Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 113 2014 December

December 2014 - January 2015

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 113

Fishing with Jim Allen Weather, flies and places.

Page 30

Lake Gordon

Underfished, but worthy.

Page 25

Eels

All about our eel catcher, plus smoking them at home.

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Page 17 and 21

Marine Fishing News The latest news and info.

Todd Lambert, brown trout, Lake Crescent

Page 60

Summer Fishing Adventures Tyson Digney with some East Coast King George whiting. See more on page 8.

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The Summer days are long and warm and it’s a great time to get out fishing.

December and January are the start of fishing and boating for many, and often an extended break as well. Many Tasmanians are off to the shack - either on the coast or in the highlands. Trout are a primary target and our lakes become busy with anglers of all persuasions. It is a great time to fish.

Although Arthurs Lake has fallen in favour over the last couple of years, indications are it is back and the fishing has been fantastic — a visit is essential.

This issue ‘113’ is our biggest ever. Please enjoy it and follow the latest news on facebook at ‘Tasmanian Fishing’.

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Fishing News - Page 3

Meander River — Adrian Webb

5

King George Whiting — Jamie Henderson

8

Lake Leake — Mike Stevens

15

Eel Fishing — a look at the commercial fishery — Simon de Salis

17

Smoking Eels — Michal Rybka

21

Lake Gordon — Justin Causby

25

Jim Allen’s Highland Tips

30

Tiny Trout Waters — Peter Broomhall

34

Bradys Chain — Chris Wizniewski

39

Arthurs Lake — Joe Riley and Justin Causby

44

5000 Trout — Shane Flude

48

Taking a Break — Gavin Hicks

52

Batteries for your Boat

54

West Coast Sea Runners — Mathew Howard

55

New Products

57

Marine Fishing News

60

Lake St Clair and Pumphouse Point

61

We must apologise to the taxidermists in Tasmania. Apparently, since the last issue, which featured Lake Crescent monsters they have been over run with big fish. Crescent has received a huge increase in visitation and it seems ever monster has featured on facebook.

The Inland Fisheries Service’s Chris Wisneiwski believes taking some of these big fish out will do no harm and probably plenty of good to the fishery.

So if you want a big fish I suggest you visit Crescent very soon.

This issue you will read a lot on Arthurs Lake. It has been fishing really well for the first part of the season and I will certainly be giving it plenty of my

attention. From all accounts it will be a stand out season at an old favourite.

Also featured is an extensive article on Tasmania’s freshwater eels. It is not something most anglers think much about. It is a strong and developing commercial fishery and many of the waters are shared by both anglers and commercial fishers. Please give their nets some space and stop for a chat if you see any eel fishers. They generally only fish any water for a couple of weeks and in future will post their intentions and details at the boat ramps when fishing.

Mike Stevens

Mike Stevens talks fishing with Chris Wisbey ABC Statewide

Saturday mornings 6.40 a.m.

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

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

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

Fishing News - Page 4

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M

Meander River a Summer delight Adrian Webb

he Meander River is another one of the many rivers in the north of Tasmania that until a few years ago was a free flowing natural river.

This beautiful waterway that starts its journey from the Central Plateau area of the Great Western Tiers and into the new Huntsman Dam above the small township of Meander.

With its flow now regulated it continues on down through Meander, from here it travels on down through Deloraine and on for another thirty five kilometers to Hadspen where it enters the South Esk River.

I am not a real believer in the damming of rivers, but I have to admit it has helped this river immensely, especially with the below average rainfalls Tasmania has experienced over the past few years. Now with a regular controlled flow of water from Huntsman Dam it has seen a great improvement to the rivers aquatic life and the system itself.

During the summer months with the good flow of water that it now has, I have seen a big improvement in water quality as well as a better catch rate of trout. Before the dam was built this river in the upper reaches slowed to a trickle and had

quite a lot of algae growing in it, that rarely occurs these days. Trout stocks improved immensely within a couple of years of the regulated flow from the dam.

Huntsmans Dam is an artificial fishing water only, that means fly fishing, spin fishing and trolling are the only means allowable to catch fish in it. It is open all year round.

The Meander River and its tributaries above and below the dam are open to the usual means of bait, spin and fly fishing but access to the river is limited.

The normal closed season applies.

The river above the dam fishes exceptionally well early in the season and also late season when there is reasonable flow. During the summer months the levels get too low and the trout move into the cooler waters of Huntsmans Dam. Small to medium size blade spinners and hard body lures have a very good catch rate throughout this whole river system.

The dam itself yields some very nice size brown trout, as the Inland Fisheries Service occasionally stock it with adult fish each season. It is now mainly left to natural recruitment. The majority of the fish caught in the dam are taken trolling from boats and

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Fishing News - Page 5

there is also some excellent fly fishing to be had from around the shoreline as well. The new opening and closing times are 5.00 am to 9.00 pm, there are signs at the entrance to the dam so it would be advisable to have a read of them before entering the area.

Jackeys Creek which is below the dam and flows into the Meander River contains quite a few brown trout, but they are not large fish. Access to this creek is very hard and tough on the body due to the harsh terrain, it is more suitable to bait fishing, so it is better to stay with the main river.

The stretch of river from below the dam wall to near the township of Deloraine has some very good sections of water to fish, and the majority of it is wade-able. The trout fishing is normally very good throughout most of the trout season.

Redfin perch are quite common in the lower river system and are quite often taken when fishing for trout.

The redfin that I have occasionally caught in the upper reaches have not been very big, larger fish have been caught in the lower reaches of the Meander where the river is much deeper and the flow is a little slower. Since the dam has been built and there is now a regulated flow of water I haven’t caught a redfin over the past couple of seasons in the upper reaches. Any redfin that are caught must not be returned to the river, and they must be disposed of in a humane way.

The fast water areas along this river produce some very good catches once the weather becomes much warmer and the water temperature increases.

During Summer, be on the water by 5.00 am. I believe this is the best time of the day to start fishing for trout.

As the sun gets overhead and hits the water then it’s time to head back to the vehicle because the fish head for cover. There are tree lined sections on the river that are covered by the shade, so give these sections of river a go before the day gets too hot. These shaded areas will and often produce quite a few fish. There are several areas where the road runs quite close to the Meander and has thick vegetation along the river creating shaded areas suitable for fishing up to midday.

One other area to visit before fishing below Deloraine is at the lower end of Western Creek in the Montana area. It carries small to medium size brown trout that Fishing News - Page 6

Adrian Webb contemplating the next cast.

are quite a lot of fun to catch on light tackle. I fished a small section on the way home from the Meander one day and caught six fish with a surprise catch, a nice solid brown tipping the scales at 880 gms. Most fish in this creek are small and usually average 260gms. Water level fluctuates quite a lot due to farm irrigation, and during the drier Summer months it is best to stay well clear of it as the water level is just too low for fishing. Spinning, bait and fly fishing are all regular methods of taking trout in this creek. It does run through private property so one should contact the land owner to gain access.

Remember a trout license doesn’t give you the right to enter any private property at all, it is only a license to fish the freshwater streams, rivers and lakes.

Now back to the Meander River, from Deloraine through the Shoulder of Mutton Plain to Hadspen.

Below the bridge on the Bass Highway near Deloraine the river is deeper and has a more gentle flow to it and is much more difficult to wade. The river flows mainly through private property so permission must be obtained before entering most areas. There is some excellent bait fishing in the lower sections early in the season when the river runs high and spills after heavy rains. Keep tuned to ABC radio as they keep updates on flood warnings after many hours of good rainfalls and this is the time to bait up with worms and fish the backwaters and ditches as they start to fill. Most times flooding occurs during the Spring and this is when the

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fishing in the lower section is at its best. Wet fly fishing is probably worth a try at this time as well, especially in the backwaters where you can often see trout tailing.

During the drier Summer months there are quite a few areas reachable near the bridges that cross the river at several different places. River road at Deloraine has reasonable access in quite a few places both sides of the Bass Highway. Porters Bridge, Egmont Bridge, Strath Bridge, Knights Bridge and the bridge on Westwood Road all have some sort of access to the river they cross. For me I prefer the upper reaches of this great river with its clear fast water sections, it is one of the top brown trout rivers in the North of the state. The trout in this upper reach vary in size from 180gms to 700gms, and will all give you a run for your money on light tackle. There is always a chance of catching the odd large brown in the river too. My personal best brown trout was caught and released in the Meander River last season and it went 2.9 kilo’s. You may also pick up a few rainbow trout too if you fish the fast water in the upper reaches of the river. It is best to fish with light tackle to have a good success rate for catching trout in this river, and a bag limit of twelve fish per person applies. The legal length is 220mm, and an Inland Fishing License must be obtained and carried with you whilst you are on the river with a rod in your possession. So load up the car and get down to the Meander River, you won’t regret it, whether you spin, fly or bait fish this river you will enjoy the adventure.

A fine specimen from the Meander. **Footnote: The Meander River runs very clear most of the year but does become discoloured after heavy rainfall.

Care must be taken when wading this river system, especially if you fish the lower sections of the river as there are some reasonably deep sections there. It is probably better not to fish the lower section alone if you intend to wade it, as safety is a priority.

There is Anglers Access along approx. 30 kms of river and access maps are available from most tackle stores or any of the Information Centres around Tasmania or they can be downloaded from www.ifs.tas.gov.au Please respect the land owners property when fishing Angler Access areas and do not litter.

Adrian Webb

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Fishing News - Page 7

K

The King is alive Jamie Henderson

As good a KGW as you would catch anywhere in Australia.

The Fish

I

t all started a few years ago when a small number of King George Whiting were caught in Georges Bay on a few different occasions. We didn’t think too much of it at the time as lots of different species turn up in the bay quite often, some continue to be caught and some come and go. But we kept our eye on it, monitored catch rates and anecdotal evidence over the next few years and found that all of a sudden there were more and more fish being seen. Before you know it we have now had a regular King George Whiting season for about 4 solid years and hopefully will now be another permanent species to add to the ever growing list that is caught out of St Helens.

Some would say that King George Whiting are the perfect fish, they fight hard and are great sport, are a fantastic table fish, require minimal equipment, can be caught by all ages and with a little bit of knowledge and know how are not difficult to catch.

The right rig and right locations are essential.

Fishing News - Page 8

The King George Whiting, or Sillaginodes punctatus, sometimes also known as the spotted whiting is predominantly a coastal marine fish and is a member of the smelt-whiting family.

The KGW inhabits the south coast of the country from southern Western Australia right through to New South Wales and as far down as North East Tasmania.

Flinders Island has always been known locally as a bit of a hot spot as far as Tasmanian is concerned and has certainly produced some very large fish to date.

They are distinguishable from other species of whiting by a unique pattern of spots, as well as its elongated shape.

The King George whiting forms the basis of one of southern Australia’s most important commercial fisheries, reportedly worth over five million dollars per year.

There is very little known about the KGW movements in Tasmania, however just recently we had Professor Greg Jenkins from Melbourne University’s zoology department come down to Tasmania with a team of researchers to investigate the newly flourishing Tasmanian fishery as part of a three year government funded research program.

Prof. Jenkins said that while KG Whiting is the biggest fin fishery in Victoria early research may suggest that the fish stocks may actually be from Tasmanian spawners.

Generally speaking spawning takes place in April through June in mainly offshore areas where the larval stage drift with currents for up to four to five months and up to 600 kms. The larvae end up in the coastal estuaries with the aid of water currents and tides and during the summer months, when water temperatures warm up, growth is quite rapid with most fish reaching a size of about 28cm at about two to three years old.

By the time the fish have reached 35cm they can be up to three to four years old and at this stage start to move out from the bays, progressively moving into deeper offshore waters as adult fish.

KGW can reach a maximum length of 70cm, can weigh up to 2.5kg, and have a maximum age of fourteen to fifteen years.

Locations

There are a handful of hotspots around the state that are now producing regular numbers of quality KG Whiting. Flinders Island has always been know as the Whiting capital of Tasmania with some enormous fish coming from the island’s waters. but now other areas around the state are giving it a run for its money.

Waters around Smithton, Bridport, Ansons Bay, Low Head and my back yard Georges Bay St Helens are now producing some fantastic fishing with high quality hard fighting fish. Fish seem to be in the 35cm right through to 65cm range which rivals any other KG Whiting fishery anywhere else in Australia.

One key factor I have learnt very quickly while targeting King George Whiting in Tasmanian estuaries is the specific location in which the fish chooses to feed, if you are not right in the zone you will not be successful.

What the angler needs to look for are areas of some current flow, either in or adjacent to a channel, where there are patches of sand or shelly bottom in amongst patches of broken weed or weed beds, anywhere there are good shellfish beds close by is even better.

The KGW will sit in schools just off the edge of the weed in the current and pounce of food items being stirred up flowing past them. In order to consistently hook these fish you must place your baits right in the little area a foot or two from the weed edge. If you hit the right zone the result will be an almost instant bite and hopefully a hookup. If you find yourself too close to the weed leatherjacket and wrasse will be the dominant species and too far out onto the sand will generally see a long wait between fish.

If you start to look closely at your local waterways you will start to see the type of environment described above is quite common, you too may have a good population of KGW right under your nose without knowing.

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Fishing News - Page 9

Techniques and Tackle

The tackle required to target and catch KG Whiting is not complicated nor is it a high tech issue. I favour slightly longer rods, similar to those you would use for bream, in the 7-8 foot range with a soft tip action, a nibble tip style is ideal. The KG Whiting have a very quick but subtle little bite so fast action stiff rods don’t allow the fish to be able to grab the bait without feeling to much resistance and letting go. A soft action with sensitive tip is whats needed to allow the fish to scoff the bait and let the angler detect the bite, the KG Whiting has a very distinguishable bite, a classic little nibble that you will begin to learn over time, but any 6½-7 foot light spinning style rod should do the job ok. Matched to a small spinning reel in the 1000-3000 size spooled with some light 6-8lb monofilament or some 4-6lb braided line will compliment the rod and should be able to handle anything a decent KG Whiting will throw at you.

My personal outfit at the moment consists of a 7’6” Shimano Bushy Bait Legend Whiting rod coupled to an ATC Valiant SW3000 reel and spooled with some 6lb Mustad Thor braid. The soft action and sensitive tip of this rod is perfect for detecting and then allowing me to react to the take quickly. The KG whiting don’t muck around, they hit the bait quickly and often all you get is a very fast “rat-tap-tap” and it will have stripped a whole bait from the hook so you need to feel the bite immediately and react to it.

When it comes to rigs for the KG Whiting they are reasonably simple and can be done a couple of different ways. Hook choice is very important and I

A couple of rigs for whiting, or you can buy ready made rigs.

favour two types of hooks, the Mustad long bait holder and the Gamakatsu worm hook both in a #4. They are chemically sharpened, fine wire high penetration hooks that will minimise missed takes. Being long shank hooks they also offer a bit more insurance against leatherjacket bite-offs.

The most basic rig you can use is a simple running ball sinker rig, not my preferred option but I have seen it working to good effect and it’s simple to rig and stay on top of. The hook is tied to the end of the trace then a short distance, approximately 30-40cm, up the trace tie in a swivel with the ball sinker above this on the main line. The amount and size of the ball sinker will be determined by the depth and strength of the current but does mean cutting and re tying the main line onto the swivel as conditions change.

My preferred rig is what is commonly termed as a Ledger Rig, This consists of a small snap swivel slid on to the trace and the sinker clipped onto this, then a swivel tied to the end of the trace with about 40cm of 6lb fluorocarbon trace tied on the end of that and then finally the hook. Wilson Surecatch make a pre-made version of this called the “tangle free whiting rig” that is perfect for Tassie waters. Its ideal for use in deep or shallow water, fast tides and is the perfect rig for those times where the KG Whiting can be touchy.

I find small bomb style sinkers are best suited for use with this rig and only ever use just enough weight to get the rig to the bottom but still allow some natural movement; you don’t want to anchor the rig to the bottom. This style of rig allows you to change the sinker weight to suit the conditions without having to change the whole rig.

i e r a r t o n d n a e z i Life s

Fishing News - Page 10

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The KG Whiting seem to find little what I call “Hot Zones” in and around the sandy patches with nearby weed beds where they feed, your baits need to be in these zones. If the fish are there and feeding once the bait hits the bottom they will be onto it almost immediately so be prepared for a fast tap, tap, tap, nibble like bite, strike quickly to set the hook being careful not to be too violent that you pull the hook from the fish’s mouth.

When choosing baits for the KG Whiting make the effort to have premium quality specimens not just some junk you have had laying in the freezer for a while that may have been thawed out more than once, a little bit of care in this department will reward you later on. The whiting will eat a range of baits that include yabbies or nippers, prawns, squid, worms but by far the favourite is the pippie.(or cockle depending on where you come from).

Here in Tasmania we have two native species of shellfish the venerupis clam and the katelysia cockle, both of which are great baits for the KG Whiting but will need to be collected by hand from sand flats and are not available to purchase through bait shops etc. The other type that will be able to be purchased through tackle stores will be the SA pippie and is also a great bait however due to quota restrictions on pippies in SA are fast becoming hard to source.

The North West Coast is another hot spot.

Bloodworms and beach worms are difficult to find in Tasmanian waters however Dynabait do a freeze dried series of worms in bloodworm, sandworm and tubeworm. They can be kept in your tackle box and only need a few minutes of rehydrating in some water to leave you with a quality top rate KGW bait. A small

piece of squid tentacle is also a fantastic bait to try, a little bit of a bash with the back of the knife to tenderise and thread on the hook to leave a little trailing tail that will wiggle in the current will not be refused.

Successful fishing for this particular species however does require the angler to be actively involved, you need

a i n a m in Tas

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Fishing News - Page 11

to be on the ball and react swiftly to the fish hitting the bait. Just casually baiting the hook, sticking the rod in the rod holder and sitting back waiting will not produce the fish. Take care baiting up, check the rig is correct and not tangled, make sure the sinker is just enough to keep it on the bottom not anchored, stay in touch with the line tight and strike quickly at the slightest indication of a rattle……even then you will still miss a lot of takes as the KGW are fast at pinching a bait.

From my experience you also need some moving water to get the KG Whiting fired up, I have found that as the tide starts to rush they become more active and once you have found a few they will stay on the bite while the tide is running hard only slowing as the water movement does. This will mean often changing sinker weights to allow your bait to be presented in the most effective manner during the changing tide run.

The King George Whiting are a hard fighting, fantastic table fish, some would say one of the best eating fish in Australian waters, and are able to be caught by anglers of all ages. Every season for the last few years we have been seeing more and more of them appear in quite a few different locations around the state all the way from the North West coast to the East Coast estuaries and in sizes up to 65cm.

Tasmania is fast adding another great species to its ever growing list of fantastic fish and, I hope will continue to prosper and we as anglers can help this by limiting our catch.

I urge anglers every day to limit themselves to a maximum of five whiting each, the current fisheries regulations may allow for more but in my opinion we

React quickly if you want to hookup. don’t know enough about this fishery or the fish itself to take too much advantage of an old rule and risk depleting a fishery before it begins to establish itself properly. Help look after the fishery and ensure we have

strong numbers of KG whiting to catch in the future and only take a few fish for an immediate feed, limit your catch not catch your limit.

Jamie Henderson

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A couple of fine specimens.

Fishing News - Page 12

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A few King George whiting from around Tasmania

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Fishing News - Page 14

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L

Lesson from Lake Leake Mike Stevens

L

ake Leake has been a water I have fished infrequently, but for many years. It has great history as a water supply and an up and down ride as far as a fishery goes.

