fish when levels are ‘running a banker’. That is when they have not quite spilled out into the paddocks and over the lip of the river. Once this happens, they become a little easier to fish again as fish move into these depressions to feed and get further away from the fast flowing water. This flood water fishing can be spectacular if you strike as the level is rising. Once the level begins to fall, fish will scoot back to the river bank as they sense the lowering.

I have never seen a fish lying dead in a paddock after a flood subsides and I don’t believe that they wait until the last minute to get out.

Commonly, river levels will be just as you don’t want them to be and running a banker or close to it.

Remember that the fish will be in the backwaters. What this means is that they will be facing downstream.

Consequently, fish the river walking downstream with the flow, casting your flies just into the current and swinging them into the backwater before twitching them out. Small woolly buggers or fur flies are best for this style of fishing and long casts are not necessary – especially if the water is discoloured.

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Four Springs attracts many anglers from opening day.

On many rivers, fish will still be up the smaller side creeks rather than in the faster, main river. It is not until water levels fall sufficiently that they move back into the main body of water. Often these small creeks are where many of the fish spawn as they have lovely spawning gravel.

Headwaters – a good option

A final factor to take into account is that head waters of rivers are rarely in flood as you are so close to the source. The water is clear and often shallow. The lack of depth put the fish closer to the surface which means they are more likely to eat a dry fly than most fish at this time of year. Although there will not be fly life around, these fish cannot afford to pass up the chance of a meal due to the high population densities of these areas. If you are wanting dry fly fishing, this is certainly your best option. Having said that, not all fish will come up to a dry and a small nymph will generally out fish it. Fishing

headwaters does mean that you have to go up in altitude but this is offset by the other aforementioned factors.

Your decision as to where to fish in the first few months of the season should be based on water temperatures and water heights. These are the main factors that will affect your success. As with everything ‘fishing’, there are exceptions to the rule but if you search out the warmest water, you will increase your chances of catching fish. Fish your flies slowly while searching the depths in stillwaters and use flies that have plenty of movement.

In rivers, fish will be hiding in areas of slower flows with depressions holding small schools of them. Again, depth and speed are important. It is vital to remember that the fishing is very good at this time of year and success should not be difficult to find. Fish are used to bad weather and cold water through these months.

A nice stream fish caught during August.

They are looking to put weight on after spawning and as such, those anglers who are prepared to brave the elements and take heed to this advice, will catch surprising numbers of fish.

Christopher Bassano

More than 350 fishing days per year between them Christopher Bassano

and

50 Years Guiding

Bill Beck

These are their flies Two of Tasmania’s most experienced guides, Christopher Bassano and Bill Beck have been working with Fulling Mill.

Stick Caddis

Roy Tungsten Gold Black Woolly Worm Black Fur Fly

Their personal flies have been copied exactly by Fulling Mill – and they get a royalty on every fly.

But, it is only when Christopher and Bill give them the stamp of approval that they go into production – exactly as they are meant to be tied.

In fact they are so good they now use the Fulling Mill flies instead of their own and get to spend more time fishing.

Krystal Flash Nymph Stick Caddis

Krystal Cat fly

Shown are a few flies from the extensive range.

Go to www.mayflytackle.com.au, or click on the Unweighted QR Code to go straight there — see the range and Claret Nymph how to use them.

Bibio Hopper Lurex Cat Fly Green Machine

Magoo Orange Bead

® Order through your favourite tackle store. Details listed on web site under distributor icon.

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Fishing News - Page 23

Leah Joseph with a brown from the Guide dam.

P

To Burnie - 13

klm

Pet and Guide dams

T

Billy Lane

he Pet and Guide dams are both great waters on the North West Coast, often people over look these great waters.

They yield good numbers of fish all year round but they fish exceptionally well for the first month to two months of the trout season.

To use the correct nomenclature they are reservoirs, but anglers refer to them as dams, so that is what I have done.

The Pet Dam is especially great for family fishing trips and the beginner angler. With access being suitable for the young, elderly and close flat areas are available for the physically impaired. It’s a large open area with plenty of room for the kids to run about with a great opportunity to land a rainbow trout or brown trout.

The Guide is a little more restricted for access, ideal for the more adventurous angler wanting to lure or plastic fishing walking along the bankside. However there is still some areas more easily accessed but most areas may require a short 10-15 min walk to the shore. If you plan ahead of time where you plan to fish it can still be a great place to take the family. The Guide also has rainbow and brown trout.

The Pet Dam was recently stocked with 400 wild brown trout so that should really liven up the opening season in the Pet. Fishing News - Page 24

Location

The Pet Dam is located in Ridgley which is only a short drive from Burnie. The Pet has easy access being grassy paddock and the first entry is a very short walk to the waters edge and fish are caught here on a regular basis.

On arrival at either of the points marked on the map, the water is in sight and you can start fishing right on the shore between the points marked on the map which are the two main entrances.

There are signs at both of these entries which give you some information on the water including bag limits, fish species and often a map.

The Guide Dam is located in Highclere which is around an extra 10-15 minutes past drive south the Pet Dam on the highway.

There are a few different entry points to the Guide Dam but I suggest starting at the dam wall which is a short walk from an area where you can park, there you will find the anglers sign with information. This area is some easy access with a five minute walk to the shore and for the angler that enjoys wading you can start at the dam wall on either side and fish your way to the other end of the lake. With a bit of wading and a little walking through the scrub here and there you can wade around the whole dam, crossing the creek up the end and fishing your way back down the other side. Just keep in mind that option is not something the beginner angler should do alone.

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What to look for

When fishing both these waters you have two options. The first being find yourself a nice weed bed or a small bay or a nice point that sticks out into the water so you are out on a point that fish will be regularly be coming past because your waiting for the fish to come to you, so you need to find something to give the fish a reason to be coming past.

The second option is to cover ground by walking the shore. This is the method is I generally use and it seems to produce the most fish because you’re finding the fish.

When walking the shore keep an eye out for any form of weed bed, rushes along the bank, and dead trees out in the water. These can hold good numbers of fish especially in the Guide. When casting at trees in the water try to get your plastic past the tree so you can give a flick of the rod and a good pause just as your plastic is passing the tree because that is where and when most fish will come out from the structure and take to your plastic.

When trout fishing always be wary when approaching the water as you will often scare fish away that are sitting hard in against the bank. Another thing to keep in mind is be sure to keep an eye out for fish cruising in the shallows. You can also spot them in deeper water but usually all you see is a dark fish like shape moving around down in the depths so if you see any movement be sure to have a cast at it and it’s the same as fishing amongst the trees with the flick and pause in what hopefully is the whereabouts of the fish you spotted.

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Fishing News - Page 25

Techniques

When soft plastic fishing, you should think about the depth of water you’re in. So if you are in a shallow bay with a depth under one metre go down to a light jighead such as a 1/32. For water between one and two metres deep I suggest the 1/16 and anything over the two metre depth I go for the 1/8. These three different weights should get you fish in most dams and lakes without too many hassles.

For retrieves when plastic/lure fishing I find a nice slow to medium retrieve at a constant speed with a short fast flick of the rod tip followed by a small pause every 5-10 cranks of the rod.

Some days the fish like a faster retrieve with lots of flicks and pauses, if neither of these retrieves are working I suggest bouncing the bottom by simply waiting for your plastic to hit the bottom then a few fast flicks of the rod tip in an upwards action followed by winding up the slack and waiting for the plastic to hit the bottom again which you should be able to see by watching your line.

If you are struggling to find fish don’t be afraid to mix up your retrieves but when doing so I suggest keeping a reasonably constant retrieve speed as its proven to pick up the most fish for me in these two waters over the years.

Gear

As far as gear is concerned you don’t need anything special. Almost any light spin combo will do the job, although I suggest buying the best rod and reel you can afford. Better gear will last a long time and it will help you enjoy your time on the water.

I like to fish nice and light with a Lox 1-3kg yoshi rod fitted with a Shimano 1000 size reel running 4 pound line. This setup is perfect for these type of waters.

