AS we push towards the Christmas holiday period it’s a good time to be planning a trip away and there are lots of opportunities for us on offer in fresh and saltwater.
Freshwater fishing for trout is always high on people’s priorites and with many Tasmanian waters fishing well it’s obviously going to be time well spent away.
The wild trout of our central highlands are always worth targeting and although a lot of people can be out and about you can almost always find a place to be by yourself and still catch lots of fish.
With the warmer weather starting to have an impact some of the better spots are places that are the coldest during the wintery months of the year.
If looking to fish any of our rivers target their upper fresh flowing reaches which is where trout will be enjoying the colder and more oxygenated water.
Great Lake is one of the better fishing waters in the state and recent reports suggest that anglers are catching lots of brown and rainbow trout whether that be bait or fly fishing during the calmer and cooler mornings/evenings or lure spinning and trolling around the waters edge and weed beds.
Lake Echo is another water which is still fishing well and lure anglers are catching fish spinning around structure and, like Great Lake, shore anglers can fare just as well as boat anglers.
The Brady’s Chain including Lake Binney and Tungatinah Lagoon are always popular during the holidays and even though they can attract crowds the fishing is still good around the canals with stocked Rainbow Trout readily taking bait lure and fly and some decent brown trout are always available as well.
Bronte Lagoon has been a stand-out fishery for a few seasons and it’s continuing to impress with lure anglers catching trout drift spinning and trolling with fly anglers also faring well with dry flies targeting fish feeding off the surface.
Wood’s Lake and Lake King William are great waters to take the kids or anyone new to trout fishing with lots of fish on offer for trolling or spinning anglers.
The Dee Lagoon is another water worth a run with some solid Rainbow and Brown trout on offer for lure anglers and Pine Tier Lagoon also holds lots of trout.
Our lower Derwent Hydro catchments, including Wayatinah, Catagunyah, Repulse, Cluny and Meadowbank, are all healthy waters and don’t forget Lake Crescent and Sorell, Arthurs Lake, Tooms Lake, Lake Leake, Lake St Clair, The Western Lakes, Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder.
ANGLERS are reminded of the “Back To Pedder” Australia Day trout fishing competition starting on January 25, 2024.For more information including entry details keep track of the Lake Pedder Anglers Club website and Facebook Page.
HARD-fighting black bream are biting in the Derwent and Huon Rivers/Estuaries with anglers taking some good size fish on bait and lures during the changing tide.
Saltwater anglers have options as well. Although recent changes rule out a lot of sand flathead fishing there are lots of other great table or sports fish to target.
Tiger “King” Flathead are available off Marion and Pirates Bay with some good size fish landed on fresh bait last week.
Australian Salmon are everywhere with big schools moving through the Derwent Estuary.
Snapper are starting to find their way to anglers berley trails and Mako shark are starting to turn up with some catches coming from around the shelf last week.
Some good size Blue Eye Trevalla and Striped Trumpeter also being landed on bait and jigs from deeper water and crayfish anglers are getting some good fish.
If you were fishing at Penstock Lagoon over the weekend you might of noticed a number of box traps set in the area which were part of a survey by the Inland Fisheries Service.
From December 11 to today the traps were set around the shoreline to help gauge the lagoons trout populations.
It will be interesting to see the results from this survey as reports recently suggest that some big fish have been caught and lost from the area recently.
Tight Lines until next week.