It is smallish and relatively shallow and has in the past hosted some fantastic early morning midge hatches and outstanding mayfly hatches.

Its waters contain brown and rainbow trout, brook trout in the past and many small redfin, plus a few big ones.

A recent trip with a mate Bob started at 3am and 5am on the water. It was filled with expectation of an early morning midge hatch, with rising fish expected all over the lake. That didn’t happen.

So we took it easy for a while and for a couple of hours we drank coffee, had a snack and caught up on missed sleep. We would wait for the dun hatch. Of course it was imminent - we had been told, but that didn’t happen either.

Not to be discouraged in any way we tried dry flies, nymphs under dry flies, and then we got properly serious and changed to sinking lines and started pulling wet flies.

Nothing worked – although the wets did get plenty of attention and follows, but I don’t think a fish grabbed either of our flies at all.

A call was made to go to shore for another coffee, so we found a quiet corner and made our way in for another rest. I was watching for rocks so Bob wouldn’t scratch his new boat, but what I saw surprised me. The rocks were moving.

In very shallow water – perhaps 20cm deep there were several fish mooching around. The light was just right, water clear and whilst there was some cloud, the sun was the right angle for me to polaroid these fish.

Whacko, I thought we are on for some fun and games.

We beached the boat without worrying about more rocks and planned on an onshore assault. All I needed was to present any fly in front of the fish and they would turn the water into a washing machine. Wrong again.

Mike with a nice brownie polaroided in shallow water.

A nice box of flies, but nothing that worked on the day.

Dun pattern on its own first, Red Tag next, large brown nymph, small nymph under dry – all were just as effective - nothing happened. Although one fly did receive a sideways glance – it could have been contempt more than anything though. These fish were not spooked and came and went on their own little beat. One fish even swam under the dry and dragged the beautifully presented nymph along his back and sank the dry. Some of this was going on less than a rod length away. These were fish 3-4 pounds and making us look pathetic.

Righto, I will move along the bank, find a dumb one and show them how good I really am. I saw a couple

A sinking flyline shortened by a Yamaha....

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Fishing News - Page 15

more in the first 15 metres and then nothing for the next 300 metres. I went back to where Bob was – still in the same place – and the fish were still there – mooching around.

The area looked the same, but perhaps the bottom was a little different. It had a hard mud bottom with just a centimetre or two of silt. It stirred up when walked on, but quickly settled again. So there must be something the fish were finding to eat. Whatever they were feeding on wasn’t fast moving as the fish were not swirling, or seemingly chasing anything.

They were just cruising. Perhaps scud (amphipods) or stick caddis were the preferred menu item so I put on a stick caddis tied by my mate Hughie from Melbourne. I’d had some success with it before.

I put it in front of the next passing fish, and nice as you like it sipped it down beautifully from just under the surface. By this time though the light for polaroiding was nearly gone and cirrus cloud was putting a bad reflection on the surface.

However it was a lesson well learned and as the military saying goes “Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.” Look hard and look long before barging ahead.

At least we had found some fish and even caught one.

We found some similar shore and saw quite a few more fish, but the good light had left us and most fish saw us before we saw them.

I checked the lake level (bom.gov.au under river heights Tasmania) when I got home and hope to get back soon. The level showed Lake Leake height 3.6

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Bob Gardner looking for a fish. metres. I am not sure exactly what that means, but it is an indication of the height I will look for on the BOM site.

These fish were not spooked easily. They were swimming around in bright sun in shallow water. They can be caught, and I find fishing for any fish I can see extraordinarily exciting. It doesn’t matter whether it is a leatherjacket, garfish, trout or bonefish. An old friend who passed away, John Brookes always said ‘sight fishing is the best fishing’. He was right, about that and many other things.

Mike Stevens

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Eel fishers - watchers of our trout waters Simon de Salis

A

unique partnership between Hydro Tasmania, the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) and professional eel fishermen is boosting the health of Tasmania’s inland waterways and the sustainability of the State’s growing commercial eel fishery.

Tasmania has the most predictable and high quality juvenile eel migrations within Australian waters, but 50 major dams built for the creation of hydroelectricity obstruct these upstream migrations. So IFS and Hydro Tasmania give hundreds of thousands of elvers (baby eels) a metaphorical leg up into the Hydro catchments and the eel fishers translocate as many more to other inland waters around the State.

The IFS annual elver harvesting and restocking programs support the wild fishery in Tasmania’s rivers and lakes, where eels are a vital part of the ecosystem as the only large, native, predatory fin fish. Hydro Tasmania has a responsibility for 53 of Tasmania’s major lakes and at least 1200 km of natural creeks and rivers are influenced by their operations in some way.

“The elvers migrate upstream to find a water inland to feed and grow to sexual maturity, then they head back downstream and out to sea to their breeding grounds,” says Brett Mawbey, who manages the IFS elver programs. “However, their migration is impeded in many places by Hydro structures, so we work with Hydro Tasmania to get around that problem.”

IFS personnel catch elvers in fine-meshed fyke nets at the Trevallyn Power Station tailrace at Ti-Tree Bend on the Tamar River and collect more from the Lake

Meadowbank Dam fish trap on the Derwent River.

Hydro Tasmania assist in both these undertakings: whenever possible they increase the water flow from the tailrace to attract the elvers when IFS are harvesting elvers in the Tamar, and the fish trap is at the end of a ladder Hydro Tasmania built into the Meadowbank dam wall to assist elvers and lampreys to surmount the obstacle.

About 1000 kgs of elvers are harvested annually, each kilogram comprising about 900 fish. Hydro Tasmania has contracted IFS to translocate 400kg into Hydro catchments, and pays them to do so. David Ikedife, a specialist environmental scientist with Hydro Tasmania’s consulting arm Entura, says that the ecology of the catchments is the primary concern.

“Eels are a key native species and an important component of the ecological system,” says David. “We have to ensure that we have a good recruitment structure in our catchments, and do whatever we can to help IFS in this regard.”

Entura is also researching safe passages for the grown eels to migrate downstream. Although they can get over the dam wall when the water spills, and through the valves that release water, most eels travel via the turbines, where a portion get through but many die.

“We are about sustainability and innovation, and while we are satisfied with the way we are getting them upstream, we want to complete the circle and get them safely downstream as well,” says David.

David says that although Hydro Tasmania’s concern is predominantly environmental, it will support the

commercial fishers where possible, and Brett Mawbey says IFS must balance all interests.

“Eels are a very important part of the food chain, and keep everything in check,” says Brett. “They are also a valuable source of food for humans worldwide, so a healthy commercial fishery is important as well.”

Tasmania’s annual commercial eel catch is about 75 tonnes: 98 per cent are Short-finned eel, the rest Longfinned eel. It is a limited entry fishery comprising 12 commercial fishing licences (including one for Flinders Island and one for King Island), each with a discrete area to fish but no catch limits. Some 30 fishers are seasonally employed in the industry. The main capture method is fyke nets, modified to prevent by-catch such as platypus, and there is also some downstream trapping of migrating adult eels.

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Fishing News - Page 17

Each licence holder is entitled to 50kgs of elvers for free from IFS, and more can be bought if required.

The fishers must translocate the elvers allocated to a particular licence into the designated catchment area of that licence, in consultation with IFS. Veteran professional eel fisherman Wayne Finlayson, whose family own four licences and net about half of the entire annual Tasmanian catch, is proud of his family’s work to not only sustain the fishery, but to enhance it.

“We translocate a couple of hundred kilos of elvers every year and we also relocate juvenile eels as part of the restocking process,” says Wayne. “We also catch pest species like carp on behalf of the IFS. There is no water that we work on that we do not try to improve.”

All elvers harvested by IFS are taken to Wayne’s eel holding facility at Bagdad, where they are graded under a stringent protocol overseen by IFS to ensure introduced and undesirable native fish species are not translocated with the elvers.

If IFS has surplus elvers, they can be sold for as much as $250 a kg. Some have gone to China for fish farms and others to Victoria to restock local waters.

Setting fyke nets at Riverside’s tail race.

Wayne Finlayson sorting eels.

A slippery business and a wonder of the world

W

ayne Finlayson has spent much of the last half century catching eels, yet remains fascinated by the enigmatic creatures.

“I’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure them out, and they still surprise me,” says Wayne, who first fished professionally for eels with his father as a school boy in the early 1960s. “For example, I have seen them Fishing News - Page 18

Eel nets are set from the shore outwards. Boat anglers need to take care.

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Wayne sees a good future and a growing market for Tasmanian eels, and also great potential for a much larger catch through unexploited waters and new dams.

He is also researching ways to prevent eels from being destroyed by the turbines in Hydro dams, which he says could boost the eel population significantly.

The Finlaysons are partners in Highland Pacific Exports, responsible for the catch and export of 95 per cent of the Tasmanian eel catch. The company is mainly focused on the live eel trade but has partners able to process the fish into a gutted and frozen product to meet the buyer’s specification and market requirements.

A frozen sea container business is also available. For more information visit www.highlandpacific.com.au

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congregate in large numbers until they mass into a ball and then roll together over obstacles. They are a wonder of the world.”

Today, Wayne, his wife Margaret and his son Shaun between them own four of mainland Tasmania’s 10 commercial eel fishing licences, and the processing facility Wayne designed and built adjoining his Bagdad home takes all the eels caught in the State. From there they go regularly to Asia (mainly live) and Europe (mainly frozen), and sometimes to New York, with a small amount sold locally and on the mainland. Total catch for Tasmania is about 75 tonnes a year, with the Finlaysons bagging about half that, and the gross export value about $1.25 million.

While the Finlaysons – including Bradley, who recently returned home from Western Australia to fish with his dad Wayne and brother Shaun – make a decent living out of eels today, it has not always been so. Since going into partnership with his father in the early 1970s after completing a plumber’s apprenticeship, Wayne has seen good times and bad, and been driven out of business more than once. But he persevered with eel fishing for one reason: he absolutely loves it.

“It gets into your blood,” says Wayne. “You see incredible things and go to so many beautiful places that other people rarely see. It is just such an enjoyable job.”

Wayne loves the travel, which is just as well because there is a lot of it. Each licence allows fishing within a designated catchment: the Finlaysons’ four areas are on the north east coast, the far north west, the South Esk catchment and the east coast and Midlands. They fish countless farm dams and lakes in those places, and as each expedition involves at least two days work – one to set up the nets and another to take the catch – there is plenty of driving and camping, as well as pre-dawn starts and late finishes. The work is hard and physical, in fair weather or foul, although they do not fish in the winter months as the eels are largely dormant then.

The Finlaysons fish from large, flat-bottomed dinghies – designed by Wayne, like much of the their operational equipment: “I pride myself on my ability to

make things work,” he says, without conceit. Numerous tunnel-shaped fyke nets are stretched in rows around a water, just below the surface, with a net barrier extended near each row. When the eels swim into the barrier, they turn and travel along it into an opening in the fyke net, and become trapped inside. The fishers pull each net by hand and dump the madly flapping and writhing eels into a large plastic bin. When the bin is full the eels are tipped into a mesh bag, which is then lifted back into the water and attached to a submerged pole. All the bags are regathered at once when the water has been fished to its full potential.

Sometimes several hundred kilograms of eels are taken in a couple of nights, and the catch is lifted by the fisher numerous times before it is tipped into a tank on the tray of a truck for transport back to Bagdad. The Finlaysons do all the processing by hand as well, and the fish are handled more times still at the plant before being exported alive, usually in a bag full of pure oxygen inside a polystyrene box in planes bound for niche markets in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The ideal size for an exported live eel is about 700 grams.

“Wild Tasmanian Short finned eels are prized in Asia, but are not a premium product as such,” says Wayne, who has travelled to Asia to investigate and cultivate the markets. “They grow slowly and are older and tougher than the Asian farmed eels, which are grown out in ponds very quickly and have soft, delicate flesh.

But wild Short finned eel deep fries beautifully and in a light batter is to die for: it tastes delicious and just melts in your mouth. It is also perfect for smoking, which is what the Europeans prefer to do with it: they like them big and juicy, a kilo plus, with high oil content. Our eels are sought after more and more in Europe because they are catching less and less of their own.

“The Chinese, on the other hand, prefer our Long finned eel, which they consider has special properties and is an aphrodisiac. These are slower-growing, bigger and a lot more aggressive than Short finned eels and we have to be pretty careful when we handle them.”

Incredible and mysterious creatures

he extraordinary life cycle of Anguilla australis, Tasmania’s most common eel, demands incredible feats of strength and endurance by these mysterious creatures.

Commonly known as Short-finned eels, they are believed to spawn somewhere in the Coral Sea, at depths of about 300 metres, although exactly how, when and where is not certain. Large breeding females, bigger than their mature male counterparts at up to 1.1 m long and 32 kg in weight, can contain as many as 10 million eggs. Once fertilised, the leaf-shaped eel larvae are swept south in the East Australian Current until they reach the continental shelf, when they metamorphose into an eel shape. Known as glass eels because of their transparent flesh, these tiny creatures move into Tasmanian estuarine waters from March to November, quickly adjusting to fresh water and transforming into pigmented elvers. By then they are up to three years old.

The elvers then commence their migration inland, usually at night, and spend several years heading upstream from the estuaries. They can overcome obstacles as large as a waterfall by travelling overland like snakes when ground conditions are damp enough up for them to slide along.

The young eels settle in creeks, rivers, swamps, dams and lakes, preferring a still water habitat, where they feed on a variety of aquatic fauna including insects, crustaceans, molluscs, frogs and fish. They have nocturnal and obscure habits, but may be seen moving into shallow areas on dusk to feed. Feeding eels are believed to occupy a definite home range. They can also hibernate or enter a period of dormancy over winter due to low temperatures, and have been known to bury themselves in damp mud when the water dries up.

Adults vary in colour from dark brown to black on backs and sides. During the years they spend in their freshwater homes feeding and growing, the eels have a yellowish belly and are known as yellow eels. When they reach sexual maturity, the males between eight and 12 years and the females between 10 and 20 years of age, their belly turns a pale silvery colour, and they are known as silver eels. The mature eels migrate downstream on a long, exhausting mission to reproduce, eventually returning to their spawning grounds in the Coral Sea more than 2000km from Tasmania, where they spawn and die. By then the males are as old as 25 and the females 35.

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Fishing News - Page 19

Eel fishers are an asset for trout fishers and IFS. Respect them and their gear.

Eel fishers help IFS monitor inland waters for environmental health and ensure there are no introduced species.

If you see nets in the water please stay clear as the chance of entanglement with props is something both parties don’t wish to see.

All nets are set from the shore out to a max 25-35 metres and marked with either a wooden stake or floating buoy.

When eel fishers are at a public water there will be signs at the boat ramp with contact details for the current eel fisherman on site.

Eel fishers try and minimise the impact to the trout fisherman.

Tasmania’s next most common eel, Anguilla reinhardtii or Long-finned eel, are dark greenish-brown to black with a mottled or spotted appearance on the back and sides and a lighter belly. They grow slowly, up to 1.5 m in length and up to 20 kg in weight, and may be as old as 50 years when they migrate back to the sea. Like the Short-finned eel, they are believed to spawn in the Coral Sea, and follow the same migration routes. Anguilla

reinhardtii has a similar life cycle to Anguilla australis, and much the same diet, although big long-finned eels have been known to eat small water fowl. They live in a wide range of freshwater habitats, but are not as common in lakes.

All pictures by Simon de Salis.

Summer Starters

Most public waters are only eel fished for a short time.

Please respect the eel fishers and stop for a chat if you see them. They might even give you some trout tips.

Brad Finlayson from Tasmanian Eel Exporters can be contacted on 0409 686 472 or email: brad@tasmanianeelexporters.com.au

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Smoked Eel A delicacy made in your back yard

Smoked eel is a real delicacy.

Michal Rybka

W

hile not hugely popular in Tasmania, smoked eel is considered a true delicacy in many countries.

It is particularly popular throughout Eastern Europe where it is often sold at a premium price. While it is rare to encounter this type of smoked product in Tassie, I have seen it at a one of the seafood establishments on Hobart’s waterfront. The sale price was over $50 per kilogram. You may be asking yourself, why so expensive? At that price, it must taste amazing, right?

Well, the answer is yes, it is expensive, but the taste is something special!

In my opinion, hot-smoked eel tastes a bit like crayfish, with the added flavour of smoke. The flesh is oily, and it is similar in appearance to that of cooked cray flesh. The high natural oil content of eel makes it the perfect fish to smoke.

Smoking these slimy suckers takes me right back to my childhood here in Tassie. My Polish background meant that I was exposed to these skills from an early age, watching my father. These skills have since become the foundation of the techniques that I now use to successfully smoke trout. I have also made some killer smoked venison jerky in recent times – but that’s a recipe for another day!

When I was a kid, my father would use a simple homemade wood-fired hot smoker made from a 44-gallon drum, which was very cheap and easy to do.

As long as the fire was not too hot, this method worked very well. Unfortunately, the downside to this technique was the need to constantly supervise the fire to ensure that it did not get too hot, and also that it did not go out. As you may have already guessed, this turned out to be the perfect job for a kid such as myself!

So if you are new to ‘smoking’, the method described might just be a great introduction to this cooking technique. Get on the internet and Google it – you will soon find plenty of suggestions! Otherwise check out one of the smokers that I have made from an old wood heater fire box and 44 gallon drum.

These days, all of the eel (and trout) I smoke is ‘hotsmoked’ in my homemade gas powered smokehouse, which I made from an old steel clothes-drying cupboard.

Controlling temperature, which is more difficult with the setups described earlier, is a lot easier with this gaspowered setup. There are also many electric and gas powered smokers available commercially, with some available at your local tackle store. They do cost a bit, but on the upside they are simple to operate will generally produce a consistently good product.

Catching eels

The best time to catch eels is in the summer months.

They are very active at night when it is warmer and this is the time you should be targeting them. No special gear is required. A solid bait rod with at least 10 lb mono line will do the job just fine. A thicker breaking strain line doesn’t matter because they are not fussy with the presentation. It is also probably advantageous to use thicker stuff because the big ones can take some getting in. Once hooked, they have a nasty habit of wrapping themselves around any submerged tree roots or logs.

When I was a kid, my father would use 30 lb line or heavier and he would literally drag them up the bank!

Most freshwater rivers are good starting points for this type of fishing. The South Esk, North Esk, Macquarie and Meander rivers all have big populations of eel. Simply set your rod up with a running sinker rig similar to what you would use for trout. Use a small gape long shank hook and stick a heap of fresh garden worms on it. Grab a comfy chair and wait! It’s that simple. You will know an eel is having a go at your bait when you feel a long series of subtle bites or even pulls. Don’t expect an aggressive take like a trout or even a flathead – eels don’t do that. When you feel the bites, be patient and give them a few opportunities to have a go at your bait.

Once you have given them a chance to get the bait into their small mouth, it is time to set the hook!

I should also mention that I like to have a plastic bin with a lid close by. This bin is filled with an ice slurry (fresh water and ice) and the eels go straight into this.

Make sure you also have an old towel handy for handling the eel (and wiping yourself down), because the slime sticks to everything. They also like to wrap themselves around your hand and the slime does not come off clothing easily. It should also be noted that the eel is a hardy creature and although the ice slurry will slow them down you may find you will have to dispatch them properly once you get home.

IFS regulations

An IFS Recreational Angling licence is needed to take freshwater eel in Tasmania.

Minimum size: 300 mm Bag limit: 12 fish

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Fishing News - Page 21

Cleaning your eels

Remember that any fish will begin to spoil the minute you land it. Enzymes and bacteria go to work straight away and they will take away flavour from your fish and break down the flesh.

