Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 125 2016 December

December 2016 - January 2017

TASMANIAN FISHING and BOATING NEWS — ISSUE 125

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Season so far

10

Penstock Lagoon

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Life’s a Beach Print Post approved 100003074

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Fill

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Rigging it Right Craig Rist discusses his love of Ninteen Lagoons on page 15.

your diary full of fish

You dream about Summer and promise yourself more fishing this year - this season, so fill your diary.

There is always a plan and whenever you get together with mates the talk is fishing. Yes, all agree we will catch trout, King George whiting, metre long kingfish, calamari, two kilo bream and numerous other species to add to the bucket list.

On the list may be Lake Plimsoll, First Lagoon, Lake Kay, Lake St Clair, the Pieman River, King William,

Southport Lagoon, Ansons Bay, Clarke Island and perhaps Lake Pedder.

There are many destinations and many fish to catch.

Get the diary out now, schedule the days and schedule it with your mates. One day there will be no more. There are only so many Summers in one’s life. Enjoy them.

Season so far — Gavin Hicks

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What’s Happening at Penstock Lagoon — Rob Freeman IFS

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Nineteen Lagoons — Craig Rist

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Life’s a Beach — Kelly Hunt

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Two Highland Options — Dan Pursell

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Rigging for Better Results — Matt Sherriff

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Wishing it Right — Mark Whiteroad

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Marine Fisheries News

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Never has the Western Lakes boom gate opened so late. The rain has been amazing and apart from Great Lake and Lake Gordon everything is full, has been, or is close to it. Granted Gordon and Great Lake are hugely significant in the storage scheme for Hydro Tasmania, but even Great Lake has seen huge inflows and a very significant rise in level. But waht does it mean for anglers - especially trout anglers?

The Western Lakes for example had have a huge covering of water.

I choose my words a little carefully when saying that, because I am trying to describe the significance of what the large rainfall has done..

The central highland plateau - the land of 3000 lakes, is reasonably flat and when there is a lot of water many lakes, tarns, lagoons become interconnected. The creeks and flooded areas allow fish to move around and repopulate both large and very small tarns. Drought made these tarns and smalll waterways vulnerable to cormorants, anglers and overheating. The trout suffered and places became barren. That will have changed and I am hearing reports of fantastic fishing in places that had become fishless. So take time to look carefully if you fish the 3000 lakes.

All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Print Post approved; 100003074

Fishing News - Page 2

The Meander, on the other hand had the benefit of a controlled flow via Huntsman Dam and it suffered little. It remains an outstanding fishery.

The South Esk and North Esk both had huge floods and this has generally been good for them with a good flush and certainly less damage than other Northern rivers. As I write this at the rivers are still at a very good height and I look forward to them holding up well over Summer.

The floods will probably also benefit our lower estuaries with good flushes there as well.

Thousand Lakes Lodge at Lake Augusta has been operating a couple of months now and Marcus Ambrose and his team have done a great job.

Most visitors are not anglers, but of course there are a few. This place will be a great asset, so support it if you can.

Mike Stevens. Ed.

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

Rivers have had huge floods and the destruction of infrastructure is enormous and significant. The Mersey and Leven suffered more than most and no one really knows what the short or long term impact will be on the fishing. Certainly the river courses have changed in many places and it is akin to fishing in a different river.

For subscriptions go to www.tasfish.com, phone Mike 0418 129 949 or pay by Paypal to mike@tasfish.com - One year $36 - two years $70

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Fishing News - Page 3

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Jobie and Kai Hicks - ready for action.

The Season So Far

Season - So Far Gavin Hicks

What a wet start to the 2016 season it has been so far.

I find myself constantly dreaming of lakes overflowing into marshes and backwaters and all those fat, golden highland trout that would be patrolling them mopping up everything on offer. It is around about then that I get startled back to reality by two young boys saying “Dad, can we take the boat out again this weekend”? Why did I buy that boat right at the start of a record wet year!

Anyway the boat has been everything I expected and more so let’s have a look at SOME of the spots this season has taken us so far.

Lake Dulverton/Macquarie River

For some strange reason I just had an urge to show the boys away to a new water for opening day. With that in mind and after doing a bit of research I decided to head to Oatlands and have a look at Lake Dulverton.

We arrived to an absolutely brilliant winter’s day and a flat calm lake. We searched the lakes edges with wet flies and soft plastics only seeing two fish in the process. One was out in the centre of the lake and the other came

within range of a nice easy 45-50 foot cast and I thought here’s a sitter. I can show the boys their first Dulverton fish, then I quickly and quite easily layed my line right across the top of the fish and spooked him! There just is no covering up a lack of ability I am afraid!

After a lazy few hours in the sun we decided to start the cruise home. As we got closer to Ross on the Midlands highway we thought let’s sneak home up the back roads and have a look at Brumbys Creek when we get there. A few km’s in we came up to the Morningside Bridge on the Macquarie River and with no cars at the Angler Access thought why not stop here. Another water the boys had not been to before, perfect.

When we accessed the water it was clearly running a bit high so we drifted some Black Fuzzle buggers and Berkley plastics along the slacker edges of the runs. This is where the fish were holding and it wasn’t long before we had landed two nice brown trout to open our account for the season. And it also blooded the new Sage X 5wt which was a relief as sometimes that bloody new rod curse can hang around for far too long. So that was it, season 2016/17 was underway.

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Fishing News - Page 5

Four Springs

Our first trip out here was from the shore and it consisted of only Jobie and myself. I was looking forward to this, as without Kai in tow, I could really concentrate on helping Jobie hopefully get into a fish on his fly rod.

We arrived and headed up from the boat ramp to a nice little bay with a point coming off it. I could see a couple of fish rising out off the point to the odd mayfly so I set up Jobie up in a nice spot he could comfortably fish and set out to see if I could reach the risers.

When I got into position a fish rose within range so I layed the possum emerger out to do its thing. After a few seconds Jobie spoke to me and I turned to answer his question (never take your eyes off your dry fly they say!).

You guessed it, the moment I turned away I heard a rise.

I thought shit that must have been close to my fly, looked back and the possum was no longer to be seen so I set the hook. The big brownie gave a massive headshake, came up out of the water and busted me off. Jobie then turns to me and says”Geez Dad did you see the size of that fish”. To which I replied” Sure did mate it was on the end of my line, briefly!” It was a cracking fish which I reckon was 5 pounds or a bit better, my biggest Four Springs fish to date most definitely. Anyway we stuck it out till dark on what turned out to be a beautiful evening but no more fish bothered to come within range of our section of shoreline.

Our second trip was an after work dash, mainly just to play about in the new boat really. We launched and headed up and across the lake to a deeper section where the boys could chuck some soft plastics in against the edges and work them back out to the boat. We had fished for an hour or so and dropped a few fish, two on a Di3 sinking line pulling Yeti variations and one Strike Tiger T-tail plastic. Just then the wind got up and a big rain storm hit us. It only lasted about 15 minutes but poured the whole time. I could see a clear line of blue sky coming behind it though so convinced the boys to ride out the storm and see what happened when it cleared.

