STLAA Trout 2015 by Norm Cribbin

Angling Report of the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association

Index Editorial .......................................................................................... 2 Inland Fisheries Service ................................................................ 3 Minister’s Report on Inland Fisheries 2014/2015 ....................... 3 From the Director - The State of the Fishery ............................... 4 Hydro Tasmania Report ................................................................ 6 Eel Migration and Water Quality ................................................. 6 MAST Report ............................................................................... 11 Anglers Alliance Tasmania Report ............................................ 13 Chairman’s Review 2015 ........................................................... 13 Inland Fisheries Advisory Council Report (IFAC) 2014-15 .... 14 STLAA Reports ............................................................................ 16 STLAA Executive ...................................................................... 16 STLAA President’s Report - 2015 ............................................. 17 Club Reports .............................................................................. 19 Australian Polish Anglers Club ............................................. 19 Bothwell Angling Club .......................................................... 21 Bridgewater Anglers Association .......................................... 23 Bronte – Bradys Fishing Club ................................................ 26 Clarence Licensed Anglers Club............................................ 27 Huon Licensed Anglers Association ...................................... 30 Kingborough Anglers Association ......................................... 33 Lake Pedder Anglers Club ..................................................... 35 New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association ......................... 37 Features & Special Reports ......................................................... 39 To Augusta ................................................................................. 39 Wrasse in Lake Crescent? .......................................................... 45 The Benefits of Fishing with a Club .......................................... 46 My Year on the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame Committee . 49 A few days at Penstock Lagoon ................................................. 51 My Special Fishing Pond ........................................................... 57 Leaders ....................................................................................... 60 Obituaries ..................................................................................... 68 Season 2014-2015 Photo Gallery................................................. 70

Trout 2015 Tasmanian Angling Report of the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association is published annually by the Association and its affiliated Clubs. Cover Photo: CLAC – Matthew Johnson laying a nice line at Bronte Lagoon.

Report Committee: Terry Byard Bridgewater Anglers Ph 0429 977 185 Norm Cribbin Clarence Anglers Ph 0408 144 587 Laurie Harrison New Norfolk Anglers Ph 0428 626 370 Neil Pinkard Clarence Anglers Ph 0427 342 245

Editorial

eason 2014-2015 was once again one of mixed results for many, with anglers reporting good fishing early in the season followed by some patchy periods over the summer. There were periods of good Mayfly hatches in the highlands and for those fortunate enough to be present when the fish switched on found this form of fly fishing very rewarding. The latter part of the season rewarded many anglers with some good fishing to Galaxid feeders, particularly at Tooms Lake where some extremely well conditioned fish were caught by all legal methods.

landed some amazing fish. If you have not attended the Annual STLAA Family Day and BBQ, make the effort to take your children or grandchildren to the next event. You will be rewarded by the expression of joy that can be seen on their faces following catching a fish. Special thanks must go to the Report Committee and Club Delegates who have spent many hours arranging advertising sponsors, following up on reports and collecting and writing the articles that appear within Trout 2015. As I have indicated in the past I would ask you to acknowledge our advertising sponsors, for without their support it would not be possible to continue to publish this annual report. So next time you are making use of any of our sponsorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s services, take time to thank them and mention that you saw their advertisement in the Trout 2015 book.

The Annual STLAA Family Day and BBQ, for the last several years, have been hosted at the New Norfolk Anglers Junior Angling Pond at the Bushy Park Estate. Numbers have steadily increased as has the number of participating clubs. This year once again it was the juniors that showed best what angling is all about. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and friendship shown by our juniors as they cast to, hooked and

Norm Cribbin - Editor

Another successful junior catch at the STLAA Family Day and BBQ

Inland Fisheries Service Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report on Inland Fisheries 2014/2015

appreciate the opportunity to provide a report for the Trout 2015 publication of the Southern Tasmanian Licensed Anglers Association (STLAA). The Hodgman Liberal Government recognises the value of the fishery to Tasmania and is committed to developing, managing and protecting our valuable inland fisheries.

increased participation. While over half of the Tasmanian population lives in the south, only one third of freshwater licences are sold to those in the region. We believe we can increase this with targeted investment in projects including working with the Southern Midlands Council to develop a trophy trout fishery at Lake Dulverton at Oatlands, expanding the highly successful Derwent Anglers Access Project and assessing the feasibility for a new southern lake fishery in the Huon/Geeveston area.

Last season we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the introduction of trout to Tasmania. Over the last 12 months there have been a number of special events to recognise this anniversary. These included a very successful celebration at the Salmon Ponds on the 4 May 2014 and concluded with the Ford Ranger Promotion run during the 2014-15 season at Liawenee Open Weekend on Saturday 16 May 2015.

Through the Inland Fisheries Service, the Government is implementing fisheries management projects aimed at understanding, managing or improving important recreational fisheries. Trout population studies were completed on Four Springs Lake and Penstock Lagoon with future work planned for Tooms Lake to guide optimal stocking rates and to fine tune regulation.

We look forward to another great trout season ahead. Every year around 28 000 licensed anglers enjoy memorable experiences whilst trout fishing in Tasmania. The Government made a strong commitment to protect our world class recreational fisheries, which also attracts 6 000 visiting anglers to the State each year. This was delivered through the appointment of Fisheries Officers at Liawenee in the Central Highlands and Devonport on the North West Coast.

Over the past two years new fish traps have been developed on spawning creeks at Arthurs Lake and Great Lake that will be used to capture wild adult trout from overstocked waters for transfer to other fisheries. The most recent development has seen the construction of a migratory trap on Sandbanks Creek at Great Lake, with feasibility planning commenced for Lake King William. This initiative is cost effective and will reduce reliance on expensive hatchery operations.

I was very pleased to recently announce on the shores of Lake Dulverton that the Government through the IFS is investing $200,000 over three years to get even more freshwater anglers hooked in the south.

The Inland Fisheries Service has continued to manage itself as a viable and efficient organisation operating in the interests of its stakeholders, the anglers and the community of Tasmania.

We want to increase the lure of the fishery, particularly in Tasmania's south where there is a huge opportunity for

The proceeds of licence fees are reinvested directly back into fisheries management through stocking and other infrastructure projects.

all share for our world-class inland fishery.

In closing I recognise the members of the STLAA who are committed and active members of affiliated angling clubs. You represent the passion of the angling community and the passion we

Jeremy Rockliff MP Deputy Premier Minister for Primary Industries and Water

From the Director - The State of the Fishery

he feature of the 2014-15 season, as has been the case in recent years, was the variability in the prevailing weather. The season started well, however unsettled conditions through late spring and summer again resulted in difficult fishing conditions in many fisheries. A common theme across the fishery was lack of surface feeding exhibited by trout making traditional fishing methods more difficult.

construction of a new trap on Sandbanks Creek in the north east corner of Great Lake. The trap was completed just in time for the brown trout spawning run and was very successful delivering around 9 000 fish for transfer. Detailed monitoring of the run showed the fish to be slightly smaller than the run in Liawenee Canal. The Arthurs Lake traps didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t produce the numbers of last year due to poor inflows, the average size remained low and only slightly up on 2014. Work commenced to establish the feasibility of a trap to harvest the large trout population in Lake King William. The potential for a trap on this water has been discussed for many years and could supply a significant proportion of the brown trout stocking plan and possibly some wild rainbow trout.

Arthurs Lake started the season at a high level but fell steadily, surface fishing was very patchy and generally anglers struggled to catch fish at the rate expected for this fishery. Great Lake maintained a low level through the year with reports of well conditioned fish a feature, the reduced rise and fall should enable the weed beds to expand and with them the food supply, if the level holds this lake will be one to watch in 2015-16. It was also good to see the fishing at Lake Crescent making a comeback as a recreational fishery this year with some trophy fish landed by persistent anglers. The water quality at this water has steadily improved and consistent levels since 2009 have enabled the wetlands to recover and the galaxias population to boom, the fish will be bigger in 2015-16.

The adult brown trout were transferred to a range of waters predominantly Bradys Lake (5 400), Four Springs Lake (4 230), Penstock Lagoon (4 000), Tooms Lake (3 850), Lake Crescent and Craigbourne dam each received around 2 000 fish. The stocking of Penstock Lagoon and Four Springs Lake was informed by detailed population studies, the adult browns stocked into Tooms Lake, which were all adipose clipped, will enable a similar study of this population.

The change in focus from hatchery production to wild adult brown trout transfers continued this year with the

Fisheries investigations were undertaken again this year in rivers across the State

in order to monitor recovery from the cormorant predation experienced in prior seasons. The results showed that most rivers were recovering with trout populations expected to return to more normal levels within a couple of years.

season the service remains on track to eradicate by 2017-18. The importance of this lake to southern anglers and to the reputation of the Tasmanian fishery is well known and I look forward to the day the lake can be reopened and hopefully resume its mantle as the number one trout fishery in the state.

Work was completed on the River Derwent Anglers Access Project and announced by the Minister through a media launch in May. Funding for a new access project on the South Esk River was secured by Anglers Alliance Tasmania from the Tasmanian Community Fund; the Service will implement this project in 2015-16. The Service strengthened its enforcement capacity this year with the establishment of a new Fisheries Officer position based in Devonport and the filling of the long term vacancy at Liawenee. With these positions filled the priority will be on licence interviews with anglers and a target of over 5 000 has been set for 2015-16.

I wish the STLAA and its member clubs every success in the 2015-16 season.

The Carp Management Program being undertaken in Lake Sorell made good progress again this year and if the same impact can be made in the coming

John Diggle Director of Inland Fisheries

Electro-fishing for Carp at Lake Sorell

Hydro Tasmania Report Eel Migration and Water Quality

ydro Tasmania has responsibility for 45 of Tasmania’s major lakes, and hydropower operations influence at least 1 200 kilometres of natural creeks and rivers. Responsible management is needed to ensure that these operations do not adversely affect the aquatic environment. Hydro Tasmania is committed to protecting and enhancing the diversity of our natural resources. Managing water quality and native fisheries are key aspects of this commitment. The following projects are just two examples of how Hydro Tasmania is managing its aquatic sustainability obligations.

glass eels on encountering estuarine waters. These develop into elvers (pigmented juvenile eels) as they move upstream into fresh water. They then take approximately 10–20 years to reach sexual maturity. This migration behaviour makes short-finned eels vulnerable to overexploitation, mortality associated with attempting to pass through power stations, and blockage of migration routes by dams and other water management infrastructure. The eel migration route from the South Esk catchment to the sea is blocked by Trevallyn Dam and Power Station. Eels face a high risk of turbine mortality if they attempt to pass downstream via Trevallyn Power Station. Hydro Tasmania installed an elver ladder at Trevallyn Dam in 2009 to allow the elvers to migrate upstream; however, there is no mitigation currently in place to facilitate the downstream passage of migrating eels.

Hydro Tasmania assisting eel migration The South Esk – Great Lake catchment has a range of significant environmental values. This was reflected in Hydro Tasmania’s Trout 2014 report, which discussed the research that was being undertaken in Great Lake and Arthurs Lake on four species of threatened native fish occurring in these lakes. Since 2012, Hydro Tasmania has also been conducting research in this catchment on migrating short-finned eels (Anguilla australis), an important component of the catchment’s native fish fauna.

The Trevallyn eel migration project was initiated to investigate options to reduce the impact of Hydro Tasmania infrastructure on seaward-migrating eels. The first step of the project was to improve our understanding of migrating eel behaviour as they encounter Trevallyn Dam, as this information is crucial for developing suitable methods to minimise power station mortality and provide safe passage downstream.

As well as being an important freshwater commercial fishery, short-finned eels fill a unique niche as a large, native aquatic predator. However, freshwater eels are vulnerable to population decline due to their unique life history. Mature adults migrate from fresh waters to the Coral Sea to spawn. After the eggs hatch, the leaf-like larvae (leptocephali) are transported on ocean currents down the east coast of Australia. The larvae metamorphose into small, unpigmented

To quantify migration activity, an imaging-sonar was mounted on the Trevallyn Power Station intake to continuously record acoustic ‘movie’ footage of eels around the intake. Imaging sonars transmit sound pulses and convert the returning echoes into real-time digital images, and produce an

image that is similar to a medical ultrasound. The sonar was operated over the 2013–14 and 2014–15 migration seasons, recording more than 50 000 eel encounters with the power station intake. To put these results in perspective, an encounter was an observation of an eel passing through the sonar’s field of view and not a count of the total number of eels entering the power station intake. Data from the sonar has provided insights into migrating eel behaviour. Key findings were that peaks in migration were linked to elevated catchment inflows in the South Esk or its

major tributaries, the majority of eel activity around the intake occurred at night, and eels often showed an aversion to entering the power station intake. The picture below shows four eels in close proximity to the power station intake. The trash rack is set at an incline of approximately 37 degrees from horizontal. The sonar is mounted on the top corner of the intake, and the cone shaped image represents the sonar’s field of view looking down the angled trash rack. Four eels are 8 to 9.5 m away from the sonar and are swimming against the flow of water entering the intake.

Sonar image of eels swimming away from Trevallyn Power Station intake trash rack To gather valuable information on migrating eel behaviour, a Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) was used to track the movements of migrating eels around the dam and intake areas of Lake Trevallyn. This technology was originally developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers to track the movement of

juvenile salmon around power developments in the Columbia River basin. However, the versatility of the equipment makes it a useful tool in the study of a wide range of species and for a wide range of research goals. More than a hundred migrating eels from Lake Trevallyn were implanted with acoustic tags so that their movements

could be monitored by acoustic receivers located in Lake Trevallyn, in the tailrace and below the dam. Eels were captured from Trevallyn Dam by Tasmanian Eel Exporters and supplied to Hydro Tasmania for the project. The eels were then tagged by a team of personnel from the Inland Fisheries Service and Entura (Hydro Tasmania) under the guidance of veterinarian Andrew Nicholson. Acoustic tags were surgically implanted within the eelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body cavity, and eels

were marked externally with a T-bar tag. Each eel was anaesthetised before implantation. An eel recovering after implantation is shown below. The results from the study will be used to inform the design of a downstream eel bypass to allow eels to migrate safely past Trevallyn Dam. Development of the bypass design is expected to start in late 2015 with construction anticipated in 2016â&#x20AC;&#x201C;17.