Bleed your eel using a quick cut behind the head, but keep the head on (I will explain why later). Make sure that you remove all traces of the bloodline (which runs along the backbone). Using a small teaspoon can make this task quick and easy. A small plastic nailbrush is another great little tool for this task (you can use it to scrub away the bloodline).

Once you have gutted and cleaned the insides of your eel it is ready to be brined. There is no need to take the skin off. Keeping the skin on the eel actually helps to keep the moisture in during the smoking process.

Brining

Basic Eel Brine: 6 litres of cold water 2 cups of table salt (non-iodised) 2 cups of brown sugar Hint: using the above ingredients as a brine base, try adding freshly crushed garlic cloves, sliced onion or fresh herbs such as finely chopped dill. They will impart more flavour into the final product.

Add cold water to a suitable receptacle with a lid. An old esky is perfect. Add all of the above ingredients. The next step is to dissolve everything really well in the water.

I use a stick blender to do this quickly and effectively.

The resulting brine should be a weak to mild tasting one. I always taste it, just to make sure that it is not too salty. If you can handle the salt level of your brine during this tasting, then you are headed in the right direction with your recipe. If the taste is too salty, you can always add more water. If you follow the quantities suggested in the recipe above though, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Once the brine is ready, submerge the eels (whole) in the brine. Make sure that you only use eels that are fresh. Seal your container or esky with the lid and leave the eel in it for 24 to 48 hours. If it is a hot day and you are worried about spoilage, then a plastic soft drink bottle of water that has been frozen can be added to the brine. This will ensure that the contents remain appropriately cooled.

This drying process is crucial as it allows the formation of, what is called, a ‘pellicle’ on the skin. In short, this step helps to seal in the moisture and preserve the end product.

Hot Smoking (in a gas powered or electric smoker)

Your smoker will need to be fired up well in advance (a good 30 minutes). You are aiming to get the smoker to a temperature of 60°C. Place the desired wood chips in your smoker box. I often use American mesquite (try Bunnings or ask at your tackle store), due to the light smoke flavour that this wood imparts. However, more recently I have used silver birch, with great results. There are also many other woods that are suitable for smoking eel. Wood obtained from fruit trees is widely used throughout Europe; you could try apple, pear, cherry, apricot or even plum. But avoid using resinous woods such as pine or citrus. They will impart an unpleasant bitter flavour to your fish.

Aim for a very light smoke by not using too many chips at once. Once you have reached the required temperature and the smoke level is appropriate, it is time to load the smoker. Place the dowels at the top of the smoker. The eels should be suspended from them with the cotton twine by their heads. It is important that the eels do not touch each other once you have them positioned in the smoker. Most smokers will take dowels that you have cut to fit. They will slide in where the top rack usually sits. However, you may have to modify your smoker, depending on the type that you have.

Close the door and smoke the eels at 60°C for the next three hours. Then, for the last hour (four hours in

Air drying

After the recommended time period, remove the eel from the brine. The brine will be slimy and horrible looking, but shouldn’t smell off. Discard the brine, as it cannot be used again. Grab a clean towel and give each eel a wipe-down to get the slime off. Because the brine recipe is quite weak, it is important that you do not rinse the eel in fresh water.

Timber rod dowels are used to hang the eels in my smoker. Set these up in your drying area (a closed garage away from any flies) and tie the eels on. Use cotton twine to hang each eel by the head from the dowels. Cotton twine is a must, as it doesn’t burn easily. You should be able to get it from the supermarket or your local butcher.

Leave the eels to air dry for at least 2 hours (this will depend on the temperature). The skin should be fairly dry to touch, although a little tackiness is fine.

Fishing News - Page 22

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Check the temperature carefully and don’t let it get too hot.

For stockist information Tel. 02 9780 8200 or visit rapala.com.au

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Fishing News - Page 23

total), increase the temperature to 80°C. The last hour at a higher temperature will ensure that any potentially harmful bacteria are destroyed. A bit over 80°C is fine, but be careful not to bake the eels!

After four hours, the smoked eel should be ready. The end product should have a dark golden colour. When pushed with your finger, the flesh should feel firm, but still be moist. If it is mushy, then the eel will need a little more time in the smoker. Obviously, the bigger the fish, the more time that will be required. A good indication of whether they are smoked properly is to look at the eyes. If the eyes are white (like a hard-boiled egg), then your eel is properly smoked and ready to eat.

Storage

Just like all smoked fish, smoked eel should be stored in the refrigerator at all times. If you have access to a vacuum sealer, then the life of your product can be extended significantly. Eel smoked using this method (and vacuum sealed) will keep for around four weeks if stored under 4°C in your refrigerator; however, make sure that the fish are completely cooled before sealing.

Vacuum sealed and frozen, smoked eel will keep for up to 12 months. Cutting them up into smaller lengths will enable you to fit quite a few into one of the larger

bags. As a final note, be sure to exercise proper food hygiene. That means clean your hands, utensils, chopping board and any other equipment that you have used throughout the process.

Smoked Eel Fillets

This is something that I discovered watching a documentary on eel smoking in Norway not that long ago. After smoking your eel, let it cool. Grab the whole thing and with a very sharp fillet knife remove the fillets. Start at the tail and work along the backbone of the smoked eel. Next, cut the ribcage out of each fillet.

You can then simply ‘pull off ’ the skin from the fillet.

You are now left with a gourmet sensation that is both ‘boneless’ and very appealing to your guests. Serve with a slice of lemon and enjoy! And don’t forget, smoked eel can also be stirred through your favourite pasta or salad.

Smoked Eel Pate

Ingredients 1 x small handful of shredded smoked eel flesh 1 x tub Philadelphia cream cheese 1 tbsp. horseradish cream (Horlein brand available at Coles) Freshly chopped dill or chives Juice and rind of 1 x lemon Salt & Pepper to taste Whiz everything up in a food processor and enjoy with some crackers and cold white wine!

Note: you can substitute the s m oked eel wi th smoked trout too.

Conclusion

The eel industry is huge in many countries. Even our own state has several licenced harvesters who net these fish and export them all over the globe.

Smoking eel is just one form of preparing this tasty fish. There are many other recipes for it out there, such as deep fried eel, which I am told is also super tasty. So the next time you encounter that slimy eel, think again, it might just be worth keeping!

Michal Rybka

Fishing News - Page 24

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G

A Look at Lake Gordon Neglected, but not unloved Justin Causby

A typical Lake Gordon fish.

The 140 metre high dam is impressive.

L

ake Gordon is truly one of Tasmania’s forgotten waters. Visitation here would be one of the lowest in the state from our 20,000 plus licensed anglers. But given you hit this place at the right time it can turn on some very memorable fishing.

Lake Gordon History

Lake Gordon itself is an impressive piece of water.

A 140m high concrete arch dam holding back a body of water with a surface area of 272 km2 and an astonishing 11.9 cubic million litres of water. At the time of completition, despite a strongly led and backed protest from environmental groups, the Stage 1 Gordon River Development produced the single largest water storage and hydro electric scheme of its kind in Australia, dwarfing Lake Eucumbene threefold.

Adams Bay as very impressive as a spectacle with a towering waterfall entering the lake from the Adams River which runs through the old mining town of Adamsfield where Osmiridium was once mined.

Officially proclaimed in October 1925, Adamsfield saw 2000 people living there but by the end of the harsh

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1926 winter some 1300 residents had left. At the time Adamsfield was producing the world’s only pen nib quality Osmiridium with £100,000 of ‘ossie’ recovered fetching up to £31 per ounce which at the time was extremely good money in anyone’s pocket. By the late 1940s the last resident, Stan Gerney, who stayed on as Post Master passed away leaving the town desolate.

Fishing

Tree falls on Clear Hill road are common.

Launching can be a test.

The results can be spectacular.

Rising water levels produces the best fishing as rainfall gathered in countless inflows raise the level of the lake covering long exposed ground. The long arms of the many bays provide good fishing as their reaches tend to slope in to shallow bays that allows a lot of ground to be covered quickly as levels rise. The many inflows themselves providing possibly the best fishing. Another highlight being juvenile perch feeders. Gum beetle falls are relatively good unlike nearby Lake Pedder but it’s rare to see fish up on them sadly. Mudeye hatches are also almost non-existent when compared to Pedder but this can be associated largely due to the dramatic rise and fall of the lake due to hydro power generation requirements.

Popular areas to fish are Ragged Basin when levels allow it, as it can often be empty at low supply. At levels of reasonable to high supply Ragged Basin, easily the most popular area to fish, along with both the northern end of Holley Basin and Pokana Bay all fish quite well.

But you have to hit them as it is rising, not months later.

As water levels fall the fish can all but disappear at times leaving you wondering just where they all went.

Adams Bay can fish okay, but it’s a long drive by water from any part of the lake and herein lays the problem with many of Gordon’s fishy areas. It’s such a huge body of water with very limited access much of the lake still remains untouched by anglers. Ragged Basin stands as the most fished but largely due to a boat ramp a short drive off the Gordon River Rd. Your next option is launching at the power station ramp between the intake and the dam wall. Very deep water, largely uninviting but nearby Knob Basin providing reasonable fishing in rising water levels.

Matching the ‘refin’ hatch.

Monster stoneflies are on the menu.

That leaves option number three; that is Boyes Basin.

It’s a long drive in along Clear Hill Rd but to me it’s the best fishing in the lake and most other devotees agree that fish this water. Launching is directly off the old logging road and can be tricky, both soft and difficult if not impossible to turn at times. I’d suggest two vehicles at most times in the year and NEVER without a chainsaw. Tree falls are a major problem.

I don’t fish it anywhere near enough but the long drive in at around an hour after leaving the bitumen can be well worth the effort. The only warning is it can be under full working load as the region is logged heavily and the gate is often locked. This is not the case at present but can be subject to change at any time. A key can be obtained by deposit from Forestry Tasmania.

Aside from a full Pokana Bay, Lake Gordon doesn’t get any prettier at full supply and is where you will find the mighty Gordon River entering the lake. Very deep water at the neck gives way to a gently sloping shore under the mountain range. The Gordon River extends up a majestic valley snaking between Mt Wright and The Thumbs and hooking north through the flat valleys extending through a huge catchment area starting its flow from just south of Lake King William.

Trolling in Boyes Basin can be very successful and probably produces the most fish for the regular visitors.

Devotees state and average size of around 1.3-1.5 kg, a

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Tannin coloured waters hold plenty of fish. double figure fish also landed last season here to trollers.

Both flat line and lead-line trolling can be rewarding.

Given the amount of timber standing, Tassie Devils are by far the most popular lure, still relatively inexpensive they are very effective but don’t hurt as much to lose as a $25 minnow to a submerged tree or branch. Trolling the old river bed is very popular and at low levels is easily followed through the drowned timber that covers much of the lake. The shallow sloping bank under Mt Wright and it’s mountain range is relatively open compared to the remainder of the bay and in rising levels provides

exceptional fishing. Looking at it under low levels you would swear the black clay banks would hold yabby beds galore much like Pedder but again that hydro draw down basically eliminates life that can sustain beyond a season or two such is the dramatic change.

Regardless of any time of the year one thing that never changes is the Gordon River inflow. This produces fish. Massive boulders are strewn across the valley floor some as big as houses, many siting in the river making for dramatic pools, eddies and back waters in the usually reliable flow. Some of these you can imagine probably fell a million years ago. Some very recent leaving a visible scar through the forest as they crash from the mountain face several hundred meters above leaving a bright pink scar on the granite rock face where they once sat through the eons.

It’s where the river directly enters the lake that can be the best fishing. Both casting lures here or fishing soft plastics deeper through the 2-5 metre range leading up to the faster flowing water can be extremely effective.

The trout usually take without refusal and don’t be shy on bright colours. Did someone say Nuclear Chicken.

Fishing lures, something with a rattle doesn’t hurt. The water is dark and tannin stained such is all of the west coast storages. On my last visit I chose to tie on a 70 mm Zipbait in a trout pattern. Several quick fish later, the reason for its success was soon revealed. A fish coughed up some very fresh perch fry around two inches long and they lay beside my lure on the boat floor. It was an unintended but perfect match the hatch. Still one of the best ways to fool the trout in any water.

We proceeded to pull half a dozen fish from the fast flow throwing lures beside the big boulders. No doubt missing many fish lying deeper in the holes beside many of the rocks. They hit incredibly hard and in the fast water put up a great fight before tiring quickly.

Fishing amongst the boulders can be rewarding.

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A stunted redfin from Gordon.

Disappointing was the condition of the fish. While a couple were in good to very good condition the rest were left wanting. One large fish around 3kg rolled on my lure swinging across current and never connected.

Despite repeated casts with lures and plastic it couldn’t be raised again nor sighted the following day. A similar fish over 2 kg was lost after a brief but aerobatic display.

Some friends fished this lake last year taking some serious fish to 3.5 kg all caught lure casting. An even bigger fish at an estimated 5 kg was lost after a brief encounter with a giant boulder.

The redfin perch in Lake Gordon grow pretty big too. There’s a massive population of stunted small fish but here you can find some genuine trophy redfin. We managed a best of just under 30 cm this trip but in the past I’ve landed them close to 4 lb in the old scale. The second crew we travelled with landed several well over a kilo while we were there this time around and they were in exceptional condition. We even finally tried one in the camp oven and I must say they were right, they do taste pretty good.

Given its current level of 33.2 m below full supply and even more to fall it’s not a pretty place with a huge perimeter scar marking the entire lake edge. But this will give way to rising water levels at some time in the not too distant future. And this will see the fish grow. Condition will pile on and the average size will soar. Such is the massive catchment area of this huge lake in recent July rains that saw floods in some areas of Tasmania, Lake Gordon rose 1.1 m in 8 days. If you can fathom that amount of water over 272 km2 surface area, then factor in that Hydro Tas were drawing 100 mm per day at the same time it makes it even more extraordinary. This lake can add water unlike no other in the state.

It can be a very daunting water given its size but the rewards can be great. They also can be few if you take it on at the wrong time. But that‘s part of life and fishing, sometimes you just have to try it. It’s a very beautiful and special part of our world, in our own backyard.

Combined with a visit to the majestic Lake Pedder it’s well worth a look if you have a few days to spare in our wild and rugged South West Tasmania.

Justin Causby

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Fishing with Jim Highlands - and Arthurs Lake tips, tactics and secrets as told to Mike Stevens

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Jim Allen’s mantra is ‘the weather is everything’ when choosing where to fish.

am probably the most frustrating angler someone could get stuck with. Why? because my very strong view is it is better to get four hours of good fishing in, rather than eight hours of poor fishing. I am a weather tragic and can spend hours in the mornings dawdling around my shack, serving coffee, drinking coffee, and holding court about where to go and what to do.

Mostly everyone gets frustrated about not fishing and off they go.

The weather in Tasmania can take time to settle during the day and what is happening at 7am is often completely different to the settling weather at 11am.

Many anglers drive forty five minutes only to find, as the weather settles, the location is far from ideal. However, I try to make no such mistake, and I head out when I’m reasonably sure the fishing will be good.

I want to know whether there will be blue skies, cloud or a mixture. So a late start can often be a real bonus – less fishing, but often a better location. Another reason I like a later start is because the temperature will be rising.

And if that rise in temperature combines with weather clouding in you want to be on a dun fishing water – such as Pine, Woods or Arthurs.

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If on the other hand the cloud doesn’t come and you get a cobalt blue sky and a rising temperature the options can be western lakes wade polaroiding – or jump in the boat like I do and get out on Great Lake for some Shark fishing or now Arthurs seems to be clearing up, you can head down there.

My decision on where I go fishing is always, totally dependent on the weather. That’s why you will see me in my shack drinking coffee with mates, often as late as noon, but be assured one eye is looking out the window watching for a change or the weather to settle.

Tasmania is unique in its weather patterns for several reasons, one being it is a small island and every part is affected by a sea breeze of some sort. Bass Strait influences this as well of course and northerly winds predominate. Even a southerly pattern can get knocked down by the northerly sea breeze.

The northerly comes in as a sea breeze with moisture and as it rises and cools over the western tiers it becomes cloud, then as it makes its way down Tasmania it clears again. I take this into account and sometimes it pays to be much further south than you would normally plan because that cloud in the morning can be quite thick,

but by two o’clock the heat of the day has burnt it off.

So don’t wait for me.

I remember reading David Scholes’ Fly Fisher in Tasmania and he explains how he would sit in his Launceston office watching the sky, and if conditions turned to his liking David would do a mad dash to the Macquarie. Of course he was a wind watcher as well and also took great interest in weather patterns and the imminent summer sea breeze. David was a pilot in WWII and he would have learned a lot about weather.

He carried that forward to his fishing observations and when it was right he went fishing.

The weather conditions always influence my fishing decisions. I’ll give you two examples. First thing in the morning there can be a big cloud cover coming in from the north, but looking south it is starting to gradually break and ‘blue up’. Is some cases this will have me on the southern end of Great Lake as the blue sky will move north and vision for polaroiding will improve all afternoon. Only a few kilometres away the northern end of the lake can still be in cloud and never fit for spotting fish. So even on the same lake the fishing can be poles apart. On occasion that can also apply from east to west.

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Sometimes I can be that frustrated at noon watching the blue trying to move up I chase the clear sky south and drive to Bronte or Dee Lagoon to get away from the cloud. I am always looking for polaroiding, because I just love sight fishing. Some anglers just want fish and dun feeders, but I always look for polaroiding opportunities first.

The 50:50 days, neither overcast nor clear blue skies frustrate me. The great days are cobalt blue skies or drizzly gray overcast day with a warm easterly. These warm easterlies can put a fog over Little Pine and Arthurs and you just know the duns will come on at three o’clock. I’d put money on it and I’m a scrooge.

Before leaving the weather and talking of other things I must say I hate fishing in the rain. The rainy days can be the best dun days ever though, and even better if it is warm and drizzly. And then there are thunderstorms. I was at Ada Lagoon with Julian Brown and a thunderstorm came rolling through. It was calm and every fish was rising, then the lightning and rain came crashing to the ground and I was scared. It passed through, went dead calm and with a heavy black thunder cloud background and sun behind us we could polaroid fish as well as on a bright blue day.

That same day I sensed something odd and I could feel my rod buzzing. I threw it up the bank thinking I might become a lightning conductor. Julian just thought I was a wimp. So thunderstorms can bring some fantastic fishing, take care and I suspect standing in a tinny with a graphite rod stuck in the air is not a good idea.

So, please look at the weather maps and try and understand what it all means.

Above: A nymph under an indicator works well when fish aren’t on the top.

Arthurs Lake

To me Arthurs is the most important lake for anglers in Tasmania and always has been. I have fished it from the 1970s and there would not be any year it has not played a huge part in my Tasmanian summer. The last few years have not been good and there seems to have been a water quality/turbidity issue, which I would like to know more about and understand and the dun hatches have been a shadow of what they once were.

In the 1980s the dun hatches were the best in Tasmania and I remember huge rafts of duns so thick they would build up against my little Savage punt. I even saw a fish run into my boat once as it gobbled up duns unaware we were there.

Last season the fish were small, the duns seem to be returning and fish were eating them. Arthurs looks like it has turned the corner and on the way back. Those fish of half a kilo or so should be approaching one kilo and more and I am very excited at the prospect of some outstanding fishing this season.

It is a lake that has it all: windlanes, duns, nymph fishing, water snail beds, ant falls, gum beetles and more.

The dun fishing, because it is so visual though is what excites me. Seeing a fish take off the top, tracking it, getting a fly in front of it and fooling it into eating your fly is the best. Interestingly Victoria has seen the return of good dun hatches in the Ballarat area this spring.