As soon as the rain stopped the lake went dead flat, a few duns started popping and the fish came up with them. We snuck within range of the first one and I cast the possum emerger out in front of him. After four or five rises in quick succession he scoffed my dry down about 5 metres off the boat. I set the hook and he leapt clear of the water right in front of us, much to the delight of the boys who were cheering and giving a running commentary. Jobie then managed to get a big tangle on his rod so I gave him mine and spent the rest of the evening trying to get him close enough to rises for a decent shot. While he did put out a couple of nice shots it wasn’t to be and all to soon it was time to head back to the boat ramp in the fast fading light.

Lake Barrington

We headed to Barrington one Saturday when we were a bit restricted for time and launched down at the rowing course ramp. Steering a course for the Cethana end we trolled a couple of lures out the back for something different and to also get some engine hours on the boat ready for its first service. After a couple of lost lures on underwater snags we reeled in and decided to drift a windblown shore casting as we went. This turned out to be a good move as we found plenty of fish hard in against the edges. In a stretch of around 300 metres or

Fishing News - Page 6

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Fishing News - Page 7

so the boys landed three nice fish on Strike Tiger 2.5 inch T Tails in the homebrew colour, had one follow right into the boat and turn away and dropped another one.

I was pleasantly surprised with this result and with the sprinkling of gum beetles that were showing I will certainly be back there to do some more investigating in the near future as I reckon it should form a decent wind lane or two that the fish would have to get in.

Creeks

We have been doing plenty of fishing in the smaller creeks in and around my local areas. This is just so much fun to do with the boys and I love nothing more than heading off with them after work. Whether it be around my local area or further afield in areas such as Deloraine, Mole Creek or Sheffield we just grab a pack that is loaded with a box of flies, leader material, some Celtas, bubble floats, soft plastic nymphs and a few other basics and away we go.

The boys use their short creek rods loaded with four pound fluorocarbon and I usually run a shorter 3wt rod and there are endless hours of fun just waiting to be had. Wading up the middle of most of these waterways flicking their lures or me casting a fly they just can’t get enough.

We had one potentially memorable capture only a few weeks ago. Coming up to the tail of a pool I noticed a rise right up in the near the head of the pool under an overhanging tree. I said to Kai that could well be a reasonable creek fish given the position it was and cover it had. As we were working out a plan a different fish rose halfway between us and the first fish in the middle of the pool. I cast my dry/dropper rig up and it drifted halfway back to us before the dry got pulled under. I set the hook into what felt like a reasonable weight and proceeded to put the brakes on him before he could reach an undercut bank opposite us. Kai mentioned that he seen the fish roll and look to be very big for this water. Unfortunately the fight was over quite quickly and we slipped the weight net under a very long and lean creek brown. He weighed near enough to 2 pounds with absolutely no condition on him.

We had unfortunately missed our shot at a creek trophy for now but we slipped him quietly back into the water to hopefully keep feeding and put some condition on over the coming months. As he disappeared back into the depths Kai whispered “We will see you again this summer Mr Brown”.

Great Lake

A couple of trips to the Great Lake have been had so far since purchasing the new boat. We have had the boat from the very northern end right down to Swan

Fishing News - Page 8

Bay but only on the western shore, as yet we haven’t been east but as I sit writing this we are heading up tomorrow morning so that may well change. Fish have been caught (and in excellent condition) right in on the rocky shores on a variety of methods. Ranging from Mylar Yetis and big Fuzzle buggers on floating and Di3 fly lines to plastics and hard bodies. The most popular for the boys being the Strike Tiger T tails in homebrew and the new copper berry colours and Rapala lures with their most popular being the XRCD07 TR brown trout and the CD05 P Perch colours.

The boys have also been showing a bit of interest in doing some trolling now they have a bit more room to relax in the boat and some rod holders etc. So that will be some interesting times ahead learning a new method as I have zero experience trolling for trout on the Great Lake or anywhere else for that matter!

Saltwater

One of the main reasons for the new boat was to get out into some saltwater and show the boys the other side of what Tasmanian fishing has to offer.

With that in mind we had our first trip off the mouth of the Mersey only a couple of weeks ago. The original plan was to head out after some squid that seemed to be everywhere at the time but it was just too blustery and rough out the front so we trolled loops from the mouth of the river up to the ferry terminal.

Out the western side and back up the east, every loop produced a cocky salmon or two. We used the basic old silver slice lures and they couldn’t get enough of them and whilst they were only small they were all great fun and the boys had a blast. Seeing the expressions on their faces was more than enough to justify the expense of having a new boat in the shed.

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Highlight so far

Massive wedge tailed eagle that sat on the side of the road not far from Camerons Lagoon till we got into the right spot to get a couple of photos of it flying away.

What’s next for the season?

Whilst I fear I may not even get out there this season (that boat again!) it should be a bumper year in the 19 lagoons area and beyond with plenty of water about and some fat fish to be had. The marshes should be all full

and the trout all eager to get amongst it. As I’m sure are a lot of anglers with the unusually late opening of the gate at Lake Augusta this year. I have heard a few good reports of tails coming from Little Pine Lagoon as well so that will certainly get a run soon. I for one will be spending a lot of time on my absolute most favourite place of all the Great Lake this season, the new, bigger and safer boat opening up a whole lot more options for us now. And having spent a few hours recently (late

November) drifting through blankets of gum beetles in and around the southern end of the lake things are looking good to really fire up this season.

So wherever it may be you decide to head over the summer months of the season, stay safe, respect your fellow anglers on the water, catch a few fish or two and most importantly have a whole lot of fun. Oh and a great Christmas loaded with plenty of angler specific gifts.

Gavin Hicks.

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Fishing News - Page 9

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What’s happening at Penstock Rob Freeman - IFS 30

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Penstock Lagoon Fishery Assessment – Summary Rob Freeman - Inland Fisheries Service ust prior to the commencement of the 2016-17 trout season, the Inland Fisheries Service undertook a survey of the trout population at Penstock Lagoon.

The purpose of the survey was to: ◘ estimate the size of the brown trout population, ◘ assess the abundance and growth of adult brown trout that were fin clipped and released in June 2014 and, ◘ assess the population structure of both brown and rainbow trout.

Over three days, a total of 120 box traps were set and some limited electrofishing undertaken. This effort resulted in a catch of 593 trout. Of this total, box traps captured 547 trout while electrofishing accounted for 46.

Of the 547 trout captured in box traps, 417 were brown trout and 130 rainbow trout. The results below use only the data from fish captured in box traps.

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Population estimate

During May – June 2016, 3,850 adult brown trout were transferred from yingina/Great Lake to Penstock 30

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Count

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 2014 release  2016 recapture

10 5 5 capture-mark-recapture

Lagoon to enable a population were predominate in the total catch, indicating that few estimate to be undertaken. To identify these fish during have been taken since release. This indicates anglers have 0 0 420 mm500 minimum size limit during the the recapture phase, each individual had100 its adipose fin abided 0 200 300 by the 400 600 700 marked (the small fin on the back of the fish). Of the 417 2014-15 season and returning a significant proportion of 300 fishLength (mm) over 420 mm during the 2015-16 season. brown trout captured during the0July survey, 109 (26%) 100 200 400 500 600 700 had adipose fin marks. This enabled us to estimate the Figure 1 shows the lengths of these fish from first Figure 1: Length frequency of the 2014 fin clipped brown trout at release and recapture 2016 brown trout population at around 14,000 (+/- 2,300). release in 2014 to subsequent recapture in 2016.

