Tasmanian Fishing Report 1/08/23 & Trout Season Feature

Store NewsTasmanian Fishing ReportTasmanian Trout Fishing

1 Aug

Greeny hunting the shallows of Arthurs early last season.

The 23-24 Brown Trout season opens this coming weekend,

Most anglers are keen to get to waters that have been closed for the last few months. Lack of rain over the last month may see some challenging conditions in some places. Popular locations such as The Bronte Chain, Penstock Lagoon and Tooms Lake will see large numbers of anglers.

If you’re looking for some not so crowded lakes and rivers some good options would be:

Lake Echo and Arthurs Lake both were fishing very well towards the end and start of last season.
Lake King William and St Clair Lagoon a little further afield but the fishing can be amazing in the right conditions.

Important things to remember before the weekend, renew you trout licence, check the weather and all boating safety equipment.

Matt Stone trout guide fishing early season

Matt Stone, trout guide from Trout Tales, shares his early season tips.

Each year, the opening of the trout fishing season in Tasmania brings great anticipation among the fishing community, as anglers from across the state get out for some much needed time on the water after a long winter at home. With another opening weekend upon us, the time has come to study the weather forecast, dust off the waders, and formulate a plan of attack.

Here are our key things to consider for this weekend and the opening few weeks of the season.

Location, location, location

As is the case with most trout fishing trips in Tasmania, the most important choice you will make is location. Early in the season, consider aspects such as;

Weather - this will often affect trout feeding behaviour and available food sources. Look for overcast, breezy days when lake fishing, and clear, calm days when river fishing.
Water levels - extremely important to finding active, feeding fish, particularly around the highland lakes. Look for high levels as this will bring the fish close to the edges as they hunt the flooded margins for food.
Food sources - consider where food is likely to be. If you find the food, you will find the fish. Winter and spring sees spawning galaxia, whitebait and frogs at the top of the trout's menu. Look for areas with structure such as weed, rocks, logs and anywhere that creates good spawning habitat.

Fly selection

Although many fly fishers will have spent the last couple of months tying flies, a surprisingly small selection is needed for the opening weeks of the season. With the cold temperatures, wet flies will generally be most successful, and any fish looking to the surface won't be too fussy. Our top picks for this weekend are;

MKII Woolly Bugger - for general searching around lake edges
Black Fur Fly - great for fish cruising and holding in shallow water
Guides Tag - perfect for tempting any tailing fish to look up!

Stay warm!

Opening weekend can be notorious for adverse weather patterns (and by the way, this year looks no different!). Being well prepared with the right clothing layers is critical for comfort, safety and fishing success as you will be able to spend more time out on the water looking for fish. Some items to consider to get the most out of your opening weekend are;

Layers - thermals, a mid layer of merino or similar, an insulated jacket and a good raincoat will keep you warm and dry.
Protect your extremities - bring a beanie, balaclava, thick socks and fingerless gloves.
Take breaks - if you start to feel cold, get out of the water and head back to the car for a quick coffee and warm up before getting back out there.

Hope to see you all out there this weekend and tight lines! Matt

If you would like to find out more about what Matt offers click on the button below.

Trout Tales Tasmania Website

Spot On Staff Share Their Early Season Picks

Steve
The River Derwent

One of the best options close to home and offers great fishing. If you are a shore based or boat-based angler, this time of year offers lots of different options for Sea Run Trout and Resident trout.

Alex
Penstock Lagoon

Penstock holds large numbers of trout that have not seen any pressure for the last few months making them perfect for the fly fishers. Stripping wets or even getting the odd fish to a dry such as a Zulu Tag is possible at this time of year. This Lake Fishes incredibly well early season.

Rob
Lake Echo

This lake does not see the pressure that other Lakes see on opening weekend making it a perfect location for both Trolling and drift spinning. The average size of trout has been good the last few years and anglers should be able to open the account easily.

Angus
Arthurs

This lake has been over looked the last few years but for the people that have been putting in the time know that Arthurs is still one of the best fisheries in Tas. Fly, Lure and Bait will all bring a number of trout to the net this weekend.

Jonty
Craigbourne Dam

For Anglers looking for a close to home and high chance of a catching a trout this has to be a good option. With a lot of Anglers going further afield the lake should be fairly quiet. Perfect for those just getting into Trout fishing or trying a new technique

Jack
Bronte Chain

With a few lakes all within close distance of each other makes it easy to jump between them to find feeding fish. From trolling to walking the shore either with fly, lure or bait all can be done in one or more with ease.

Rob’s Top 5 Lures for Early Season

From L-R
Tasmanian devil 13.5gr Sunburst
Hawk Sniper 60 Black Widow
Daiwa Sazanami Black Gold
Daiwa presso 60f ghost perch
Smith panish 70f 04

All available in store now.

Saltwater Report

Sea Trout

Both the Derwent and Huon have been holding some good Sea Run Trout. The middle reaches of the Derwent (Bowen Bridge) have been the most productive on both soft plastic and hard bodied lures in bait fish pattens such as the Daiwa Presso and Double Clutch Minnows. The Salt water fishing continues to be fairly good with varied options available.

Tuna

Good numbers of Blue Fin Tuna are still widely spread around coastal waters. Ranging from school fish to a few reports of bigger fish hooked and lost. The bigger fish seen to be hard in on structure early of a morning.

Striped Trumpeter

The fishing has been steady for anglers that have had the weather window to target them. The shallower reefs (60-80m) seem to be the hot spots of late.

Squid

Good numbers have been caught in and around Port Arthur , Green and orange jigs have been working well, another angler reporting white jigs have been good too.

Australian Salmon

The Salmon have been a stable resident in most systems of the last few months. Anglers have been reporting good size and numbers around Dover and South Port feeding on the blue bait that has been seen busting up in large schools.

Bream

The last few weeks has seen fantastic fishing in both the Huon and Derwent Rivers. Most shallow shores on a high tide have been fishing well. Bait, Lure and Fly have all be working.

Please don’t forget to send in your pictures so we can share your fantastic catches to info@spotfishinghobart.com.au

Try Competition Fly Fishing

Four Springs & Huntsman
23/24 August

New angler reduced registration
$20 entry
Supportive environment
Great way to learn
It’s fun
Female anglers encouraged
All welcome, no matter your experience

To find out more contact: Julie 0429354022 or Julian 0473130893

Important Hydro Updates for the Start of the Season

A reminder to check Hydro Tasmania alerts before embarking on a fishing trip. The following alerts will be of particular interest.

Important Info Here

New YETI

This week we added to some new colours to our already large range of YETI products - camp green and cosmic lilac. We alods have the new smaller load out box.