Whilst I fish in Tasmania December through to March I have plenty of spies telling me there has been good dun hatches on Woods and Four Springs, so I am optimistic.

Polaroiding can be possible under heavy dark clouds.

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The weather I like for Arthurs can be the two options I love for many places: completely overcast or clear blue skies, without a lot of wind. However if I know the skies will be clear there are plenty of options. Some of the best fishing in Arthurs can be from the shore. Use the boat to get to a good shore and get out. I think we tend to fish from our boats too much.

In recent years turbid water has not been conducive to polaroiding, but I am led to believe the water is becoming clearer. I hope that is correct.

In the past Arthurs was a water you could go to in any conditions and have a good day. If we ever doubted where to go, we simply went to Arthurs – and caught fish. It was always the backstop water and I am hoping it will be again. I am very confident.

Methods

The dun fishing when it is on means I will be fishing to moving fish so my ‘go to’ flies are always an emerger. Without doubt, for me, I find the ‘build up’ and ‘mopping up’ stages of the hatch are the best times to fool a fish. They seem to get ‘the smarts’ when the hatch is in full swing and really lock into the real insect rather than an artificial. You will see the most fish in the middle of the hatch and it is great to cast to them, but the results may not be the best.

I have always liked fishing a nymph under a foam indicator and it is now a standard Miena joke to call this a ‘Jim Allen Dry Fly’. My mate, and guide, Bill Beck gives me a hard time about it, but to me it is still a very visual way to fish. Bill thinks I should use a fly as an indicator – it would be an extra chance to catch a fish, he says.

But I like my method, I can easily see an indicator, but not a fly as well. Sometimes I want to hang two nymphs of different sizes under the indicator as well, so I am sticking to the foam indicator. I love to fish a dry fly OR really concentrate when fishing nymphs.

Depth for the bottom nymph is 300 mm above the weed, or bottom, and if using two nymphs I put the other half way to the surface. I vary these and watch the sounder to get the depth.

Striking, I believe is a learned art and to the many snatchers out there please listen. If the indicator is ‘downed’ as I call it, I want a firm positive, confident strike, as if you expect a fish to have eaten your fly. The same applies for dry fly fishing. In music you would probably describe it as ‘Staccato’, light and crisp!

are very silver, no colour in their spots and generally a little smaller and leaner than their weed bed cousins.

They are great eating though!

A word of caution. Arthurs Lake can become a very dangerous boating destination in big sou-westerly gales that sometimes arrive very suddenly. I always have a “safety pack” of matches, a few muesli or chocolate bars and a torch. A night in the bush will do little harm compared to a tragedy of a capsized boat!!!

Areas

My first thought when launching is to look at wind direction and then think about where I will be able to good a good drift along a shore or across a favoured weed bed.

There is some very good fishing in a couple or areas where black soil is predominant. There are a few around the lake. One is the northern end of the Cowpaddock and another is Fleming Bay. Wherever you find this black soil you will also find isopods and stick caddis. The fish love these and I like to fish around these edges, because I know the fish will be there.

There are plenty of weed beds around the lake as well and all these hold fish. One of my favourites is opposite Jonah Bay and Tea-Tree Bay also has some really good weed beds as does the eastern side of Brazendale Island.

Something I don’t do much of these days is early mornings on Arthurs fishing the foam lanes. These can be especially good on foggy mornings with little or no wind. I just head out from the ramp – and in the past this was usually the Pump House and as soon I get to a good foam lane I stop. There are ALWAYS fish in these somewhere mopping up midge or other foods.

An interesting point I’d like to make is I find two types of fish in Arthurs. Both are brown trout, but I find what I call pelagic fish in the middle of the lake. They

Six quick questions 1. You have one day’s fish left. Where and how would you spend it?

It would be sight fishing and I have two places in mind.

One would be Belize fishing for permit, which are a wonderful species to fish for, hard to catch, but very rewarding. The other option would be on Great Lake shark fishing on a cobalt blue sky day chasing those beautiful golden trout with a dry fly. I get excited just thinking about it. As far as I know this style of fishing is done nowhere else in the world.

2. You can only have one fly. What is it?

A Barry Lodge Emerger. There are other emergers, and plenty have tried to copy Barry’s, but no one has got the colour right. He was a great fly tier and I am fortunate I still have a few originals.

3. Best tip.

Go fishing. It sounds simplistic, but the more time you spend on the water the more you will learn. Keep a fishing diary. I have kept a diary from when I first fished in Tasmania. It makes fascinating reading and a lot can be learned for past entries. Learn to cast. If you can’t get the fly in front of the fish you won’t catch them.

Getting out of the boat can be very rewarding.

Always look for fish in the foam — on any lake.

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4. Angler you most respect.

I’d have to say Bob Roles, a business partner from my past. He studies the craft intensely and tries to understand everything about the trout. What they are eating, when, how and why. He is an unhurried, patient, determined and unassuming man. When he finds a fish - and it is usually where he expects to find one, he takes the time to get into the right place to cast, chooses the right fly and makes the right presentation first time. He still weighs fish in ounces and never guesses their weight.

5. Most memorable day fishing – anywhere, ever.

It was 12th March 1986 in Tasmania and I had the Great Lake pub at the time. I drove around the highlands in a little white Suzuki and loved a walk in the western lakes. There was a little known water with very few fish in it, but they were monsters. It is now known as East Rocky Lagoon.

I had looked at this water a few times and knew one or two big fish lived there. I snuck away from the pub and in those days there were no limits as to where you could drive if you had the vehicle to get there. The Suzuki was an amazing little vehicle and would go anywhere. I made my way past Carters and hid the little 4WD near Chipman, out of sight behind a bank.

When I got back to the pub I carried in four brown trout that weighed 39 pounds. The biggest was tad over 12 pounds. We killed everything those days and I was as proud as punch showing them off to all my patrons.

It is not something I would do these days, but it was normal then.

Barry Lodge flies with the Emerger front and centre.

Flies: Courtesy of HRT.

6. Favourite rod setup.

I love the new graphite rods. It astounds me how they keep improving. I tend to prefer a medium speed rod over the faster tip actions and love both the Orvis and Sage range and use a six weight.

Reels don’t matter much – they are all good and after all, only hold the line!

For lines it is always a weight forward and I go a line weight up, so a #7 on a #6 rod. These days a lot of lines are half a weight heavier as well, so a #7 is often

a #7 ½. Most casting is not long distance and this extra weight is better for shorter distance, fast presentation and our windy conditions.

Leaders I still tie myself to the Ritz formulae, but usually with a longer point. They turn over well and I have never found anything better. If nymph fishing they can be lengthened to 15 feet.

Jim Allen was interviewed by Mike Stevens.

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Tiny Trout Waters Targeting the twig waters Peter Broomhall

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Small fish are great fun to catch.

he little red Bruisers Bug lands with a gentle plop just a few centimetres from the grabbing fingers of the trailing stream side vegetation. Below the surface the resident trout, a wily brown, senses the fly’s arrival. The trout’s eyes swivel around inspecting the offering. Will he take it or won’t he ?

So begins another twig fishing adventure on one of Tasmania’s abundant “Lilliputian” streams...

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My own relationship with small streams and creeks started many years ago when fishing for the native galaxid species known to us at that stage simply as tiddlies or mountain trout in the local streams that were easily reachable by bicycle or foot. These small fish were caught by simple methods, mostly a tiny piece of garden worm on a small hook attached to a willow stick, the ultimate twig, by a short length of nylon. Other species encountered in these early days were shortfin eels, roach (also known as sandies, freshwater flathead and tupong),

pygmy perch, freshwater lobsters and sometimes a secretive brown trout. Catches were proudly displayed in a bucket at home until it was time to return them to their watery domain.

Unbeknownst to me at that stage these early encounters fostered a life long affair with these tiny waterways and their inhabitants. Discovering their hidden secrets has been a passion of mine ever since and any opportunity to explore a new waterway is eagerly sought out.

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Fortunately for myself and other twig water trout fishing enthusiasts Tasmania hosts a plethora of tiny waterways that generally hold good quantities of diminutive brown trout and to a lesser extent rainbow trout. From babbling highland brooks full of pocket type water, secretive slow flowing tea tree lined creeks to farmers irrigation ditches we have it all.

These micro waterways all have their own distinctive characteristics and time taken to get to know them will be greatly rewarded.

Fish size is best measured in length rather than weight on these waterways but what the trout lack in size is certainly made up for in density of population and pure beauty. Brown trout with neon red or orange spots haloed in white and sparkling little parr marked rainbows are really living works of art. Each trout has its own individual markings that never cease to amaze.

Finding a stream of your own

There are a number of reliable methods to locate a suitable stream to undertake some twig fishing.

Tasmaps in the 1:25000 series and Google Earth are great resources that I regularly utilise as well as my well worn copy of Greg French’s great book Trout Waters of Tasmania. This bible has many likely streams listed by name and is a great starting point. Concentrating around the tributaries of the major river systems is the place to concentrate your efforts. In my local area the Mersey, Meander and Leven rivers have many, many tiny feeder streams that are extremely productive fisheries in their own right and the majority of other river systems throughout the state will be exactly the same. An often utilised method is just going for a drive to check any potential streams out. You will often find me standing on a bridge or as in the case of many of the streams of this type simply a culvert, checking out a potential future fishing spot.

The best time of year to check out a stream for its trout holding capability is certainly in the warmer months. Many little waterways that are flowing strongly during winter and early spring simply dry up in the summer which does not bode well for good sport of course. The very best small streams are the spring fed beauties that hold a strong flow of cool water even through the driest periods.

Many of the very best streams run through private property. It is vital that you gain permission from the landowner before entering these properties. A knock on the door of the nearest farm house followed by a polite request will rarely be knocked back. If you are really lucky some extra info on the waterway may be proffered.

One of the most productive small streams that I fish, certainly in terms of fish size, was come across completely by accident. This was a narrow stream or ditch that we had driven by many times when heading for more distant waters. From the main road it was a discoloured, rather unattractive stream and did not warrant a stop. One day and I am not sure why, I stopped to have a closer look. Not really expecting to see anything worthwhile I wandered down to the culvert and took a look upstream along a blackberry lined run. What I immediately noticed was a brown trout of around two pounds in weight sitting smack bang in the centre of the remarkably clear stream on the lookout for food. Of course this sent me dashing back to the car to grab the

000 weight flyrod. That trout was hooked (and lost after a short battle) casting from the bitumen. A short session covering only a few hundred metres on this stream then yielded a number of beautiful trout averaging well over one pound including my biggest small stream brown to date, a four pounder. Since that day my companions and I have explored more than two kilometres of that stream and found some remarkable fishing throughout its length. In many places it can be stepped over with ease but the good average depth throughout and cool spring fed water means it stays productive right throughout the warmer months.

The finding of that stream was a lesson learned in that you should never drive over any potential trout water without at least taking a look. How many similar waterways are there in Tasmania that anglers turn their noses at while driving past to get to more well known, and of course harder fished locations.

Another bonus with fishing the small waters is that you will rarely run into another angler, something that is getting much more common on the rivers and lakes throughout the state.

As productive as the small tributaries of the major river systems have been, the small creeks that run directly into larger lakes have been equally unproductive. It appears that in many instances the majority of the larger fish drop back into the lakes early in the season after the spawning runs, although there are the occasional exceptions to the rule.

A Bruiser Bug is a great small stream fly.

The fishing

Summer time brings on the very best fishing conditions on these micro streams especially for my preferred fly fishing method. The resident trout at this time of year are always on the lookout for terrestrial food such as beetles, grasshoppers, willow grubs, caterpillars and ants to drop into the water. Careful stalking of these streams and well placed casts with dry flys to the visibly feeding trout will result in some sensational sport on warm summer days.

Casting can be frustrating in tight spots.

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Fishing News - Page 35

there to witness it is there ?… I am very lucky to have a quite a few regular fishing companions that have a twig rod in their arsenal. We generally go fish for fish on the streams rotating with each landed or just simply hooked trout. This is a great way to enjoy a day on the water and with the guys I keep company with sure to be full of laughs. An extra set of eyes can also be handy at times to spot trout sitting in lies that are impossible to see into from water level. Vantage points like tree trunks, high banks, and large rocks all can be taken advantage of by the spotter. Being able to guide your companion onto a trout is just as pleasurable as being on the end of the rod in my opinion.

Gear Requirements

Hooked, but released quickly.

The small stream browns and rainbows will still be holding station in the same areas that their larger water brethren prefer. Bubble lines, shaded corners, current seams and oxygenated ripples are all prime locations to look for feeding fish. There are seasonal dependant areas to consider as well such as runs along grassy banks when the grasshoppers are abundant or directly under tea trees when the white flowers are attracting the beetles and of course under the willow trees when the grubs are active.

Grasshopper feeders in the streams can create truly spectacular sport. When the trout are switched onto the hoppers splashing the fly down in the likely spots will often bring on a bow wave and splashy rise that will leave you under no illusions on whether the fly has been eaten or not. I have seen trout react from metres away to a fly landing, sometimes from upstream. How the small stream fish sense the arrival of the artificial fly and the natural hopper is amazing. Another feature of hopper feeders is when two or three trout attack your presented fly at once. When fishing to grasshopper feeding trout the normal rules regarding fly presentation go out the window. This is not time for the delicate upstream presentation, in fact splatting the fly on the water behind trout that can be seen is the way to go.

One mistake that many anglers make on the small streams and their inhabitants is that little trout are stupid and easy to fool. This could not be further from the truth with a false footfall or a clumsy cast often sending the pools resident trout from the feeding lies into hiding very quickly. There is nothing more frustrating than spooking a trout at a tail of a pool and then seeing it race upstream taking half a dozen of its mates with it…

Fishing News - Page 36

I prefer to cast dry flys at these trout and all the usual suspects in fly selection work well. Red Tag’s, Royal Wulff ’s, Humpy’s and their variants are good starters. My favourite fly for this fishing though is my little Bruisers Bug. This fly, developed over a number of seasons is a small foam, feather and fur concoction that floats well even after being munched on a few times. As a bonus it can be landed with a splat at grasshopper time and still be relied on to bob in the surface film. I tie these in red, yellow, orange and chartreuse with all colours being effective on their day. Other foam based flys like small versions of Dan Hackett’s WMD Hopper and Craig Rist’s Hair Chernobyl are also dynamite small water flies.

Nymphs can also be deadly on the small streams if the trout will not look up. Trailing a small pheasant tail nymph under a dry fly is a reliable catching method on the tougher days as is casting a single nymph to a feeding trout.

Casting on the small water is often restricted by overhanging vegetation, unless you are on the open button grass highland streams and this is where the roll casts and bow and arrow come into their own. Short rods, as discussed below, are essential in this fishing.

Casting longer than 5 metres is rarely required and in fact long casts are detrimental to success as indicated above you will just spook the closer fish which will go scurrying upstream and take others with them.

Fishing with friends

Sharing a day on twig water with a friend can be a lot of fun and lets face it, there is no point pulling off the impossible cast, or catching a big trout without someone

My efficiency in prospecting small streams certainly increased with the purchase of a shorter lightweight flyrod. These rods, commonly referred to as twigs ranging from 000wt up to 3wt in lengths from 6 to 8 foot are great little weapons for the accurate casting that these micro waterways demand. Coupled with a lightweight reel and matching weight forward (WF) or double taper (DT) floating fly line you also get immense enjoyment from the fight of the often diminutive denizens of this type of water when hooked up.

A lightweight fly box which holds a days worth of flys that fits easily in a shirt pocket and a simple lanyard holding nippers, tippet spools, floatant and forceps is all you will ever need.

Waders are certainly optional on the small streams.

The fact that many can be stepped over without getting wet and also in the summer wet wading can be a nice way to cool off on a warm day make the wearing of waders an unnecessary luxury. A word of warning though, the all too common occurrence of blackberry thickets and also the chance of snake encounters make the wearing of gaiters a definite recommendation along the streams.

Cormorants

Unfortunately over the last two summers a lot of Tasmania’s small streams have been hard hit by an influx of large black cormorants due no doubt to good breeding seasons on mainland Australia’s wet interior.

There are a few streams in my local area that have been decimated by these birds and the trout populations are now at extremely low levels. The streams will recover in time as the birds will move on when the food source is depleted but in the mean time looking further afield for more opportunities is required. The trout depletion in some of the streams may have a long term benefit though as the fish density reduction will let the food source replenish meaning fewer but larger fish for a few seasons before things return to normal.

Summary

Dig out your maps, turn on the PC or simply get a copy of Greg’s book and pick out a creek and get to it.

Some of my most memorable captures have been trout on the small streams. Images of these fish still burn brightly in my mind’s eye long after memories of much larger trout caught in different locations have faded. The locations that are visited when fishing the twig waters are worth the effort alone and if luck is on your side some memories of your own will be made.

Peter Broomhall

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

MY BOAT — SURTEES 7.3 Game Fisher John Hannon - Retired and fishing

Not a day past 60! - That was the plan.

To retire before 60 and be living the good life on the beautiful east coast of Tasmania with a good sized workshop and a plate alloy boat suitable for the area and large enough for comfortable overnight trips to the east coast islands.

With the location found and the workshop and unit built it was now time to concentrate on the boat Having an engineering background with 40 years experience in metal fabrication and welding including aluminium I thought the perfect retirement project would be to build my own boat. I carefully considered all options available including pre cut kit boats and I soon realised the amount of time and effort involved and my retirement was sounding more like work and I asked the question do I want to be fishing or welding?

The decision was easy, leave it to the experts and find a manufacturer, who could supply the following wish list; A deep-vee plate alloy hull between 6 and 7 metres Fully enclosed and lined lock up cabin Comfortable accommodation including toilet and hot water shower Provision to cook and wash up onboard Electric anchor winch and full electronic package Easy launch and retrieve trailer Boat, motor and trailer fully laden to weigh less than 2800 Kgs

There are plate alloy boats built in every state in Australia, all quality craft with many award winning manufacturers offering a vast range of production and custom boats to suit every buyer. Now it was time to do the homework, a process lasting several years as I studied all makes and models, read all the reviews available and compared every detail including costs to ensure when I made the final decision on the supplier it would be without regret.

Many boats came close to the short list but one in par ticular kept ticking all the boxes and had an outstanding reputation, the boat was the 7.3 Gamefisher built in New Zealand by Surtees Boats and there was a dealer in Tasmania.

The well established family business of Deegan Marine in Ulverstone operated by Hadley Deegan and wife Sandra had a similar model in stock and from the first of many inspections I was very impressed with all the boats features, the quality of workmanship, attention to detail and a design and build that can only be described as engineering excellence!

A sea trial was arranged with Hadley which proved the sea going ability of the vessel and confirmed the Surtees claims of a smooth non pounding hull.

At last the decision was made and it was time for Hadley to contact Surtees Boats and prepare a quote to include all the factory and dealer options I wanted to complete the boat within the allocated budget,

Having confidence in the dealer and pleased with the final costs I had no hesitation in signing an order to allow construction to commence.

Six months later the boat arrived in Tasmania and the team at Deegan marine began the task of motor fit up and electronic installation with the same skill and high standards of the manufacturer to produce a finished boat package that is truly magnificent.

Hand over day was here and I was very keen for my wife to see the boat I had been talking about for years. The boat’s presentation was excellent and my excitement was obvious as I demonstrated to my non boating wife all the features on board. She was happy my dream had come true and was delighted with the very thoughtful gift of champagne and flowers from Sandra to mark a special day.