A comparison of the number of brown trout captured

per box trap during the 2016 survey and a similar survey Population structure brown trout conducted in 2014, suggest this figure may be marginally Population structure brown trout Figure 2 shows the length frequency for all brown high. The estimate is likely to be at the lower range of trout captured during the 2016 survey. Of the 33 fish Figure 2 shows the length frequency for all brown trout captured during the 2016 sur the estimate at approximately 11,700 brown trout. in the 360-420 mm length class, 22 (66%) did not have

fish in the 360‐420 mm length class, 22 (66%) did not have any fin clips. This indicate any fin clips. This indicates they were from a stocking of

Brown troutfrom a stocking of triploid brown trout undertaken during October 2013 (1.4 g releas transfers 2014 triploid brown trout undertaken during October 2013

During 2014,January 2014 (6.2 g release wt.). This cohort of triploids therefore represented 9.5% 2,000 adult brown trout that were (1.4 g release wt.) and January 2014 (6.2 g release wt.). marked by having their adipose fin clipped were released This cohort of triploids therefore represented 9.5% of number of brown trout captured from box traps. This supports the result from the 20 into the lagoon. The recapture of these fish during 2016 the total number of brown trout captured from box showed triploid fish survive but at lower than expected abundance. It also confirms t showed the average weight had increased from 580 g to traps. This supports the result from the 2014 survey that 1.3 kg (124% increase). showed triploid fish survive but at lower than expected these fish is similar to diploid brown trout of the same age.

Analysis of the lengths of brown trout showed some abundance. It also confirms the growth of these fish is very interesting information. The fish released in 2014 similar to diploid brown trout of the same age.

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20

 2014 release  2016 recapture

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10 5 5 0

0

0

100

200

300

0

100

200

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400

Length (mm) 400

500

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Figure 1: Length frequency of the 2014 fin clipped brown trout at release and recapture 2016.

Figure 1. Length frequency of the 2014 fin clipper Figure

brown trout at release and recapture 2016.

Fishing News - Page 10

Population structure brown trout

2. Length frequency for brown trout, showing the groups of

Figure 2: Length frequency for brown trout, showing the groups of fish captured during the 20 fish captured during the 2016 survey.

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Fishing News - Page 11

The second length group consist of adult brown trout that were adipose marked and released in May 2016 in readiness for the July 2016 population estimate.

The third group are non-clipped fish that mostly consist of adult brown trout relased in 2015.

The fourth distinct cohort are adult brown with adipose clips that were released in 2014; with the remaining fish likely to consits of previous fry and perhaps adult stockings.

The average length for all brown trout processed (n=231) was 465 mm, with an average weight 1,106 g, giving an overall calculated average condition factor of 1.07 K (see table 1). The non-clipped fish grouping contained both large and small length class fish. The 2014 fin clipped group had significantly higher weights and lengths with an average of 1,334 g and 498 mm.

The average condition factor for all brown trout sampled was 1.07 and indicative of normal post spawning condition.

Rainbow trout

One of the adult transfers released in 2014 at an average of 580 grams, note the small clipped adipose fin used to identify this group of fish.

Rainbow trout represented 24% of the catch. The average weight was 776 g with the average length being 339 mm (see table 2). These figures are however influenced by the stocking of 20,000 fry in 2014 and 6,000 yearlings in November 2015 that are now apparent in the fishery. The 6,000 yearlings were stocked at an average weight of 138 g and by July 2016 averaged 569 g.

The average condition factor for the rainbow trout was 1.25 k with two thirds categorised as being in good to excellent condition.

Summary

The results of this survey suggest the brown trout population at Penstock Lagoon is around 12,000 to 14,000 fish. This level is providing anglers with a slightly higher catch rate without compromising the quality of trout caught. Anglers are abiding by the size limits and consequently there are a good number of trout around 1.3 – 1.6 kg. Compared to previous surveys in 2003 and 2013, there appears to be very few fish over 600 mm (2.25+ kg) that the fishery was known to produce. This is likely related to the increased popularity of the fishery, with A view of Penstock from the Anglers Alliance webcam. these large fish being removed due to additional angling effort. All up however, the fishery is producing good Grouping Measurement Average Minimum numbers of well conditioned fish. This is directly linked Length (mm) 465 350 to what is now a successful stocking program based on All brown trout (n=231) Weight (g) 1106 840 the transfer of adult brown trout.

Condition Factor (k) 1.07 0.74 For more information on this assessment, contact Length (mm) 462 350 Rob Freeman at: rob.freeman@ifs.tas.gov.au Non – clipped (n=125) Weight (g) 1083 430 Condition Factor (k) 1.07 0.74 Length (mm) 498 425 Clipped 2014 Weight (g) 1,334 840 (n=54) Condition Factor (k) 1.07 0.92 Length (mm) 439 365 Marked 2016 (n=52) Weight (g) 924 520 Condition Factor (k) 1.08 0.92

Maximum 586 2,100 1.46 586 2,100 1.46 560 1,860 1.23 500 1,470 1.24

Table 1: Average length, weight and condition factor of measured brown trout from box traps, seperated by: combined sample, non-fin clipped, 2014 adipose clips and 2016 adipose marked.

Grouping Rainbow trout (n=70)

Measurement Length (mm) Weight (g) Condition Factor (k)

Average 393 776 1.23

Minimum 315 390 0.56

Maximum 510 1700 1.46

Table 2: Length, weight and condition factor for rainbow trout captured in box traps.

Fishing News - Page 12

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Fishing News - Page 13

Fishing News - Page 14

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Nineteen Lagoons

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Craig Rist

he Nineteen Lagoons area of the Western Lakes are a group of easily accessible lakes and lagoons that have something for everyone. To access this area, take the Lake Augusta Road alongside the Liawenee Canal at Great Lake. From Lake Augusta the gravel road beyond this point allows access with a two-wheel drive vehicle throughout the Nineteen Lagoons area. Many of the lakes and lagoons are located right along side the road while others must be accessed by foot. Some can be up to 4 kilometers away but most are only a few hundred metres away. For me this is not a place to catch big

numbers of fish throughout the year with the average catch rate being only be 1 or 2 fish per angler. It’s more about the potential to sight fish to wild brown trout in this unique environment.

Something to remember when fishing from the shore in the Western Lakes is that to see and catch fish they must be out feeding within the limitations of your vision and length of cast, be it with a fly or a lure. On some days they are hidden under the bank or rock or simply feeding out in the middle of the lake amongst the weed beds, beyond our reach. But when they are out along the

shoreline the fishing can be fantastic and the memories of such times will keep you coming back again and again.

Lake Augusta.