JSATS acoustic tag

Tagged eel after release in Trevallyn Dam

In 2009, Hydro Tasmania implemented changes to the lake level operating regime with an aim to not draw the lake as low as in previous years. Appropriate management of water levels continues to play a significant role in managing longterm turbidity levels.

Managing water quality and water levels at Woods Lake Woods Lake in Tasmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central highlands is an operational hydropower storage and also supplies water to irrigators along the Lake River. In recent years, Woods Lake has experienced a resurgence in popularity as a recreational trout fishery. Improved lake access and water quality have no doubt contributed to this increased popularity.

Lower-than-average rainfall received in the region over 2014â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 reduced inflows and extended the irrigation season, resulting in lower-than-anticipated water levels (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Water levels in Woods Lake between September 2010 and September 2015. The red line indicates full supply Figure 2 shows turbidity levels in Woods Lake over the last five years. As a result of low water levels, wind has caused resuspension of sediment in the lake over late autumn and winter, and turbidity is consequently higher than in recent years. However, turbidity levels have shown a decreasing trend in early spring as water levels have risen, and water levels are expected to continue to increase if normal seasonal rain falls in the catchment. Elevated turbidity may

persist for a period after the water levels increase until the re-suspended sediments have had sufficient time to settle out of the water column. Hydro Tasmania plans to continue to communicate with angling groups to obtain feedback and understand concerns relating to hydro-managed lakes, and to inform stakeholders of initiatives, issues and events relating to our waterways. David Ikedife

Figure 2. Turbidity (NTU) in Woods Lake between September 2010 and 2015

Aquatic scientist Will Elvey collecting biological samples from the margins of Woods Lake

MAST Report

AST continues to work with the Inland Fisheries Service and Hydro Tasmania to deliver projects for inland anglers contained in the Inland Fisheries Infrastructure Plan. MAST spent $288,000 on facilities for inland anglers in 2014/15, with Hydro contributing an additional $20,000. Further pontoons have been installed at Brandum Bay on Great Lake and Jonah Bay at Arthurs Lake. These complement the existing pontoons at the Dam Wall, Arthurs Lake and Swan Bay on Great Lake. Anglers are advised however that should Great Lake fall below -16 or thereabouts it is likely the pontoons will be unusable and they may be removed until water levels increase. The pontoon systems have been warmly received by anglers, many noting the advantages of the hand rails. MAST urges those using the pontoon systems to use the cleats and not the handrails to secure boats. The boat ramp at Lake Leake was recently completed in time for the opening of the season. MAST has also completed the walkway at Penstock Lagoon and will be installing some flexmat over the launching area in the coming months. Other projects to be undertaken in the near future include the installation of a pontoon at Lake Rosebery and improvements to the boat ramp on Craigbourne Dam.

Key findings included:  The cylinder containing CO2 used to fill the bladder of the jacket was loose in its mountings would not have discharged in position

A priority for MAST over the coming boating season will be to further educate the large number of inflatable life jacket owners on the dangers of not regularly servicing these jackets.

gas life and this

 The life jacket had not been serviced by the manufacturer since its purchase in 2001

A recent Coroner’s Report into the death of a recreational boater in 2014 highlighted the importance of servicing inflatable life jackets.

The Coroner stated “the fact that his PFD has apparently become defective over time due to the lack of appropriate

inspection and attention highlights a risk for other recreational boat users……. This circumstance highlights the need for periodic servicing by an authorised agent of such PFDs and regular inspection and checking by owners of such jackets as to their condition e.g. manual inflation to check for bladder leaks and ensuring gas inflation system is in good order.” The Coroner also recommended “that persons with olderstyle PFDs investigate the serviceability, consider upgrading to the new model or investigate the retrofitting of the water immersion inflation capability.”

temperature levels.”

cools

hypothermic

More information on the servicing of inflatable life jackets and cold water immersion can be found on MAST’s website (www.mast.tas.gov.au). Facebook is also a great communication tool and MAST posts regular updates for the boating and angling community. If you have not yet been out this season please take just a few minutes to check the safety gear and your boat, ensure there is no fresh water collected under the floor of your boat.

This Coroner’s Report also addressed the dangers of cold water immersion – “As reported in this finding, the surface water temperature was only 6°C. Statistics show the risk of drowning increases nearly five times if the water temperature is below 15°C and that 60% of fatalities due to cold water immersion occur in the first 15 minutes of immersion which is before the body core

Happy fishing from all the crew at MAST Peter Hopkins General Manager – Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Marine and Safety Tasmania

Anglers Alliance Tasmania Report Chairman’s Review 2015

onthly phone hook-ups along with regular email contact has kept the executive informed and on a constructive pathway in dealing with the issues and business at hand. Quarterly meetings at varied locations have continued to foster good interaction with state-wide angler representation. The agenda has always supported a focused discussion and leads to positive actions.

into fertile waters, more conveniently located closer to population centres and popular routes, waters less able to sustain wild trout recruitment. AAT now administrates the “Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame”. There were five new inductions over two occasions in the last year. The chair of the “Inland Fisheries Advisory Council” (IFAC) has acknowledged and congratulates these efforts. The boards, on display in the Museum of Trout Fishing at the Salmon Ponds, are all up to date.

The AAT website is functioning well, providing sound links and relevant information around the core values for all freshwater angling stakeholders. Webcam links are the major drawcard for an upward trend of visitation to the website. In summary, the number of annual users has grown by around 25% from last year’s 20 802, to this year’s 26 851. Social media (Facebook) is assisting in further spreading the news, outreach and interest in AAT.

Junior anglers are the future of the fishery. 11 October 2015 is the planned state wide Junior Angler day utilising two venues in each the North, North West and South of Tasmania. I took the opportunity to visit associations and clubs in the three regions, offering the support of AAT in the combined mission of “working for your fishery”. At these meetings, in other communication with the IFS and the fisheries minister Jeremy Rockliff, I note a strong common denominator of enthusiasm and unity going forward.

The Angler Access programme managed and implemented by the IFS continues to expand, with over 30 informative brochures, including maps, signage and infrastructure. The brochures are periodically reprinted and updated.

I would like to acknowledge the time, skill and special efforts provided by the executive and sub-committees along with the contributions, interaction and support of all representatives from the angling community.

The Derwent River is the most recently completed Anglers Access project and a highly substantial addition. The South Esk project is currently in the preliminary stages. Another new and innovative IFS management strategy is the fish trap at Sandbanks Creek on Great Lake. This is an excellent option for adult fish transfer

Gary France Chairman - Anglers Alliance Tasmania

Inland Fisheries Advisory Council Report (IFAC) 2014-15

FAC provides a forum for consultation and guidance, importantly a sounding board for the IFS Director and more importantly, a legislated role to provide advice to the Minister for Primary Industries and Water. The Chairperson and the Director meet regularly with the Minister to discuss relevant issues. The Minister, Hon. Jeremy Rockliff MP also joined the IFAC meeting in June 2015 to discuss key issues facing the Inland Fisheries Service and later joined IFAC members and IFS staff for lunch.

commended for its efforts to boost junior angler numbers and for arranging for the transfer of the management of the Hall of Fame to the custody of AAT. A number of notable Anglers were honoured for their contribution to the freshwater fishery and recorded in the Hall of Fame. IFAC takes a keen interest in the financial affairs of the IFS including trends in license sales and the IFS’s efforts to maintain angler interest in the fishery. The IFS finished the financial year with a better result than budgeted despite downward pressure on recreational license sales. Improving the facilities and access to fishing waters has continued over the year with funding from the Boating Infrastructure Fund and IFS internally generated revenue.

IFAC held six meetings during the year at the Inland Fisheries Service’s office in New Norfolk, taking the opportunity to meet with staff and listen to presentations on various relevant subjects from both staff and invited guests.

Increasing participation in the fishery remained a key focus for the IFS and IFAC and improving the freshwater fishing experience is an important component of this. A number of opportunities are being investigated in new fisheries both geographical and species based. The aim is to present new experiences for existing anglers, convert sea fishers and to attract more juniors and families, hence the development of Lake Dulverton at Oatlands. The IFS and IFAC will continue to evaluate the opportunity to develop a new Southern lake, an element of the current Liberal Government election commitments.

The IFAC has been working with the IFS Director to ensure the effective continuation of the Carp Eradication program in particular accessing Federal Government funding to continue this effort and retain experienced staff The program is at a critical point in the eradication of Carp from Lake Sorell and requires a concerted effort over the next three years to consolidate gains made over the past four years to return Lake Sorell to a trophy fishing water in the same way that the IFS has achieved with Lake Crescent. The support of the Minister in presenting the IFS’s case for funding to the Federal Government has been a significant assistance in this process.

The IFS continues to operate in a challenging environment with resource constraints both personnel and financial but the commitment and dedication of a very experienced and committed team of IFS staff together with the valuable input and advice of IFAC members has enabled the organisation to continue to

Angler’s Alliance Tasmania (AAT) provides a vital role in conveying advice and opinion from the angling community to IFAC and AAT members Gary France and Mike Stevens have continued to fill this role commendably. AAT is

deliver well above its weight during the 2014-2015 year

23 September 2015. Anglers with strong business skills were encouraged to apply.

The current Council is in the final year of its four year term and the Minister has invited applications from interested persons to join the Council. A public advertisement was placed in local newspapers with applications to close

Sue Baker Chairperson Inland Fisheries Advisory Council

STLAA Reports STLAA Executive OFFICE BEARERS 2014-2015 POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 697 Moonah 7009 PATRON: Mr Bob Ward PRESIDENT: Mr Laurie Harrison VICE PRESIDENT: Mr Amos Mapleston SECRETARY: Mr Neil Pinkard HONORARY TREASURER: Mrs Margaret Pinkard HONORARY HISTORIAN: Mr Ray Aitchison AAT DELEGATES: Mr Terry Byard, Mr Justin Causby, Mr Amos Mapleston EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Mr Laurie Harrison, Mrs Margaret Pinkard, Mr Neil Pinkard, Mr Norm Cribbin and Mr Amos Mapleston CLUB DELEGATES: Australian Polish Anglers Luke Stefankowski, Adrian Kniaz Bothwell Anglers Bridgewater Anglers Bronte/Brady Anglers Clarence Anglers Huon Anglers Kingborough Anglers Lake Pedder Anglers New Norfolk Anglers A. Maclaine 1979 C. Smith 1983 L. R. (Bob) Ward 1987 B. Creed 1992 R. Aitchison 1995

Don Emery, David Dyson Terry Byard Kim Cooper Norm Cribbin, Neil Pinkard Rob Chandler Amos Mapleston, John Francis Matthew Mallinson, Garry Loh Tim Lowe, Justin Causby LIFE MEMBERS: K. Jones 1999 K. Hansson D. Cranfield 1999 P. Wood R. Bradshaw 2002 D. Triffitt T. Byard 2004 N. Cribbin L. Harrison 2009 N. Pinkard

2009 2010 2011 2012 2015

CERTIFICATE FOR SERVICES TO ANGLING AWARDS: R. Bradshaw P. Wood L. Datlen K. Hanson W. Knight N. Cribbin B. Sherriff D. Triffitt T. Sutton W. Seabrook N. Pinkard F. Johnson J. Bluett E. Aitchison K. Walker B. Johnston M. Sherriff R. Walker

2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2001 2001 2001 2001 2002 2002 2002 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

D. Cranfield D. Driver P. Richards M. Russell H. Chivers M. Pinkard R. Aitchison A. Smith S. Page B. Page D. Goss S. Granger J. Barrett M. Harrison C. Harris J. Groves K. Cooper J. Causby

2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2010 2010 2010 2011

S. Mallinson T. Gourlay J. Steele N. Bester C. Pearce J. McIlhenny M. Mallinson J. Freeman D. Wright P. Thompson R. Cooper I. Cooper N. Rowlands M. Exel A. Donohue W. Marshall P. Fulton M. Evans

2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015

STLAA President’s Report 2014-15

t is with pleasure that I present the President’s Report for the 2014-15 angling season. The Association has had a very successful year.

Congratulations must also go out to the Bothwell Anglers Club for reaching its 60th year and in these tough times that is no great feat so well done to the committee and all the past committees for your great contributions to this Club.

Firstly I must thank the Committee for all the great work they had done over the past year along with all of the club delegates for the work that they have done on behalf of their club throughout the year.

Congratulations must also go out to our Patron Mr Leslie Robert (Bob) Ward for being inducted into the Hall of Fame so from all within the Association, Bob, again congratulations from us all.

The last year has been another season of solid performance and contribution by the Association, ably backed by our member clubs. It is the continued collective commitment of the clubs that make the Association strong and this commitment has continued and strengthened throughout the season 2014-15. Through the Association, clubs continue to support each other throughout difficult times and this strengthens the ties between us all. Of note are the contributions by the following clubs; the New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association who with other clubs within the Association conducted the brown trout opening for 2014-15 by running another successful Derwent River Challenge with money raised going to a worthy charity, There were six other clubs involved in this well conducted event.

I would like to particularly thank our sponsors, many whom have been supporting the Association and clubs for a number of years Hydro Tasmania, Spot On - The Fishing Connection, Rod and Range, Bob Jane Moonah, Wigston’s Lures, Moonah Auto Parts, and T&M Trophies. These people have been great supporters of our social events and activities program for a number of years, to all of these groups I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart as without your generous support much of our activities would not be possible On the fishing front, I think that the season had some up’s and downs but overall the season was good and there were a number of good fishing to be had by those who took the time to get out there and have a go. I think our fishery is in great shape and I look forward to the upcoming season to see what that brings.

Also the Lake Pedder Anglers Club with their Back to Pedder Competition which is run over the Australia Day long weekend with the money raised also going to charity. Well done for another successful event.

I would like to take this time to thank the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) for its support to the STLAA and its activities. The STLAA has strongly endorsed the work of the IFS and its predecessor organization since fisheries management came under the control of the government in the 1950s. Over this time, our Association has developed a friendly and supportive relationship which continues to this day.

The Association’s social events for the year were again highly successful and very well attended. I thank the members and their families for their support throughout the year and we will continue to ensure that our social program is in line with their expectations.