The team at Deegan Marine are focused on customer service and satisfaction and have been a pleasure to deal with throughout the entire process from our initial meeting to delivery.

I can recommend Deegan Marine to anyone interested in any of their boats on offer and I am sure they will receive the same level of quality and service that I have enjoyed .

John Hannon Orford,Tasmania Check out Surtees Boats at surteesboats.com

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Fishing News - Page 37

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Fishing News - Page 38

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W ‘..Wizzing around the southern Highlands

25 years experience chasing poachers, trout and carp....

Laughing Jack is a great fishery, but under fished.

Re-Power and Service Specialists

A typical brownie from the ‘Jack’

C

hris Wisniewski has spent the past 25 years working for IFS – much of it in the Central Highlands based at Tarraleah, Liawenee and Lake Crescent Chris is known to many, simply as Wiz and as well as being the face of the carp eradication program, he is also a passionate angler. Here are some tips, suggestions and observations on some lesser known waters that he believes are under fished.

Laughing Jack Lagoon

When thinking of places to fish, “The Jack”, would not be high on many anglers’ list. The lagoon tends to be high at this time of the year (-1.69 metres on 25 November).

Early in the season when the lagoon is full and the water is flooded into the tussocks the trout eagerly look for frogs.

There are a number of inflows at the top of the lake that are attractive to fish.

Early season fishing can be great, but the best fishing tends to be better later in the season when the level drops to around 8 metres from full. This usually occurs around March/April. The trout target the large concentrations of shrimps (phreatoicids) that can be found at the lake edge retreating with the water level.

Fish can be found cruising and tailing slowly in the shallows in the early and late light of the day. With overcast skies fish can be found on the shore all day.

The western shore is particularly worth a look at this time

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The water has a slight tannin colour and can get stirred up at lower levels during wind events. Despite low levels the mudflats are quite firm to wade. Trolling and drift spinning can be effective and bait fishing can be worthwhile.

If you are looking for somewhere a little different this is a great water to explore, with good numbers of fish generally in excellent condition averaging around one kilogram.

Access:

The Fourteen Mile Road runs between the Lyell Highway at Tarraleah and reconnects with it about 6 kilometres west of Bronte Lagoon. “The Jack” turn off is a couple of kilometres from the western end of the Fourteen Mile. The first section of the road into “The Jack” follows an old wooden pipeline that transfers water from Clarence Weir to Bronte Lagoon. After you pass the weir the road weaves through open eucalypt forest until you reach the dam

Camping:

There are informal camp sites either side of the dam and up along the shore of the lake. Some need to be accessed by boat.

Fishing regulations:

General rules and regulations apply.

Open season 2/8/14 to 3/5/15.

Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait).

A daily bag limit of 12 fish.

A minimum fish size of 220mm in length.

Best time to fish:

When levels are high and flooding into the button grass and trees and when the lake level gets to around eight metres below full supply level with the mudflats exposed.

Lake Echo

A lake that is a consistent producer of fish. It fishes best when the water level is above the 4 metre below full supply level. It is around this level that water pushes onto the grassy flats in Brocks Bay, Teal Bay and the Surveyors Marsh area in the North West corner and allows good shore fishing on the inundated ground. However this year this will most likely not happen as the level is at 7 metres from full as we enter summer.

Fishing out through the dead trees from the shore that are along most of the western shore is effective as there is generally a steep gradient that is good for spinning, floating a dry fly or soaking a bait. The water is clear and using polaroid sunglasses will increase your chances.

At this time of the year gum beetles start to appear on the water drawing fish to look to the surface. Trolling along the outside of the dead tree line is a good tactic and anglers commonly fish with lead lines to target fish in the deeper water.

Another great opportunity is wind-lane fishing. There are often reports of wind lane fishing in the Great Lake, but Echo can be a mini version. It has rainbows and browns – feeding on midges and gum beetles. From early morning midging fish to shark fishing in the waves Echo is a remarkable fishery.

Fishing News - Page 40

Lake Echo has some great fishing from the shore.

Lure fishers and especially trollers should fish along the tree edges as this contains a smorgasbord of food.

The mouth of Monpeelyata Canal is also a good location to target

Access:

Access by vehicle is only available from the southern end off the Victoria Valley Road. Driving across the dam wall allows access by 4WD to Brocks Bay where there are lovely camp sites. A series of forestry roads give access to the western shore where there is a middle boat ramp and more recently the road to the North West side was upgraded and a concrete boat ramp was constructed.

There are three boat ramps along the western shore and this is largely protected from the predominately westerly weather. It is worth exploring.

An Angler Access brochure is available for this lake. http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/publications/angler-accessbrochures

Camping:

There are numerous informal campsites around the lake.

Fishing regulations:

General rules and regulations apply: Open season 2/8/14 to 3/5/15 Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait) A daily bag limit of 12 fish A minimum fish size of 220mm in length

Best time to fish:

Summer time is fantastic with plenty of surface action available for fly fishermen yet the deep cool water allows opportunities for other methods

Some of Echo’s most productive areas are in the trees.

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

Bradys Chain of lakes: Bradys, Binney and Tungatinah

A small group of waters that have their local fans, but are often passed by others. There have been reports of plenty of good fishing over the early part of the season, and great optimism for the next few months. Bradys, Binney and Tungatinah have received plenty of stocking.

These waters have something to offer all anglers from bait to spin and fly fishing with a good chance to land good fish. There are many kilometres of shore that can be walked and fished. There are logs, structure, weed beds, dam walls, canals and inflows. There is always some shelter from any wind on one or all of these waters whatever your style of fishing.

The Bradys Chain offers good opportunities for the bait fisher. Often one of the most important things a bait fisher wants is good camping – this chain has plenty of that and it is well stocked.

Prime spots for lure fishers in this area are: Bradys – the mouth of the White Water where it enters from Bronte Lagoon, along the Bradys dam, the mouth of the Dee Portal Tunnel where water flows into Bradys Lake and anywhere along the Dee Portal Road shore which has nice deep water.

The dam walls on each of these water and any of the canals are also worth some focussed effort.

Fly fishers should note that Bradys gets really good wind lanes in the right conditions. They can provide awesome for fly fishers using a boat. Binney gets one similar.

The timbered shores in Binney near the dam wall on the Western side and the Eastern timbered shore can be tremendous with grassy bottom and timber in the water. There is good water to polaroid and Binney is a great spot for fly fishers.

Levels are not as critical in the Bradys chain as some other places. It is often better at between one and two metres from full supply. Being small hydro impoundments this system can fill at any time of the year providing good fishing in the flooded margins Brady’s Chain of lakes was stocked with around 10000 takeable wild adult fish that were sourced from both the Arthurs and Great Lake spawning run traps. This was an increase from the previous season when 5000 adult fish were stocked into this chain of lakes. The fish averaged around 500-1000 grams depending upon the water they came from. There have been reports of good catches coming from all three lakes in the Chain this season. It appears that the stocking with adult fish is working. In addition to the adult stocking last year these lakes received over 160 000 brown trout fry and this year the aim is to stock around 200 000 fry to try and build the population base back up after the struggle of the drought years.

Brady’s Dee Portal is one of the most productive areas.

Access

Easy access is available from the Lyell Highway to all of these waters and each has at least one or more boat ramps. The main Bradys boat ramp was recently upgraded and has a pontoon.

An Angler Access brochure is available for this chain of lakes. http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/publications/angleraccess-brochures

Fishing regulations:

Open season 2/8/14 to 3/5/15 Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait) A daily bag limit of 5 fish A minimum fish size of 300 mm in length

Best time to fish: All season

Camping:

Lots of lovely informal campsites. A great place for family camping.

An overview of Bradys Lake and a typical sized fish from Lake Binney.

Recent adult fish transfers Tumbledown Creek Arthurs Lake Hydro Creek Arthurs Lake Scotch Bobs Creek Arthurs Lake Mountain Creek Lake Sorell Liawenee Canal Great Lake Total

14,880 2,418 3,420 1,948 9,649 32,315

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

Fishing News - Page 41

Lake King William

This lake has a large population of trout. Most are small but above takeable size. There are some larger fish to be caught. The lake is a hydro impoundment and has a wide operating range of levels. At the end of November it was quite high and whilst the level is not critical to fish catches access can change a lot.

At heights above four metres from full the northern mud flats are covered and fish can often be seen rummaging around looking for shrimps and other foods.

There can be outstanding fly fishing to tailing fish during these conditions.

Exploration of this water is encouraged as it regularly gives up the largest bags of small but good conditioned fish of any water in Tasmania.

Access:

There is a track that runs along the eastern shore from the Clark Dam to Derwent Bridge providing access to the shore in many places. From the north the lake can be accessed from the Lyell Highway just west of Derwent Bridge. A bit further west on the Lyell Highway a forestry road leaves the highway near the Navarre River and from this the western side can be access as can the Guelph Basin with some exploring in a 4WD. A formal boat ramp exists at the Clark Dam and there are launching options from the flooded gravel roads at the northern end.

An Angler Access brochure is available for this lake. http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/publications/angler-accessbrochures

Camping:

Lots of lovely informal campsites.

General rules and regulations apply: Open all year round Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait) A daily bag limit of 20 fish A minimum fish size of 220mm in length

Best time to fish:

All year round but particularly spring and early summer while the water level is high.

Lake King William is open all year and is probably Tasmania’s most productive water.

Fishing regulations:

General rules and regulations apply.

Open season 2/8/14 to 3/5/15 Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait) A daily bag limit of 12 fish A minimum fish size of 220mm in length

Best time to fish: Summer time

Pine Tier Lagoon

A lovely, small, productive fishery. There is always a sheltered corner. The fish tend to be on the smaller side but a great place to fish with the kids Bait, lure and fly all exist happily together and if you have a family that wants to enjoy all methods and/or the camping there is no place better. This lagoon can have a bit of rise and fall in level, but through the summer stable levels and plenty of insect life. Good bait, lure and fly fishing. Trolling is also popular

Access:

From the Marlborough Road just north of Bronte Park. There is a good gravel boat ramp and a few informal spots where you can drop a dinghy in.

Camping:

A sheltered lagoon with some nice informal camping spots.

Fishing News - Page 42

Wayatinah Lagoon

A nice sheltered lagoon just down off the southern end of the plateau as you travel the Lyell Highway to or from Hobart. The lagoon has logs and stumps that provide good cover for trout. The bottom of the lagoon has good weed beds making it a productive water. Bait, spinning, trolling and fly will all catch a fish.

Access:

There is plenty of access around the lagoon that allows shore fishing and a boat ramp near the outflow enables the use of small boats for both spinning and trolling.

Camping:

There is a formal caravan and camping area at the Wayatinah Lakeside Caravan Park.

Current rates are: Adults (16 and up) $10 per night Children (5 to 15) $5.00 per night under 5 free Powered site add $5.00 per night if available

Fishing regulations:

General rules and regulations apply.

Open season 2/8/14 to 3/5/15 Open to all methods angling (fly, artificial lure and bait) A daily bag limit of 12 fish A minimum fish size of 220mm in length

Best time to fish: Summer time.

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

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Fishing News - Page 43

A

Awesome Arthurs Tasmania’s best all round trout fishery Joe Riley

T

Joe Riley with a typical Arthurs brownie.

he season seemed to start a bit slowly on Arthurs Lake. The reports from the camp ground at Jonah Bay was that very few fish were caught on the opening weekend. The quiet word from inland fisheries was that there had been a good run of big fish, in the 4lb to 6lb in the first run of trout into Tumbledown Creek. None of these fish were in the 20,000 trout transferred to other waters; they finished their mating and returned to the lake to begin to put on condition for the coming season.

Since the quiet start, the action has steadily improved; the continued high water levels have dropped somewhat but at the time of writing Arthurs is 1.1 metres from full and steady. The slightly lower level has sent trout out from the submerged kerosene bush into the weedy shallows, making them more accessible. Fish are easily seen chasing frogs in the shallows at low light and the caddis are thickening up and being regularly nipped off the surface. Mayflies are now hatching in good numbers.

In recent years fast sinking line fly fishing dominated due to the absence of good hatches as the lake recovered from the lows of 2008. The recovery is now complete and Arthurs is back to what it used to be, an awesome top of the water fishery.

In the recent first round of the Tasmanian Fly Fishing Championships held in Jonah Bay and Cow Paddock, you needed between 6 to 9 fish to win a 3 hour session such is the consistency of the fishing on Arthurs Lake.

Intermediate lines dominated rather than the normal type 3 or type 5 sinking lines, with most trout being caught in less than 6ft of water.

With so much accessible water by vehicle and by boat there is a myriad of choices about where to fish. Let the weather make the decision for you. On overcast days any of the bays with extensive shallows will be great spots to start. Mayfly will hatch in the shallows earlier than Fishing News - Page 44

in deep water. Generally trout will be on the nymphs before they start on the duns, and nymphing is a great way to fish before the trout start actively rising. Cast across the wind staying in touch with the flies, no need to move the nymphs, except for an occasional twitch, but keep a reasonably straight line with no S shapes forming as slack line is created by not staying in touch.

Let the breeze carry the nymphs downwind in a natural manner. Keep the rod tip about 30cm off the water, watch the curve that is created at the rod tip for signs of resistance indicated by the curve straightening out as the nymphs are eaten. As the hatch starts, emerger patterns and low sitting dry flies placed in the area of activity should produce results. The Tassie specialty the possum emerger, or pommie hoppers or shuttlecock patterns like the dunnie brush. Fish a team offering a variety to see what is most in favour with the trout. If you are lucky enough to have the hatch thicken right up, put on a mobile dry fly such as a claret dabbler or palmered dun pattern and twitch it past rising fish, in a thick hatch it offers an advantage to get their attention with movement. The bottom of the wind is a good option as the dun hatch progresses. Whilst not always the most comfortable place to fish, duns will inevitably be thickest at the bottom of the wind and there will be trout looking to make the most of it.

In brighter weather or when the wind drops out, the lee created by trees sheltering the water offers opportunities for black spinner feeders and for terrestrials. Arthurs has some great gum beetle falls but also around the heavily timbered shores localised falls of flying ants and cinnamon leaf hoppers regularly occur.

If you are lucky enough to find these localised hatches you really are in for some great sport, trout love both of these offerings and will rise to them with gusto.

Behind Brazendale Island is a great spot in bright weather with a westerly wind. Fish will be in the calm or just in the ripple picking off insects as they hit the water.

Slicks and wind lanes

Arthurs is not as well regarded as some of the more fancied wind lane lakes, however the brown trout is an opportunities feeder and if there’s a wind lane or small slick and there’s food in it the fish will not be far away.

The sand lake generally has some of the best established wind lanes, but they appear all over the lake. Even very small slicks behind patches of dead trees can hold fish which will show themselves to pick up midge and other insects. There are at times some very big midge falls. If the wind has dropped out, the bays such as Cow paddock can be moving with brown trout mopping up in the morning. The rise can go on for several hours if cloud persists and the light does not become too strong. Small nymphs or spider patterns fished slowly in the surface are deadly with midline trout, however getting them in front of the fish which is nose up at the surface with a narrow field of vision is the challenge.

Wade Polaroiding

With so many bays and shores accessible by boat and vehicle, there’s always a shore that you can pull up on to walk and polaroid for cruising browns around the edges. When the water is extremely high as it has been the last few years, the kerosene bush is so thick that whilst seeing fish isn’t a problem, landing them is. Rocky shores make good polaroiding water and although the water isn’t always crystal clear, you can often find water which is easily clear enough to spot cruising fish.

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With high levels at Arthurs there is plenty of fishing in the bushes.

Hot Spots

The Northern end of Arthurs offers the best access by car and most sheltered shores in high winds. These shores tend to be less exposed and with more small bays, there’s always a corner you can get into which is out of the wind. Cow paddock is the iconic Arthur’s Lake bay. This bay holds tons of fish; it can be accessed by road on either the Eastern or Western shore and has most of the opportunities that Arthurs can offer.

Some of the midge hatches in cow paddock are truly sensational.

Going along the Northern shore Seven Pound bay is also a productive bay, smaller in size than Cowpaddock but being right next to it offering similar fishing. The points on both the Eastern and Western side of Seven Pound Bay are always productive.

The Lily Ponds see a subtle change in the character of the lake, with more strap weed in big beds, throughout. Over the years Lily ponds has developed a reputation for loads of smaller fish, however there are plenty of big fish amongst them. Lily ponds is a really good nymphing and dry fly section of the lake. The openings out of the Lily Ponds onto the sand lake can be very productive in a dun hatch when duns drift out of the shallow Lily ponds over the drop off into the Sand Lake. Trout often cue up here to pick off the duns in the deeper water, this too occurs in a Northerly wind where the breeze likewise pushes food off the Northern shore into deep water.

The Eastern side of Brazendale Island has some great dry fly fishing in warm weather in a Westerly breeze as food comes off the heavily tree lined shores. Back to the top of the lake, Jones Bay one of the smaller bays again has

loads of smaller fish, however it also has plenty of bigger trout and has had some of the thickest dun hatches I’ve seen on Arthurs. Fleming Bay in the North East corner of the lake has less of a dun hatch but is a good bay for beetle falls in Northerly and Easterly weather.

The Southern end of Arthurs Lake around to the Morass is fairly open and exposed to Northerly weather. This area is to be treated seriously in strong North or North westerly winds and the conditions on the water can be very dangerous. In light or southerly winds, there are still some fantastic bays, such as Ti tree and Creely bay. I mainly venture into this area late in the season when jassids make their appearance.

Once again a little fall of jassids on a bright day in a light southerly wind can produce a very good localised rise as Browns rise freely to pick them off.

Conclusion

Arthurs Lake would have to be the most versatile brown trout lake in Tasmania. While many fisheries are spectacular in certain weather and terrible in other conditions, Arthurs offers so many different options for fly fishing that with a little thought you can catch trout in the most varied weather conditions.

With the average size of brown trout increasing on Arthurs Lake there are plenty of 2lb plus fish available. There are also plenty of fish in the 3lb plus range, and those 4-6lb trout are out there, although a bit harder to get onto.

With a bag limit of 12 fish, and every likelihood that for a day you can catch your bag limit on the surface, Arthurs is definitely back on my go to list.

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Fishing News - Page 45

And awesome on lures As far as table qualities go, Arthurs fish are right up there with the best, having great coloured flesh due to a staple diet including scud and shrimp. A well looked after fish, placed on ice when caught, will give a beautiful firm, red coloured fillet. This makes a nice trout ideal for all sorts of recipes, from sashimi, to smoking, crumbed or oven baked with creamy bacon and basil sauce. With more than ample spawning facilities at Arthurs, you can kill fish for a feed without any concern about stocking rates or catch and release, it’s just one of those lakes, and it’s back and firing.

Joe Riley

Many lure fishers started their fishing at Arthurs and consider it one of the most reliable fisheries in Tasmania.

Professional lure maker Justin Causby gives his tips.

Justin Causby

T

rolling on Arthurs can be broken down into three areas. Open water, structure and the Morass.

I’m personally not one for trolling open water very often. The fish are out there, and they show in very good numbers in early mornings as they feed on midges from

the evening and night before. But once the sun hits the water or the fog clears they go down, usually deep. You see very little sign of them on sounders despite seeing many scores of tell-tale rises all over the calm water at dawn.

If targeting the open water I’d suggest running a three rod spread; one shallow and two deep to start, either lead-line or downriggers. The later still largely out of favour in Tasmania, despite being a mainstay on the mainland for the legion of trolling anglers.