This lake is the only lake in the Nineteen-lagoon area where the use of natural bait is permitted. All of the remaining lakes and lagoons are artificial only, with a handful set aside for fly-fishing only. Motorised boats are also permitted on Lake Augusta, which have unsealed boat ramps available to launch trailered boats.

The use of a boat on this lake brings with it all sorts

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Fishing News - Page 15

Left: A sandy bay at the top or natural Lake Augusta. These can be prime polaroiding areas in good light. of advantages, Wind lanes, foam lines and open water mayfly hatches are all within reach when you have a boat. Boat polaroiding is also very effective on this lake when using your preferred method of fishing be it bait, fly or lure.

Lake Augusta can rise and fall dramatically depending on the Hydro power water supply management from this lake. In summer, the lake level typically drops to form two Lakes. These are often referred to as Augusta Dam and Natural (or Top) Augusta to distinguish the two.

Howes Lagoon Bay also becomes an isolated lagoon that was once part of this lake during the high water level.

The flooded James River is also exposed between the two Lake Augusta’s and provides one of a handful of unique Nineteen Lagoons river fishing options.

Augusta Dam is the deeper of the two and the lakebed has a mixture of rock, mud and sand. This provides whole range of places for both brown and rainbow trout to inhabit and feed. Lake Augusta dam has two rivers feeding it, the River Ouse from the northwest and the James River flowing out of Lake Augusta natural from the west.

Lake Augusta natural is much shallower with the lakebed consisting of mostly mud and sand. The James River flowing in from the western shore can be a very productive area to find fish in the heat of summer. The sandy shoreline on the southeastern side of the lake can produce some exceptional sight fishing after a prolonged period of strong westerly winds. This wind accumulates stick cadis and other insects against this shore where the brown trout take advantage of this concentration of food. A small size 14 Red Tag or other small beetle pattern can be very effective here during the summer months.

Double Lagoon

Motorised boats are permitted on this lagoon, however the majority of the fishing is done from the shore. The lagoon is artificial lure and fly only and well suited to both. The marsh area adjacent to the car park and one further along the western shore are favorite Fishing News - Page 16

The marshes at Double Lagoon can offer some amazing fishing.

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Lake Chipman

This lake is a short walk to the northwest of Double Lagoon and is worth a look to find a larger fish on a blue-sky day using a fly or to throw a lure around its shore on a rough windy day after fishing the western shore of Double Lagoon.

Howes Bay Lagoon

As mentioned, this small lagoon is formed when the lake level in Lake Augusta drops to form two lakes. Trout are trapped in this lagoon during this low water period until such a time when the water level in Lake Augusta rises again. This shallow water lagoon has been restricted to fly fishing only. Because most of it can be waded, the chance of covering a fish with a fly is very high which can lead to some productive fishing. This lagoon is also located close to the road making it convenient and very popular for both locals and visitors.

Carters Lakes

The rock bar at Double is a productive zone. tailing shores for fly fishers during the early morning and late afternoon. All of the usual tailing flies will work but if I had to choose jut one type of fly it would be a size 12 or 14 black beetle. I fish this as an inert wet and watch the leader draw away or a black beetle tied with some deer hair or foam to make it float just in the surface film.

When the weather is less than ideal for sight fishing a fur fly or Woolly Bugger or casting a lure around the lake can produce a few fish for those who put in the effort.

The lake has a narrow exposed rock bar that extends out into the lake midway along the northern shore. This

rock bar is a great place to find fish during a mayfly dun hatch and also to fish the open water with a wet fly or lure when sight fishing is not an option.

Second and First Lagoons

To the east of the Double Lagoon car park there is a track that leads you to Second Lagoon and then onto First Lagoon. Second Lagoon is quite shallow and is restricted to fly fishing only while lure and fly is permitted in First Lagoon. First Lagoon is considered a trophy lake with fish above 2 kg always being a possibility on the right day.

South of Howes Lagoon Bay is Carters Lakes. This Lake is stocked with wild adult brown trout from Great Lake and is designated for lure and fly-fishing. The lake has shallow rocky bays along the southern shore and a deeper shoreline along the north. The deeper shore is well suited to lure fishing and sight fishing from the shore when the fish are in close feeding on mayfly Spinners. The shallow bays to the south provide a good wade polaroiding option if you are prepared to tread carefully amongst the submerged rocks. There are also two shallow Lagoons that are connected to the main lake at the western shore. These two lagoons get a handful of fish into them from two very narrow connections. So when fish are hard to find in Carters Lake, these two lagoons can be good option to a fish or two to save the day.

Lake Paget

This lake is also stocked with wild adult Great Lake brown trout and is a lure and fly water. The lake is often overlooked as trout water as it is literally right alongside the built up road that passes Lake Augusta natural. The Mayfly hatches in this lake can bring this seemingly fishless pond alive, providing a real treat on fly.

The fish that survive a few seasons of low water in summer, grow well beyond the average Great Lake fish. A good tip while driving past this lake is to always wear your polarized sunglasses, as it is very common to see fish cruising the edge from this high vantage point. A fully assembled rod is also another good idea.

Lake Botsford

Craig Rist with a prime Howes fish.

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This clear shallow water has very few rocks under foot that allows the entire lake to be easily waded during the summer months.

This and the annual restocking of Great Lake brown trout, makes it a popular choice for many anglers Fishing News - Page 17

using both fly, or lure. The chances of covering fish are very high in this lake, which obviously increases your chances of catching a fish. The lake has good mayfly hatches, which is another big incentive for many fly anglers to fish this water. Jim Allen oftens uses a skinny nymph. Botsford gets quite a bit of pressure and it is usually best before Christmas.

Lake Kay

In my opinion this lake is probably the best tailing water amongst the nineteen lagoons. The extensive shallow marshes expose the fins of these fish as they hunt the shallows. As always water levels do affect the numbers of fish you can see. When the water is high and the water level has been up for a while or it is dropping, then there will be very few fish in the shallows as they usually retreat back to the food rich weed beds. On the other hand, if you have timed your arrival when the water is rising over new ground and into some fertile backwaters for the first time after heavy rain, then the chances of seeing tailing fishing can be very good. For consistency, I would actually prefer lower water levels when the existing aquatic weed containing all that food, is much closer to the surface. The chances of seeing a fin as a trout feeds amongst this aquatic weed are much higher. As for flies I like to start with a small size 14 black beetle under a Red Tag in those very low light periods at dawn and late evening, when seeing your leader is very difficult. Then when the light is better I often remove the Red Tag to fish a single black beetle. The leader is dressed with floatant to within 30cm of the fly to make Fishing News - Page 18

it float so I can see the leader draw away when the fish has taken this inert fly from the weed.

When the sun comes up and the fish stop tailing it can be a good time to have a break and wait for the sun to rise high enough to start wade polaroiding the shallows.

Many of those tailing fish will have moved out into slightly deeper water to feed or hold up in a stationary position ready to seize the next potential meal.