In saying this though you can catch just as many fish on a $100 combo as you can a $500 combo.

I highly suggest going for braid as your main line because it helps the action of your plastic and helps you feel when you’re on the bottom or have a fish nipping at your plastic. It can increase the amount of fish you land in a day by quite a bit, if you’re worried about the knots you need to learn don’t be, there simple knots and a friend can soon teach you or your local tackle shop will have you knowing the basics or even learning the more complex knots if you chose to.

Depending on the day, my ‘go to’ plastic is the Berkley black and gold T-tail and secondly is the olive pearl T-tail. I’ve had great success on a number of different plastics from many different brands in many different shapes and sizes. The key fishing these waters is to stick with natural coloured plastics ie: black, gold, greens, browns, dark red all seem to work great, so don’t be afraid to try different plastics.

I find the rougher and dirtier the water is the darker plastics seem to work better and on the calmer brighter days i suggest going for a lighter coloured plastic.

The jigheads you will need are 1/32, 1/16 and 1/8 in any brand and these sizes cover most weather conditions and all areas you fish in the Pet and Guide with any of the needed retrieves.

The Guide Dam is a beautiful place.

I’d also highly suggest buying some polaroid sunglasses this allows you to see into the water by reducing glare from the sun and hopefully help you find some fish on the move.

If you’re new to fishing and unexperienced in lure or plastic fishing and it’s not something you’re looking into learning you always have the option of bait fishing with a worm or powerbait which many anglers choose to do in both the Pet and Guide.

So next time your hoping to land a fish on the north west coast remember these few key points and give these great waters a shot and you may be surprised as to how good some of our local fishing is here on the north west. I wish you all good luck and happy fishing.

Billy Lane.

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A

Arthurs Lake

Early season kayak fishing hot spots Michal Rybka

T

he beginning of the new trout season is finally here in Tassie! While temperatures are still very cold around the state, many anglers may choose to wait until the weather improves. For those keen anglers, such as myself, who remain undeterred by such weather conditions, the search for that first trout of the season begins.

The Central Highland lakes are always productive early in the season and one of my favourites is Arthurs Lake. This season, I plan to explore more places on this lake using my Hobie fishing kayak. It really is the perfect craft to get into areas where boats can’t. I have also learnt that such ‘hard to reach’ places often hold the best fish.

It should be noted that accessing areas like Arthurs Lake in a kayak can sometimes be a little confronting. It is a huge body of water and a bit of strategic planning will go a long way in making your trip a more enjoyable one. Selecting an area to fish is the first priority, with weather conditions significantly influencing your

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Fax (03) 6234 8024 Fishing News - Page 27

Seven Pound Bay

A deeply swallowed soft plastic. selection. With safety being paramount, it is important to always have a back up plan. If your first choice doesn’t look great, it is always wise to change plans.

Safety plays a big role in all kayak fishing trips and should not be overlooked. I wouldn’t advise anyone in making a long trip across vast areas of water in a kayak – regardless of your ability. You can consider it of course, but only if there is an alternate ‘escape route’ in case the weather does turn bad. Think about the freezing cold water at this time of the year and you will understand why this is an important consideration!

With my little spiel on kayak safety done, I have prepared a summary of the best early season kayak fishing hot spots on Arthurs Lake. Read on and I will explain which lures to use and where to go.

Seven Pound Bay lies north of Jonah Bay on the eastern side of the lake and there is a kayak fishing hot-spot at the very top of this bay. Although a fair distance by kayak from Jonah Bay, it has consistently produced good fish for me in past seasons.

To find this hot spot, look for the submerged kerosene bushes and grasses on the northern shore of the bay. The area is very weedy, but can be accessed easily with any kayak. Hobie owners may want to take their pedals out to avoid gathering weed.

If you can get a good drift through this area or even anchor right in the middle of it, chances are you will get on to some trout. All of my success in this area last season was with small micro-sized soft plastics, like Strike Tiger 1” nymphs. Rig them on a light jighead and cast them into the open weed or grass pockets. Retrieve them ever so slowly, using a slight twitch, and wait for the trout to engulf them! Pay attention to any slack in the line as you retrieve, as it is a major cause of missed hook-ups using this method.

Jonah Bay

Jonah Bay is a very productive area, regardless of whether you are fishing from shore, boat or kayak. The boat ramp here provides an excellent launching area for your kayak. Once you are on the water, head north along the western shoreline of the lake. This area has plenty of submerged timber close to shore and you don’t have to go far from the boat ramp to find it.

Look for open pockets of water amongst the submerged trees. Get right in amongst the timber if you can, or try casting from a distance to get your lure in the right spot. My favourite tactic is to target these areas with medium weighted soft plastics. Jigheads in the 1/12 weight range are perfect for the job. Try black n gold T-tail style plastics; Strike Tiger makes a good one, as does YEP, with their black n gold flapper.

Also worth a try are larger soft plastic creature baits such as hawgs and worms. I have found that more natural darker colours work best during early season. If you are a hard body lure fan and not scared of losing a few in the logs, then try medium diving lures in the mentioned colours. A splash of orange or red on a hard body lure can also be a real killer this time of the year.

Fishing News - Page 28

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Cowpaddock Bay

Cowpaddock Bay is perhaps the most productive area, but it is a long slog by kayak from Jonah Bay; so make sure that you are fully prepared. Drift fishing the eastern shore from a kayak is one method that is often deadly on trout, with both plastics and hardbodies working a treat.

Regardless of the lure,be sure to vary your retrieve speed. Slow retrieves usually work best at this time of the year, but if you have no takers, don’t be afraid to ‘rip’ your lure back at high speed. Adding in an occasional pause and you will have the recipe for success.

Brown trout are a very territorial fish and tend to respond particularly well to this method.

Don’t forget that the Cowpaddock is a large open area of water. It is susceptible to plenty of wind and, as a result, you may find that your kayak drifts too fast. The solution is to invest in a ‘drogue’ or a ‘drift chute’. If you are a handyman, you can easily make a cheap one out of a shopping bag. Basic instructions can be found on the internet. It is also a great safety device that will prevent rolling over should you become powerless (i.e. you can’t paddle or pedal).

Pumphouse Bay

There is a large open area Pumphouse Bay to launch your kayak from shore. You can drive right down to the water’s edge, which makes launching a breeze. Once on the water, travel south along the western shore.

The area between Pumphouse Bay and the point just before Creely Bay is excellent for trolling from your kayak. Personally, I like to troll hard body lures at a slow walking pace – around 3 or 4 km/h. If the action is slow, I mix it up by pedalling the Hobie hard, then pausing.

Just like the ‘rip’ retrieve I have described previously, a lot of the strikes will be on the pause.

Rapala lures, Daiwa double clutch minnows and YEP hard body lures all work well. Best performing colours in these lures are: Rapala – Spotted Dog, Daiwa – Black n Gold, YEP – Red Nut. If you can get these in a ‘suspending’ version, then a pause in trolling will see the lure sit in the water column rather than sink or float.

If you find some weed beds on your sounder, then aim to troll your lure just above the weeds for best results.

The popular Tassie Devils will also work well here, but be sure to check your running depth as these lures are heavy and will sink. Catching up and getting the line tight after casting a winged lure can take some mastering in a kayak – you have to be quick off the mark.

Creely Bay

Creely Bay is just around the corner from Pumphouse Bay and contains some very nice rocky outcrops to cast lures at. To get there, just keep following the western shoreline in a southerly direction, keeping a lookout for the rocks jutting out from the shoreline.

Cast a heavier weighted plastic at the water directly in front of them. Deeper areas have been productive for me here in the past. A lot of the fish I have caught in this spot have been full of earth worms, so it is a good idea to use something that may resemble this natural food source. Strike Tiger curl tail grubs and curl tail worms usually work well in the black n gold or homebrew colour. If you are using such a plastic, give it time to sink. Because of the tail action in these lures, trout will often strike as the plastic sinks.