I would like to take this time to thank the Executive Committee for all their assistance this year for a job well done and hope that we can do the same in the following year, I would like to thank our Patron Mr Bob Ward for his guidance and assistance throughout the year also and, last but not least Mr Ray Aitchison, the Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Honorary Historian,

for all his input and hard work that he does for the fishing community in general. Finally I would like to wish all members and their families great outings and fishing for the upcoming season. Laurie Harrison - STLAA - President

President: Adrian Kniaz Secretary: Luke Stefankowski Treasurer: Anthony Young Postal Address: 51 Jetty Road, Old Beach, 7017 Meetings: 2nd Wednesday Monthly

Club Reports Australian Polish Anglers Club

I don’t think the Club will let this competition go for a while.

nother season has passed us by in no time at all. I would like to thank our secretary Luke Stefankowski for all his hard work this year in helping me run this great club, his knowledge and experience has been greatly appreciated.

Our annual trip to Lake Echo was next. This lake had high expectations after the last two previous competitions. Due to the weather, members lost a day’s fishing on Saturday. This eventuated in boats staying on trailers and members having a few beverages around the fire with the stories of the one that got away at Woods Lake arising or anywhere else. The BIG ONE always seemed to be the one that got away. Numbers of fish were not fantastic, but it was a great weekend had by all. It was a little disappointing arriving at the camp site at Lake Echo seeing all the litter lying on the ground and in the bush. I would like to thank the members that got involved and cleaned the camp site that weekend.

This year in all has been very successful for both anglers and the club. The club has seen 12 new members sign up and it was great to see them participate in some of the competitions this year. This season has also seen our trophies and plaques displayed at the Polish Club with an Honour board in the making. This season the Club took a risk and introduced some new locations on the calendar. Woods Lake and the other being Lake Burbury. This year the Club also introduced several day trip competitions, our first at Lake Meadowbank and the second later in the year at Dee Lagoon starting sunrise Saturday finishing 4:00 pm the same afternoon which were both well attended.

The annual Arthurs trip in February was replaced this year with a competition at the “far away” Lake Burbury. I had been told a lot of great stories about this lake and it was well worth the long drive to get there. I was looking forward to this competition as I had never been there before. I must say, on this particular weekend the fishing wasn’t great. Members who had fished the lake before were not impressed with the fishing either. Although there were fish caught spasmodically with one particular member having a good weekend, the fish were in good condition. The local tiger snake made an appearance to keep everyone on their toes and provide a bit of excitement. Must have been one of those weekends. I think the Club will give it another go just to make sure!

Our trip in September at Lake Binney was a great success, not only did we see some new members participate, there was great fishing. The weekend saw a great member turnout 72 fish were weighed in. All forms of fishing were used and all successful. Some members had to call it a day early as they had already hit their bag limit. That was there excuse to have a drink anyway! The October competition was the very first Woods Lake trip taking place of Wayatinah. What a competition it turned out to be. The fish were in excellent condition and fought well. The Club weighed in 96 fish for the weekend with a lot of them weighing just under a kilo.

Lake Pedder has come up again. Lake Pedder proved to be a better trip than in previous years with boats being able to

get out on the water. Unfortunately I was unable to make this trip, but reports say that the fishing was great and the fish were in great condition.

times were had by all around the Friday night fire. Adrian Kniaz

This year we held a day trip for our last competition at the Dee Lagoon. Members knew that this is would be a very hard water to fish. Fishermen that catch are normally very well rewarded. You could say that members take this as their last chance a catching the heaviest for the season. This trip didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come up trumps with only one fish being caught. Although the fishing was tough, great

President: Leanne Datlen Secretary: Emma Datlen Treasurer: David Dyson P.O. Box 51 Bothwell 7030

Bothwell Angling Club

t is with much sadness that this will be my last president report as the Club goes into recess. This club has been a main stay for many anglers over its sixty years of affiliation. We have seen many anglers and their families stay members and hold positions or help where needed for many years, some come and go but over the years many have had generations in one family vying for trophies or the stories of the big one that got away. Hopefully this will only be a short recess and that new enthusiasm will again make this a great family club.

the club and all the members since who have kept the club going for 60 years. What changes we have seen!

Myself and all members would sincerely like to thank the past and outgoing Executive office bearers, delegates, weigh in stewards and all those who have attended meetings, competitions and helped our club in many different ways when needed, these people have helped the club remain viable. These people have also made my position and other executive positions easier, some are the family of members and are not interested in fishing. Thank you to our patron for all his help, he has held this position since 1995. We have had 21 life members over the years who have put that extra effort into the club, thank you. Also, thank you to our many sponsors and private property owners for club access across their land.

We had 12 different waters giving up fish to our members with 133 fish weighed in, including 27 rainbow. We have had our usual competition weekends but our membership included competition fees, so entries are hard to gauge unless they caught a fish. We also held our annual Fun Fish in November, which was open to all waters and we had 17 fish weighed in from 4 waters by 9 Anglers with the heaviest coming from the Clyde River. We had 19 adults & 5 juniors attend with the free family barbecue, weigh-in and drawing of the raffle and nomination prize ending this enjoyable weekend at the Bothwell Football ground.

Our Annual Dinner and Presentation Evening was held in July with members, their families and official guests enjoying a good night and some games as usual. Our lovely meal was catered for by a local group. Congratulations to all our trophy winners, these members were presented with their trophies at our Dinner. We had three members who also attended and represented the club at the STLAA dinner.

The club once again donated books for Anzac Day. These are laid at the local cenotaph and then go to the Bothwell School library.

Over the years we have had a large membership base with a large junior involvement, large sponsorship support and local Council support. We have 21 life members, five (5) STLAA Life Members and 2 members presented with the STLAA Services to Angling Certificates. Once again thank you to those members for putting their hand up to help the club but also a thought for those 19 founding members who started

A very special thank you must go to all our sponsors, for without their continued support, some over many years, our events such as our presentation dinner and fun fish would not be the success that they are. A list of these sponsors goes to all members and their support is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the Central Highlands Council for their

donation, use of the hall, club rooms and in kind support such as photocopying. A thank you also goes to all property owners who allow anglers to access some of the best fishing in the world.

I hope that all of you have some good trips and even better catches in the 2015-16 season. Tight Lines! Leanne Datlen - Outgoing President

“A Little Bit of Everything” 18 Patrick Street Bothwell TAS 7030 Phone/Fax: (03) 6259 5508

New Supply of Tackle, Flies, Bait (Worms & Grubs) Lines, Rods, Waders, Clothing and other Fishing, Camping and Hunting Gear!

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Take Away or Dine In Supermarket - Fruit & Vegetables Newsagency - Mercury Phone Credit - PAYG Power Ice - Swap & Go Gas – Fuel (Diesel & Petrol) Chemist Lines - Hardware Gift Lines - Hot Lava Jewellery  Photo Express Machine Roberts Rural Supplies Come in and say G’Day to Andre, Leanne, Emma, Jake or one of our friendly staff Open 7 Days a Week Monday – Thursday: 6am – 6pm Friday: 6am – 7pm Saturday & Sunday: 7am – 7pm Public Holidays: 7am – 7pm

President: John Steele Secretary: Gary Chaffey Treasurer: Cheryl Williams STLAA Delegates â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Terry Byard Meetings: Last Tuesday of each month except January & June

Bridgewater Anglers Association

t is with much pleasure that I present the President's report, my first, for 2014-15 angling year.

clubs. 13 were weighed in. A. Duggan heaviest 1.86 kg Brown. Our late August Lake Crescent competition was attended by the faithful few. Both canals and the Agnew shore were fished without success. Noel Bester got a beauty the day before, a 3.22 kg brown from Agnew's shore.

The Season started well with a great roll up of members and friends for the Association's AGM, trophy presentation and dinner hosted by the Brighton Bowls Club. Following a great meal and the much catching up of colleagues and friends and the formal agenda trophies were presented for the season.

The early September combined competition with New Norfolk on the Derwent River in sunny and Light NW conditions fished poorly and was not well attended. Noel Bester 1.39 kg brown caught from Bridgewater causeway the only fish caught.

Mitchell Wiggins received most of the awards for the junior competitions and our lady members Tahnee Nettlefold, Cheryl Williams and Jaydee Bester were well represented in the seniors. Henry Ames received the encouragement award.

The Tooms Lake competition of 20-21 September was well attended with 19 members, juniors and friends. 32 fish were caught with more pre competition. Weather was sunny with moderate W/SW winds and lighter westerly winds on Sunday. Fish were all in good condition with Alistair Duggan catching the heaviest of 1.710 kg. Members also enjoyed Chaffey's hospitality and BBQ.

Club life members Angus Maclaine, Kevin Johns and Robert Bradshaw have had periods in hospital throughout the year and the club wishes them well for the future. The opening of the season on the Derwent commenced poorly with the previous week of heavy rain and snow producing flood levels and much sediment in the water. As a result of this weather the Derwent river Inter club challenge was cancelled. A few members fished at Austins Ferry and attended a BBQ at Austins Ferry Yacht Club. Garry Chaffey the only successful angler, with a 1.65 kg brown from the shore.

The early October competition on Derwent River was poorly attended with only 5 fish caught, all above New Norfolk Bridge. The largest was 1.35 kg Atlantic Salmon caught by Kevin Nettlefold. "Show Weekend" Arthurs and surrounding waters was marked by sunny and light winds. Early birds for the week got some from Woods and nil return form Crescent. Of the 28 fish weighed in most came from Woods Lake with Tooms fishing poorly in light Easterly and nil return from Arthurs.

The Derwent River Interclub Challenge was rerun two weeks later. Members fished the River in better conditions of sun and light winds and a BBQ and weigh-in was held at Johns' residence on Saturday and members travelled to New Norfolk on Sunday and enjoyed a BBQ and fellowship of members from other

Largest 1.190 kg Brown by Gary Chaffey from Woods Lake. Thanks to Garry and Cheryl Williams for Saturday night BBQ and hospitality.

The early November weekend comp at Lake Leake was attended by 11 members and friends. All stayed at Lake Leake Inn which had excellent accommodation and meals. The weather was fine with light winds. Few fish were weighed in. Gary Chaffey's 1.58 kg brown on the fly was the heaviest. Much music and singing was enjoyed long after the "happy hour" and thanks to the Inn for their trophy support for the competition.

to the rescue to measure. The juniors enjoyed some sand and swimming fun. Craigbourne Dam day comp on the 22 March was attended by 6 adults and two juniors. There were two fish weighed in. Kevin Hansson the heaviest, a 500 gm Atlantic salmon. Tooms Lake comp at the end of March was attended by 9 members and 2 guests. The weather was sunny on Saturday with light N/NW winds and cloudy with fresh NW on Sunday. 25 excellent condition fish weighing 23.62 kg were caught during the comp with Gary Chaffey catching the heaviest; a 1.68 kg brown. Excellent rainbows of 1.35 kg were caught by all in the Wood/Bradshaw boat.

The Annual Christmas BBQ at Tolosa Reserve was well attended and everyone had a good feed and enjoyed the season spirit. Thanks to all who helped out with catering and cooking. The annual fund-raising BBQ was held at Bunnings on the 21 December. Thanks to Cheryl and Garry Williams for all their great work in organising and running the event. It was a great success with considerable funds raised. Our thanks to all members who helped on the day.

Bronte Lagoon comp at the end of the season was attended by 7 members and juniors in spite of heavy rain in the south both days were mostly fine with light winds. 12 fish were caught with Bernard Creed's 1.10 kg excellent condition rainbow from Bronte Lagoon the heaviest and Rachel Marr 160 gm brown the heaviest Junior Fish caught.

Seven members and friends attended our day comp at the Salt works at Little Swanport, The day was sunny but with very strong W/SW winds. Cocky Salmon, Trevally and Bream were caught. P. Wood 480 gm Bream the heaviest. Rob Bradshaw had a great day out following recovery from recent surgery.

The shack working bee was attended by those using the shack and other members. The grass man had previously mowed and tidied up the block. At the working bee the front steps were relocated in preparation for our new disabled access ramp. The ramp was set out and excavations for footings completed. Cleaning and tidying up was done together with the installation of a new vanity unit donated and installed by Anthony Woolley. The gourmet dinner was cooked with some especially good venison donated by Noel Bester and cooked to perfection by Bernard Creed.

14 members, family and friends attended our St Helens Comp in early March. All stayed in excellent accommodation at "Queechey". The weather was sunny with strong N/NW winds. Fishing was fairly hard in the Bay and outside. A range of leather-jackets, flat-head, squid and wrasse were caught. Much socialising took place including a dinner at the Bay Side Inn on Saturday night and Henry Ames 4th Birthday party on Sunday night. Friday night some went prawn fishing without luck but Cheryl managed an octopus with Dave coming

Seven general and one committee meetings were held during the year and special thanks to Dr Gretta Pecl from CSIRO (all things squid), Todd Milne from Nyrstar (health of the Derwent River) and David Gillespie (outboard

motor maintenance) who gave very interesting and informative talks at three of these meetings. Thanks to Stephen Bax at Spot On and Nyrstar for hosting two of the meetings.

at working bees, material- and funddonors I, on behalf of the club, extend thanks and gratitude. In closing thanks to the Secretary Gary Chaffey (11 years of service) and Treasurer Cheryl Williams for all your hard work. STLAA Delegates Terry Byard and Bernard Creed, Patron STLAA Bob Ward, Shack booking officer and Patron Angus Maclaine and all the committee and members for their hard work and support for a great year.

A special congratulations to our Life members Bob Ward who was inducted into the Tasmanian Anglers Hall of Fame on 16 May 2015 at the community Centre, Miena. It is a magnificent tribute to Bob for all the work he has done over the years for Angling and that 20 members from this club attended to witness the presentation.

Tight lines for season 2015-16 John Steele - President.

To our guest speakers, trophy donors, members of the committee, participants

President: Margaret Temple Treasurer: Arthur Cunningham Secretary: Anne-Maree Donoghue STLAA Delegate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kim Cooper

Bronte â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bradys Fishing Club

s a club we had a slow start to our fishing season possibly due to the constant rise and fall of our lakes, but that didn't stop Peter Glowacki landing the most fish on our end of month fishing competition days. The competition days are held the last Saturday of each month during the fishing season and are enjoyed by all members.