The mayfly hatches on Lake Kay can be very good, so these fish are accustomed to seeing both Mayfly Duns and Spinners on this lake. There are many mayfly fly patterns available today and they will all work in the right conditions. My preference is to use an emerging mayfly Dun pattern tied with some CDC feather or possum fur and a spent black spinner for the adult Mayfly Spinners.

Little Pine River

The section of this river that flows from Hood Lagoon to Lake Kay can produce some interesting sight fishing on a good day when the fish are out from under the undercut banks. The walking can be physically tough amongst the tussocks and marshes along this river and on some days the snakes can be plentiful, which can be an annoying distraction when all you really want to do is keep your eyes on the water and not at your feet. A good way to fish this river is to start at Lake Kay and sight fish your way up stream towards Hood Lagoon starting with your favorite dry fly and be prepared to change with the conditions and mood of the fish.

Rocky Lagoon

This is another small fly fishing only lagoon that is stocked with wild Great Lake brown trout. Like Lake Botsford, the entire lagoon can be waded, but like the name suggest it has a few more rocks underfoot. The lagoon is located between Lake Botsford and Lake Ada and is accessed from the road leading to Lake Ada. This lagoon is a good option if you want to up your chances of finding a fish or two by wade polaroiding a small shallow lagoon such as this.

Lake Ada and Ada Lagoon

Like Lake Augusta and Double Lagoon, motorised boats are permitted on Lake Ada. This is a designated lure and fly water and the use of a boat has some obvious advantages not only as a fishing platform but as an easy means to quickly access some of the shores. The lake has a small marsh area at the northeastern end of the lake that can produce some tailing action in low light conditions. Sight fishing from the northwestern shore can be good and it is only a short walk over the hill to access Sandy Lake to wade polaroid the sand flats for something a little different. Lake Ada has a good head of fish and is well suited to trolling or casting lures from a drifting boat.

A small short canal connects Lake Ada with Ada Lagoon to the south. Only none motorised boats are permitted on Ada Lagoon and like Lake Ada it is a lure and fly only water.

Craig Rist

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Fishing News - Page 19

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Life’s a Beach Kelly Hunt

Fishing News - Page 20

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ood weather brings good thoughts and it is this time of year that my thoughts turn to BEACH FISHING. The age old pastime of casting bait long and far out from the beach is often forgotten and not seen as glamorous a fishing endeavour as screaming round in a bream boat or 26 feet off offshore vessel. Well I have some news for those that think such things.

Easy, fun and cheap

Beach fishing is seeing a resurgence in Tasmania and for a number of reasons. The most obvious is the fun and enjoyment that it can bring. The ease of access and relatively small outlay of moola is another. Time spent on the shoreline of our waterways contemplating life is somewhat therapeutic in this wild hurdy gurdy life we all lead now days.

Surf fishing is the bomb. The coolest memories of my childhood involve fishing from the beach and the adventures and memories that were generated. Skills are picked up without even trying. The ability to look at and predict the weather and surf conditions becomes second nature. Driving in and around dirt tracks and on sand can sometimes come into play. Then of course there is the specific fishing gear, rigs and all the associated tricks.

So let’s have a quick look at a few basics that can get you started and well on your way to enjoying some great fishing now the weather is nice and warm. So all in all there is no better time to load up on some gear and head to a beach near you and soak some bait. The recent winter while not being conducive to good beach fishing at the time has been very beneficial in other ways.

Low river systems and estuaries have received a massive clean out and flush by way of massive rains. The water flow has also created gutters and banks in areas where they are not normally seen.

Gear

First up you may need some gear as getting out across the breakers or into a good gutter from the shore calls for some longer and stouter rods than you may have in the shed. Rods from 12 to 16 feet are about the mark in this space. Back in the day, the rods used to be monsters and be 3 and 4 piece giants. While you can still buy these rods today the modern materials and tapers in the blanks mean you can get the job done with slightly smaller kit.

The Penn Prevail rods are a good example of these new breed of surf rods. These rods are high tech and lean and mean. Matching the correct cast weight to them and

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they will put your baits into the next post code. This is, of course, aided by some good quality braid line. Braid is by no means new anymore but some people still persist in using monofilament line. Mono may have its place in some instances but not for beach fishing. Braid allows sensational casting distance to be achieved and is just sensational in feeling the smallest of nibbles. Get some around 30 – 50lb and you just won’t look back. If you are looking for a knot to use for tying terminal tackle like swivels etc. onto the braid, learn the Pitzen as it is a gun and simple to tie. For mon the good old Blood or Locked Blood knot is fine.

You will need a reel to wind this braid on and attach to your rod and there are a great deal available. Penn fishing has the range and reel for you across any budget.

The Spinfisher series of reels have stood the test of time and are huge favourites for this type of fishing.

The newer reels from Penn like the Conflict and Clash are also finding favour. The reel size you are looking for is around 6000 to 8000 and depends on which rod you choose to balance the outfit. These reels are braid ready and hold plenty of line for the job, spilling off the spool for effortless casts.

Now that you have the two main items of your beach fishing kit sorted it’s time to look at the nuts and bolts.

You are going to need a few items to fill your tackle box up. These items are best purchased in fives as snags and bust offs can be encountered. Paternoster rigs are the two and three hook items you see in tackle stores everywhere. They are very popular as you only have to

clip on the other items you will need. Hooks and of course sinkers. Sinkers are pretty easy and ask the tackle store owner to match the weight of them to your rods casting weight. Star sinkers are the traditional purchase as they can anchor in the sand and hold position. Hooks on the other hand can be hellishly confusing as there are so many types and sizes.

Using the tackle store staff ’s knowledge is a great idea.

Just let them know what type of fish that you are looking at targeting and they will give you a massive head start.

Each fish species can have a way in which they bite and a certain shaped mouth and having the right hook will mean more success. This is the absolute cornerstone of why local tackle stores are worth their weight in gold.

The information they can share with you can mean the

difference between a full freezer and having to respond in the negative when asked “How did you go, get any?”

Hooks, rigs and sinkers… What else ?

Slice lures of varied sizes are a good idea as casting these into the surf can be a fun way of nailing a few Australian salmon. You can also pick up some inline burley devices that are good value. These are made of plastic or metal and are small enough to be attached to your rigs. You fill them up with very fine burley and cast them out. The idea is that the fine burley spreads in the water and the fish come looking at what’s going on. Then they happen upon your nice big bait and go Nom nom NOM ! These little mini burley pots are a great idea and the one from Hookem Fishing is a cracker.

Learn the Pitzen knot to tie braid to swivels etc.

A Paternoster is a common beach and surf rig. You can make your own or buy them cheaply from a tackle store. There are many variations, but they follow the same principles with a hook on the bottom and another suspended above.

Anglers often use a ‘surf popper’ on the top dropper.

A clip for the sinker allows for easy weight changes.

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Fishing News - Page 21

Burley in a surf fishing session is not a must, but it certainly helps. I know when I have beach fished over the years the sessions involving burley have often been very successful. Some people go to great lengths to make sure there is some burley in the water on an incoming tide on a planned gummy session. The methods can range from mild to wild so do some research on youtube.