Another good tactic, regardless of what type of soft plastic you are using, is to let your offering sink all the way to the bottom. Then it’s just a matter of giving you lure one big upward flick of the rod tip. You can then just keep a close eye on any slack line and wait for the strike. If you prefer hard body lures to soft plastics, choose a deep diving model. With natural food

Arthurs has a huge shoreline that kayakers can explore safely. concentrated deeper at this time of the year, the trick is to get your lure down to where the trout are.

Morass Bay

To access Morass Bay, you can launch your kayak at the Arthurs Lake dam wall or you can continue driving around the corner where there is a road that goes right down to the water’s edge. Both areas provide easy kayak launching and retrieval.

Morass Bay is a heavily wooded area, which is very deep in a lot of places.

There are some great opportunities here for

Another Arthurs brown from in the trees.

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Fishing News - Page 29

both kayak and boat trolling; however, I have also found that casting lures in to some of the timber closer to the shore can provide good results. These ‘snags’ hold good fish and are well suited to casting lures of all descriptions. Personally though, I prefer to use soft plastics here, simply because the area claims a lot of lures. With the price of high-end hard body lures on the market today, this can end up being a very expensive exercise for some people!

Casting soft plastic lures from your kayak in and amongst these snags works very well. In the deeper sections of Morass Bay, try jigging a soft plastic. This method is very similar to bottom bashing for flathead

– something most of you will probably be familiar with. Be sure to use a heavier weight jighead and let it sink to the bottom. Then, all that is required is a subtle ‘jigging’ up and down motion with your rod tip. If you can get a slow drift through the timber located in the deeper sections – even better!

Drift jigging is a great way to prospect an entire area for trout. If you want to be a cut above your fishing buddy, try adding a small fly dropper 40 cm or so above your plastic. You can even use a dry fly or micro-sized creature bait as your dropper. I am sure that you will be pleasantly surprised when you try this little trick!

Conclusion

Hopefully the information that I have provided in this article will be useful to those of you that choose the excellent trout fishery at Arthurs Lake this season.

A kayak will certainly help you get into the tight places that I have described. Who knows…you may even get onto some good fish!

And if you don’t own a kayak, don’t forget that many of these ‘hot-spots’ can also be accessed by foot.

A four wheel drive and a pair of waders might be all that you need.

So please have a look at the attached map that I have included, pick a spot, check the weather, and go for it!

Mic Rybka.

Kayak Safety Tips This first point goes without saying – always check the weather. If you get there and it looks risky (if you see whitecaps on the water etc.), then it is probably best to stick to land-based fishing.

Take a fishing buddy with you to accompany you in another kayak whenever possible.

It is good practice to stick close to the shore and avoid any crossings over vast expanses of water.

Think of alternate routes back to the launching area should it become rough on the way back – always have an escape route.

Always wear a good quality PFD – remember it’s the law in Tasmania.

Take a first aid kit and invest in some flares. Remember, mobile phones have limited reception at Arthurs Lake and in the Central Highlands area. If you are really safety conscious, then invest in a small personal EPIRB. The weather can change rapidly. It can even snow up at the lakes in summer!

Wear warm clothing that will not restrict your ability to operate your craft.

Take a towel and a change of warm clothes in a dry bag just in case.

Remember to always take your wet weather gear with you.

Take plenty of food and water, along with a thermos containing a hot drink.

Tell someone exactly where you are going and what time you are expected to return.

And finally, use common sense. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.

Fishing News - Page 30

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J

Jan’s Flies

Jan Spencer

Writing for the start of the season is a delight and full of anticipation. What will the new season bring?

As I write this I am finishing a coffee in my front room looking out over Great Lake.

Two parrots are noisily pulling the bark back on a small gum tree in front of the house and I can only assume they are looking for and finding some insects of some sort — perhaps gum beetles are on their menu. I don’t imagine there is too much else around.

So for the start of the season instead of imitating anything in particular I try and excite the fish.

The areas I target early will mostly be from the shore around any structure I can find. Structure can include rocky shores, dead trees and bushes. These are all good prospects and you will find the shallower water warms up more quickly and here you will find trout.

My fly line will be a floater with a nine foot leader and a dropper about four feet up from the point. I like fluorocarbon tippet as it sinks faster and is less visible.

The point fly will be fairly large — it is an exciter.

I am not trying to imitate, but get the fish excited and activated.

The flies that should be in your kit for the first month or two should be woolly buggers, fur flies, Mrs Simpsons in sizes #8, 6 and 4s.

The following fly pattern is none other than a woolly bugger, mostly black in colour with a small amount of flash to attract attention. This fly can be weighted with lead if required to get down quickly in deeper water.

Bugger

Hook: Long shank, size 8, 6 or 4.

Thread: Black.

Tail: Black marabou.

Flash: Olive Krystal flash.

Rib: Bronze wire.

Body: Black chenille.

Body hackle: Grizzle hen hackle.

Method

1. Take thread along shank and tie in marabou for tail. Make tail a little longer than the hook shank. Tie in one strand of Krystal flash each side of the tail.

2. Tie in bronze wire rib and then the chenille for the body. Wind chenille forward in tight turns and finish just back from the eye. Tie down and cut away excess.

3. Take the grizzle hackle and strip fluff from butt end, leaving the bare stem. Tie this in firmly and wind back to bend and follow with thread. Holding this by the tip wind the bronze wire forwards through the body hackle, being careful not to crush it. Tie wire down and cut away excess.

4. Form a nicely shaped head, whip finish and varnish.

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Get someone who practically lives in waders to give ‘em heaps!

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Fishing News - Page 31

H

Black Snatcher

Sloane’s Fur Fly

Humungous jellybeans A few flies from a World Championship angler — how to use and tie them.

Jellybean

We all have our favourite flies and some great early season patterns. These are a few I like to fish early in the season.

Sloane’s fur fly

It should not surprise any Tasmanian angler that Sloane’s fur fly is in the mix, it’s just too reliable in particular circumstances not to be in your early season Joe Riley fly box. Like a lot of good trout flies the fur fly is a y the end of the brown trout season I’m usually simple pattern which has the essential characteristics ready for a change, try to catch a tuna, stock up on which give a semblance of life and an appearance of some flathead or garfish. But by the first weekend in food to the trout.

August I am refreshed and ready to go again.

Flooded margins where trout are likely to be nosing Early season is a great time of year in Tasmanian around is the territory of the fur fly and it is especially lakes, high water levels with cruising browns in shallow effective in low light conditions. Presented in the water, wet fly polaroiding, fishing with sinking lines to path of a moving trout, then a slight draw to activate get to weed beds where the fish are holding and feeding, movement and get the fish attention. An indication of all great ways to catch an early season fish. attention is usually pretty clear, a charge at the fly with a resulting bow wave, however indication of a take can range from bleedingly obvious or very subtle. Sometimes a lot of judgement is required in relation to identifying a take, the trout will charge the fur fly and then stop dead as it intercepts it. Has it eaten the fly or stopped to make a final inspection being cautious? There are a few tricks to help identifying the subtle takes. Grease the leader to within 30 cm of the fly, this will keep a section of leader visible in the surface for an indication the fly has been engulfed, a twitch or draw on the leader towards the fish is a good indication. Maintain Robin Camerlliri with an early season Penstock brown

B

Fishing News - Page 32

Humongous

some tension on the leader, don’t just draw the fly and let it stop with slack line on the water. After the fish has reached the fly draw very gently and watch for the line and leader picking up off the water removing the curve in the line, this can indicate that there is resistance at the fly, in this case it’s in the jaws of the predator who charged it a moment ago, strike immediately if resistance is seen or felt as the trout will quickly reject and spook if it feels the draw coming from you.

Leader setup can vary depending on the type of water you find fish in. For flooded tussocks or marshy water, or where gutters and holes are likely holding areas a standard 9ft leader is all that is required. In open shallow water it may be necessary to extend your leader out to a longer length at which you can still cast accurately.

Normally I will use a diameter tippet about 0.18 mm 6lb fluorocarbon, or 5 - 6 lb 0.20mm monofilament.