Our club had four (4) outings with our junior members to the local junior fishing pond. Attendance at the junior fishing days has ranged from 17 to 26. On the day the juniors are awarded prizes for their catches and each outing is rounded out with a BBQ, no matter the weather. The enthusiasm shown by our juniors is great to see.

In November the club held our Annual Dinner at the Bronte Chalet. The night was well supported with many of our (44) members attending. The Bronte Chalet as a venue has great atmosphere and provides excellent food for our Annual Dinner. On the night we have lucky door prizes, raffles and when all the members get together many fishing stories are exchanged. The highlight of the night was the awarding of Life Membership of the Club to Kate and Jeff, congratulations to you both.

With all the events that have taken place during the fishing season there are people to thank. Thank you to all those people that have at times given up valuable fishing time to attend meetings and help the club during the year. It is your support that keeps the club alive and vibrant. To our sponsors and donors, a very big thank you, you play a very important part in the club. Margaret Temple - President

President: Neil Pinkard Secretary: Jonathan Wadwell Treasurer: Peter Lorraine Postal Address: PO Box 291 Rosny Park 7018 Contact: 0408 144 587 Email: norm.cribbin@hydro.com.au

Clarence Licensed Anglers Club

e had a fine turn-out in July when members and past members and their families gathered to celebrate not only the 2014-2015 season but also drew the winners of our annual raffle which has been a much greater success than previous years. The winner of the fly box was very excited and posted it on Facebook; and the winner of the fly-tying work-station even made a special trip from Launceston to collect it as soon as he could! Both tickets were purchased at Liawenee.

We also welcomed Peter Lorraine who has taken on the role of Treasurer and is doing a great job of bringing us into the 21st century world with electronic transactions. I thank Warwick and Jonathan for designing our new website (same address www.ClarenceAnglers.com.au) ably assisted by Norm and Gerry. Why not check it out? David Roberts has been maintaining our Facebook site, for your conversations and interesting photos, videos and articles, so thanks for that Dave.

We acknowledged the passing of longtime member Bruce Andrew who peacefully said his goodbyes to his family and friends in the couple of weeks beforehand. His family has made a donation to the Club as the Club meant a lot to Bruce (he meant a lot to us too!) so we have established the Bruce Andrew Memorial Trophy to be awarded to the angler that catches the best fish on our trip to Woods Lake which was his favourite location. The winner will be announced at our September meeting.

During the past season we have had:      

9 general meetings, 9 Committee meetings, 2 social evenings, 12 fishing trips, 12 BBQs, as well as the stalls at Liawenee

We have also been very active supporters of STLAA by providing the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Executive Committee and Editors of “Trout” - the annual report of STLAA.

I thank all those members who have supported the Club in some way during the past 12 months, whether via Club meetings, field trips, social events, fundraising, Ray’s BBQs, IFS’ Liawenee week-end, raffles, articles for our newsletter, or representing the Club at STLAA meetings and functions.

We have been very well represented at all STLAA meetings and functions such as the:  Family BBQ at Bushy Park,  STLAA Centenary Celebrations at the Salmon Ponds,  STLAA Annual Dinner – where we were the most represented club. The Treasurer’s report shows our improved financial position which quantifies the success we have had in fund-raising through our BBQs, Liawenee stall, raffles and drinks;

I also thank the members of the Committee; all have been very supportive and hard-working, especially Jonathan Wadwell as our Secretary and the Editor of “Clarence Catchlines” our monthly newsletter. Well done, Jonathan! Your enthusiasm and diligence is to be commended. Our Club brochure has been enhanced by your efforts.

 One Lure Perpetual Trophy David Driver  Club Member Award Ronnie Andrews  “ACE" Award Matt Johnson Field Trip Awards (in chronological order):

however we need to extend our membership, and also work harder at welcoming and retaining new members by providing practical assistance and encouragement to be active anglers and club supporters. Re the Club’s Cabin in Dolerite Drive at Arthurs Lake, there has been much progress however it has been slower than I would have liked due to work and other commitments hindering Norm, Gerry and Vince. Fortunately they have been ably assisted by new members such as Ronnie, Peter and Jonathan. Therefore I expect we will see significantly more progress in the new season. Our first efforts will be to install the windows (generously donated by Ron Ruthven) and construct the sundeck. After that we will concentrate on the electrics, the plumbing and the plastering. I thank Chris for drawing up the plans for the electrical wiring and power points etc.

Derwent River Bert Thunig Meadowbank Bert Thunig Tooms Lake Norm Cribbin Swan River Kerry Coyte Arthurs Lake Greg Allen Burbury Neil Pinkard Bronte Lagoon Chris Byrne Tyenna River Bert Thunig Little Pine/Great Lake Neil Pinkard Woods Lake Ronnie Andrews Tooms Lake Scott Garth Now I come to the new season. Members have had input as to when and where to have our field trips which we have incorporated into Calendar of Events. Our first event is to celebrate the opening of the brown trout season by joining other southern anglers to fish the Derwent for the New Norfolk club’s Derwent River Challenge, BBQ and prize pool.

We recognised our more active members in the past season through the following awards:  Heaviest Fish for Season Senior Men (Trout) Matthew Johnson Senior Women (Trout) Miranda Kellett  Heaviest Trout Field Trip (AC Walker Memorial Trophy) Norm Cribbin  Heaviest Atlantic Salmon for Season David Roberts  Consistent Angler Award Bert Thunig  One Fly Perpetual Trophy Norm Cribbin

I wish to thank all members for their support over the past year and I look forward to the 2015-16 season which I believe will be even more successful and enjoyable. Neil Pinkard – President

President: Rob Chandler Secretary: Patricia Woolley Treasurer: Cheryl Page Postal Address: PO Box 16, Huonville 7109 Contact: Ph 6260 130 Meetings: Bi-monthly

Huon Licensed Anglers Association

he past trout season produced what I could best describe as an embarrassing contradiction? Month by month I reported to the STLAA meetings that the fishing in the Huon was well below par. Invariably Justin Causby, or some other STLAA delegate would provide the meeting with evidence of some recently caught well conditioned fish from our southern waters. This invariably led to some good humoured observations that I might not have been telling the whole truth? My red-faced denials were normally supported with the observation that Huon club members were not fishing our rivers with the same level of vigour as was previously the case. I believe angler effort is proportional to catch rate. That is to say when fish are biting word gets around, the fishing effort increases and the catch rate might go up dramatically. This was the case during the winter months when we are limited to fishing from Huon Bridge southwards. Plenty of well conditioned fish were caught, mostly by non-members. Those fish caught by our members could not be weighed in, it being the closed part of the brown trout season.

greatest impact on the lack of fishing success but my observations suggest persistence alone was not enough. During the season only one fish was weighed in from the Great Lake and just two from Arthur's. Social weekend winners: Aug 14: 13 fish weighed in. Winner Cara Griggs Sept 14 - No fish caught. Nov 14: 19 fish weighed in (Lake Burbury 13, Woods Lake 5, Bronte 1). Winner - Gary Woolley March 15: 3 fish weighed in (Huon River). Winner - Shaun Woolley May 15: 3 fish weighed in. Winner Barry Page The salmon farms continue to develop more secure cage systems to protect their stock from seals and minimise fish escapes. Only seventeen Atlantic salmon were weighed in compared with over a hundred in recent years. The continued decline in the Atlantic salmon catch definitely impacted my fishing efforts. A decade ago seals were rarely seen in the middle reaches of the Huon around Huonville and Ranelagh. The past two or three years has seen seals well upstream during the Spring. You can't blame them when bait fish are around but they do fishing during what are traditionally are some of our best months.

Fishing Facts: Our members weighed in just over one hundred trout last season. August and November were the best months with 25-30 fish weighed in. January, accounting for twelve fish, was the only other month when more than ten were weighed. The Huon River system and Lake Burbury were our most successful waters fished. Those who ventured to the highlands witnessed, more often than not, poor weather, low catch rates and less than average sizes. I'm not sure if the lake levels or weather had the

It would appear that the Huon trout and salmon stocks are not what they used to be. A river is a dynamic thing; it is affected by human pressure, environmental changes and the vagaries of the weather. Will nature allow the trout stocks to recover? I live with hope that a couple of wet winters might help.

It would then take two or three years before those eggs are small adult fish. Then add two or three more for a trophy fish (for which the Huon used to be renowned). Good luck plenty can go wrong in that time.

two. These numbers appear about average for recent years. Our Office bearers remain unchanged from last season (see below). Annual Dinner and Trophy night: Our Annual Dinner held at the Calvert's Park Hall, Judbury in July last year was enjoyed by all in attendance. I take this opportunity to thank the Social Committee for their efforts and all who provided deserts, salads &/or helped clean up. I also acknowledge Doug Lovell's assistance in providing the spit roast, and Pam & Andrew Duncombe who served out ice-cream from their Huon Valley Ice-cream van.

So what of this referred to contradiction? Unbeknown to me (until seasons end) one of the long standing families involved in our club went fishing in a tributary of the Huon River. Over a couple of weekends in August they managed to catch some outstanding fish. Two of those fish went on to take both the senior and junior heaviest fish awards for the STLAA and our local club. Despite an otherwise ordinary season I heartily cheer the efforts of Jenny Woolley who won the senior trophy with a Rainbow trout that weighed 6.795 kg, and her grandson Jack Mayne who won the junior trophy with a Brown trout weighing 3.338 kg. Well done team!

Special thanks to: Griggs Butchery who provided the meat for our dinner and social weekends. Rod and Range who assist with prizes for our raffles and Channel Marines Social Weekend gift vouchers were also appreciated. I would also like to thank members who attended our shack working bees at Miena and our Office bearers for their support and the work they have done for the club during the past year. Particular thanks go to our Vice President - Roger Woolley, Treasurer - Cheryl Page, and Barry Page our Patron and Weighmaster.

Larry Paul caught the heaviest Atlantic salmon for an adult member weighing 4.410 kg. Jack Mayne demonstrated his junior trophy winning brown trout was also no fluke, landing the biggest salmon for a junior with a 3.78 kg specimen. Membership: For the 2014-15 season our senior membership increased slightly to forty three and the number of junior members remained similar to last season at twenty

Tight lines for the coming season, Rob Chandler - President

President: Peter Thompson Secretary: Craig Bearman Treasurer: Mark Gardam Postal Address: PO Box 242 Kingston 7051 Meetings: Last Thursday of month.

Kingborough Anglers Association

his last season was a very good year for the Club but not a very good year for fishing.

sunny days and more sight fishing this season. The Prize winners for the past season were as follows:

The season started with the resignation of our President on medical grounds. This was readily accepted by the Club and we were all behind John in his decision. A fill in President took over the leadership of the Club

Total Season Tally: Jim Morris Season Ranking: Graham Davis Best Conditioned Fish: Adrian Blaschke Congratulations to all winners and to all who participated.

Much work was done to our Shack at Bronte, the deck was extended and the kitchen and new bathroom were finished. Many thanks to the building crew.

The Club now has 100 members and we welcomed some new female members this season. This has definitely been a bonus for the Club .The Club is still in a very sound financial state

We put in for, and were given a grant from the government to purchase a defibrillator which will be kept at the Shack for use by the Bronte shacks in our immediate area. Thanks to Nick for his input and follow up. The Annual Dinner was a very enjoyable evening but with less than half of the Club attending it is now up to the Committee to see how we can increase the numbers. It may be that the low participation rate is just the new norm, things change.

Kingborough Anglers Association would like to thank the following sponsors for their support during the year:  Tassal  Greenhill Nursery  Adrenalin Flies  Baily Marine  Kingston Auto Repairs  Club Marine  Liquid Gold Lures  Tonic Eyewear  Mal's Hire and Hardware

The fishing Competition Days were well attended but this year we treated to some very bad weather on a number of the comps. Of the eight comps, all but two were either in the rain, ice and snow or hurricane winds, or all four on the same day! Let's hope this year is kinder to us.

I would like to thank my Treasurer, Mark and my Secretary, Craig for all the hard work they have done and continue to do to make the President's job that much easier. Also a special thank you to Graham Davis and the contributors to our Club Magazine.

A few new venues were tried for a bit of variety but his year it was decided to return to the tried and true venues. This year there were 57 fish caught at the Arthur's Weekend as opposed to 184 last year! Overall catch for this season was 264 whereas last season the catch was 372. I am looking forward to some more

I wish you all "Tight Lines" for the Season to come. Peter Thompson - President

Lake Pedder Anglers Club

President: Matthew Mallinson Vice President: Gary Loh Treasurer: Natalie Rowlands Secretary: Sharon Mallinson Email: lakepedderanglersclub@bigpond.com Website: www.lakepedderanglersclub.com Contact 6265 3273

uring the past year the club has evolved to a stage where various people are managing specific roles on behalf of the committee. This change has supported the club to continue to function while others on the committee have progressed ahead with new projects such as the clubs 40th birthday celebrations in 2016.

weather was pretty good with the occasional wind squalls and showers. Fishing was slow but most caught a few fish to weigh in, 32 Competitors caught 62 fish. Martin Exel and Laurie Harrison put the time in fishing from daylight to dark and finished closely with Laurie only 120 gms behind Martin for the best bag. Tom Rowlands was another who braved the cold putting in the hours and landing good sized fish. He was rewarded for his efforts when he won heaviest fish. On Sunday the weather forecast was for gale force winds so at around 4pm the committee called all members together in the chalet with the view of closing the competition early due to safety concerns. It was agreed by all that this was the best decision so we settled back around the heater had a few drinks and observed the weather from inside the chalet.

The lake fished well in January and whilst competitor numbers were down it was noted there were more fish caught per head than in previous competitions averaging 3.9 fish per competitor. 115 competitors entered this year and 461 fish were weighed in over the 5 days. The fish were in very good condition and it was pleasing to see the younger competitors putting the hours in and fishing very well. Others were noted to be out fishing parts of the lake they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally venture into and since the installation of the navigational beacons, we are seeing more and more competitors fishing til dark. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleasing to hear people say the beacons installed as part of the club safety project with MAST are helping them find their way back to the chalet boat ramp on dark. The Charity auction during the Australia Day competition was once again well supported and money raised is used each year to support our two charities (Able Australia and Camp Quality) to attend fishing events at the club pond. Thanks to the Telstra Foundation for their donation to the club which was used to purchase marquees for club pond events.