The Morass area always has been and remains a very popular trolling ground. Yes there is some drown timber and you may lose a lure or two but they bottom here is a great depth and covered in some seriously good weed beds. Weave your way through the timber paying close attention to your sounder. You should be looking for weedbeds, outcrops or reefs etc. All these areas will hold fish, the weedbeds in particular. Your shallow running line will take fish but if you can set up a deeper running line and have it around a meter off those weedbeds you’ll find some very good success.

Looking for structure as mentioned, Arthurs has an abundance of trees. Trolling the edge of these tree lines will be a very good starting point. The old sand lake has some well-defined edges that in some instances also coincide with drop-offs and put together provide some excellent fishing opportunities. The islands that divide the lake also provide great structure and also stimulate weed bed growth as the lake bed rises giving way to the optimum depths for underwater life.

Trolling I only use Tassie Devils and colours 106, S11, 72, 94 and 102 are favoured colours. Run either shallow

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or deep. The lure action is very good and you know very quickly if you’ve picked up weed when working close to the bottom targeting those feeding fish.

Lure casting

By far the most rewarding and successful way to target fish away from the fly is throwing hardbodies. Everyday can be different at Arthurs but a few tips to point you in the right direction.

Early in the day at first light you really need to be casting hard in to the shores. Very close in fact. You can begin to work out a little deeper as the sun rises.

The eastern bank of the Cowpaddock is a hot spot.

It’s sheltered from the rising sun and offers longer than usual fishing in the peak time. This edge of the shore is relatively weed free compared to the rest of the bay.

Good numbers of fish can be found here.

Either side of Brazendale Island are also very good.

Particularly at high levels such as now. Hydro Bay into Phantom Bay also offer exceptional fish at times. Fishing to the rocky shores and among the drowned kero bushes can be very exciting.

Creely Bay and Tea Tree Bay offer very similar fishing.

Both a very good depth they can produce throughout the day.

There are some good weed beds out from Tumbledown Creek that are worth prospecting, both sides of the tree line can offer good fishing. The eastern shore is when compared to the rest of the lake very stark but don’t discount it. Often bearing the brunt of the wind, this can turn the bite on as with any lake.

An Arthurs brownie in great condition.

That’s probably the best tip to follow. When things are tough and you are out of options always try the windy shore. It might not be very comfortable but more often than not it can produce the goods. But not always, and that’s why we keep going back.

Favourite lures to use.

Well there are so many quality picks to choose from these days. Local brand Cranka Lures have several good

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colours, Golden Trout and Rusty Gold are great colours.

Nories Laydown minnows are very popular in the trout colour and black and gold. Smith Panish have some very nice colours and actions along with the Daiwa Presso and Hawk Snipers. Confidence is the best lure in the box so go with what you feel first.

Justin Causby

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Fishing News - Page 47

5000

Five Thousand Who’s counting Shane Flude

I

started fishing from an early age and for some reason kept a primitive diary of my first few trips. As my trips became more regular my records increased and the details I kept became far more specific. From just recording fish numbers I was soon recording everything from fish weight, condition, weather, water temperature, lake levels and so on. As you can imagine my records are now very lengthy and detailed. They stretch back to the early eighties and fill two large leather bound journals. Of particular note however was my recently increasing tally which by mid September was not far off 5000. With this magical figure fast approaching I had to decide just how and where this fish should come to the net and what should I do with said trophy. Here is the lead up to this fish.

Fishing News - Page 48

Third weekend in September is grand final time and this usually sees Lake Echo quite devoid of anglers and my chosen destination for this time of year. Being only 25 trout shy of the big number it would be great to take this fish, whatever the size from one of my favourite waters. This year however my best laid plans were seriously affected by that necessary evil; work. The planets did not aline for another two weeks but the trip to Echo was on (number 89, yes something else I include in the diary). Roger and I arrived to a litter infested campsite near the Large Bay boat ramp, why can’t you Bogans drive the rubbish out you brought in? Only one other boat with two anglers seen for the next three days, just how we like it. The fishing however was quite unecho like, only 22 between us. We did all the usual spots, tried

all the usual lures but they just weren’t on the bite. The dozen we got the first day probably sounds alright but it still only equated to just over 1.5 an hour. 4 for the entire next day and 6 to finish made for a very quiet Echo trip. The full sun and very strong winds we encountered however have often equated to poor fishing this time of year at Echo. Average size was 36.5 cm, condition factor was moderate. Most productive lure was Rapala cd 7 perch pattern. My 5000th trout would not come from my favourite water. Total trout 4886.

Another week at work and then two weeks well deserved leave. Plenty of time now to dedicate towards catching number 5000. Being on the brink of such a milestone I decided that this fish needed to be something special, it had to be big. There aren’t too many places

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where one could be assured of casting sight unseen and reeling in that monster. By all accounts the best location would be Lake Crescent. I had now received a number of confirmed reports of fish from 6 to 15 pound being taken in recent months so this would be my chosen destination. I just needed another 13 before casting a line into those murky depths, should be easy. We decided on a day at Arthurs and another at Woods should suffice to bring the tally up before heading to Crescent. We did not count on the unusually hot sunny and windy three days that were to follow and seriously affect the fishing.

Day one on Arthurs from 2pm till dark. Only 4 claimed, again after throwing the tackle box at them. Highlight was a magnificent 4 pounder claimed by Simon on plastics. He must have hit it on the head as it struck on the first jig. The bulge in the stomach later found to be a nice size crayfish, haven’t seen one like this in a trout for years. The other 3 were all around the pound mark and taken by trolling and plastics. They were all in good condition and with very red flesh made wonderful eating.

The number of fish we caught was very disappointing, very similar conditions to last year with a fraction of the results. The remaining high levels in Arthurs have certainly done little for the fishing. Heres hoping things improve for the approaching dry fly season.

Next day Woods was the choice. Last year around the same time it produced some perfect conditioned fish.

This year could not be more different. 6 hours without a bite, again we threw the lot at them including a perfect polaroiding session along the entire western shore with the fly but not a fish to be seen in the shallow margins and nothing seen to rise out further. Of course again the

perfect total sun day day was not conducive to any sort of trolling, spinning or plastic fishing, methods that are usually very effective at this time of year. Time to head back to Arthurs for a final evening session. 3 tiddlers in the trees in the last half hour of light were all we could manage. Total trout 4990.

Despite still being 10 short of that trophy we decided Crescent was worth a look. The diary records my last visit in 1991 with a number of large fish sighted crashing after galaxias in close but none claimed. I don’t remember the water being that dirty; visibility was only around 30cm at best, slightly better in amongst the weed beds. Those back country rivers in New Zealand never looked so good. The 10 boats already on the water mid week were evidence of the big trout rumours. Hot and calm sunny conditions did not bode well for our spinning and trolling session. By the one thousandth cast the excitement wanes a little but as Simon’s rod bends double for those timeless three seconds and the golden body of a magnificent trout broke the surface it nearly all seemed worthwhile. Was he 6 or 8 pounds, perhaps bigger, by the time we got home he had grown to 20. He was in 2ft of water next to the weeds and was the only trout action we got the whole day. A survey of boats coming of the water revealed we had done better than most, none had landed a fish.

With still a week’s leave up my sleeve all was not lost. An early morning trip up the Mersey was in order.

The other 7 anglers near my chosen spot thought so too. One fish seen to rise was claimed second cast on a dry fly. It was also the last fish I saw rise and despite numerous nymph changes under it I could not entice

another take. A trip to a new western lake should boast the numbers a bit so a last minute Friday night hike in saw Mathew and I sipping fine wine and port under the stars. We still don’t know what the poor people were doing that night but that weren’t on our beach. One to a rapala and another to a very deep plastic the next morning increased the total by 2 more. My mediocre fly casting skills and fussy trout in the gin clear waters did not increase the numbers. I got very excited by the huge gum beetle hatch that soon covered the southern end of the lake but not a single trout was seen to rise to even one of them. Bit early in the season for dry fly action perhaps. Total trout 4993.

With rubbish weather forecast for the next four days and the Mersey now in minor flood and running dirty I needed 6 more trout before Crescent could again be approached. For some reason I chose Lake Gardiner, on route to Cradle Mountain. The diary records my last visit as October 1991 and the only two fish I have ever caught there was 1985. I parked at the boat ramp near the dam and walked clockwise towards the river. With the Lake being almost 4 meters down it was quite easy to negotiate the entire shoreline. The first 30 minutes of spinning into the howling westerly was fruitless so a lure change to the good old rapala cd 5 rainbow was made with instant success. I proceeded to catch the next 5 in quick time, all fish striking in close and most in the stirred up waters. Certainly no giant fish here, all from takeable size to 33 cm. It was disappointing to walk away from this water after number 6, conditions were obviously perfect and the small rapala lure was right on the menu. I can feel another trip to this water

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Fishing News - Page 49

in the not too distant future with a view to bagging out.

Total trout 4999.

Weather forecast was snow to 600 and 50 k winds for the next couple so Crescent was put on hold briefly until two days of cloud and moderate wind greeted us later in the week. Simon was keen to photograph for me and no doubt teach that 25 pound trout a lesson from last week. Entertaining ourselves by spotting 125 deer on route from the Great Lake we arrived at Crescent around 6pm, just in time for an evening session. We shared the water with only one other boat which was trolling down the middle of the lake. We decided on a concentrated spinning session down the entire marsh edge from the canal to Jacks Point. Two fish seen to briefly slash further into the marshes got the heart rate going early on but we had no action in just under 2 hours. Trolling back at the 8 ft depth mark, the mean depth right across the lake, also brought no action. Pressure was building for this mythical numbered trout. A dawn start would surely capture the beast.

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Fishing News - Page 50

On the water by 5.20am to a cloudy, slightly breezy day. Just perfect looking Crescent conditions. Again the marsh edges were targeted for no result, not even a fish rise this morning. Was it me or was the water even dirtier at the southern end. Time to try the northern marshes but by our ten thousandth cast around this end of the lake without so much as a large galaxia swirl, a monster breakfast was calling. Invigorated by the massive egg breakfast it was time to hit the water again. We trolled south and wasted another 30 minutes. I was wondering by this time if a tuna lure could even be seen in these murky waters. A change of tactics was in order, try wading the marshes with the fly rod.

I had tied a few unweighted rabbit fur streamers for the shallow marshes and we found a nice gap in the weed beds near the southern shore. A brief venture towards a nice looking weed free zone saw me fighting to stay afloat so I wandered back towards the main lake. This is when the magical moment arrived. Three strips into the cast the line went tight, the 6.5 lb or 3 kilo male brownie made a couple of minor runs but largely just did lazy circles and hardly stripped any more line off than I already had loose. I soon had him skating on the surface and away from the nearest weed clump. I managed to finally unclip my net attached to the rear of my vest and discover that this was tangled tightly from bushes where I had walked the shore. Simon saved the day and came to my aid with the landing net from the boat. Number 5000 slid gracefully into the annals of my trout history. He did make one final jump for freedom during the frantic photography session that

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immediately followed. This resulted in a blunt force trauma to his head; caught and released this trophy was not. He was later examined in great detail. It was a perfect condition fish that only measured 60cm. Perfect yellow/orange flesh and to my surprise had only one small golden galaxia in his stomach. I asked myself why I hadn’t used the fly earlier and then proceeded to flog the water to foam along the entire southern shore for you guessed it, nil. Another two hours of constant fishing saw us fished out. There’s no doubt the fish currently in Crescent are superb specimens but boy the fishing is tough. Our one bite and one fish equated to a combined total of 28 angler hours. We declared mission achieved and headed home. Simons 25 pounder would have to wait.

So that’s how I spend my last two weeks leave in my mission to bag the big one. I managed to explore and enjoy a number of great waters that Tassie has to offer during this quest, several of which I had not been to for years. Many thanks to Roger, Mathew and Simon for the moral support, netting skills, cleansing ales and photography. As to number 5000, he actually tasted as good as he looked, and he looks just fine now in the large canvas print that adorns my wall. In case you are wondering, 1000 was taken grub fishing at night, 2000 was filmed left handed by myself as he rose to take the dry fly in the western lakes, 3000 on the wet fly at Echo and 4000 on a soft plastic around an ice covered shore of Great Lake. 6000 watch out, here I come and I am counting.

Shane Flude

Simon, along with Peter Morse and Rex Hunt, will be hosting a cocktail party and two days of casting demonstration and tuition at the Australian Fly Fishing Museum at Clarendon on the South Esk River.

When: 13, 14, 15 March 2015 Full details announced on www.affm.net.au and on JM Gillies and Australian Fly Fishing Museum Facebook pages.

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Fishing News - Page 51

T

Taking a Break Experiencing an unexpected and painful halt to fishing.

Gavin Hicks

Back in the saddle in more ways than one.

L

ife was good. The 2014/15 fishing season had just begun and I had opened my account with a ripper twig water session with great mate Garth Hall. I was nearing a 1000km a month on my bike in preparation to ride the Tasmanian Trail and had never felt better. Then on August 28th as I was riding down a hill in Devonport a car pulled across in front of me. I did all I could to avoid a collision but it wasn’t to be and I slammed into the side of the car, according to my GPS at 42km/h.

Before I knew it I was having my first ever ride in the back of an ambulance on the way to the Mersey Community Hospital. Initial diagnosis at the scene of the accident was a suspected dislocated shoulder and after scans etc. at the hospital the news didn’t get any better. My casting shoulder had taken the full force of the impact and I was now the lucky owner of a ruptured AC joint/ collar bone and 30 odd stitches.

What followed was around eight weeks of doctors’ appointments, physio and basically sitting in a recliner chair feeling sorry for myself and drowning my sorrows.

Though fully aware that there are people out there far worse off than me and the end result of my accident could have easily been a lot worse it didn’t make me feel any better. I couldn’t ride my bike and I couldn’t fish, could it actually get any worse!

A bit of relief

Finally in late October after a visit to Launceston to see the shoulder specialist I got the okay to start resuming some normal activities, no surgery required thankfully! Although going to be stuck with the pain for a while yet I was happy with the knowledge that I at least couldn’t do any damage to the shoulder.

So what was the first thing I did, loaded the family and old pointer up and headed to the shack for the weekend.

Though not able to do much casting at all myself we still had a great day wandering the banks of Ada Lagoon.

We wandered the western shore taking it easy and just enjoying being out in the fresh air moving around again.

Whilst I didn’t care too much about the fishing myself my two boys were pretty keen to get some action and concentrated their efforts on the undercut banks that line the western side of the lagoon. And it wasn’t long before my eldest son Jobie had gotten himself connected to a fish. He had chosen to fish a Berkley 8cm jigging grub in green camo colour which proved to be an excellent choice as he was the only one to connect to a fish for the day.

It was for me a pretty big moment as it was his first unassisted fish from the nineteen lagoons area, I don’t think he could quite work out what all the fuss was about!

We decided to call it a day when we found Jobie asleep in the grass on the side of the lagoon rod still in hand. It was a great first step to wiping all the bad memories of the last couple of months away and made even keener to get my life back to some degree.

Jobie Hicks first trout unassisted, but he had to have a little sleep afterwards.

Fishing News - Page 52

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Time to get serious

A few brief sessions on the back lawn and an afternoon at Josef Chromy casting with Dan and Simone Hackett and I was strong enough to have my first decent crack at a proper fishing session, well sort of anyway. If you have ever thought about having a casting lesson or two get in touch with Dan or Simone at Fly shop 1864 you won’t be disappointed. Believe me it is far easier to get rid of bad casting habits sooner rather than later. I hadn’t been able to get on the rivers all season and was busting to finally set foot in the Mersey, so that was an obvious first choice. Thursday morning brought about my weekly physio session and all morning I couldn’t stop thinking about how good a day it was. As soon as it was over I was in the car and straight home to get the gear.

By early afternoon I had made the 4 minute drive to the river and was finally wading into the flowing water, which was running a tad high from some recent late snow melt, nothing that would cause much concern though. I had been in the water for no longer than a minute when I seen my first rising fish of the season.

There were a few caddis in the air but only the odd mayfly drifting past so I decided to swap flies and put on a size 14 F-Fly. I waded into position, made a cast with the new Sage Circa 589-4 and drifted the fly over where I thought the fish had risen only to have it rise a few feet further up mid drift. A quick pick up and recast had the fly on the correct drift and my heart pounding with anticipation. In a matter of seconds my fly had disappeared and the circa was bent solid into its very first and my first Mersey River trout of the year. Man did that moment feel good. The acrobatic and perfectly conditioned trout was quickly netted and after a couple of photos released unharmed to grow some more.

Finally though somewhat sore I was alive again and loving it. I decided to only fish to rising/ spotted fish to try and limit the casting somewhat. In a brief two hour session before the wind really blew in and shut everything down I had cast to six rising fish. Three had been landed and released all on the F-Fly, one I pulled the hook on trying to stop him getting into the willows that was a pretty good fish( I only ever lose big fish, not small ones) and the last two we will just put down to operator error! But I still waded out of that short session the happiest man alive. So much so I got straight on the phone to great mate Garth, the weather for the coming weekend was looking good. We had to get out there, so we did.

I was busting to get out on the water with Garth, we always have a great time out fishing and he is one of the most skilled fly anglers I have seen on the Mersey.

Perfect for me to hopefully be able to take some nice fresh photos as well. By 8am after a breakfast cider to celebrate the coming day we were at our chosen car park area. We had made an early call to stay away from nymph fishing today so rods were rigged with F-Flies tied to 4 pound tippets and packs were loaded and we set off on the brief walk to our chosen entry point. As soon as we dropped down into the river the action started.

The first run we waded into had half a dozen fish working over the few mayfly duns that were coming off the water. Two fish were picked off in quick succession but after the second fish was safely in the net the call was made to wade back to the bank to grab some photos even though it may shut the other fish down, which it did. Never mind there would be more chances. We spent

Garth Hall showing how it’s done. the next couple of hours wading side by side up the river fishing single F-Fly and Mechute patterns picking fish up from the deeper slow water and also the faster water, swapping sides whenever we felt like it. It wasn’t long before Garth landed his first rainbow of the season and though only small it was still cause for celebration.

Off he headed running up the track in full chest waders all the way back to the car to grab a couple of beers! I’m not sure I would have done the same but I was more than happy to help drink them upon his return.

I decided while relaxing in the sun with my beer that I would put the rod away for a while and concentrate on trying to get some decent action shots. We didn’t have to wait long as the tail of the very next pool had three fish working it. I got ready with the camera and Garth laid out the perfect cast, as he always does. The little size 14 fly only drifted a few metres before it was slurped down by another willing Mersey brown, and he was the perfect subject. As soon as the hook was set he spent most of the fight airborne and I managed to get a few half decent shots (got lucky). Mission accomplished and we didn’t really care what happened after that. Ten fish landed, a few early releases and plenty of mucked up shots later a great day was had. Back to the Ute for a couple of ciders and a chat about what just unfolded and the day was done.

New day, same results

Saturday morning arrived and the weather was a mirror image of the previous day, perfect. I got done what I had to in the morning and again got on the phone to Garth, who I forgot was instructing a black belt class, better to have him with you than against you on the river I say! I left a message about possibly fishing again in the afternoon and it was only a matter of minutes before my phone was ringing. Within half an hour I was on my way to pick him up and we were off to a different section of river this time. When we arrived at the side of the river Garth thought he may need to fit a new Rio tapered leader as the one he was using had taken a fair beating.

We noticed a fish sipping in the shadows of a long slow pool so I gladly offered him one of my leaders to put on whilst I snuck off to have a shot at the fish. It took a few casts to land the F-Fly in the spot but I was soon hooked to the first fish of the day before Garth was rigged up with the new leader, ha-ha. He didn’t take it too badly though, even took some shots of the fish for me before I removed the barbless Hanak hook and let him swim away. Thanks mate.