The basic fur fly is simplicity personified a strip of natural rabbit fur tied to a hook with a head created out of peacock herl. The fur gives a slight pulse when moved indicating life and the peacock herl has that lustre which makes it one of the all time best fly tying materials. Variations can be olive or black rabbit fur, differing coloured heads or collars, yellow or orange being favourites. Sizes from 8 to 14 are useful.

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Jellybean

The Jellybean is a really good snail pattern for tailing and early season polaroiding; it is also a good nymphing pattern over weed beds where trout fed on snails. Woods Lake being classic water for this type of nymphing. For tailing trout, unlike the fur fly, the Jellybean is fished static. Present the fly along the path of a tailing trout, again a greased leader to within about 30cm of the fly or fished on a shorter dropper under a dry fly to register the take. For early season polaroiding a small black bead head added to the fly and fished under a dry fly, the Jellybean is super effective in the Nineteen Lagoons area, the bead head helping sink the fly quickly to the desired depth, getting it in contact with the indicator dry.

As a nymphing pattern the Jellybean can be fished like any nymph, slow, near static at the depth the fish are likely to be feeding, it can be mixed into a team of flies or fished under an indicator dry at a given depth.

This is an effective way to fish the Jellybean on bright or calm days when fish are less inclined to chase lures and more inclined to eat smaller natural offerings. I have this fly in sizes 12 to 16, however the 12 is most successful for me.

Again this is a simple fly to tie. Black chenille for a body, a black hen hackle half stripped then palmered through the body and bedded down by a fine dull wire rib. A bead head can be added to sink the fly quickly where it is to be fished mid water, but not where it is going to be fished on the bottom as this will sink the fly into weed and make it less visible and less likely to be picked up by the fish.

Black Snatcher

The Black Snatcher is a fly I first saw in an English fly fishing magazine. This is a really versatile fly which can be fished as a static dry, moving dry in the surface, sub surface as a top or middle dropper. Jungle cock eyes act as a hot spot on this heavily palmered fly.

The fly is tied on a grub pattern hook, with a seal’s fur body and a heavily palmered hackle comprising of a cheap ‘Indian’ style hackle. Fine stiff genetic hackles are not effective for this pattern as the hackle needs to be able to pulse somewhat and create movement. Jungle cock eyes are then attached on each side of the fly. This fly can be tied in many colour combinations, with black, bibio, tan, olive all being effective, particularly the tan coloured shades during a dun hatch. Head colours can also be varied, and I love orange. Black is a good early season colour. Sizes 10 to 14.

Early season the Black Snatcher in sizes 10 and 12 is a good middle dropper or top dropper with sinking lines. Pulled with woolly buggers on various sinking lines or twitched slowly on an intermediate line the Black Snatcher is a good pattern to break up a team of bigger flies, and great to hang when the sinking line nears the surface.

involve a black tail with a silver or gold body with a matching coloured bead head and flash in the tail.

Commercial patterns use fritz chenille and a palmered grizzle hackle. I use a metallic dub in a dubbing loop to make a shaggy metallic body, no hackle. In Tasmania the silver does not seem to work that well, however the gold pattern is terrific. The Humongous is effective all year round, and it’s great from the first cast opening morning. Where Humongous comes into its own is in coloured water, early season the combination of runoff and spring winds means the water is usually coloured on the lakes to some degree. The metallic properties of the Humongous gives flash in the water and makes the fly more visible than traditional woolly bugger patterns; also UV type flash is less effective in coloured water making a lot of these 21st century materials not too effective.

The Humongous is best fished actively, generally a good pull pause retrieve of varying speeds, or a

roly-poly constant retrieve, it’s a fly that works on the aggressive nature of fish working on an opportunity for a ‘big bite’. Early season size 8 is great; however size 10 and even 12 works well in clear water and where smaller fish are generally found. Humongous can be fished in any position in a team; it can be fished top middle or point. I will vary the position depending on the circumstances each time I fish a team of wets, and the position on the leader does make a difference.

Starting a new season, braving the weather and getting into a few trout is always exciting after a break.

Early season fish aren’t always in great condition, but non spawning fish, and the presence of the odd triploid trout in the lakes adds to the air of expectation when getting into the first few trout. There’s fun to be had whether you are chasing tailing fish around the edges or pulling them out of deeper water with sinking lines.

Joe Riley

Humongous

Of course early season on the lakes wouldn’t be complete without a woolly bugger pattern. The Humongous is again an English pattern, developed as a lure for fry feeding fish around the English reservoirs where large numbers of coarse fish fry gather in shoals each autumn. The primary colours for this pattern

Hooked up and hanging on.

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Fishing News - Page 33

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Bait and lure river strategies

The author methodically working the river.

Adrian Webb

W

ell another season is upon us once more and early season fishing can run hot and cold for this time of the year. With the season start still being in Winter we are still going to have quite a bit of inclement weather to put up with for a month or two. Cold, windy and wet days at times making fishing conditions very hard and every fish well earned for those who tough it out.

Then there will be the very clear, cold frosty mornings when the temperature is so low that the water from the line freezes in the rod eyelets preventing one from retrieving the line back in after a few casts with the lure.

For those of us who love trout fishing rivers, well that’s just something we take in our stride. Remember to be well rugged up, that’s the main thing, and really you don’t have to get up and be on the water at first light this early in the season either. Well I don’t any way, I start around 9.00 am and still get a good catch on most trips.

Early season trout fishing can be very rewarding with many nice plump trout being taken by both bait and lure fishing rivers. The rivers may be running high and dirty, or they could be running medium and reasonably clear giving us the choice of bait or lure fishing. It all boils down to how much rain we get during this early part of the season.

Bait Fishing

For me it will depend on how much rain we’ve had and if they’re high and dirty, then it will be bait fishing. I’ll be sitting back on a river bank with two rods set in a backwater with a

bunch of worms on the hooks. I love the start of the season when the rivers are high and I can do a bit of bait fishing as it is so relaxing. One can sit back and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us while waiting for that fish to eventually take the bait. It’s even better on a clear sunny and calm Winter’s day too.

When bait fishing high water always look for a backwater, flooded paddock or a very slow flowing pocket of water close to the river bank. Trout will be feeding on worms that have been washed into rivers or drowned in flooded paddocks. This is where you will catch most fish in these conditions. I have caught several very nice browns in some of the smallest calm pockets of water close to the river bank, so always flick a baited hook into those areas when you come across them. The one thing you must have when bait fishing is patience and plenty of it. Patience will be rewarding for you in the long run that’s for sure. I have sometimes picked up a fish before I’ve had a chance to get my second rod in the water. Other times I’ve sat there for two hours before picking up a fish, but that’s how bait

Flooded rivers are great for bait fishing early in the season. A garden worm is often all that is needed.

Fishing News - Page 34

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fishing goes. I often throw some soil with a few worms mixed in with it out into the river and then flick the baited hook out to that area. This regularly results in a catching a few browns by doing this as well. Most times I have my baited hooks sitting no more than 6 metres from the bank. The trout won’t be any further out than that as the flow is too strong.

The set up I use is a small ball or bean sinker (around 8 gms) set above a swivel, followed by a 600 – 800mm trace with a size 6 bait holder hook and a nice bunch of gardens worms on it. Once you’ve flicked your bait out, let it sink to the bottom, flick the bail arm over and loosen off the drag so the fish can pick up the bait and move off without feeling any resistance. Then place your rod onto a rod holder or push a Y-shaped twig into the soft ground and rest you rod in the top of the Y. Then it’s just a matter of sitting back and waiting for a bite.

Please do not use any willow twigs and branches for your rod support as these will shoot and grow if left in the ground. Some bait fishers will leave the bail arm open and place a small stone on the line so when the fish takes the bait the line pulls free from the rock. The same basics also apply if the rivers are running high and clear too. You just have to remember the water is very cold and the trout will be slowing moving around feeding as not to waste energy. They will be solid well condition fish, and you can expect to pick up fish around the 1 kilo mark or better.