The third spring event for the year at Pedder was cancelled due to changes occurring at the time at Strathgordon. This has also given the committee a breather as we are in working steadily planning a larger than ever Australia Day Competition to celebrate our 40th birthday. Two boats will be won on Australia Day in 2016. A raffle boat package valued at $6,500 and the competition major prize draw $28,000 tournament boat package. Hook Line and Sinker will also film during our 2016 competition and present the end of competition awards. Further details can be found on the club website.

It finally happened! The weather at Pedder caught up with us in a big way causing the June long-weekend competition to finish early. Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning the

Pedder Wilderness Lodge, as the chalet has been renamed, has a new leasee. The new company is very supportive of anglers and is looking forward to working with both our club as a major

sponsor and other clubs wishing to hold events at Lake Pedder. Club memorabilia and mounted fish continue to be donated to the club and are on display at the Pedder Wilderness Lodge which is our home base.

of fishing fun throughout the year. Thanks to the competitors and sponsors who support our club each year and thank you to the members and committee that make this such a fine club to be part of.

We are very lucky to have Lake Pedder open year round to angling. It provides the club with the opportunity to conduct the popular winter competition and lots

Matthew Mallinson - President

We grow a large range of shrubs, grasses, natives, conifers and advanced trees, all competitively priced. Only 5 minutes from Kingston, off the Huon Highway Come and see us at - 29 Parkdale Drive, Leslie Vale Telephone - 6239 6850

“I’ll look after you!” David Drysdale

New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association

he club has once again had another successful season through 2014-15 with numerous competitions & junior pond days being held.

President: Tim Lowe Treasurer: Chris Rowland Secretary: Justin Causby Patron: David Triffitt Meetings: 3rd Wednesday of each month

use the pond & surrounds for helping us provide kids with the opportunity to learn how to catch a fish by getting the basic skills of angling that will hopefully continue for a life time. Must also thank Tassal & Inland Fisheries for providing fish for the pond.

Once again the season started with the opening weekend competition with the fishing being a little bit slower than usual but what was lacking in numbers was compensated by the superb average weight & condition of the fish, but in a really close fought battle New Norfolk was able to get over the line & claim the shield once again. This competition could not be possible without its sponsors & the club thanks the following businesses Wigstons Sports, Wigstons Lures, New Norfolk Timber Yard, New Norfolk Hotel, New Norfolk Caravan Park, BWS, Norske Skog, Inland Fisheries Service & Craig Farrell MLC.

I would like to thank members who helped out with the above mentioned activities as well as with the following events such as the Eddie Wigston Memorial which was the final time this was held after many successful years with a huge turnout to give it the sendoff it deserved. The club will again be hosting the STLAA family day at the junior angling pond & our own Christmas party will also be held at the pond so keep an eye out for the dates either on our Facebook page or in the local Gazette.

The club held 8 competitions during the season with entries weighing in a total of 266 fish with a combined weight of 173.516 kg at an average weight of 652 grams. During the season members weighed in some nice fish from the monthly competitions as well.

As this is going to be my last president's report I would like to thank everyone involved in the club including members, families, partners & sponsors for all their support that made the past seasons that I have being involved enjoyable for everyone and I wish new Club President Chris Rowlands all the best for the upcoming season.

The club also ran several junior angling pond days at our wonderful facility at Bushy Park & we would like to thank Bushy Park Estates for allowing us to

Tim Lowe – President

Matching the “Hatch” Zip Baits

Features & Special Reports To Augusta This is an account of the first trip into the Nineteen Lagoons area by a conventional motor vehicle. It was carried out in the 1950’s prior to the road being constructed and the dam, which was completed in 1953, being built. The writer was the late Mr. W. “Jack” Savigny and was printed by Brian Cadle. The Hillman Minx had a 1200 cc engine and a 4 speed gearbox; the utilities were converted from sedans.

lay on the apparently hard surface of the dried up lagoon and peered under the body of the small Hillman Minx utility which had bought us to this point without any mishap. One back wheel was through the hard crust and was only prevented from sinking still further by the chassis.

I had been to these western lakes on a hiking tour many years previously and had stayed in a shepherd’s hut near Lake Augusta for upwards of ten days and had seen the numbers of lakes and small tarns which held trout and which were then practically unfished. The hut we had occupied on this occasion was just to the north of Augusta and was located on the only real hill in the vicinity, known by the shepherds as the Little Split Rock. This hill overlooked the vast bowl or amphitheatre and was the only landmark for miles in all directions. Its name was derived from the split in the rock formation at its apex. It served as a very useful guide to us when returning to camp late in the evening. The split rock could not be missed unless it was obscured by mist or darkness.

For some time I had been discussing with my friend Dougie the possibilities of trying out the fishing in Lake Augusta and the lakes which lie to the west of Great Lake. It was becoming more and more difficult to get good fly fishing in the Tasmanian highlands. The Great Lake, which had yielded such good sport in past years, had gradually but surely petered out. The rise of the lake in winter from snow and rain and the rapid drawing off of water in the summer for the hydro electric power stations had denuded the shores of their green weed beds, so that shrimps and aquatic insects had either been killed or had left for deeper water. With the shore feed gone it was not surprising that we saw very few fish in the shallows. Fly fishermen were looking for new waters but they were much more difficult to reach. Today vast new hydro undertakings have opened up large lagoons and lakes and the fishing in these is good but whether they will remain so is subject to much controversy. It seems logical to assume that the level of the water in these new areas will also fluctuate greatly in summer and winter so that gradually the feed will disappear.

It was my intention to use horses, particularly pack horses, to get our gear to the easterly shore of Augusta but when in the late summer I broached the subject to Dougie he laughed at the idea of using horses and said we would go in a small utility car which would easily hold all our dunnage. My amazed look was too much for him. “Well don’t you think we can do it? Go on say we won’t get past the Ouse Bridge or that we will smash the car up on the rocks or get bogged in the button grass.” (The Ouse Bridge was over the Ouse River to a shepherd’s house, ‘The Banks’, just below the intake end of the Liawenee Canal) His chin was sticking out and I knew that nothing I could say would be

of any avail. Nevertheless, I was determined to say it.

Early map of the Central Highlands

Dougie was a flying officer in Kaiser Bill’s war and he had also been on the engineering side of the R.A.F. so that I was not at all concerned about how he could handle the Minx. However, I knew the locality for which we were bound and he didn’t although his general knowledge of the lake country was at least as good as mine. But there is no “can’t be done” in his makeup. I stressed the poor condition of the shepherd’s bridge over the Ouse which I doubted would be strong enough and possibly not wide enough to take the small utility. I gave a wordy picture of the rocky country and the creeks and the miles of vile button-grass country it would be necessary to cross to reach Augusta. This button-grass grows prolifically throughout the high country of Tasmania. It is very wiry and forms tussocks and may grow up to a height of two feet. You can either walk on top of the tussocks and risk tripping or you can walk between them and fall into puddles of water which invariably lie between them. I recalled the words of a short legged friend of mine, who after walking for hours over button-grass and having slipped many times from the tussocks into pools of water, turned and said, “If there is anything in God’s earth worse than this, lead me to it.”

items, an axe and rope. We had thirty miles of bitumen road to Deloraine, a small town on the banks of the Meander, then the gradual ascent of the Western Tiers until we rounded Mount Projection and came out on the plateau at 3 333 feet. Another four miles saw us at the top of the old haulage where we saw below us the eighteen miles of the Great Lake, sky blue and sparkling in the sunlight. Even the Miena dam at the southern end was clearly visible. We had a quick meal at the cottage and having been wished “tight lines” by my wife we set off for Liawenee. This rather derelict settlement was formed when the Hydro Electric Commission tapped the Ouse River and diverted a large portion of it into the Great Lake by means of a canal. This canal empties itself into Ouse Bay and in it both brown and rainbow trout come to spawn. We skirted the canal, passed through Liawenee and slowly bounced our way downhill to the Ouse Bridge. We were thankful to see it was still there but it proved to be in a very fragile state and we were both glad when we were across. Our next objective was the shepherd’s hut which we could see on the hillside about half a mile away, but the track to it was so furrowed with water courses that we had to make many deviations before we reached it. The owner was fortunately at home and much surprised to receive visitors. He was even more surprised when Dougie unfolded our plan of attack, “You can’t get one of those contraptions in there, there has never been a car there,” declared the shepherd. “Well we are going to try and would like you to show us the track,” retorted Dougie. “Track, there’s no flaming track,” replied out host but he grinned and whistled to his dog and said, “But I’ll show you the way for a bit though.” It was obvious to us that he expected to get some pleasure from our discomfort when we reached the horror section of the journey.

I might just as well have kept the silence. “We will go on Saturday, the glass is high,” said Dougie. He rather prides himself on his reading of a weather chart. He knows all about isobars and such things so that I could well leave the weather side to him. We were to leave early on Saturday and my wife was to stay with her mother at her cottage at the northern end of Great Lake while we were to press on to Liawenee where our troubles would surely start. There was little space in the small truck when we left Launceston. In addition to a tent, sleeping bags, fishing gear and food we carried two most essential

For the first mile the going was no worse than which we had come over but then we came to what we call in Tasmania “ploughed field” country, just rocks – large and small for many acres. Some of the rocks were half a ton in weigh. The small car had to be manoeuvred with expert skill and even then it was much more comfortable to walk with the shepherd. Every now and then the back of the car would be tossed about as the wheels received a jolt more vicious than usual. Two bridges had to be constructed over small creeks and a very nasty ditch filled in. A change had come over out guide; he had given up muttering about the calamities that were about to descend on us, in fact he was becoming excited about our prospects of success. Perhaps he had seen that projecting chin and determined face of the driver and had duly taken notice of them. We reached what once had been a boundary fence but all that remained were two large gate posts. These hefty posts stand out very vividly in my memory as on our next entry into this region by car we smashed the differential and our hopes of reaching the lakes and one of our party spent quite a lot of time standing on one of those posts waiting expectantly for the shepherd and his bullocks to appear and haul us back to the Great Lake road.

than three hours of daylight left but we still kept to the high ground as we were most anxious to get a sight of the “Little Split Rock”. We travelled about another mile but still got no sight of our objective. The sky was very overcast and it was evident that a thick mist was going to descend to the large amphitheatre across which we would have to travel and it was already making itself felt on the higher ground where we were. Something had to be done and done quickly. An hour had elapsed since we reached the plateau and we were in a position to move down to the first lagoon which we could see through the mist. We decided to leave the car and walk quickly to a higher piece of ground in a last hope of sighting the Little Split Rock. But the mist beat us and we had extreme difficulty in locating our car again, in fact we might have spent a night in the open if we had not been able to see our lagoon and get a bearing from it. Our confidence was badly shaken and we decided to immediately camp on the edge of the lagoon. “Keep the damned thing on your left,” I said to Dougie who told me to watch out for a tree or a suitable spot to pitch our tent. As we neared the shore I saw a nice bushy tree at the far end and we made for it. It was getting dark and the mist was all round us. We kept on going but no trees appeared and as Lewis Carroll might have said,

We continued the gradual ascent, the rock formation giving way to buttongrass country. Our guide was genuinely impressed when we reached the plateau and could see the whole of the lake system practically at our feet. “By golly,” he said, “you have done it, there is nothing to stop you reaching Augusta but be careful to keep that first lagoon on your left and also the Double Bar Lagoon which you can just see in the distance. We thanked him for his assistance and he turned for home.

“And this was hardly strange, because there were no trees to see.” What we thought were trees were only small gas bushes magnified by the mist so we stopped on the edge of the lagoon and pitched our tent which fortunately went up like an umbrella and had its own centre pole. We found the lagoon extremely low and had to walk some hundreds of yards to get water. There was no timber for a fire and with the aid of a torch we scoured the countryside for enough sticks to boil the billy. It was

We had taken the best part of three hours to cover about the same number of miles and it was now about 4 pm. We had less

during this search that we received our second shock that evening. Our torch revealed a lake which kept altering shape and began to move away. This proved to be a mob of about a hundred sheep moving away from us in packed formation. I have always had a great respect for fogs on the mountains and have seen some pretty good ones in the Chudleigh Lake district of Tasmania. The tracks there have guide poles every hundred yards and it is a stupid mountaineer indeed who will not leave portion of his party at a pole when there is a fog before he tries to locate the next one.

all the responsibilities, now started to submerge and we were in sorry plight. Dougie said we needed two hefty bits of timber, one to lash to the back wheel which he hoped would, when the gear was engaged, act as a lifting agent and another much longer piece to go under the length of the car from back to front which I was to use as a lever. This meant a return to the hills where, after much searching we got what we required. We rolled them over the face of a small cliff and then manhandled then back to the car, but the only result was that we were very much dirtier than before and our conveyance more firmly imbedded. There was no doubt about the consistency of that mud. It was the nearest thing to plasticine that I have ever seen and there was literally hundreds of tons of the stuff going to waste. We were amazed to find in this clay-like substance numbers of shrimps which were extremely lively. How they could survive in such conditions was remarkable. The only explanation we could think of was that the lagoon filled very quickly after rain and that in those high parts they did not have to wait very long for it.

At about daybreak next morning we were astir, had breakfast and struck camp. The day was completely overcast with no wind. The mist had rolled back to the foothills and all landmarks were again obliterated. It was an ideal fishing day and we wished to make the quickest possible time to Augusta. “I’m going to travel on the edge of the lagoon,” said Dougie, “It’s as safe as a house.” I agreed, anything to get to our fishing grounds quickly. In any case we had walked all over the dried up surface and it felt as solid as a rock. My estimation is that we did about fifty yards before there was a nasty bump on one of the rear wheels and we lurched to a sudden stop.