Once again we fished side by side for a while catching and releasing fish to our dry flies. Garth did at one stage add a tungsten bead nymph dropper to his dry fly in one of the faster runs but when it proved no more successful

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Fishing News - Page 53

than the single dry it was quickly removed. It wasn’t long before the shoulder soreness got me again so I spent a lazy afternoon on the end of the camera taking more photos of Garth working his magic. We finished the afternoon with a crazy little half hour session on fish chasing spinners in some faster water.

Garth hooked his second rainbow of the weekend and in some fairly quick water it put some trick looking bends in his 3wt Sage, fun to watch! We decided to call it a day after that and headed for the car, though Garth did get distracted by one spinner feeder in the tail of a slower pool. He should never have stopped after all we had just finished a great session. And now in the blink of an eye all that was gone as he pulled his hair out chasing one last as he said” stinking spinner feeder”.

Mind you I don’t think my expert commentary helped ease his pain as this fish leapt all around his lonely dry fly sitting there. But I must say I found it quite an amusing way to end the day!

Make the most of it

So finally things are looking up for my fishing season after the somewhat disastrous start. It is going to be a slow process to get the fitness back to where it was and

full strength back into the casting action but it is fixable, and I will fix it. One thing it has made me realise though is to take nothing for granted and make the most of every opportunity presented to you.

Though mentally I struggled at times thru the early stages of my recovery I definitely realise how lucky I was to suffer only relatively minor injuries. I must say a couple of people made it easier for me along the way when I wasn’t doing so well. My amazing wife was there every step of the way doing whatever was required without a single complaint, I LOVE YOU Ally. My top mate Tim Hayes got me out of the house to visit a few pubs when required and regularly called to check how I was keeping, thanks mate I owe you.

And as mentioned above there is no better way to spend a relaxing day than on the water with Garth Hall fishing, laughing and just generally being lads. Thanks man you’re a star. Oh yeah one other thing, please be mindful of cyclists on our roads. I know it’s an age old argument where we all have differing opinions but let’s just remember at the end of the day whether in a car or on a pushbike we all have families we like to go home to, and more fishing to do. Be safe out there.

Gavin Hicks

Choosing batteries for your boat

T

hese days it seems the internet is the first place most people refer to for information and advice on just about every product or service imaginable.

Unfortunately the easy access to posting information and opinion brings with it an increasing amount of misinformation, and sometimes just plain wrong advice from every keyboard expert in the land.

Batteries are a good case in point, and deep-cycle batteries in particular. Island Batteries clear up some of the confusion and provide readers with advice to ensure they aren’t left high and dry with dead batteries in their boat, caravan or 4WD. Island Batteries, Tasmania’s own expert battery company are affiliated with R&J Batteries Pty. Ltd, one of Australia’s largest battery supply companies. Their extensive product range includes some of the world’s best-known battery brands including AC Delco, Delkor, Optima and Fullriver, to name a few. Their strength lies in the combination of proven-quality brands combined with industry-leading expertise and advice to ensure customers get the best possible battery for their chosen Fishing News - Page 54

application. Products are available state-wide, with company stores in Hobart and Launceston, and distributors in all major centres.

In this article we look at batteries for electric outboard motors, now commonly used in fishing boats for their quietness. Only deep-cycle batteries should be used on electric outboards. Unlike automotive starting batteries which are designed to produce high output for just a few seconds (to start your engine), deep-cycle batteries are designed to provide a steady output of electrical current for a much longer period, such as that required to run an electric motor for several hours.

Automotive batteries are designed to be maintained at or near 100% charged at all times. Your car battery may go from 100% down to 97% to start your engine, and then the alternator tops it back up to 100% within a short distance of driving. Due to its thin plate design a starting battery will fail prematurely if used in deepcycling applications.

If used and maintained correctly a deep-cycle battery can withstand heavy or deep-discharge and recharge many times over before it loses capacity or fails.

Deep cycle batteries fall into four main categories, all of which are essentially still lead-acid batteries:GEL. In Gel batteries Silica-Gel is added to the acid to form a jelly-like, non-spillable electrolyte. Gel batteries are usually the most expensive but provide the longest cycle life (number of times discharged and recharged) Gel batteries are safer than flooded or wet-cell batteries, and less-prone to sulphation damage.

AGM. Also known as Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA), AGM batteries have Absorbent Glass-Mat separators to fully absorb and suspend all free acid, making them non-spillable and explosion-resistant like Gel batteries.

Deep-cycle AGM batteries can handle deeper discharge and faster re-charge than wet-cell batteries, and will usually provide a longer service life.

Sealed Maintenance-Free (SMF) Calcium SMF batteries are now very common in automotive applications. They are a flooded wet-cell battery but do not require maintenance or top-ups during their normal cycle life. Deep-cycle versions are available. They are safer than standard low-maintenance batteries, but can still leak acid if damaged, or explode if subjected to spark or naked flame.

Low-Maintenance. Standard low-maintenance batteries contain antimony which causes internal resitance (heat) and “gassing” when charging, and water loss through evaporation. Deep-cycle versions require regular maintenance, and can sulphate and expire quickly if left in a discharged (flat)state for any length of time.

A low-maintenance battery will leak if tipped over, and may explode if exposed to spark or naked flame.

The following simple rules apply to all deep-cycle batteries, regardless of construction type or chemistry, to obtain the best performance and life:The less deeply-discharged the better. Ignore any advice to “Flatten it out” occasionally. This will always do more harm than good.

Recharge ASAP after use. Where possible always recharge fully within 24 hours of use.

Use the correct type and capacity charger to recharge.

Don’t “half-charge” or partial-charge your battery between uses. Always charge to 100% Don’t allow your battery to discharge during extended storage (off-season) In the next edition of Fishing News we’ll discuss how to choose the correct size and capacity battery for your electric outboard, and the correct size and type charger to maintain it. And maximise your battery’s performance and life.

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W West Coast sea run fun

Chasing big trout on Tasmania’s West Coast can be rewarding.

Mathew Howard

A solid Arthur River sea runner landed in the late afternoon.

T

asmania has some of the best wild trout fishing in the world; there is a time of the year where the dedicated trout fisherman can look forward to more than most kids do at Christmas. The run of the sea runners,

When?

Between the months of mid-September and December sea runners will make their way up any river systems that white bait congregate in! The bait sometimes moves up in big numbers making an easy feed for the silver predator! These fish put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time making them a very powerful fish! Even on a firmly set drag I’ve had screaming runs of up to 50 metres or more in seconds from powerful fish! You will struggle to find a trout that pulls harder!

Finding fish?

The best waterways in my opinion for these fish are the Pieman River, Arthur River, Henty River and last but not least the Gordon river. While the first three rivers are easy to access, the Gordon River is a different story.

Gordon River

Once arriving at Strahan, It is an hour boat trip, motoring at about 25knots up the Macquarie harbor before you get to the mouth of the river. (From this point there is a lot of water you can fish), But the harbor can be very treacherous. Picking your weather is vital,

plus you will need a good gps with a map of the harbor in case of fog and shallow reefs! I would recommend a sea worthy boat and a lot of fuel if you are planning on doing this trip. Once you are there the fishing can be much like the weather. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. At times it will be very frustrating, but can also be very rewarding at the same time. All it takes is one fish in waters like these and you will be sitting on cloud nine for the rest of the week. I’ve had some of my best ever days fishing here along with some of the quietest! Either way you will witness some of the best scenery you are ever likely to lay your eyes on.

The river will fish different every time you go there; it all depends on the water level, the flow of the river, the clarity of the water and so on.

I’ve found that white bait seem to sit lower in the water column than the rivers further west. When it comes to colors no two days are the same, one day one lure will catch everything and the next it will be another. The colors I try to stick to are black, gold, red, yellow, white

Methods and lures

These fish are still trout so most of the same methods apply. My most common methods are trolling and spinning; hard body’s or soft plastics. Like any fish if the lure is presented well and the fish are hungry the chances of a strike are high! With hard body’s I like to use the brands McGrath and Rapalas, generally with a bigger bib.

St. John falls is a magnificent waterfall about 30 km up the Gordon River.

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Fishing News - Page 55

escapees from the fish farms in Macquarie Harbor. These fish also pack a mean fight, especially on light gear! These fish are a fantastic by catch because they are great fish to eat.

I am a massive believer in fishing for the future and releasing any big trout that may come aboard. Keeping the escapees for a feed is fine as they are a bonus, but the sea runners are just too hard to come by and take so long to grow to the size they do. So please try and release these fish at every chance, but not before a quick photo of course.

Gear

A couple Atlantic salmon from the Gordon caught a long way up river weighing 10lb and 15lb. or a combination of any of them together. My favorite and most successful lures are the McGrath 6-Yellow DB, 8-Rainbow trout, 11-Frog. And Rapala F9 spotted dog, CD5 perch. When using plastics even though the water is a very dark brackish color I can’t find myself going past the Powerbait black and gold t-tail. One of my biggest fish from this water has been taken on this plastic.

There are also some big locals in the river along with a by catch of salmon and rainbows, these fish are

Personally I don’t see any fun in spending all that time fishing to finally hook a fish and just winch it in. When fishing I will usually try and get away with using the lightest gear possible.

Trolling or spinning I run a 1-4lb rod matched with either a 2000 or 2500 size reel spooled with 4lb braid and a 8lb leader.

This gear sounds light to some people but trust me you can put a lot of hurt on a fish if you have quality gear.

Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, there aren’t many places to stay once you are up the river. There are only a couple banks where it is even possible to step foot off the boat! There is a shack up the river called “the boom camp” this shack is used by a lot of fisherman throughout the year. It is essential to have the shack booked if you are planning on staying here. This shack is a very hard place to get into and is usually booked

out years in advance. It isn’t until a crew decides they no longer want their booking for that particular time of the year that there spot will become available. When we stay up the river and aren’t in the ‘boom camp’ we will try and tie up on the bank somewhere and just sleep in the boat, or if the river is lower there are some small banks that reveal themselves allowing you to set up a tent or two.

When it comes to leaving this beautiful wilderness we generally try to leave as early as possible of a morning to try and beat that nasty west coast afternoon sea breeze.

As for the other rivers on the west and south west coast you can fish from the bank for these fish but only in very limited spots. In order to have the very best chance possible I recommend taking a boat when possible.

Pieman River

Personally I haven’t fished here much but, The Pieman River is classed as trophy water, and has produced some very big fish. As to where and when is anybody’s guess!

They are very hard to find but if you do manage to hook one you won’t be disappointed. The Pieman is a very majestic place with some stunning scenery that will keep you occupied for hours!

Arthur River

The Arthur River is much the same. This river is very deep in spots and also holds some very nice fish! But just like the others sometimes it can have you looking for hours on end with no success! I have never had a (blinder) of a day here but as long as I get one nice fish for the day I’m usually pretty happy. The key to catching any of these fish all boils down to one thing.

TIME ON THE WATER!! I can’t stress it enough, if you’re only going to fish for an hour or two after a sea runner and expect to catch one straight up your better off heading out to sea after a flat head! Yes some people will strike it lucky and pick up a good fish on their first trip, or catch one in the first few minutes, but trust me it doesn’t always happen! 99% of the time you will have to work hard for it!

Lures and style

The fish in the Arthur River that I have caught are generally closer to the surface! A shallow bib repala style lure trolled has worked well for me in the past. I will always try and mix my spread up though! It doesn’t hurt to run some deep just in case. Rapala in the original and Xrap work well for me along with rebel lures. In the past I have caught fish on lures from 50mm right up to 130mm long! I like natural colors in the big lures to keep the fish convinced they are actually eating another fish.

So try and stick to the brown trout and silvery colors.

Plastics are also worth a try here too giving you a very good chance of hooking a trout as well as another local that lives in the river, the estuary perch. I prefer the powerpro t-tail and grub tail pumpkinseed Gulps while spinning the banks for either of these fish.

All the rivers I have mentioned are pristine waters and look nearly untouched in some areas, so please try and keep it this way. Take all your litter and unwanted gear home with you so generations to come can enjoy and appreciate these Tassie icons as we do.

Mathew Howard

A silver bullet that took a CD7 Rapala.

Fishing News - Page 56

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Scientific Angler Frequency Series

DAY AFTER DAY Our goal for the Frequency Series was to create an affordable, durable, and—above all else-easy-tounderstand family of fly lines. With three floating tapers and three sinking tapers, the line choices are simple, but your possibilities are limitless. Frequency Series lines are meant to be used wherever you are, day after day.

CAST AFTER CAST Why should our premium lines be the only ones with premium technology? The short answer is that they shouldn’t. Each Frequency Series line is built with our Advanced Shooting Technology (AST) additive and features a front welded loop, resulting in lines that provide immediate—and lasting—benefits, cast after cast.

SEASON AFTER SEASON Creating a line family with a simplified offering was critical, but making sure those lines handle a wide variety of conditions was of the utmost importance.

From temperate saltwater situations to winter trout outings, the Frequency Series will stand up to the elements, season after season.

DAY AFTER DAY, FISH AFTER FISH Frequency is designed to give you amazing performance at an unreal price.

Models available: Boost Taper – half-size heavier floater, excellent general purpose line suitable for larger, heavier flies.

WF-3-F thru WF-6-F Willow in colour Trout Taper – As the name implies, great all round trout line from dries, nymphs and wets.

WF-3-F thru WF-6-F Buckskin in colour Magnum Taper – Designed for turning over large dries, streamers and split shot with ease. Great line for casting into wind and laying out leader.

WF-5-F thru WF-8-F Mist Green in colour Sink Tip Type III (2.5 – 4.0 IPS) Fast-Sinking 10’ tip sink flies through the water column while the floating section reducing bellies forming in the line providing direct contact with flies. Great line for flowing water.

WF-5-F/S thru WF-8-F/S Green tip/Optic Yellow All Purpose Full Sinking Lines – This team of lines are ideal for anglers drifting in boats pulling wets and covering all depths of the water column. Be it a team of wets or a couple of nymphs these sinking lines cut through wind with their thin diameters making repetitive casts a breeze.

Intermediate (1.25IPS) WF-5-I thru WF-8-I Atmosphere in colour Sink Rate III (2.5 – 4.0 IPS) WF-5-S thru WF-8-S Grey Sink Rate VI (3.0 – 5.0 IPS) WF-5-S thru WF-8-S Dark Grey For more details on the Frequency range visit www. scientificanglers.com Trade enquiries contact Mayfly Tackle Pty Ltd on (03) 9899 0034

New Zealand Indicator Tool New Zealand anglers fish in some of the most difficult conditions on the planet.

So, what better place to design and test a new strike indicator system that gives you more than one chance for a delicate presentation at the proper depth to fool a trophy trout? From tiny mountain streams to big rivers and lakes, more than 20 New Zealand professional guides have tested this system with their customers in all types of weather and found it to be a winner. You will, too!

The innovative design of the New Zealand Strike Indicator Tool makes creating an indicator easy - even for anglers with poor vision.

The hook at the end of the tool catches the leader to allow a wool indicator to be attached to the leader using the supplied perfect tubing. The tool itself can be easily attached to a zinger for convenience and holds enough tubing sleeves for days of fishing.

Once on the leader, indicators can easily be moved to suit different water depths or removed when a hatch begins and dry flies are called for. What’s more, the Strike Indicator Tool will not damage leaders!

Additional tubing in regular and XLarge and indicator wool in Stealthy white, Hi-Vis Orange, Black, Florescent Green and mixed colour pack can be purchased separately.

For additional information and video content showing the use of this indicator tool visit mayflytackle.com. au and click on the indicator logo.

Trade enquiries call Mayfly Tackle Pty Ltd on (03) 9899 0034

Tonic Eyewear Blue Mirror – Here to stay!

Tonic Polarised Eyewear, the new leader in high quality fishing sunglasses, released their special Blue Mirror Limited Edition almost a year ago.

Available in Tonic’s popular Evo and Shimmer frame styles, the Blue Mirror proved a Blue Water hit and both models sold out in record time.

Tonic’s Blue Mirror lenses are specially developed for Australian anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, and share their high-tech optics with all of Tonic’s growing range of lightweight polarised optical glass lenses.

Tonic founder Doug Phillips says “I developed the Blue Mirror for high glare salt water conditions, but they have been popular with fresh water anglers too”.

“Australia’s fishing and boating public have voted

with their eyes so the Blue Mirror is now a permanent part of our range. Look out for them this summer.

All Tonic models incorporate the latest Japanese optical technology, including unique de-centred lenses for distortion-free viewing at any angle.

Tonic’s scratch resistant glass lenses are just 1.8 mm thick, making them 30% lighter than regular glass and feature boutique polarising filter systems and anti-reflective coatings.

Tonic Polarised Eyewear comes in eight wraparound styles and a variety of lens types to suit different situations.

See the full range and find your nearest Tonic retailer at www.toniceyewear.com.au.

Mustad Trebles Mustad has released a brand new 4x strong treble in the UltraPoint range.

Featuring slimmer, chemically sharpened points for easier penetration, these 4x trebles (code 36330NP-DS) are 30% stronger and designed for brute strength.

Made with Norwegian technology, the new Mustad 4x trebles are initially available in sizes 1, 2, 4 and 6 and come in pre-packs of 6 hooks, however the range will extend out to hook sizes up to 2/0 in the future.

These hooks have a slightly wider gape than the 36329 NPBN for better hook ups and the shorter shank also reduces the occurrence of hooks tangling – always an issue when you upgrade your treble hooks.

Light weight, Durasteel coated for up to 600 hours of use in saltwater, forged for extra strength and with an in-line eye designed specifically for use on lures, the Mustad UltraPoint 4x trebles will become a staple for anglers who retrofit their lures for species such as bass, barra, Murray cod, mangrove jack and trevally.

Platypus Platinum “Plus” Quality Australian made braid thinner and stronger After two years feedback and continuous research, Platypus has remastered their popular Platinum Braid, to produce a stronger thinner Braid whilst still retaining the softness of the original best-selling line.

By employing a unique braiding process we are able to pack the PE fibres+ closer together decreasing diameter and enhancing the strength by up to 25%.

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Fishing News - Page 57

When consulting with anglers one of the most important properties is softness, this increases handleability of the braid enabling smoother, more trouble-free casts.

Made right here in Australia by family owned and operated Platypus lines, we have made Platinum+ Braid for the fisho that needs a Braid at a price that won’t break the bank. Everything that made Platinum Braid the unique AFTA award winner, just stronger and thinner!

Available in 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50 lb in 125 and 300 yd lengths in Lime Green at all great tackle stores.

The new Xi5 boasts a strong composite shaft which will bend instead of breaking and is backed with a lifetime warranty.

The motor’s high-efficiency electronics are fully encapsulated in a high-tech coating, making them impervious to water and dust. The Xi5’s quiet and precise steering transmission is built for long-life, with ball bearings to reduce friction and wear, custom seals against water and dust, and an extra-rigid shaft support tube.

Unlike the competition, the new Xi5 includes wireless capability right out of the box, allowing anglers to command precise motor and steering control from anywhere on the boat.

“The truth is I can’t wait to take this amazing technology one step further and actually hook my MotorGuide up to my Lowrance HDS sounder and GPS… then the fish really better look out,” Starlo said.

To find out more about the new MotorGuide Xi5 or locate your closest Mercury Marine dealer, just visit mercurymarine.com.au

Starlo chooses MotorGuide Xi5 Renowned fishing writer and TV presenter Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling isn’t someone who changes his sponsors at the drop of a hat – so when he does, it’s worth paying attention.