With flooded paddocks, you should fish much lighter with the sinker (or none at all) as the water will be much shallower than the river, and you will often see trout tailing in these areas. There are many rivers that fish well once the water flows over the river banks and into the paddocks. The Leven and Macquarie rivers are just two of them that fish extremely well when this occurs.

So there you have it, try a bit of early season river bait fishing whether the water is dirty or clear, give it a go and enjoy the moment. It’s also good as family outing, and a great way to get the kids started in fishing rivers for trout. Remember to leave the area as you found it when you arrived to fish, please take you rubbish home with you.

Lure Fishing

Lure fishing early in the season can be a frustrating time when spinning for trout as their metabolism is low due to the very cold water. Cold, fast flowing water and sluggish trout can make for several trying trips. This is when I look to fish the slower sections of river because early in the season trout will rarely be taken in fast water.

They will be along the edges of the river banks and in the slower runs just A selection of the author’s lures. off the main flow of the river, waiting to pounce on anything that passes and across the flow, then keeping the rod tip at around by. They will be holding deep in the areas that will be 45 degrees let the lure drift with the flow and slowly energy saving for them. When using blade spinners retrieve the line as to keep the slack out of it. Give the and with the water being so cold it pays to use a bright rod a light twitch every now and then, by doing this it coloured lures (silver or fluoro) as this will help to you will have a better chance of a strike and a hook stimulate the fish and get them to strike the lure. If up. Continue this method as you slowly work your way the river is running high then it is advisable to work upstream along the river bank. Always look ahead of to the lure from the river bank and not take any chances see if there are pockets of near still or slow water along of being in the river chasing them. The river bottom is the river bank, and if there is cast directly upstream and normally very slippery early on in the season, and it’s work the lure down through it. just not worth risking your life getting into a fast flowing These pockets of water will often give up a trout as river even though it may look okay to you. This is where well. If you come across a run of slow water amongst rivers that flow through open pastures are great to spin some trees and there is ample room to flick a lure, then from and there are plenty of rivers like this around do so. These areas can and do hold some nice solid fish Tasmania that are accessible too. Remember, if they are in them. If the water is cloudy or even a little dirty then not one that has the Angler’s Access set ups on them, use a dark (I would recommend black with fluoro dots) then please contact the land owner to gain permission coloured lure. A dark colour shows up more to the trout to enter the property. Just because you have a trout in these conditions than a bright lure. license, it doesn’t give you the right to enter a property When I do decide to have a decent few hours of without the owner’s consent. spinning in a river I’ll normally go for a smaller river Whether you are using or stream rather than tackle the bigger rivers. Though a hard body lures, soft I still hit the bigger rivers at least once or twice a week plastics or blade spinners and have a session. With the smaller rivers they seem make sure they are bright to settle down much quicker than the large rivers and coloured ones as I stated I can get in and wade them in safety. It pays to have earlier, it will stimulate a set of thermal underwear and socks on too, as the the trout into striking the cold water really hits home. You have to remember that lure. Cast the spinner up early season spinning for trout in rivers will be much

A good sized fish taken from a flooded backwater.

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Fishing News - Page 35

slower until the weather warms up and the water temperature rises to a suitable temperature for them. I still work the rivers the same way early in the season as I do throughout the whole season.

The only difference is the clarity of the river, water temperature and the lure colour. I do up my blade spinner size in the larger rivers at this time of year too because of the extra river height.

Whereas I normally fish a #00 (1.5gm) spinner I go to a #1 (3.5gm) spinner as it will run much deeper.

Then there’s the hard body lures, a sinking or suspending lure is my preferred choice only because of the rivers being much higher and trout will be holding deeper at this time of year.

There are plenty of very good hard body lures available now days so pop into your local tackle shop and pick up a few. Talk to the sales staff if you are unsure of what lure you looking for, they will only be too happy to help out. Once you’re on the river it’s only a matter of casting them out and working the lure in much the same way as using the blade spinner. Only different thing I do is to not let it drift with the flow. I will work the hard body lure from the time it hits the water. On the retrieve I will flick the rod from side to side. This helps to give

the lure a little more action as you work it through the water. Remember it’s up to you to get that trout stimulated into striking the lure.

When using a hard body early in the season I normally stick with a rainbow pattern or a silvery (shiny) coloured models as these have always worked well for me. Fishing cold water with lures can often be a lot of trial and error. Don’t be afraid of changing your choice of lure at all, especially if you haven’t had a strike. A change of lure may just result in getting your first trout for the season.

Once the river levels have dropped to a safe wading height, then get into them and start working those lures and spinners hard. Your catch rate should now improve as you will be able to cover more water with the lures. Just remember, do not take any risks as no fish is worth drowning for.

So whether you’re going to start the season off with a hook full of juicy fat worms, or are going to flick a lure around, remember the main thing is to enjoy the time spent on a river chasing trout with the family, friends or a mate.

Adrian Webb

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Fishing News - Page 36

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Fishing News - Page 37

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1

150 years of brown trout

W

hilst most of us don’t need any excuse to go fishing, being the 150 th anniversary of the successful introduction of trout into Tasmanian waters, and with the new season upon us, there has never been a better time to go.

We all know that Tasmania is the undisputed home of trout fishing in Australia but did you know that as Tasmanian’s we should be proud that NSW, Victoria and New Zealand anglers have us to thank for the trout they catch ?

It was Tasmanian resourcefulness that saw the first successful transport of ova from England to the Southern Hemisphere. With many disappointing starts

It is 150 years since James Youl was successful in introducing brown trout to Tasmania in 1864. Now they are numerous and self supporting. over 12 years, success was finally achieved as a result of an ingenious moss filled box devised by Tasmanian James Youl.

This is an early example of Tasmanian clever thinking and an audacity that continues in all areas of industry in Tasmania today where we continue to push the boundaries of conventional thought.

So when you do cast a line in this season think of our pioneering anglers who despite failures and setbacks, being told it was an impossible dream and at times being abused by the press and public for wasting public funds, kept on trying until they succeeded.

What is happening now?

With the same dedication and perseverance, the staff at the Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Service work to ensure better access to our rivers and lakes and to stock our favourite fishing waters. All your licence fees go back into ensuring our fisheries remain sustainable.

In the past 12 months the Fishery Service have installed two fish traps at Arthurs Lake, transferred over 21,000 fish into our local waters and significantly improved angler access.

Improved opportunities for river fishing continue to be a priority so that you have greater angling

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Fishing News - Page 39

opportunities closer to home. Recovery in trout populations from cormorant predation in 2012/13 should mean many anglers try their favourite rivers this season. As river access offers conditions that suit all age groups and skill levels this is the perfect destination for first timers or anglers with children.

Angler Access the best ever

Nine rivers around the state have now benefitted from Anglers Access projects and a major project on the Mersey River was completed in 2013. Work is progressing on the River Derwent which is scheduled for completion this season.

All access locations have been inspected and tree trimming, weed removal and repairs have been undertaken. Access upstream from Woolmers Bridge on the Macquarie River has also been improved with additional stiles and footbridges.

Access projects at Lake Kara and Lamberts Dam have also been completed.

The installation of screens on the spillway at Lake Kara will limit downstream migration of adult fish whilst the dam wall has been potholed and the dam wall limited to pedestrian access only.

A new footbridge has been installed at Lamberts Dam to provide access across the spillway and along the dam wall and western shores of the dam.

Infrastructure

Your angling licence fees also go towards roads and improvements to boating infrastructure. Recent road works include grading and potholing Woods Lake Road and Cowpaddock Road at Arthurs Lake.

IFS has also worked closely with MAST and Hydro Tasmania to continue to develop boating infrastructure on our inland lakes. Recent projects have included the construction of a new dual lane ramp and pontoon at Bradys Lake,

replacement of the ramp at Lake Burbury camp ground and the installation of prototype pontoons at Arthurs Lake Dam Wall and Swan Bay on Great Lake.

In a significant safety initiative 30 navigation lights have been installed at major boatramps around the state.