It was 2 p.m. and we had to go back to Launceston that evening. We were extremely hot and irritable, having worked unceasingly from about 7 am. We were hopelessly bogged and 5 miles from our friend the shepherd, that is if he was at home. I seemed to remember him muttering something about bullocks on the way in but before risking this subject some food and a bottle of beer seemed necessary. We lay on heaped up baggage and never has a beer tasted so good. Our tempers began to thaw out and I made a casual reference to the time and did he remember hearing the shepherd say something about bullocks. Dougie looked sour and made no reply. I knew he was turning over in his mind just what other means of extracting that car had not been tried. Then he got up,

“Well that’s torn it,” I said as I peered under the car and reported what had happened. We unloaded the utility and collected some flat stones of which there were ample supplies, to place under the jack. But as the pressure was applied the stones slowly began to submerge, not quickly but purposefully as if they had plenty of time to leave this earth. More stones were placed in position and then more. We were slowly but surely denuding the lagoon of fish cover when the water did rise. There did not appear to be any bottom to the mud and at least a yard of stones had disappeared. The other back wheel, not wishing to carry

smiled and said, “Come on let’s get the so and so bullocks.” The hills were still wrapped in mist and it was impossible to get a bearing or even guess the direction of the sun. “Well which is the way back? The whole damn place looks the same to me,” said Dougie. The hill which we thought we had come down the previous evening lay in the direction our car was facing and it should have been at the rear of the car. We had a strong inclination to turn away from the hill and walk in the opposite direction yet the terrain looked wrong and we had no time to make any mistakes. But although we had carefully kept the lagoon on our left we had practically encircled it and were in fact pointing for home. Just where we would have finished up if everything had gone right we shall never know.

took fright and bolted. Dougie was out like a shot but by the time I had made up my mind to jump we were travelling too fast and although I was howled at to jump I lay on the floor of the dray and braced myself by holding to the sides, thus hoping to keep a certain portion of my anatomy from coming down too hard. The dray hit a ditch and I was tossed well into the air but was only bruised and somewhat winded. The bullocks made short work of extracting the car although at times they were up to their shoulders in mud. They did in about 5 minutes the work we had failed to do in 7 hours and a filthy little vehicle emerged onto solid ground again. In comparison with the bullock wagon our vehicle with its springs and soft cushioned seats seemed to be the acme of luxury and we made good time back to the hut which we all reached about the same time. We rather felt that our good friend the shepherd had been badly let down by us. We tendered our profuse thanks for his assistance and told him that we would be back to do the job properly next year but we doubted if he thought we would be out that way again.

We walked back tired and disgruntled. The shepherd listened to out tale of woe and didn’t even refer to our stupidity in leaving the button-grass. He quickly yoked up his bullock team and to our delight added a bullock dray. I must admit that he seemed rather surprised when we both climbed aboard but then we had no doubt surprised him in a number of things. But we were dog tired and had hoped for this ride for the past hour. The spring less dray proved unbearable so we got out and walked and then, when the surface looked less formidable, we would get on again. We were both having one of the rest periods in the dray when unluckily a mob of wild steers approached and our team

We reached the north end of the Great Lake well after dark and were greeted by my wife with the remark, “You are late. What have you caught?’ “Damn all” we replied and proceeded to stow the rest of our gear for the 2 hour trip to Launceston.

Wrasse in Lake Crescent? by Tim Farrell, Snr. Fisheries Management Officer - IFS

n early May IFS was notified of numerous fish scales near the Lake Crescent boat ramp that resembled those from a carp. Obviously this caused great concern as the last carp removed from this lake was in 2007 and there had been no signs since.

How did they get to Lake Crescent? It is likely that an angler has removed the bung of their boat on the boat ramp to drain off excess water and there were fish remnants left in the bottom from a previous trip. This highlights how easily it is to transport biological material from one water body to another, as well as the ease of spreading pests and pathogens around the state. Please always ensure your boats and fishing equipment are thoroughly cleaned after each trip.

The scales were collected and underwent a DNA analysis which identified the scales were from a saltwater fish known as a purple wrasse (Notolabrus fucicola)! This species of fish has large rounded scales very similar to a carp and when dried look almost identical.

A blue throat wrasse, a close relation to the purple wrasse from which the remnant scales originated.

The Benefits of Fishing with a Club by Gerry Fitzgibbon

late fishing trip in 2015 season for Clarence Anglers Club to Woods Lake for the inaugural Bruce Andrew Memorial Trophy highlighted the benefits of being a member of a fishing club due to a number of events that took place on the final day.

the day and talking tactics for the next day. The morning saw an early start from most; the boat ramp was busy with a number of boats arriving as dawn broke over the lake. The weather was a little overcast, a stiff breeze from the northwest and cooler conditions greeted us as we started out for a mornings fishing. Most members fished without success again and returned to camp around lunch to begin packing up before returning home. The story from most was the same no fish sighted or landed, however a group from Longford who were putting their boat on the trailer informed us they landed six good fish in the middle of the Lake during the session (much to our disappointment).

The weather was poor in the week leading up to the event yet many members were still committed to attending. Most ventured up to the high country on the Friday, arriving in wet and windy conditions. Some decided to bunker own and wait out the weather at the Arthurs Lake dam Friday evening then see what transpired the following morning, others ventured down to Woods Lake camping in a protected area near the boat ramp. Saturday morning saw the rain stop and the wind drop out so the group at Arthurs left for Woods after an early breakfast, driving through slippery road conditions they met the other at the boat ramp at Woods Lake.

As we packed up camp and retrieved our boats following a disappointing but enjoyable morning’s fishing, one member who had retrieved his boat and was on board storing gear away when the vehicle towing it began to roll backwards toward the Lake. Luckily this was spotted by two other members who were having a cuppa, who jumped up to see who was in the van and on noticing no “Driver” one of them jumped into the van and pulled the handbrake on then put the vehicle into park averting a major accident as the boat’s owner had just jumped off the boat and fell to the ground behind the vehicle just as the vehicle came to a halt.

The weather cleared to a great day, calm conditions with the sun out and most members out enjoying the conditions and trying to land a trout or two. One member Ronnie who was fly fishing on the opposite southern shore (after being dropped off by a fellow member) landed a superb brown on a fur fly of 2.5 kilos plus, using his two-way radio Ronnie and partner Matt were able to return to camp with his catch after being collected by another club member while others continued to fish most of the day.

The rest of the group continued to take turns in hitching up trailers and retrieving boats when one of the group noticed that a member who had left early that morning on his kayak had not returned. We began checking with others to verify if anyone had seen him. One member recalled spotting him three

The rest of the Saturday saw the Lake glass out on occasions, fish were sighted in a number of locations yet not many fish were landed. We all settled down for an evening around the fire discussing the events of

hours earlier up the western of the Lake and about 300 metres from shore. We became concerned at not being able to locate him on the water (being on the larger side we thought he would be easily spotted). A call went out for binoculars, one member had an old pair in his vehicle and they were put to good use finally locating our kayaker on the far southern side of the Lake with the wind blowing hard into the shore, he was only identified by the yellow life jacket he was wearing.

the weather cleared to a nice sunny day. Approximately half-way towards the Arthurs Lake dam travelling slowly disaster struck a pair of our members who had left a little earlier. The two-way radio alerted us they had broken the springs on the left hand side of their boat trailer and remained stranded on the side of the road with the axle almost at right angles to where it should be. As each of the vehicles pulled up and surveyed the predicament one was sent back to retrieve the broken spring with the hope of repairing it, while the others put their thinking (MacGyver) caps on to figure out a solution.

As a group we were not comfortable leaving without having all our members safely back on shore so a boat was organised to go out and bring him back safely before we all departed. As the boat was launched to assist, another boat was returning to shore and also offered to help, we decided it would be beneficial if two boats went in case anything went wrong. When we reached the kayaker on the other side of the lake it was cold and very windy, making it difficult for the paddler to make his way back to the boat tramp unaided yet he was keen to continue. Conditions were deteriorating so we did our best to encourage him to turn back. He finally agreed that it would be best to accept a tow back to the boatramp. (He was a large fellow and getting into a boat from a kayak would have been very interesting.) The trip took approximately 25 minutes and on arriving at the ramp the kayaker attempted to stand up but unfortunately lost his footing, fell backwards, hit his head on the rocks and into the water. Luckily other members were there to assist him up and out of the water without any major damage apart from pride and some very wet clothing.

We got together some available resources (bits and pieces) that might be useful such as a block of wood, duct tape, wire, rope, pliers, a hammer, other tools and a good amount of humour. Luckily for there was a member who was able to come up with a very creative method of using these bits and pieces to reconfigure the trailer and reconnect the axle to the frame. A great team effort was required including lifting the boat and trailer then tying it all off securely for the return trip to Hobart. The group then proceeded to follow the repaired trailer out to the Arthurs Dam wall where the status of the trailer was assessed. On arrival all was well and by all reports they made it all the way home to Hobart without any concerns - an awesome job!

Now we were all safely on shore and packing continued. We eventually headed off in convoy and as we climbed up the hills out of Woods

I believe this trip highlights the benefit of Fishing Clubs and the ingenuity of its

members to solve problems, help and support each other, not to mention the humour and bonding that result from such incidents.

outcomes could have been significantly worse if it had not been for the efforts, support and assistance provided by others in the Club.

However as we look back at each of these incidents we are aware that the

PS what you see in our hands is soft drinks only

My Year on the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame Committee by Ray Aitchison

n July, 2014, I was asked by Terry Byard, on behalf of Anglers Alliance Tasmania, if I would consider serving on a renewed Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame Committee. I had to put quite a bit of thought into my decision as I had had a few concerns with the past Hall of Fame Boards previously, as follows:

Anyway back to September, 2014, I agreed to serve on the Committee conditional to the panels being corrected. Permission was given to me to take the appropriate steps and had new panels printed. Also on the Committee is Mrs Sheryl Thompson as Chairperson and Gary France. To those of you who don’t know these people, in short, Sheryl has been a member of the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council, President of the North Western Fisheries Association, President of the Ulverstone Angling Club and long time North Western Association Historian. Gary is a trout guide, Chairman of Anglers Alliance Tasmania, President of Trout Guides and Lodges and a member of the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council.

1. In 2003 I wrote in an angling column the thoughts of myself and others that it was ludicrous that 2 Board members had journeyed to Longreach, Queensland, at considerable cost to look at ways to set up a Hall of Fame. My thoughts were that they could have visited the Axemen’s Hall of Fame at Latrobe for next to nothing. The explanation given was that Latrobe was closed for renovations? the building had only been opened for 4 months and at the time the staff denied that it had closed.

Our first task was to honour the unfinished business of the previous Board. The families of the late Ian French and Les Monson had been told years ago that these gentlemen were to be inducted but nothing had happened. The new Committee decided to complete these tasks and as both of the men were from the North West it was logical to conduct their inductions in that area. The inductions were performed at the Axemen’s Hall of Fame building at Latrobe on 21 November 2014, with about 140 people attending. Within a week the Honour Board was updated, with the 2009 inductees added as well as the 2 new and 4 corrected replacement panels put on display.

2. In 2005 I was invited to join the Board of the Hall of Fame, I was given a meeting date which I could not attend due to my work commitments. Consequently, even though my Board position would be voluntary I was promptly “sacked”. 3. My other concern was in 2010 when I pointed out at an STLAA. meeting that most of the fact regarding W. T. Cramp, Doug Bridges, Hector Jones and Red Terry displayed on the panels at the Salmon Ponds were far from being correct, the Secretary of that time was supposed to notify the H.O.F. board, eventually nothing came from this concern, but, maybe the Board wasn’t notified.

Then we planned for the next set of inductions which were held at the Great Lake Community Centre at Miena on the Saturday of the IFS Liawenee Open Weekend. The reason for it being held at this venue was to provide sheltered

seating and afternoon tea, again about 120-140 persons attended with Mr Bob Ward and the late Norm Scott and Stewart Ingles being inducted.

Criteria most of these submissions do not qualify. One question that is regularly raised is how much consideration should be given to persons who are nominated but have been well paid for their contribution to our fishery, think about it.

All 5 persons that we have inducted have given much service and time in the management of Clubs and Associations as well as all serving as Associate Commissioners.

It hasn’t been a deliberate decision to only induct persons who gave service as Associate Commissioners but the Committee has felt that each one of the last five inductees has put in considerable efforts to provide service to our fishery which brought their names to the front.

The Committee adopted a list of about 120 persons who had been nominated to the previous Boards. We held a meeting where amongst other items this list was reviewed. I should point out that in most cases only a person’s name was submitted with nothing to support the nomination. In short, the proposer was expecting someone else to carry out the research instead of providing a detailed submission. This list has initially been trimmed and may well be discarded as under the Hall of Fame Selection

On behalf of Sheryl and Gary I invite everyone to consider future nominees for the Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame, but please complete a worthwhile submission

Leslie Robert (“Bob”) Ward accepting his Tasmanian Angling Hall of Fame nomination.

A few days at Penstock Lagoon by Norm Cribbin

he weather forecast looked good for a 3-day window indicating light winds and overcast conditions - perfect for a Dun hatch. A phone call to Neil and the trip was on. With boats and campervans readied and food and beverage supplies loaded, we met at the old Granton Train Park to form a small convoy for the short trip to Penstock Lagoon. At Bothwell we stopped in at the Devils Dens for a coffee where fishing tactics were discussed.

the canal was vacant. The area is lightly grassed and has several areas where boats can be pulled ashore. There are trees to shelter the site from any wind and provide adequate shade during the day. As an added bonus the previous campers left a supply of firewood and a nicely constructed stone fireplace (pity they built it in the middle of the site rather than the previously existing camp fire location). After launching our boats the vans were parked and our campsite established our home for the next few days.

On arrival at Penstock Lagoon we were pleased to see the prime camp site beside

Our campsite at Penstock Lagoon Each day was broken up into three differing sessions; morning, afternoon and evening. The mayfly hatch at Penstock Lagoon has been occurring around 2-3 pm of late so the afternoon session provided the best chance of

fishing to actively rising fish. The evening session sees the fish working on spinners from the previous days hatch and the morning session provides the chance to chase smutting fish mopping up the previous nights midge hatch.