Baits

This is another area where we are spoilt for choice but there are a couple of stand outs. Pilchards and bluebait are easy to come by and work very well across the board. Any fish flesh will be a good start and particularly if they have some tough skin to aid keeping it on the hook as you cast. Squid is also a good bait for this purpose. On a two or three hook rig if you don’t substitute a bait for a small

red/white or blue/white popper you are nowhere. These cork and feather lures swish about in the swell and waves and account for their fair share of fish when bait is quiet.

Where to start

Picking a spot to start can often be the seen as the hardest part, but nothing could be further from the truth. The tools that are available to the keen beach fisho to utilise in finding a good spot are extensive. The internet is a great start as there are heaps of articles available online about detailing where to beach fish in Tasmania. Try www.tasfish. com. Tasmanian shores have been well documented over the years.

There is also a strong probability that some of your fishing mates or relatives have beach fished and would welcome a trip. They will know of a spot worth a

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can play on the beach or go for a little paddle in the ocean while you keep one eye on them and the other on your rod tip.

Hot Spots

Beach fishing can be done … wait for it…. Anywhere there is a BEACH !!

The beaches of the East Coast and the North East Coasts fish very well. The West Coast beaches fish well at times as well but they come with their own set of issues in regard to access. I have had some sensational Australian Salmon fishing at Sandy Cape catching massive fish and the school shark fishing is awesome. The 4 wheel driving to get there is not for

the feint hearted and I would put in the class of “not for everyone”.

The North West Coast has never really set the world on fire in the Best Beach Fishing Spot almanac but that is starting to change. Like I mentioned before beach fishing is really becoming popular again and the areas around Smithton and Stanley along to Wynyard are fishing well. The coast line from Burnie to Ulverstone is a patch work of rocky and sandy bottom and the edges of that into the sand areas are fishing well. Turners Beach, Moore lands Beach and left and right of Badger Head have long fished well and known to most wily beach fisho’s.

Kelly Hooch Hunt

Don’t underestimate floating poppers. try based on past success. Keeping a keen eye on what some of your facebook friends are up to can be a good way to find a spot. You don’t need to jump straight in their spot, but getting a fair idea of where to start in the general area is preferred.

Once you are there

There are a few little things that will make life a lot more comfortable when out doing some beach fishing.

You can get a car or 4 wheel drive very handy when in most beach fishing spots so you can take a bit of gear to make things cosy.

First thing you must have is a few decent rod holders and this is closely followed by a good camp chair. No one wants to see anyone smash the butt of their new surf fishing rod into the sand or rocks so rod holders are a must. You can make some out of some PVC pipe, metal rod or get some store bought versions. In soft sand the 40mm PVC pipe is perfect, just cut and angle on one end so it goes in the ground easier and whaa-laa ! Another piece of kit I have found an absolute godsend is a lightweight folding card table. There are heaps around and they make life very easy when cutting baits or rigging up new rigs. You can sit up out of the way the items you don’t really want covered with sand.

Head lamps and torches are also of great advantage as a beach fishing session can often go into the evening.

Glow sticks for the top of the rod to make you aware of bites is also a great idea when it gets dark. Like any fishing activity it is a good idea to set up for when you actually catch something. By that I mean a good sharp knife to bleed and field dress your catch and also some bags to put the fish flesh in once filleted.

Like all fishing it will take a little time to get some confidence and start to nail down your techniques.

Casting the long rods can take some practice and patience. Try and be smooth and load the rod up and let it do a lot of the work. Rough housing it and trying to hard will often have your hooks out there but they won’t have any bait on them. You will have whipped it all off on the cast. Once you have nutted it all out you will have some great times on the beach catching fish.

It is a fishing pastime that you can do with kids as they

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Two Highland Options Productive Penstock Lagoon.

Dan Pursell

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ly fishing over the summer months is really the peak period for us Fluff chuckers the weather is a lot nicer blue sky summer days with north winds all equate to the things dreams are made of id like too share with you a couple of my personal favourite waters I like too visit and a few techniques too hopefully see you into a fish or two during the summer.

Great Lake.

This is one of my favourite lakes and a lake I find is very under rated as a fishery by a lot of fisherman.

From now on early mornings on this lake looking for Wind lanes and foam lines are a must I like too watch the weather closely and as soon as I see a light, calm wind forecast then it’s time too launch the boat at 5 am in the morning and head out for a look.The southern end is a good place too start with looking in around Swan

Bay, off Beehives Point and around both Maclanachans and Kangaroo islands are fantastic places too look for wind lanes and foam lines. Moving onto the north end of the great lake launching from Brandum Bay ramp and venturing out looking for wind lanes and foam lines can be equally as good the mouth of Little Lake bay can be a great place as can off Reynolds Neck Island. Wind lanes can be found all over the lake and you can come

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Fishing News - Page 25

Wind lanes and foam lines can be fish soup. Look into them carefully and drift the edges. across them in any conditions. I find the best wind lane fishing is early morning and late evenings.

Once a wind lane is located the trick here is too keep off to one side of the wind lane and slowly go along it on the electric motor. If you own one try drifting along the side of the lane and use your the drogue to slow the drift down. These lanes accumulate food in them - namely midges and gum beetles and when the conditions are

right it can be a sight to behold. A decent wind lane can hold dozens of fish and I find there not fussy a size 10 or 12 chernobyl ant or big fly like a stimulator or cricket imitation placed in front of a feeding fish is rarely refused.

A good fast action 4 to 6 weight rod is ideal and quick casts are required. A 9 to 11 foot leader is ideal and I like five pound Hanak fluorocarbon the last two feet or so

down to my fly so that the fish are not as likely to become line spooked in still conditions. I have found this to be a reliable leader setup for most of my dry fly fishing.

Moving on if the sun is up and there is no wind lane action or froth lines worth prospecting you can go and polaroid fish along the edges some great spots worthy of looking at are Haddens Bay, Halfmoon Bay, Muddy bay, Canal Bay and Brownie Bay. Fly selection remains

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as above I rarely change flies on Great Lake. Big, bulky and easy to see flies being the key for me however I’m sure others will work equally as good.

As the day progresses - and if the sun is up and there is a north wind of any sort - preferably a genuine north wind but any north wind and a blue sky day along with a nice wave rolling down the lake it is worthy of going out Shark fishing. Which is essentially Polarioding fish out in the middle of Great Lake.

It is an amazing experience and it really is a must see a blue sky day very little too no cloud cover being the upmost ideal conditions and having a belief that you will see the fish is the key. These fish will be up just under the surface hunting gum beetles landing on the water and left over midge from wind lanes and froth lines that have dispersed the food.

The browns will appear a sort of orange to brown obvious colour whilst the rainbows can be harder to see at times. I like to drift from the northern end from the mouth of Little Lake bay down to Renyolds Neck island.

I do this without a drogue as you get to cover more water quicker and you can deploy the electric and zig zag across looking for fish if you like. I normally do a whole drift. You may see fish immediately or go an hour without seeing a fish then suddenly see a couple in five minutes, or there might be fish coming along consistently. Believing you will see the fish is so important. Normally I’ll get in two or three drifts for the day and I split the drifts up doing them normally a few hundred metres apart.