Activated at low light levels the lights have a 5 NM range in clear weather.

Maintenance has been completed at the Morass Bay (Arthurs Lake), Dee lagoon and Canal Bay (Bradys Lake) boat ramps. Work included improved parking and removal of navigation hazards.

Being the sesquicentennial anniversary, the Inland Fisheries Service is looking to build on the enthusiasm for trout fishing and hopefully to reignite the passion of those who have not been fishing for a while.

Win a Ford Ranger

Read the history

Love your trout fishing history? Inland Fisheries have also developed a series of 150th anniversary memorabilia that can be purchased from their web site www. ifs.tas.gov.au. This includes a reprinting of Jean Walker’s book Origins of the Tasmanian Trout and limited edition 150th medallion and pin.

So this season get back to trout fishing and celebrate our remarkable history.

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Fishing News - Page 40

Improve your skills and knowledge

As part of the celebrations all anglers who purchase an adult, senior or pensioner annual or five season licence for the 2014/15 season before 31 March 2015 will go in a draw to win a Ford Ranger. If you bought a five season licence in 2013/14 you will also be included in the draw. The winner will be announced on Saturday 16th May 2015 at the Liawenee Trout Weekend. Winning that would certainly make a memorable season!

World class fishing in the heart of the central highlands

cosy wood fires

Kayla Harvey was the centre of attention Mayor Martyn Evans, Wendy, Annie Mackenzie, NNLAA President Time Lowe. (standing) Tony Raspin and Laurie Harrison.

guided fishing trips

great pub

Join a club and enjoy the benefits Justin Causby

B

eing part of an angling club is just part of fishing in my world.

For as long as I can ever remember I’ve been a club member, from junior days to assisting in running some of Tassie’s biggest trout fishing events.

The competitive side of clubs is just a small part, for me it’s the social side, the comradery and in recent years being able Fishin g Sea out some very deserving young to help son people in our state.

I can probably add to that the wealth of knowledge learned from very skilled anglers throughout my younger years.

Inspired to learn and read about tactics, thoughts and theories from the likes of Rob Sloane, the Terry family and Greg French all of who I had connections as a junior through both club life and my father’s work as an IFS officer. Being posted to Strathgordon in the boom Pedder years where a very strong angling club was formed in the late 70’s was perhaps the start of a love for trout fishing.

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

The Lake Pedder Anglers Club was formed at the around the flooding of Lake Pedder and consisted mainly of Hydro Tas workers involved in the huge hydroelectric scheme. What a time this would have been to fish with today’s knowledge. I was only 7 years old out there but I still remember some of those enormous trout which at the time no doubt appeared even bigger than they would today as an adult.

The LPAC numbers fell sharply though the late 80’s as the fish size diminished rapidly. That time is now well in the past as a strong club exists once again. The Back To Pedder events held over the Australia Day weekend, running for 5 days, revitalised the club and became the biggest event in the state for sheer entrant numbers. The competition gaining huge popularity and was extremely well supported by sponsors with the club doing some fantastic work with Canteen and later Camp Quality kids and their families.

As an entrant long before being much more closely involved as a major sponsor through Wigston’s Lures and in recent years MC of the presentation day, I can say that the involvement of these very special young people made the competition what it is today.

I have had the privilege of meeting some amazing, strong and grateful people in the last 7-8 years. Some we are lucky to see come back each and every year, some becoming confident young adults. There are also those that sadly lose their battles with this terrible disease and I can assure anyone they will always be fondly remembered and hold a special place in my heart.

The LPAC should be very proud of what they have achieved and today they are currently supporting both Camp Quality and Able Australia with annual field days for these great organisations at their club pond near Ouse. Further info can be found at the clubs website – www.lakepedderanglersclub.com My own club who I have been a member of since moving to the Salmon Ponds as a primary school student in 1982, the New Norfolk Licenced Anglers Association, is a very strong an proud club. I now hold the envious Secretary position and it’s a tough one to hand on. Having recently held its 87th AGM the club is one of the oldest in the state and I believe it may be the longest continuously running although that I cannot confirm.

While we hold 7 to 8 roster competitions each year the club has a strong focus on junior angling. We are, like several other clubs, lucky to have a fantastic junior angling water. This has helped grow what was already great family club to something we are very proud of topping 106 junior members in 2012/13. The regular junior days see 50 plus kids each time learning and improving their skills. We only allow cast and retrieve fishing so they learn to cast effectively and a limit of two fish each sees them learn catch and release fishing at a very young age. The events are extremely popular and well supported by the IFS and TASSAL ensuring there are always fish to catch.

In the past couple of years the NNLAA has also had a strong interest in supporting a young Derwent Valley resident who is very deserving of a helping hand.

We have donated several thousand dollars to charity in particular local school children suffering from cancers and the rare Angelmans Syndrome. To be part of this has been very special and certainly makes you appreciate that life is about far more than big fish, shiny reels and fast boats.

A fantastic and progressive committee has been able to raise these funds through lots of hard work holding the very popular Derwent River Challenge on Opening Weekend that sees all clubs under the Southern Tasmanian Licenced Anglers Association invited along to compete for the shield. The profits from this event contribute to our charity fund each and every year.

The NNLAA also hosts the annual Family Day for the STLAA at its junior water. Both events have become popular among clubs that had been hard to get together in the past. The club keep a regularly updated Facebook page which can be found by searching New Norfolk Anglers Club.

Longford members at a Petuna Aquaculture outing.

Two other clubs under the STLAA banner have celebrated 40 year milestones this year. The Clarence and Kingborough clubs both are strong clubs with good membership and regular field weekends. Clarence produces a regular newsletter titled Catch Lines. I look forward to receiving my copy each and every issue.

The Kingborough club has a shack at Bronte Lagoon which is maintained and supported through various fundraising events. The Bridgewater club has a long and proud heritage also and is one of the strong performers at the Derwent River Challenge each year being runner up to the NNLAA each year the event has been held.

They too have a club shack, theirs at Lake Sorell.

Although the fishery is closed, nearby Lake Crescent is open and while fishing is tough it’s extremely rewarding with a huge average size available, just don’t expect to catch a fish every day you visit.

The Australian Polish Club hosts the STLAA AGM and Dinner each year at New Town and is also a club with a strong heritage. The Huonville club is further south and round out the STLAA are Bothwell, Bronte/ Bradys and Maydena who are all struggling with numbers recently. I really do hope we can see them continue.

One of the biggest clubs in the north of the state is the Longford Fishing Club. Things were looking grim here a few years back before a new committee set about turning things around. Today they boast around 150 members and were established in 1895 making them one of the oldest clubs of any kind in the state. The LFC is a strong community based focus with regular field days and junior fishing days at its Wallace’s Dam. These junior waters are a tremendous tool for clubs and ensure a great future ahead. The dam is supported

by Petuna Aquaculture ensuring the events are popular with kids and families. They recently organised a safety day with MAST which will go ahead bigger and better this coming season. The club has a very good website – www.longfordfishingclub.com.au The Launceston Anglers Club has a current membership around 60. They hold regular field weekends at destinations like Arthurs Lake and Woods Lake. The club is currently focused on fishing and growing its membership base.

There are several strong clubs along the North West Coast with many also having some fantastic junior facilities. The Ulverstone Anglers Club runs the Young Anglers Development Inc. at the Frombergs Damand it has a huge following and has more members than most

other clubs combined. The people behind this have done a great job and have a great model that could be closed looked at by many others. Junior anglers are the key to all our clubs.

The NWFA also host a female fishing day each year which is another fantastic initiative. This is supported by the IFS with licence free fishing and local clubs and businesses getting behind the event.

In the west the Queenstown Anglers Club hosts the very popular competition at Lake Burbury every year.

This event attracts anglers from across the state and has a big entry list each year. A substantial prize list covering multiple categories ensures the event will be on the calendar for many more years ahead.

Angling clubs in today’s world are about so much more than just fishing. There is a strong push toward encouraging junior angling and a positive push toward community involvement and often fund raising charity work.