Starlo recently fitted one of the new MotorGuide Xi5 electric motors to his rig and to say he’s impressed would be an understatement. “This electric is the quietest, smoothest and has the fastest response I’ve ever encountered,” he said.

Across a life-time of fishing, 20 books, scores of DVDs and thousands of articles, Starlo has developed a reputation as a ‘stayer’: someone who chooses a premium brand and loyally sticks with it... for close to 30 years in several cases.

Now, Steve has chosen MotorGuide for all his electric motor needs.

“A bow-mounted electric motor is as important to me as my rods, reels, lures and depth sounder,” he explained.

“My over-riding fishing philosophy is best described as ‘finesse’, so having a high-performance, reliable electric motor is essential, as I choose to fish using precision positioning, stealth and cunning.

“The Pinpoint GPS system fitted to the Xi5 definitely represents a significant advance in performance,” Starlo said. “In particular, the unit’s Anchor Mode is unbelievably good regardless of the conditions. It locks you onto a spot like a burr stuck to a blanket!”

But the MotorGuide’s benefits don’t end there.

“The Jog function can be used to shuffle the boat a metre-and-a-half in any direction, which is extremely useful when you’re exploring a spot. Being able to store Anchor points, as well as record and replay routes, is also invaluable when working a stretch of bank, the edge of a drop-off, or a series of snags,” Steve said.

Fishing News - Page 58

“It’s with mixed emotions that we see the last of these engines enter the country,” said Iain MacLeod, National Sales Manager for Yamaha Outboards in Australia. “In some parts of the outboard market these engines are still very popular due to their great power to weight and reliability. However we are seeing a general market trend towards four stroke technology and we have many great new products in the category that we believe will fill the gap”.

It’s not all bad news though. Yamaha still has a limited number of these units available to boaters who still crave the unique performance and power these legendary engines deliver. For a limited time, Yamaha is also offering $2000 off these engines as well as 1% comparison rate repower finance over a 24 and 36 month term for customers who would like to grab one of the last of these models.

Both the 115C and 130B Saltwater Series engines will still receive full technical back up from Yamaha’s nationwide network of authorised dealerships as well as a full range of spare parts to keep these engines running long into the future.

For more information on Yamaha’s exceptional outboard line up and current promotions please contact your local Yamaha Outboard dealership or visit www.yamaha-motor.com.au

Hanak Competition Hooks

Yamaha announces the end of an Era Yamaha Motor Australia announces the end of the legendary V4 Saltwater Series 115C and 130B outboard motors in Australia. These trusted outboards have been powering Australian boaters for almost three decades and are well recognised for their performance and have an enviable reputation for reliability and durability forged in one of the harshest saltwater markets in the world. These engines will no longer be part of Yamaha’s range in the Australian market once the remaining units are sold.

The V4 Saltwater series of engines were introduced in the 1980s and have always been hugely popular in Australia. Complimenting boats in the 5 – 6 metre range, V4 saltwater series engines can be found on many of the classic hulls from that era all the way to the present day.

Innovations found on the current generation motor such as Yamaha “Precision Blend” oil injection system and “Prime Start” for cold engine starting make these engines unique. The Precision Blend system eliminates the need to pre mix oil into fuel and precisely adjusts the amount of oil mixed with fuel depending on the running conditions and load on the engine. The system is able to adjust the oil mixture from 50:1 all the way to 200:1. The advantage of this system is smoother operation, less two stroke emission and less oil usage for more economical running.

Christopher Bassano from Rainbow Lodge guiding services in Tasmania shares his thoughts about the growing trend of barbless hooks and the latest models field tested from Hanak.

I am often asked by my clients why I use barbless hooks and don’t simply debarb my flies. In simple terms, I use barbless hooks because they have been designed to be barbless but still hold in the fish while barbed hooks are designed to have a barb.

One of the things to look for in a barbless hook is a long point as these hooks are less likely to drop ‘out’ once they are ‘in’. The Hanak H270 BL is a wonderful example of this. The hook is designed as a heavy gauge, wet fly hook with a wide gape (short shank). The design allows for large beads to be used at the head of the fly without compromising the gape. Even oversized beads will not close the gape too much which is vital when tying woolly buggers or heavy nymphs. The Hanak H260 BL has always been my hook of choice when I need a hook with these attributes but the 270 BL has been made with an extended and extremely sharp, long, point. Rather than having a straight point 9as so many hooks do), Hanak have put a slight ‘wave’ in the point of the H270 BL which acts similarly to a barb without it actually having one. This all means we get a great

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hook up and the hook is far less likely to come out during the fight while being quick and easy to remove once the fish is landed. Because the hook has a short shank, it can also be used to tie nymphs around the bend in a similar fashion to a grub hook while keeping the strength of a heavy gauge hook and taking advantage of the long point. The hooks are black nickel in colour and the build quality, fantastic.

Unlike many barbless hook manufacturers, every hook in the box is the same as the next.

The Hanak H290 BL is a different hook altogether but equally impressive. It is a very sharp, bronze, long shank hook designed for nymphs and wet flies. Long shank hooks have a narrow gape which often makes them difficult to put beads onto without compromising their performance. In the case of the H290 BL, beads can be added without ill effects to their hook up rate. Leave the bead off and you will have a beautiful shank to tie a well-proportioned mayfly nymph onto. For Tasmania, the size 10 will make a large, lake mayfly nymph with the 12 being standard. In the smaller sizes, F Flies and other small dry flies look fantastic.

If, like me, you prefer your dabblers and possum emergers tied on slightly long shank hooks, this hook will serve the purpose well. It is not too heavy to use as a dry fly hook but as it is a medium wire hook, it will not straighten before your line breaks. As with all Hanak hooks, they come in boxes of 25 hooks per box and are available from all good tackle stores.

If you are not yet tying your flies on barbless hooks, it is time get active about it. The benefits far outweigh the perceived negatives.

To view the complete range of Hanak barbless hooks visit www.mayflytackle.com.au and click on the Hanak logo.

Trade enquiries contact Mayfly Tackle Pty Ltd on (03) 9899 0034

WIN

THE ULTIMATE

BERKLEY

FISHING MACHINE Simply buy $25 of Berkley

product for your chance to win.

WIN a Stacer Outlaw 489, Powered by a 75 Etec, Lowrance Sounder and fully fitted out with $10,000 worth of fishing gear from Berkley and Abu Garcia!

www.berkleyfishingmachine.com.au

Win The Ultimate Berkley Fishing Machine.

Berkley is giving away a Boat, trailer, motor, electronics and fishing gear package to get you out on the water and Catching More Fish!

Introducing the Ultimate Berkley Fishing Machine, the Stacer Outlaw 489, powered by a 75hp ETEC and tricked out with Lowrance electronics! The

ultimate fishing platform for the keen Berkley angler.

Packed to the gunnels with fishing features including Stacers’s renowned EVO advanced hull design, side console configuration, front casting deck, plenty of storage, rod holders, and plumbed live-well, this package is the dream fishing machine for the estuary and bay soft plastics fisherman. Add $10,000 of fishing tackle and you have the Ultimate Berkley Fishing machine ready to hit the water!

How to enter: Simply buy $25 of Berkley product from a participating retailer during the promotional period for your chance to win. It’s that easy!

Visit the website for details www.berkleyfishingmachine.com.au

WIN

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all the boxes nd 5 lotte Bay ticks and 2 mates. Spe Princess Char a lifetime for you blowing of trip the WIN Bay with mind  Barra run off  GT popping  Light tackle sports fishing

Take it easy - you deserve it Would you like to spend a day of relaxation, reading the latest copy of Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News, enjoying a few fishing films, immersing yourself in some fantastic exhibits, extolling the history of fly fishing to others or if you are keen, tying a few flies with all material provide.

The Australian Fly Fishing Museum, on the banks of the South Esk River, is offering a lucky reader just that, volunteer for at least a day a month at our Clarendon site and receive these great incentives, plus a free AFFM T-shirt and commemorative badge.

Times are 10-4 Mon-Sat or noon-4 on Sunday. So you can fish the river before or after.

Contact Brad Gawne, Volunteer Coordinator 0429668114

cess Charlotte er tips. days fishing Prin ing at your fing light game fish Barra, reef and on TV! get your mugs ld cou you s Plu

Win a bucket list fishing adventure to Princess Charlotte Bay ketlistfishingtr visit www.buc

ip.com.au for

more info

Barra run off, GT popping, sport fishing on the great barrier reef, Princess Charlotte Bay ticks all the boxes.

WIN the trip of a lifetime for you and 2 mates fishing with Reel Chase Charters. 5 days aboard the luxury Amokura, a 57’ Assegai with 2 x 20ft custom sportfishing vessels in tow. Complete with experienced guides, an onboard chef and the spectacular scenery of the area you and your mates will explore this pristine area in comfort and style.

The absolute remoteness of Princess Charlotte Bay offers a variety of mind-blowing fishing options at your fingertips. Spend your days fishing in the Normanby or Kennedy rivers for run off Barramundi, exploring the myriad of pristine reef systems and islands for GT’s, Red Emperor and Coral trout plus light tackle sport fishing along the reef edge for pelagics such as Spanish Mackerel, Tuna and even Sailfish.

Spectacular and virtually untouched, Princess Charlotte Bay is a fishing experience you and your mates will never forget.

Accompanying you and your mates on the trip will be Michael Guest and the Reel Action TV crew. Guesty is filming for the next series of Reel Action. You and your mates and all the fishing action at Princess Charlotte Bay will be a part of the next Reel Action TV series.

How to enter: Simply buy $100 of Penn, Abu Garcia, Ugly Stik, Spiderwire or Stren product from a participating retailer during the promotional period for your chance to win. It’s that easy!

Visit the website for details www.bucketlistfishingtrip.com.au

Shimano Spheros spin reels The Spheros series of spin reels is an enduring Shimano brand that has been given the full makeover recently. The new ones are a whole lot prettier, with increased creature comforts for improved fishing performance, but at the heart remain a gutsy, nononsense reel.

The list of features include X-Ship and X-Shield. The former sees a larger cold-forged drive gear and a double bearing supported pinion gear increase performance under load, while the latter means sealing gaskets have been placed in locations where water could otherwise enter the reel body, delivering a water resistant barrier for the harshest fishing conditions.

Depending on the reel model, the Cross Carbon drag can be cranked up from 10 to 18 kilos and that’s what hard-core bluewater anglers want when fishing braided super lines. The machined aluminium handle and the four SA-RB bearings making winding effortless — even under a maxed out drag setting.

Accurate distance casting, even with big, bulky lures and baits, is achievable thanks to the AR-C lip design of the cold forged spool, which prevents wind knots from forming and ensures the line leaves the spool in smaller loops with less guide slap.

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

Fishing News - Page 59

The commercial flathead catch in Tasmanian waters is around 40 - 70 tonnes per annum. The majority of this catch is tiger flathead with sand flathead accounting for 10 - 15 tonnes.

The majority (over 85%) of flathead taken by recreational fishers are sand flathead. The relative catch of flathead, the amount of fishers in Tasmania and the amount landed confirms that flathead really is the backbone of recreational sea fishing in Tasmania. Therefore it is very important to keep an eye on the stocks, the catch and occasionally review how it is managed.

As the majority of sand flathead is taken by the recreational fishery and a relatively insignificant amount taken by the commercial fishery, the conventional fisheries assessment December/January 2015 procedure of using commercial catch rates when monitoring the fishery is problematic.

This is why Fishwise funded a pilot study to monitor flathead stocks between 2012-2014 in three key areas - D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Frederick Henry-Norfolk Bay and Great Oyster Bay. Sampling was conducted using standardised protocols, fishing gear (hook and line), sites fished and Flathead Research timing. The size of all fish captured was recorded, random lathead is the most commonly caught fish taken by subsamples of which were retained for more comprehensive recreational fishers with recent surveys showing it is biological examination including determination of sex and around 70% of all fish caught. Surveys conducted in 2000- age.

01, 2007-08 and 2012-13 indicated that recreational fishers The report published by the Institute for Marine and retained over 1 million flathead (equating to 235-360 tonnes) Antarctic Studies (IMAS), Developing a Low-Cost Monitoring in each of those years.

Regime to Assess Relative Abundance and Population Characteristics of Sand Outback 2.3m Flathead by Graeme Floor length 2.3m and a side door, the Outback 2.3 slide Ewing, Jeremy Lyle and A. on caravan is designed to fit extra or freestyle cab size Mapleston is now available flat tray vehicles. Many options, but typically includes: from the DPIPWE web Sandwich panel construction; Fibreglass cupboards; site: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.

Fully insulated panels; Electric camperjacks; Security door; Electronic battery management system; 90 litre au/sea-fishing-aquaculture/ fridge; 95 litre stainless steel water tank; 6’2’’ x 4’ or sustainable-fisheries5’ bed; 2 burner stove and grill; Easy lift mechanism management/researchfor pop top roof lifting; Aluminium full pop top section and-stock-assessments/ with vinyl sleeve; Approximately 610Kg. recreational-fisheriesInnovan campers are a ground research/recreationalbreaking and top-selling new fishing-research-projects camper with a solid fibreglass

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shell that can ‘hinge open’ to provide more space. Their revolutionary patented design allows the Innovan camper to expand from 1.5 metres above the floor to an enclosed living Penguin Composites specialises could be one of them. space with solid walls and a in taking your old fibreglass boat That could mean a pod on the ceiling close to 3 metres high in seconds.

Amenities and building it into a modern, back or a total make over from a storage space arecuddy cleverly fitted on the to interior practical fishingand platform. cab or runabout a terrific exterior of the unit, the Innovan to stay There are manyand excellent boats littleallowing bay, estuary, lake, bream or around that justlight, needmobile a revamp trout boat. and affordable. to bring them up to date.campers Yours come in both a slide-on and a Innovan caravan model.

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Ph: 03 6437 2791 808 South Road, Penguin, Tasmania 7316

that their data indicates a need to reduce fishing pressure in addition to continue funding future monitoring of flathead stocks.

The researchers assessed whether a minimum size limit increase for sand flathead to 32 cm (from the current 30 cm) would benefit the fishery. An increase in size was found to be a trade-off in terms of reduced theoretical yield per recruit but balanced by the combined effects of reducing the effective rate of fishing mortality for the same level of effort (i.e. more of the catch would be undersized and released) and additional protection conferred to the adult spawning stock, allowing females to spawn for an additional year or so before entering the fishery.

During the statewide survey of Recreational Fishing in Tasmania (to be published in December), respondents were asked their opinion on increasing the flathead size limit from 30cm to 32cm. They were advised that such a proposal would increase the yield of flesh, with a 25% increase in weight per fish, and also that such a move would result in lower catch rates for a period of time to allow for growth to the new legal-size.

Out of 570 respondents, the vast majority (457 respondents or 80%) indicated that they would be supportive of such an initiative, with 76 (13%) opposed and 37 (7%) unsure.

Respondents in the same survey were also were asked whether they considered the current possession limit of 30 fish per person for flathead was too high or about right. The majority (346 fishers or 61%) indicated that they considered the limit too high, 197 (35%) suggested it was about right, while 4 (1%) suggested it was too low, with a further 24 (4%) respondents unsure. Respondents who indicated that the limit was too high were asked what they thought would be a reasonable limit - 27% suggest limits of 10 or less, 62% suggested limits of 15 or less while the vast majority (97%) considered limits of 20 or less to be reasonable.

The results to the flathead monitoring project, the recreational fishing survey and other research will be considered when the Department drafts proposals in preparation for formal consultation as part of the Scalefish Management Plan review early next year.

Key Findings of New IMAS Report The key findings of the report are as follows: Over the three year monitoring period research catch rates declined in most areas, suggesting a possible decline in the abundance of flathead.

Females were found to grow more quickly and to greater maximum sizes than males and on average reached the current legal size (30 cm) at younger ages than males.

The research confirmed that fishing pressure on sand flathead stocks is high and because of faster growth and larger sizes attained by female sand flathead, it is clear that females are more vulnerable to being caught earlier than males.

The researchers suggest

Scalefish Fishery Review The process for reviewing and remaking the management plan for the Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery, the Fisheries (Scalefish) Rules 2004, commenced last year. It is expected that the statutory 60 day consultation period will occur early to mid-2015 and any new rules will take effect from November 2015.

Need more information?

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

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

What is happening at St Clair Lagoon and Pumphouse Point

T

he opening of the Pumphouse Point development at Lake St Clair is an exciting time for trout fishermen in Tasmania. The development offers a range of accommodation that will suit most fishing budgets and world class fishing is, literally, right on the doorstep.

Now we all know that fishermen like to tell the odd tall story, and one that seems to be doing the rounds in fishing circles in Tasmania presently is that the Pumphouse Point development will result in access for fishermen into the Lagoon and Basin being denied. This is simply not true and, in fact, with some of the work already done on-site improving car parking, walking tracks and access routes, the lagoon and Basin are now more accessible than ever. There are just a few simple directions that people will need to follow.

Just for starters, a new car park and turning circle has been constructed at the eastern end of the Frankland Beaches. The car park utilises what was previously a site made up of informal 4WD tracks to the lagoon. From this car park, a more formal track is under construction that follows the lagoon high water mark in a northerly direction to the old flume where anglers can cross via the bridge, allowing access beyond. Anglers wanting to access the Basin via the top weir, the shore around the point or towards the island will need to use this route as vehicles can no longer be parked adjacent to the old Hydro houses.

The only area of the Pumphouse Point lease site that anglers can no longer access is the concrete flume out to the Pumphouse itself. This is simply due to insurance purposes and for the remainder of the lagoon, Basin and Lake St Clair proper, access for anglers around the shore remains as it always has.

In terms of managing guests fishing in the lagoon and basin, we will be promoting sensitive wading, catch and release and an overall philosophy that aims to improve the existing fishery for guests and visiting anglers alike.

Opening 1 January 2015.

Come and fish, come and stay.

Pumphouse Point.

P: 0428 090 436 E: info@pumphousepoint.com.au

Fish

World class fishing in the heart of the central highlands

Stay in a luxury art deco 3 bedroom cottage Atmospheric Highlander Arms tavern on the doorstep 3 course meal provided each night Catch your own salmon in Tarraleah lake and learn how to prepare it with expert chef 18 lakes within 30 minutes drive

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cosy wood fires

wine & whisky tasting

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

guided fishing trips

great pub

Fishing News - Page 61

FRANKLIN MARINE Open 7 Day s Launceston’s Only Authorised Dealer and Service Centre Mercury and Motorguide 8 Legana Park Drive Legana Industrial Estate, P: 6330 2277 E: chris@cjmarineandkarts.com

Full fishing and cray store + gear and bait and all boating gear Drive in parking with boat Ph: 6266 3768

Outboard Technology Quality Service and repairs to all Outboard Motors.

Southern Region David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859 96 Clifton Beach Rd Sandford Tas 7020

Gone Fishing Charters

• East coast estuary and bay • Whiting, Bream, Salmon, Garfish, Flathead, Squid and more • Soft plastics, lures, fly and bait • 5.8 metre sportfishing boat.

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

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Fishing News - Page 62

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

Boat trailer wheel and tyre

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Phone Mike Stevens 0418 129949

Call in for all your fishing tackle including full range rods, reels, lures, landing nets and bait. Also life jackets plus diving gear and stuff for all water sports.

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

HIGHL AND LAKES

Tasmanian maps for any

Map & A n g li n g For the late

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top Service – Top Price

N o te s

BL10621

Your ad can work if it’s here.

www.sportsfishtasmania.com

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

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

Fishing News - Page 63

Fishing News - Page 64

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