Pretty much anywhere in Great lake can be suitable for shark fishing with the conditions right my favoured area being the north end and off the islands.

A gourmet midge pattie.

The bigger the wave the better, but safety is paramount. If you cannot stand up comfortably in the boat then go in and try another day. When you do see a fish I like to fish a single fly - normally a size 10 chernobyl ant or similar. As long as you get a cast out quickly away from the boat they don’t seem to refuse.

Blind casting whilst looking for fish can sometimes be rewarding too as fish will come up from no where some days to grab your fly.

Evenings on Great Lake can be just as good - if not better, wind lanes can be found in the above mentioned areas with the boat. Another option can be to find a

calm shore and look for caddis and midge feeders these fish can be feeding sometimes only feet from the edge of the shoreline and clouds of caddis can make for a interesting evening. Fish to these fish after dark casting the fly out and striking at any sipping or splash noise can be exciting indeed.

You do not need a boat to fish Great Lake. Sure it’s advantageous, but it’s a fishery that has a lot going for it you can polaroid fish from all the shores and any shore that has stands of trees near it - such as Dud Bay- Seal shore and Doctors Rock areas can be worth looking at as the beetles blow off into the lake.

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Fishing News - Page 27

If you have got to experience any of the above fishing methods previously you will know what I mean and look forward to experiencing it this summer for those who have not seen the wind lane feeders or shark fishing on great lake I strongly recommend you give it a go its nothing short of amazing when timed just right.

Penstock lagoon.

Another of my favourite waters I’ve fished this lake for well over a decade now and it’s a great water capable of producing spectacular fishing. Penstock Lagoon is located about 25 minutes from Miena and has fantastic mayfly and spinner hatches and has produced so much already this year so it can only get better.

For the shore angler the area up where the Canal Shore is will be a great spot too look for cruising fish and mayfly feeders as will the saplings shore and tree shore. Penstock Lagoon is not the best lake to wade as it is quite boggy and can be hard moving about but it can be done and the above shores are my prefered shore based action. The boat opens up Penstock and it can all be fished noting that a 5 knot speed limit applies on the lagoon. The boat ramp has been recently updated and the fisheries have extensively stocked this lake making it a great place to visit.Places in the boat I like too fish are tree shore the area adjacent the shacks out in the middle of lagoon and along Robertsons and Sapling shore.

Fly wise everyone has there favourite mayfly imitations but for me over the years fishing a Shaving Brush with a Deer hair or Possum head has been

effective and the Possum Emerger is very hard to beat.

I like too put just one wrap of red flash in my possum emerger at the the tail. It seems to make this fly work better some days when the fish seem tough.

Another exciting method I’ve found to be great is pulling dries across the top - using two or three flies.

Bibio Hoppers in black and various colours, possum emergers, claret dabblers and sedges simply cast out on a floating line and stripped back quickly to the boat can produce exciting strikes and takes and can be the difference between a good and bad day. The wake from the pulled flies seems to get the fishes attention and when they’re taking the flies like this it is very exciting.

Another method I’ve used with good results is nymph fishing on a floating line using a claret nymph and a olive nymph fished very slowly back to the boat can produce results before and after the mayfly hatch. As with the Great Lake the evenings on Penstock can be really good over summer as the fish search for the odd mayfly and spent spinners and caddis. On still nights fishing a caddis on dark, and after dark, can be a great way of getting some extra fishing time in.

Summer opens up our fishing options so much more wade paloroiding, wind lanes, beetle falls and warmer weather and of course extended hours in the day or night that makes fishing exciting and rewarding either way get out and try some different things this summer the rewards are worth it Dan Pursell

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Fishing News - Page 29

R

Rigging it Right Matt Sherriff

A good rig enhances your success rate.

T

hey say that 20% of anglers catch 80% of the fish.

This is an interesting figure and is probably not far from right. Why is this? I believe that those 20% of anglers are the ones that specifically target a species of fish and spend a little extra time preparing their gear to make the most of their time on the water.

What about rigs?

You can purchase a multitude of ready to fish rigs from your local tackle stores of which some are very good, and others, whilst still ok can leave you wondering why your mate is catching three fish to your one.

Flathead fishing is a prime example of this. Ready to fish “Jig ‘em” style rigs are an easy and cheap way to see yourself getting amongst a few tasty flathead. These are paternoster style rigs with a couple of hooks usually spiced up with some plastic squid, a swivel at the top and a loop for your sinker at the bottom. Add a bit of bait to these rigs and usually the flathead won’t be far away.

The downside to these rigs is that the hooks aren’t overly sharp and generally lose their points quickly; swivels are of average quality and there is no breakaway for your sinker (lets you get your rig back if the sinker snags).

Make your own rigs

For those wanting to try and improve their flathead catch, why not look past these cheaper rigs at the tackle shop and grab yourself some 40 – 60lb leader material, some quality 4/0 – 6/0 hooks and some 3” candy squid and make a few rigs of your own! The rigs that I tie consist of a metre and a half of leader material (I use 60lb as we quite often pick up a gummy shark or two) of which I tie two dropper loops in, evenly spaced down the line. I then slip a 3” candy squid over each loop and then run the loops over the hooks (5/0 Mutsu or Octopus hooks are my favourites for flathead fishing). After this slide the squid down over the hooks. Tie a loop at each

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end of the line just using an overhand knot.

On the bottom loop, add a small loop of 20 30lb line to attach your sinker to which allows it to breakaway if it becomes snagged up. You can tie a swivel to the top of the rig instead of a loop if you want, but I find it easier to have a snap swivel on my mainline to make it easy to change rigs. It doesn’t take long to tie half a dozen of these up whilst watching a bit of telly and they will stay tangle free in zip lock sandwich bags. TIP: for those that don’t mind catching gummy sharks, try running a 70cm trace of 60lb line from your sinker loop to an 8/0 hook…gummies seem to prefer a trailing hook to the paternoster ones!

Ready for whiting?

Whiting have become a much more viable target in recent years and there are some great rigs available for these also. Most rigs will come with some style of flashing on the hooks and lumo beads or tubes above the hooks. Rigs should be 15 – 20lb and we have had the most success by spicing these up with a small piece of squid tentacle around and inch or so long. Rigs usually come with a choice of #6 long shank or #2 recurve hooks.

For those who like to hold onto their rods and strike the fish the long shank hooks are the go, but if you prefer to leave them in rod holders the recurve hooks are the better option as the fish will hook themselves. I have had good success on the rigs with red flashing/feathers with red tube above the hook.

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Snapper rigs are more dependent on where you are fishing. If fishing in coastal water where it is a bit deeper (20 – 40m) running a couple of flasher or “Snapper Snatcher” rigs alongside a couple of running sinker rigs will have you covered. When we are fishing in the Tamar River we prefer to use running sinker rigs as the fish are in much shallower water (less than 15m). There are two types of these rigs that we use both consisting of a 70 – 100cm length of 40 – 60lb leader.

The first one for smaller baits has one 6/0 Octopus style hook and the second one which we use for larger baits consists of two Whilst bought rigs are fine, they are easy 6/0 hooks with the top one on a sliding snell.