The voice of an angling club is often heard much louder than that of the individual angler, those under an association banner even more so.

I could not recommend joining up to a club highly enough. It’s a great way to meet people all who are there for the same reason you are essentially, to enjoy their fishing. Along the way you may achieve far more than that and be pleasantly surprised at what you may find.

I have listed a few contacts for the above mentioned angling clubs. There are so many, many more around the state. Contact details can sometimes be found online but the IFS probably have the best connection to most clubs around the state as do Angling Alliance Tasmania.

Tim Lowe receiving the Bridges Bros Trophy from STLAA Patron Bob Ward and STLAA President Laurie Harrison.

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

Fishing News - Page 41

Inland Fisheries Service stocking Tasmania’s inland waters – your licence money in action

T

here is nothing new about the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) stocking trout into fisheries that need supplementing. While many of Tasmania’s waters have the elements needed for natural recruitment of trout such as inflowing streams and a predator free (redfin perch) environment, some do not. Fisheries which are stocked can be categorised as “put and grow” fisheries or “put and take” but sometimes they are a combination of both.

The hatchery at New Norfolk that was built in 2007 and has provided a substantial supply of wild strain brown and rainbow trout as fry and fingerlings many of the state’s fisheries. While the stocking of juvenile trout is needed to sustain fisheries in the medium to long term there is still a need for immediate rewards in stocked fisheries. Juvenile fish are fine for “put and grow” fisheries but the demands on many of our fisheries that require stocking are such that there is a need for a put and take element of stocking thus giving a put and take aspect to the fishery.

The stocking of large Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout does suit some waters and with donations from commercial fish farms the IFS is fortunate to be able to use such fish in places like Craigbourne Dam, Lake Barrington and Brushy Lagoon. These are true “put and take” fisheries which are located close to population centers where many of the stocked fish are harvested by anglers a short time after stocking, months rather than years.

For many years the transfer of adult brown trout from the spawning streams of the highlands, particularly Liawenee Canal at Great Lake, has provided more immediate benefits from the IFS trout stocking program. These fish being wild are less prone to being caught out early in the season and have the potential for growth on their new homes that often exceeds that experienced in the lake they came from. So this type of stocking produces “put and take” as well as “put and grow” fisheries.

This year has been a little different however, with new sources of the adult brown trout significantly boosting stocking that does provide instant benefits to fisheries that need it as well as supplying fish for a greater medium to long term sustainability.

The IFS has undertaken works at spawning streams on Arthurs Lake during autumn 2014 to produce three efficient fish traps. The existing trap on Hydro Creek was improved to allow for easy trap and removal of fish whilst weirs, side channels and traps were built at Scotch Bobs and Tumbledown creeks.

Fishing News - Page 42

This year the number of adults brown trout transferred from the highland spawning streams to other waters is approaching three times the previous number for any year of the past 10 as shown in chart 1. This means that some fisheries have had their allocations significantly increased in comparison to previous years.

Tooms Lake, Lake Leake and Penstock Lagoon of these increases as shown in table 1.

One fishery which really stands to benefit from the new trapping facilities and the resultant supply of adult brown trout is the Bradys chain of lakes i.e. Bradys Lake, Lake Binney and Tungatinah Lagoon. The IFS was surprised to find many fish this size in Arthurs Lake.

Whilst a target of 5,000 transfers was achieved prior to the 2013/14 season, indications were that anglers were catching most of these by mid-season and the fishery could benefit from a lot more. This year there were just under 10,000 adult brown trout stocked there. These are fish of varying sizes as they came from Liawenee Canal where the average size in the run was around 750 grams and from Arthurs Lake where the average size was around 500 grams with a range of 300 grams to one kilogram.

The IFS can say with some certainty that this season the fish are out there ready to be caught, because they were stocked at a catchable size and in good numbers!

Receiving fishery Bradys Lake Break O’ Day River Brushy Lagoon Craigbourne Dam Four Springs Lake Lake Botsford Lake Leake Leven River Mersey River Pawleena Lagoon Penstock Lagoon Pet Dam Tooms Lake

Adult brown trout transferred 2013 5,000 0 0 483 2,000 0 986 300 300 125 0 0 1,080

Adults brown trout transferred 2014 9,850 500 1,510 4,000 2,700 100 1,855 400 400 200 2,000 400 2,305

The number of brown trout transferred from spawning traps, 2005 ‐ 2014 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 2005

2006

2007

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

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Inland Fisheries Service stocking - what, where, when and how big for 2014.

Adult Atlantic salmon stocking January - July 2014 Fishery Brushy Lagoon Craigbourne Dam Lake Barrington

Date May-14 Jul-14 Jul-14

Number 400 310 225

Age Adult Adult Adult

Type Diploid Diploid Diploid

Stock Domestic Domestic Domestic

Age Yearling

Type Diploid

Stock Domestic

Age Fry Fry Fry Fry Fry Fry Fry Fry Fry

Type Diploid Diploid Diploid Diploid Triploid Diploid Diploid Triploid Diploid

Stock Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild Wild

Brook trout stocking January - July 2014 Fishery Craigbourne Dam

Date May-14

Number 250

Juvenile brown trout stocking January - July 2014 Fishery Break O Day River Dale Brook Don River Forth Falls Creek Lake Crescent Lobster Creek Penguin Creek Penstock Lagoon Western Creek

The new fish trap at Tumbledown Creek, Arthurs Lake.

Adult brown trout stocking January - July 2014 Fishery

Date

Number

Bradys Lake

Jun-14

Break O Day River

Date Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14 Jan-14

Juvenile rainbow trout stocking January - July 2014 Age

Type

Stock

9,850

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Jul-14

500

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Bruisers Lagoon

May-14

50

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Brushy Lagoon

Jul-14

1,510

Adult

Diploid

Wild

50

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Camerons Lagoon

May-14

Carters Lake

May-14

100

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Craigbourne Dam

Jun-14

4,000

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Curries River Reservoir

Jul-14

400

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Four Springs Lake

Jun-14

2,700

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Botsford

May-14

100

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Dulverton

May-14

208

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Duncan

May-14

70

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Leake

Jun-14

1,855

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Lynch

May-14

70

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Lake Paget

May-14

50

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Meadowbank Lake

Jul-14

1,500

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Mersey River

Jun-14

400

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Pawleena Lagoon

Jul-14

200

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Penstock Lagoon

Jun-14

2,000

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Pet Dam

Jun-14

400

Adult

Diploid

Wild

River Leven

Jul-14

400

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Rocky Lagoon

May-14

50

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Second Lagoon

May-14

25

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Tooms Lake

May-14

2,305

Adult

Diploid

Wild

Fishery Blackmans Lagoon Bronte Lagoon Brushy Lagoon Cluny Lagoon Craigbourne Dam Craigbourne Dam Curries River Reservoir Dee Lagoon Four Springs Lake Four Springs Lake Lake Barrington Lake Leake

Date Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Apr-14 Apr-14 May-14 Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Apr-14

Number 7,000 10,000 3,500 5,000 10,000 300 5,000 40,000 8,500 30,000 5,000 110

Age Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fingerling Fingerling Yearling Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fingerling

Type Triploid Diploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Diploid Triploid Diploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid

Stock Domestic Wild Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Domestic Wild Domestic Wild Domestic Domestic

Lake Leake Lake Leake Lake Mackintosh Lake Repulse Little Blue Lagoon Meadowbank Lake Penstock Lagoon Pioneer Mine Hole Tooms Lake Tooms Lake Vale River

May-14 Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Jan-14 Apr-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jan-14

3,330 5,000 45,000 5,000 1,000 10,000 20,000 8,500 5,000 3,330 5,000

Fingerling Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fry Fingerling Fingerling Fingerling Fry

Triploid Triploid Diploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Triploid Diploid

Domestic Domestic Wild Domestic Wild Domestic Wild Domestic Domestic Domestic Wild

Wayatinah Lagoon

Apr-14

10,000

Fingerling

Triploid

Domestic

Source of stocked fish

Adult rainbow trout stocking January - July 2014 Fishery Craigbourne Dam Craigbourne Dam Lake Barrington

Date Jun-14 Jul-14 Jul-14

Number 1,500 300 410

Number 9,000 500 500 500 5,000 500 500 5,000 500

Age Adult Adult Adult

Type Triploid Triploid Triploid

Stock Domestic Domestic Domestic

All adult brown trout were trapped in the spawning runs of Great Lake, Arthurs Lake and Lake Sorell.