Sometimes there might even be the odd early hatching Dun.

minimum legal size being 42cm meant the first two (2) fish had to be released. Neil was seeing a few fish and had his fly drowned several times but was having no luck getting the fish to hookup. The session was coming to a close as the last of the light started to recede as the sun set over the horizon. Just at this time I spotted a nice fish working away from me and made a cast to where I thought it might be. There was a slurping sound, I instinctively tightened and was into a solid Rainbow. After a good fight lasting five (5) minutes a very well conditioned (CF 40) Rainbow of 52 cm in length was safety in the boat. The fish took a size 12 Amber Parachute Spinner. We moved over in front of the shacks on the eastern where the occasional sip, slash or porpoising fish kept us fishing after sunset with Neil eventually landing (and released) a Brown - in the fading light Neil couldn’t read the figures on the scale so he noted the wording on the measure near the tail so he was able to determine later that it was about 34cm.

It was about 1pm when we first headed out to do battle with the Browns and Rainbows of Penstock Lagoon. There was small hatch of Duns but the fish were mainly ‘Once-ing’ which meant it was just the luck of the draw if your fly was going to be taken. This session the luck was not with us and both Neil and I blanked. Returning to camp around 4pm we prepared our evening meals and planned for the evening session’s assault. Motoring out in our boats at around 6pm we headed over to the ‘Sapling Shore’. There was a calm stretch along this shore and it was hoped that the spinners would provide some action and get the trout rising. As the sun started to drop lower on the horizon the fish slowly started to move and I found a few fish willing to take my parachute spinner imitation. The fish would be keepers in most other lakes but with Penstocks

Well conditioned Penstock Rainbow

As can be seen in the following photos, flies sometimes get destroyed by the trout. The Rainbow in question shredded

the hackle and also partly straightened the hook during the battle to the net.

Amber Parachute Spinner as tied.

The same fly after the Rainbow had its way with it.

Day two dawned and we both decided that we would fish gentleman’s hours so we skipped the early part of the morning session. After a leisurely spell around camp we had breakfast and fine-tuned our gear before heading out for the last part of the morning session. The brief session proved fruitful as I boated a nice brown before returning it to grow bigger and reach the 42cm minimum size. During the afternoon session I boated a

further three (3) fish and these were also returned to grow that little bit bigger. The evening was spent around a comfortable camp-fire were we solved the problems of the world and recalled the successes and failures of previous trips. Before retiring to our respective vans we decided that we would get up early and have a session chasing the ‘Smutters’.

Sunrise at Penstock beat of the fish. It wasn’t long before I was rewarded with the smallest of sips taking my fly down, I paused before tightening and was into a solid brown. One thing you can be assured about Penstock Browns is that they are very determined fish and use every trick in the book to rid themselves of the fly that is restricting their free movement. The brown tried to use strap weed and the side of the boat in attempts to break the tippet but fortunately I was able to use

As morning broke on the third day we headed out into the early morning mist in search of ‘Smutting’ trout. After only a short distance into the lagoon from the boating channel we observed a few rising fish picking up spent midges and the odd early hatched dun. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to position the boat close to rising fish that looked like it might be keen to pick up a dun pattern. I greased the leader and fly and cast it to a location along the likely

the length and power of the rod to manoeuvre the fish around the obstacles and lead it safely to the net. A fine

55 cm Brown trout from Penstock Lagoon being the reward for my efforts.

A fine 55cm Brown trout from Penstock Lagoon After dispatching the fish with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Priestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the photographing on the Truth Mat I set about cleaning the slimed fly and regreasing both the leader and fly. I also contacted Neil on the UHF radio to advise him of my success. I continued to look for moving/rising fish for about another 30 minutes but could not find any fish willing to come to the fly. At this point I decide to head

over and see how Neil was getting on and slowly motored my way over to his drift near the shack shore. As I approached I noticed the familiar arch of a fly rod under the strain of a heavy fish, Neil was into a good one. By the time I got over to Neil he had the fish safely in the boat and he had a grin from ear to ear. He had landed a lovely 54 cm Rainbow trout.

Another nice Penstock Rainbow Shortly afterwards we headed back to camp for brunch and recount the success of the morning. After brunch we noticed the breeze was starting to pick up so we decided to pack up what we could and then head out for a final 2 hour session.

By the time we got back on the water the light breeze had turn into a very strong Northerly wind. When a northerly blows on Penstock Lagoon there are very limited sheltering spots out on the water. We did however find several drifts along

the shack shore where we could get our flies out on the water with a reasonable chance of them being seen by fish. Between 2:30pm and 3:00pm a limited mayfly hatch occurred and during this time and the 30 minutes after I boated one (1) small rainbow and two (2) medium browns. By 4:00pm it was clear that the wind was here to stay so Neil and I decided to return to camp, pack up and head for home thus bringing to an end our brief trip to Penstock Lagoon.

Trip statistics Total catch - 13 (6 Rainbow and 7 Browns) Average length – 39cm Best Rainbow – 54cm (Neil) Best Brown – 55cm (Norm) All fish were caught on dry fly patterns.

My Special Fishing Pond Supplied by Ray Aitchison Many years ago I was given this story by the late Eddie Wigston, (he passed away in 1990) ometimes it doesn’t matter if there are no fish. It’s the idea that counts.

probably notice such worldly things as not catching fish.

You turn off a country road, cross the meadow and over a hill and there it lies – my fishing pond, a sheet of water with high, high banks grown with great trees. I made a trip to it just as last season ended, when the autumn leaves were turning colour and rustling down to rest on the still, black water. As I looked, I realised again what a beautiful secluded spot it is, how natural its appeal to an angler’s heart.

The expert knows that, even in a really fine pond there are days when not a trout will rise. He’ll explain it to you and having explained it, he is all the better pleased if he’s right and the fish don’t rise.

Trout, as anglers know, never rise after rain, nor before one. It is impossible to get them to rise in heat, and any chill in the air keeps them down. The right day is a still, cloudy day, but then the trout may not stir.

Whenever a guest sees my pond for the first time he is entranced, “What a wonderful place for trout”, he says, “No wonder you get trout in a pond like that.

Indeed, I have only to say to a friend, “Queer, they don’t bite!” and he’s off to a good start with an explanation. Enthusiasts can discuss trout fishing theories by the hour.

Let me say at once there are not trout in my pond. But I have never found that to make any difference, and certainly not to men I bring here for an afternoon of casting. If there are no fish, at least they never know it. The never doubt, and I let it go at that.

Usually my guests and I talk over such theories as we make our preparations. I have all the necessary apparatus at the pond – a punt, a neat little cedar dock (cedar attracts the trout, some say) and a little shelter with all sorts of tackle inside in a mixture of carelessness and order.

It is well known that I do not take just anyone to my fishing pond. I invite only people who can really fish – experts. If I took out ordinary men, they would

“Would you like to use this old Hardy reel?” I say, or, “Have you ever tried this new leader material?, it’s not gut, it’s a kind of floss”.

farther that he forgets the fish. Or I say suddenly, “Sssh! Did you hear that fish jump?” That will silence any true angler immediately. “You stand in the bow and I’ll paddle gently over there.”

“I doubt I could land one on that”, he says. I’m sure he couldn’t.

It’s the whispering that does it. Some of my guests are still whispering when they get home. You see, with frogs jumping, and catching the line in the weeds and the pulling up a water logged branch, my gests don’t know whether they have hooked something or not.

Cupboards hold bottles, biscuits, tins of anchovy paste. No one wants to stop fishing for mere hunger. Nor does any real angler start without taking just a drop of something to keep out the cold, or to wish good luck for the day.

Indeed after a while they think they did, and talk of the ‘big one’ they lost. “Do you remember,” they say to me months later in the city, “that trout I lost up at your pond, Did you ever get him?” they ask, hoping he is still there. “No never” I answer. Neither him nor any other.

I find these preparations are often the best part of the day, as we discuss the weight of tackle, colour of fly and such questions as the hat a man wears. “I wouldn’t wear that hat,” my friend says, “much too dark for a day like this,” but I wore it here all last month,” I reply. “That was October’” he says, “It’s too dark a blue for November.” Because I knew he would be right I kept it on. We had a grand afternoon, we got no fish.

Illusion, how much of life is like that? It’s the idea of a thing that counts, not the reality. You don’t need fish for fishing any more than you need gold for gold mining, or pheasants for shooting. Just the illusion or expectation. At least it has made my friends happy.

If the guest becomes restless through catching no fish, I use a little tact, “You certainly cast a good line,” I say, and he gets so absorbed in casting farther and

Tasmanian Stonefly

Leaders by Norm Cribbin

eil Pinkard asked if I would put my personal thoughts together on leaders that I use for freshwater fly fishing. Firstly let me say that, as in all things in angling personal preference and confidence in what you are using contributes significantly to your success rate with fish in the boat or on the bank. Two equally skilled fly anglers using completely different leader systems can do equally well on the same day or one could blank out. Was it the leader that made the difference? Was it the fly? Was it just being in the right spot at the right time? The debate could go on forever.

to tie, has excellent sudden load knot strength unlike the Clinch style knots and can be used with significantly different diameter line when making up leader sections. Line to leader butt There are several methods used today for connecting the leader butt to the fly line. Each of the following has a place and proponents. Loop to Loop connection The Loop to Loop connection is not really a knot per say. It is a method of joining or interconnecting two loops and is often referred to as interlocking loops. The method is simple enough but there is one pitfall to be avoided. That is where one loop folds the wrong way making a girth hitch. See illustration "Wrong" to avoid that.

In the following sections I will endeavour to explain what works for me, what I am confident using and why. Knots There are many knots that one can use with leaders for freshwater fly fishing. The history of knots is extensive and this brief article is not the place to cover all the knots used, especially those used with silk fly lines and horse hair leaders of old. When I first started fishing the usual knots such as the Clinch knot, Improved Clinch knot and the Blood or Barrel knot were the standards. Whilst I was proficient at tying these knots, after more than my fair share of lost fish resulting from broken or slipped knots they soon fell out of favour with me. I went searching for a knot system that was simple, reliable and had superior knot strength. The knot that meets the above requirements is the Uni-knot also known as the Grinner knot. I have personally tested this knot against the Clinch, Improved Clinch and Blood/Barrel knots and in all cases the Uni-knot has come out in front. It is easy

The loop to loop connection is exceptionally strong. Many fly lines now come with pre-made loops on their ends. Just tie a loop at the end of the leader you are attaching (Perfection Loop, Surgeon's End Loop, etc.) and use the Loop to Loop knot to join the two lines. A downside of this connection is the size

(bulk) of the connection. This can result in noisy lift off from the water when dry fly fishing and binding trouble should the connection be drawn in past the tip line guide. Braid Loop/Sleeve Connection Braided loops are relatively inexpensive to buy, easy to make yourself if you so desire, easy to attach to the fly line and simple to join your leader to by means a loop to loop connection, see above. The down side to braided loops is added weight on the end of the fly line. This disturbs the water on the pickup and landing, certainly enough to spook a fish, and they cause the tip of the fly line to sink unless they are constantly greased to float. They also have a tendency to fail over time as the glue and materials beak down through use and exposure to the harsh environment that we experience through the fly fishing year. The one aspect of using a braided loop that I have found annoying is the cracking experience just behind the sleeve, caused by constant hinging during casting.

Needle Knot This is my preferred connection of the leader butt to a floating fly line, it has all the benefits of the Nail knot and one additional important one. It is very streamline and allows the connection to run freely through the guides without snagging. You will need a few tools such as a needle and pliers to allow the leader butt to be threaded through the core of the fly line.

Nail Knot Another popular method of attaching the leader to the fly line is the nail knot. This ticks many boxes, not least itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very delicate landing on and lifting from the surface of the water. It's easy to attach, though a little tricky, and gives superb transfer of energy when used with a tapered leader.

Note: I have found that only three or four turns are required and this helps further reduce the bulk of the knot. A drop of UV cure cement can be applied to further streamline the knot for even better passage through the fly rod guides.

Zap A Gap or Superglue Splice

dropper for the attachment of an additional fly.

Similar in effect to the needle knot, but a good way to attach the leader to fly line, is a technique that has various names. It is known as the Zap A Gap or Superglue Splice and I was first shown this connection by Peter Hayes. Research on the net indicates that the American angler Lefty Kreh devised the connection for saltwater fly fishing. A needle is inserted into the tip of the fly line, eye first, and pushed up inside the line as far as possible, usually ½" to ¾" before emerging from the side of the line. With just the eye of the needle outside the fly line, the thin end of a tapered leader is threaded through this and pulled through the fly line leaving about 2" of thick butt protruding from the line, the rest of the leader coming out of the fly line tip. The thick butt section of leader emerging from the tip is roughened with sandpaper over about an inch before Zap A Gap is applied. This rough, glued section is then pulled back inside the fly line by means of the short tag end which is then trimmed and sealed with a dot more glue. I am still not 100% confident in the system but then that just my opinion. Section to section (Butt to taper and taper to Tippet)

Taper to Tippet

In the upper sections of a “Roll your own” leader my preferred knot is the Double Uni-knot, also known as the Double Grinner. The advantage of this knot over the popular Barrel/Blood knots is that the line diameters can vary significantly and there is no risk of slippage. If Barrel or Blood knots are used and line diameter varies by more than 0.05-0.07 mm there is a real risk of the connection parting company during a battle with a decent fish, something you don’t really want.

Joining the tippet to the leader can be achieved using the Surgeons knot or the Double Uni-knot. Once again in my pursuit of having a simple and effective system I prefer the Double Uni-knot that way I only need the needle Knot and Uni-Knots to build my leaders and attach the fly. As in the Double Uni-knot if the tag end of the line to reel line is left long then you have a readymade in-line dropper for the attachment of an additional fly.

Droppers - If tag end of the first Uniknot in the diagram at the right is left long then you have a readymade in-line

the diameter of the flyline at the connection point. This ensures optimum energy transfer to the balance of the leader and ultimately a good roll-over of the fly. The table below provides a good starting point for the butt diameter for different fly line weights.