All brown trout fry and wild rainbow trout fry were produced at the IFS New Norfolk Hatchery.

Brook trout were donated by Snowy Range Fishery.

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

Atlantic salmon stocked at Brushy Lagoon donated by Petuna Aquaculutre.

Domestic rainbow trout stocked at Craigbourne Dam during May and June were produced at Salmon Ponds and albino.

All other domestic rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon were donated or purchased from Springfield Hatcheries.

Fishing News - Page 43

Clinics

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS August/September 2014

Fishcare - Teaching kids to care for our fisheries

One of the aims of the Fishcare Tasmania program is to teach children responsible fishing practices from an early age. The Fishcare volunteers put this into action by providing hands-on expertise through fishing clinics for schools and community groups such as scouts and school holiday programs. The clinics are free and Fishcare has access to resources such as fishing gear for everyone to use.

What do they do at the Clinic?

In a fun practical way, all the clinics cover responsible fishing practices including all the basics from safety while fishing, setting up the equipment, putting the fishing gear together. Not only is how to go about fishing covered but what to do when a fish is landed.

What do the children learn?

The main messages to the young fishers are: the rules about size limits; how to measure your catch; how many fish you can keep; and how to handle and release fish to help them survive.

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The body of the caravan is one-piece fibreglass there will be To this component without joints and dust ingress not a Fromis this enough fish in the problem. Construction is on a steel chassis and with So if you have an old clunker do with fibreglass and other future for anyone rubber torsional suspension and electric brakes. that you think has the makings composites. who wants to wet Roof hatch adds 300mm of headroom. of of aForward modern sporty, practical Call our manager - mad the axle, two bunks (or one double bed) a line. It is also a boatare givefitted us a call. fisherman and ‘The Man of with a sliding table mounted between Plenty ofor complex Wethem. also do simple Glass’, David Mercer and have great way to bring storage lockers and plenty of optionsrepairs are available. to hulls, floors, replace a chat. home a feed for transoms and love anything to Just a selection from our range - See our Website the family.

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Fishing News - Page 44

Outcomes of the

By teaching the children these simple messages they can also help change the habits of older fishers.

Maybe their parents or grandparents will realise that it’s important to look after their local fishing patch so their children will have fish to catch in the future.

Our fishing clinics are a great opportunity for schools and community groups to add an interesting event to their annual program and enjoy an outdoor pastime that is a popular recreational activity.

As one mum recently commented, “Fishcare clinics are a way to get away from hectic day to day tasks and enjoy quality family time whilst learning great hints about successful fishing. Catching dinner and getting it to the table in the best possible condition is something worth learning!”

There is nothing like watching a child catch their first fish! Bystanders and fishers alike cannot help but get excited about the anticipation of seeing which fish is landed. Children and the adults around them always smile after landing a fish.

How to organise a fishing clinic

Contact one of our Fishcare Regional Coordinators: South: Rob Green on 6165 3039 North: Quenton Higgs on 6777 2082 North West: Damian Heran on (03) 6443 8624 Email: fishcare@dpipwe.tas.gov.au.

Web: www.fishing.tas.gov.au/fishcare.

Visit Fishcare at an Event Near You!

Our hardworking Fishcare coordinators and volunteers from the north, north-west and southern regions attend fishing and community events around the state. Check the calendar below to find when they’ll be talking responsible fishing at a fishing show or community event near you.

Date ​Sat 9 - Sun 10 August ​Tues, 19 - Sat, 23 August ​ unday, 31 S August ​Fri, 12 - Sun, 14 September Saturday, 20 September ​Saturday, 4 October ​Friday, 17 October ​Saturday, 18 October ​Sunday 26 October ​Saturday, 15 November ​Saturday, 22 November

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

Event ​Deegan Marine Boat Show, Ulverstone ​Oceans Week Display at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery ​AMC Open Day, Newnham Campus ​Tasmanian Outdoor Boat and Caravan Show Silverdome, Launceston North Coast Group Patrol Greens Beach to Bridport ​Statewide Fishcare Training weekend, St Helens ​Flinders Island Show, Whitemark ​Longford Show

​ eafarers Festival, Bellerive S Boardwalk ​Scottsdale Show ​Deloraine Show

A reminder that the 2014/15 season for taking male rock lobster ends on 31st August, 2014.

More information at: www.fishing.tas. gov.au/rec/seasons.

Become a Fishcare Volunteer!

Fishcare is looking for new recruits around the state.

Becoming a volunteer is a great way to do your bit for Tasmania’s fisheries and to meet other like-minded people. Fishcare volunteers attending fishing events around the State and have the satisfaction of knowing they’ve made a difference.

Rock Lobster Season Dates

The Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jeremy Rockliff recently announced the season dates for the 2014-15 rock lobster season. The recreational season opens statewide on Saturday, November 1st in the Western Region and Saturday, November 15th in the Eastern Region.

Toxic Algal Bloom and Fishery Closure Information

Recently, there has been a Public Health alert and subsequent fishery closure due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) being found in shellfish in areas of the East Coast. The toxic dinoflagelate Alexandrim tamarense which caused the toxic algal bloom and closure of the rock lobster fishery last season was again identified in this area.

As we approach the summer fishing season, fishers can stay informed about any current algal bloom events in the following ways: Public Health information – to find out about the safety of fish and shellfish for eating, call the

Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 or visit www. publichealthalerts.tas.gov.au Fishery closures - follow the Fisheries Tasmania Facebook page at facebook.com/FisheriesTasmania or visit our website at www.fishing.tas.gov.au.

Need more information?

Get a copy of the Recreational Sea Fishing Guide from Service Tasmania; Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app for iPhone or Android; visit www.fishing.tas.gov.au; or www.facebook.com/ FisheriesTasmania Phone: 1300 720 647 or 03 6165 3233 Email: fishing.enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

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

Fishing News - Page 45

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Outboard Technology

Quality Service and repairs to all Outboard Motors. Southern Region.

David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859

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

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Gone Fishing Charters

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Watch the demo. Scan the QR code.

Fishing News - Page 46

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens

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Outboard Servicing

Mobile service, saves you time, money and convenience.

• Launceston, east, northeast coast and central highlands.

• Latest computer diagnostic equipment to suit most models.

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Grant Garwood: 0428 382 130 Email: ggarwood1@hotmail.com

Boat trailer wheel and tyre

Dunbier and early Holden pattern

around $90ea

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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.

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

Tasmanian maps for any

Map & A n g li n g For the late

st informa tion visi www.ifs.ta t: s.gov.au www.ta smap.ta s.gov.au

A DV E N T U R E TASMAP’s Highland Lakes Map and Angling Notes is an invaluable guide to the world class trout fishing in the thousands of lakes and tarns located throughout the region.

It covers most of the Central Plateau, shows all of the lakes, how to get there along with launching facilities, accommodation, camping and caravan areas, fuel supplies and services.

The reverse side features detailed notes and maps covering the prime fishing lakes. The notes are packed with valuable information on regulations, fish types and the best fishing locations and methods.

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

www.tasmap.tas.gov.au Maps may also be purchased from Service Tasmania outlets and TASMAP agents statewide.

Scott, 53 King St. Scottsdale.Ph. 6352 2357 Julie-Anne, 41 Quail St. St Helens. Ph. 6376 1390

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BL10621

Launceston’s Only Authorised Dealer and Service Centre

HIGHL AND LAKES

Depar tment of Pr imar y Industr ies, Par ks, Water and Environment

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

Fishing News - Page 47

Fishing News - Page 48

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