Tippet to Fly As previously stated the Clinch knot and to a lesser degree the Improved Clinch knot are prone to slippage, especially if you have a fluorocarbon tippet. Additionally the forming of the knot barrel and the process of tightening tends to form a kink in the tippet just near the fly, making it sit un-naturally in some instances. So my preferred knot is once again the Uni-knot. There are additional benefits gained by the using the Uniknot. It is tied away from the fly so fragile hackles are less prone to being damaged during the knot forming process. The knot can be slid down to just short of the eye or hard up against the eye giving one the option of allowing the fly to move freely (wet fly or nymph) or tight for cocking of a dry fly.

According to Charles Ritz in his book "A Fly-Fisher’s Life", the diameter of leader butts should be 60% of the diameter of the end of the fly line. Other formulas indicate that 75% is the optimum butt diameter, but in either case, a leader butt of 0.45 to 0.55mm satisfies most formulae. A leader butt of 60%-75% is quite ample enough to transmit and disperse casting energy toward the tippet.

Also consider the stiffness of the butt material. It should approximate the stiffness of the fly line. Use the Table 1 as a guide in selecting the correct leader butt thickness.

PS: Lubricate the line with a bit of saliva before sliding the knot along Leader Construction Leader Diameter Leader diameter is predominately driven by the line weight and the size of fly one wishes to fish off the tippet. For optimum energy transfer there is a preferred range of fly sizes that can be supported by a given weight fly line – see table opposite. The leader butt diameter should be between ½ and ¾ of

midsection or graduation), and Tippet. The most common formula basis for a leader is 60% butt, 20% taper, 20% tippet. Other formulas such as double taper formulas offer 40%, 20%, 40%, but for the most part, formulas are derivatives of the 60/20/20 rule. My personal designs for dry fly fishing utilize a different proportional mix of 45/30/25; this design provides good suppleness allowing for movement of the fly with the breeze when fishing lakes or current flow in rivers. For wet fly fishing I normally use the 60/20/20 rule in leader construction. Section to section As a general rule the section to section diameter change should not exceed 70% of the larger section. This rule works with a typical 3.6m four section leader for 6 weight line, as shown below.

Leader Formulae There are three main components of a leader: Butt, Taper (also called Butt 15% 0.53 42cm

15% 0.48 42cm

15% 0.43 42cm

15% 0.38 42cm

7% 0.33 19cm

If a commercial tapered leader is purchased the need to make the butt section in the above example can be eliminated. This is my preferred method of leader construction and ensures the business end of the leader and tippet is made from material of known quality, Butt (Tapered leader section) 60% 0.53 to 0.38 168cm

Taper section 7% 0.28 19cm

6% 0.23 14cm

Tippet 20% 0.18 56cm

suppleness, diameter and strength. Simply purchase a tapered leader with the desired butt diameter and remove the lower section at the required butt length, add your own sections of monofilament or co-polymer to complete the leader.

Taper section 7% 0.28 19cm

7% 0.33 19cm

Stiffness The butt section of the leader should equal the stiffness of the fly line. A simple method to determine if the stiffness of the leader material matches the stiffness of your fly line is to bend a section of each in half with your fingers and "feel" the approximate stiffness of each. You’ll easily be able to feel the

6% 0.23 14cm

Tippet 20% 0.18 56cm

difference in the resistance to the bend. If you use a butt material that is too flimsy, you’ll experience the "hinge" effect when you cast. The leader will not turn over properly and hinge where the fly line and leader connection is made. If you get over this hurdle you’re well on your way to designing a proper leader.

Fluorocarbon Fluorocarbon filament leader material was introduced around 1993 by several leading manufacturers. Fluorocarbon material has several distinct advantages over standard monofilament materials for wet fly fishing scenarios. It's denser than water, thus it will sink faster than standard monofilament leader material. Fluorocarbon material also has the advantage of being more abrasionresistant; which makes it a better choice for streamer and nymph leaders. Another appealing trait is its near transparent nature – more so than standard mono. Apparently the refractive index is closer to that of water compared to monofilament.

tannin stained West Waters thinking that it would offer better “invisibility” but the reverse seemed to be the case and the leader was clearly visible in the water. I went back to clear leader material. Certainly for dry fly fishing I only use clear leader and tippet material.

Fluorocarbon also has a few drawbacks, however. It isn't as strong as standard mono and you must be sure of your knots when using fluorocarbon material. Fluorocarbon material tends to require more secure knots for sure-hold of the tippet section. Try using a surgeon's knot with three loops versus the standard two or use the Double Uni-knot.

Dry Fly Leaders

Wet Fly Leaders I prefer to use tippet material in the 0.20-0.22 mm (8lb) for wet flies size 8 and bigger. Smaller wets and nymphs will see me change or add extra tippet material in the 0.18 to 0.15mm (6lb to 4lb) depending on conditions, water clarity and expected fish size. I apply leader sink to both my leader and fly when wet fly fishing. Dry flies by the very nature of their size and construction will not fish naturally on excessively heavy tippets. The normal tippet I employ is 0.18 to 0.15mm (6lb to 4lb) once again the choice is dependent on conditions water clarity and expected fish size. I apply floatant to the leader section and half the tippet section. My reasoning is that it keeps the leader on the surface rather than parts sinking sub-surface which results in the all too familiar “plopping” sound as the dry fly is dragged under the surface film and then pulled back through it on recasting. This “plopping” I have found is sufficient to spook wary fish. Those that have read my article “Dry Fly in the Sticks” will recall the need to have the leader and tippet floating high so that it does not grab on the fine sticks that hide just below the surface. During that fishing session I asked a fellow club member if they had greased their leader on seeing the difficultly he was having with the sticks and the constant “plopping” on recasting his dry fly. He took time out to grease his leader and the result was no more snagging the sticks or plopping and several fish in the boat. He made no

Monofilament Monofilament nylon, or "mono" as it is referred, is by far the most popular leader material in use today. Extruded nylon and copolymer nylons comprise the best leader materials today. Stiffer mono, such as Maxima or Amnesia line offer great material as butt and taper sections. Co-polymer, being softer material, such as Orvis SuperStrong, Umpqua, Dai Riki Velvet and Rio PowerFlex, make for great taper and tippet materials. My preferred leader material is the New Zealand brand of monofilament known as Black Magic, my tippet material is Rio PowerFlex. Colour This is largely personal preference and as I fish a number of waters I find clear or lightest green leader material the best. I have tried dark brown Maxima in the

change to his fly, casting position or leader apart from greasing it.

The case for long leaders - Some anglers believe that longer leaders will deliver the fly and allow it to drift as though it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attached to anything. Others believe longer leaders extend the distance from the fly line to the fly making the connection less obvious.

I know others will stay that the tippet should not be greased so that it sits subsurface and is supposedly less visible to the fish. Personally the other disadvantages I have mentioned outweigh the invisibility factor.

The case for short leaders - If you have short casts, where there will be very little fly line to load the rod, there will be very little energy to turn over a long leader. Shorter casts require shorter leaders, longer casts can activate longer leaders.

Level Leaders Level leaders are a single diameter of line that connects the fly line to the tippet or fly. Level leaders are typically much shorter than tapered leaders and used with sinking fly lines and heavy flies. Level leaders when used with sinking lines help get the fly deeper faster. Level leaders are also used in Loch style fishing from a drifting boat where the casting is predominately down wind. Level leaders do not turn over flies well in upwind situations.

For most Tasmanian stillwater conditions a leader length, including the tippet, of 1 rod length (2.7 m) to 1.5 rod lengths (4.3 m) is adequate. (When you are using a leader that is longer than your rod you must ensure your knots, especially the lower one, are trim and smooth so that they do not catch in the tip ring of your rod.) Small stream fly casting, such as the Tyenna River, requires leaders no longer than 1 rod length.

Leader Length One of the great fly fishing debates is "What is the proper leader length for a given circumstance" It's the leader length that you will use and have confidence to catch fish. After you have assessed the circumstances surrounding catching your quarry, you'll tie on the leader you know you can cast and present the fly in the best possible manner.

References Global Flyfisher http://globalflyfisher.com Leader Calculatorhttp://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/lead ercalc/lc2007.xls

BRONTE PARK GENERAL STORE EVERYTHING YOU NEED AND MORE

SHANE & WENDY HEDGER OWNERS

Did you know that we stock: A wide range of grocery items, confectionary Hot: Fish & Chips, Pies and Cappuccino Fresh: milk, bread, vegetables, meat, small goods and eggs Frozen: vegetables, ice cream, icy poles, bags of ice Daily newspapers & a good range of magazines We are a community postal agency with daily deliveries! Fuel: LPG, Diesel and Unleaded petrol.

Specialized Equipment: We stock TFO (Temple Fork Outfitters) Fly Rods We stock ammunition and other hunting equipment. We stock Columbia, Ridgeline and Stoney Creek outdoor clothing! Of course we also stock a wide range of essentials: rods, reels, fishing tackle, fishing accessories and IFS Angling Licenses. Boat hire can be arranged by us, as well as guiding services

381 Marlborough Rd BRONTE PARK TAS 7140 PH 03 6289 1129 FAX 03 6289 3217

Obituaries Following his funeral at Letitia Street, Don was buried in the Oatlands Cemetery on 20th August.

Donald “Don” Alfred Emery 7 November 1939 – 12 August 2015

Rodney Lee Ryder

Don Emery was a delegate to the STLAA for the Lake Pedder Club for 2003-4, 2004-5 and 2005-6. He was a delegate for the Maydena Club for 20067, 2007-8, 2008-9 and 2009-10. During the early part of 2010 he became a Bothwell delegate, in which position he served in the years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. In 2014, Don became President of the Bothwell LAC in difficult times for the club. His presidency was cut short by illness.

8 January 1929 – 22 August 2015 Rod Ryder served on the New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association for 20 consecutive years, from 1974-75 to 1993-94. He served as Vice-President in 1991-92. He had several periods as a proxy Club Delegate. Rod was awarded Life Membership of both the STLAA and the New Norfolk Club in 1983. Rod had a shack at Lake Crescent and was an exponent of long lining; he won the heaviest fish award for the STLAA on three occasions.

Don also served on the STLAA Executive Committee for years 2005-6, 2006-7, 2007-8, 2008-9, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Rod is survived by a daughter and two sons.

In addition to these clubs, he was also a member of the New Norfolk Club for a short period.

Sincere condolences to his family.

For all of this service, in 2013, Don was a deserving recipient of a Certificate of Service to the STLAA. Always an affable and helpful person, Don Emery was an aficionado of Lake Echo.

No matter the state of Bruce’s health, when he was on, or even near, the water he always had a glint in his eye and a smile on his face and the enthusiasm of a teenager such was his love of being on the water. He was a true gentleman who never had a bad word to say about anyone. He always saw your best side and ignored your lesser qualities. He is greatly missed by all his friends in Clarence Anglers. Bruce’s family have made a generous offer to Clarence Anglers to provide a perpetual trophy and prize for each of the next 10 years for the field trip to Woods Lake which was Bruce’s favourite water.

Bruce Andrew 2 January 1932 – 28 February 2015 Members of Clarence Anglers were saddened when they were informed of the passing of Bruce Andrew.

A memorial service for Bruce was well attended by many members as well as his friends from the Clarence Plains Historical Society, Clarence Council and local politicians; all wanting to express their appreciation of Bruce’s generosity, friendship and cheerful outlook.

Bruce suffered ill-health for many years, but that never stopped him from attending field trips – with a smile! He was one of the most loved and respected members of Clarence Anglers. Bruce first joined the Club in 1995, and his first field trip, accompanied by his wife Wendy, was to Lake Pedder. He has since been a regular participant at fishing trips and quickly gained the reputation for being among the first to arrive and the last to leave. With his distinctive silver/white hair he was the most visible angler especially when out on the water.

Season 2014-2015 Photo Gallery

Sam Pinkard – Penstock Lagoon

Justin Causby – Lake Gordon

Vince Coyte – Lake Burbury

Alan Shaw – Tooms Lake

Time Lowe – Lake Gordon

Millie Rowlands – NNLAA Junior Pond

Jack Mayne's STLAA Junior Heaviest Trout - Weight -3.338 kg

Neil Pinkard – Penstock Lagoon

Tanesha Slater won the junior prize in the Wayne Perkins Memorial 1.050 kg. NNLAA

Gerry Fitzgibbon – Tooms Lake

Lee Brown with son Harry - NNLAA Junior Pond

Bert Thunig and Ronnie Andrews â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tooms Lake

NNLAA junior day fun

Rick Franklin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Woods Lake

Drew Browning and Gerry Fitzgibbon - Tooms Lake

Bert Thunig – Woods Lake

Norm Cribbin – Tooms Lake

Almost ready to cast - Lake Gordon

Weigh-in at “The Back to Pedder” Competition

Marty Evans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Derwent River

Tim Lowe with a silver sea-runner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Derwent River

Ronnie Andrews â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Woods Lake

Justin Causby - Derwent River sea runner at midnight opening day

Central Highlands Lodge

The Central Highlands Lodge is located on the shores of the Great Lake in the highland village of Miena gateway to Tasmania's central plateau and world premier trout fishing waters with over 3,000 lakes. It is the most centrally located lodge to the famous fisheries of the Western Lakes, Arthurs Lake, Penstock and Little Pine lagoons, all of which hold an abundance of wild brown trout. The scenic drive from either Launceston or Hobart takes around 1Â˝ hours and the Lodge is located conveniently to all of Tasmania wherever you are or want to go it's not far away. The Lodge has a lounge, private bar, two wood fire places and a restaurant/dining area. The menu is one to look forward to and includes traditional hearty home cooked meals, soups, delicious deserts and a superb collection of Tasmanian & mainland wines. After relaxing in the lounge by cosy log fires, comfortable rooms with crisp sheets on a pre-warmed bed await you. The room facilities include ensuite bathrooms, heating, electric blankets, fridge, TV and tea and coffee making facilities, with wader hanging racks outside. Rooms available include: 2 family units (2 bedroom units with heat pumps, one queen and two singles) 2 family units (2 bedroom units with heat pumps, table and chairs, one queen and two singles) 5 Twin room (1 bedroom unit with two single beds) 1 Double room (1 bedroom unit with queen bed) 1 spa unit and 1 spa cabin For more information about all the facilities and services we can offer please contact Mike or Helen T: +61 (0)3 6259 8179 F: +61 (0)3 6259 8351 Email: highlandslodge@bigpond.com.au

Under New Management and Ownership