These rigs are connected to the mainline via to improve on and fun to make your own. a swivel. You can run a ball sinker above this but a sliding sinker rig is ideal as it makes it easy get some of these deep water beasts out of their holes! to change sinker sizes depending on current or depth For anyone wanting to make their own deep water rigs, (bomb sinkers work well on these rigs). Sinker weight I suggest buying some of these to try out and then using is an import element for success…only use just enough their favourite style as a template. weight to maintain contact with the bottom!

There is plenty of information on YouTube for making up different bottom rigs and how to tie knots ... and Trumpeter like the dropper loop. The biggest piece of advice that When fishing for Striped Trumpeter or even deeper I can give is to buy top quality hooks that are strong for Blue Eye, check out some of the Bite Tackle and and ultra-sharp. Saving a few cents after investing your Shogun rigs. These rigs are well made and have had time and money in getting out on the water is definitely some design influence from Tassie locals which is great a false economy!! Buy the best that you can afford and to see from a national company. Rigs for fishing the watch your catch rate double! depths need to be well made and have strong hooks to Matt Sherriff

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Fishing News - Page 31

W

W ishing it good on Secret Creek Mark Whiteroad

How much difference a year makes. This little story is about a drought stricken Tasmanian creek last year. Somehow the fishing was still great. What will this season bring with renewed water flows. arrived back home to the Apple Isle on Monday 21st December aboard the Spirit of Tasmania day sailing across Bass Strait, the plan was to drive off the ship and head to my Dad’s place at Somerset so I could catch up with one of my older brothers and sister-in-law and niece before they headed to WA for Christmas.

I

Tuesday was a family day and Wednesday morning I headed to my favourite river on the NorthWest Coast.

Fishing was planned in a secret location which will remain a secret (sorry) due to the following report.

The first thing I noticed was how much the river was down. My dad had told me this earlier but I had no idea it was so low.

I thought to myself that one of two things were going to happen, either I wouldn’t see a single fish, or (and this is the reason I absolutely love this river) the trout would go mental. Fortunately for me it was the latter, I jumped into my heavy duty A.S Horne Waders

(of which I will show the relevance later), tied on my trusty Celta and waded into the water.

The first 20 minutes or so not a thing, didn’t even see a fish. I headed upstream spinning some nice little runs and then started to get a few follows, shortly after I had hooked and landed my first brown trout of about half a pound. Not too long to wait and I was onto another about the same size.

Once the third brownie had belted the Celta and hooked itself even before I had a chance to click over the bail arm, I knew it was going to be one of those magical days. I kept walking upstream getting hits time

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Joe Blake was happy sunning himself.

Laughing Jack Lagoon fish may not be large, but they are in good condition.

after time. The good thing was that the fish were starting to get bigger. Actually, this particular day was made up of the best conditioned and most consistent size trout I have caught from the river in years. Over half the fish being around the pound or slightly over.

Then something happened I will never forget. I got to a section of water that dropped off towards a cliff ledge. I cast the Celta upstream and during retrieval had a nice size trout follow but then turn away, so I cast again and slowed my retrieve and the fish started to follow again. Then something on the bottom caught my eye, like a scene from a 1975 Steven Spielberg movie about a large fish with bitey teeth, this shadow started to get bigger and bigger and bigger. Folks, I can’t tell you in which order whether I crapped my dacks or partially had a heart attack first, mainly because I didn’t know if my little Shimano 1-3kg rod could handle this mammoth fish without breaking. When I finally saw the fish I knew straight away this thing was double figures and then some. It is without a shadow of a doubt the biggest trout I have ever seen in my life.

I thought the big fish days were over, especially with the river way down, but this one fish has changed my opinion. Unfortunately though, it turned away once I ran out of retrieval room and headed back down to the bottom. Another cast and another follow, but this time as it turned away it flipped me the fin as if to say “Huh I don’t think so buddy, better luck next time Pal...”.

I kept going for a bit further, fishing some more great water and again caught some high quality fish. I headed back downstream to my car, had a bite to eat, and then walked downstream and fished for a couple of more hours. Once it was time to head home, my tally for the day from approx 8hrs fishing was 36 brown trout landed and released (one less than my PB in this river, but these fish were better quality).

I can’t even put a tally on the number of other hookups, strikes and missed fish during that day. The sheer ferocity at which some of these fish smacked the lure was unbelievable, they hit that hard that some actually launched the Celta forwards which made them miss the damn thing all together!

One more thing (back to my heavy duty waders), while walking the last lot of bush track I came across what is undoubtedly the biggest tiger snake I have seen in my life. It was just laying in the sun and I managed to pick it up ahead of me on the track, I could see its belly rising from breathing while it was obviously having

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Fishing News - Page 33

The photographer got the best of it..... headless angler - fish intact. a snooze. I back tracked a bit and walked way around it back onto the river trail.

It’s because of this reason I always wear my heavy duty waders when fishing the rivers. I may sweat a little bit more but the peace of mind knowing that even if I had of stood on it there was no way it could bite me through the thick rubber.

It was then time to head up to my folks place at the Great Lake so Thursday made the drive up to the Central Highlands. As I came up over the hill at the top end of the lake I couldn’t believe how low the lake was and once I arrived at Miena I could see that Haddens Bay didn’t have a single drop of water in it.

Once Christmas came and went and a check of the next few days whether/ wind, we decided to head out to Laughing Jack Lagoon for a few days camping. We made two trips up the Jack with our gear and set up camp half way up the lake, the spot was sensational with a view back to the boat ramp and almost over the entire waterway. We fished here for a few days but it was hard, due to dropping water level (it dropped over a metre while we were there) and the water temp which was approx 19-20 degrees the entire time.

The trout seemed to bite spasmodically and only for short periods. I managed to land seven browns trolling (only contains

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Fishing News - Page 34

brown trout) with the fish all around the 1-1.5 pound mark.

The disturbing thing here was a couple of the fish we caught and cleaned were females, which had not spawned at all.

They both contained old eggs, one the eggs were full size and she had started to produce a new batch of the eggs. The other was filled with what looked like deflated corn kernels!!

Once we returned we planned a trip out to Lake Crescent, but the day we went it was blowing an absolute gale.

So we headed back to Arthurs Lake and fished the afternoon there in a couple of sheltered spots. Again this lake has dropped and people are having trouble finding the fish. We hooked into a nice brown and almost got it in the boat. We got it to the net and just as we went to grab it a big gust of wind caught us out and spun the boat around helping the fish dive under the auxiliary motor and pull the lure out of its mouth. The wind then changed and basically blew us off the lake so we headed for home.

We also had a couple of hours fishing on the Great Lake, but again one session was cut short by a cracking electrical storm. Just before the storm hit I was bringing our boat back up to Boundary Bay, we were punching our way back with the howling North Westerly wind and halfway back the waves were also bashing head-on from the Southeast... the wind was blowing from two different directions. This confirmed for me how easily people in small boats can get caught out, we made it back to Boundary Bay and just tied the boat down on the trailer in the rain when it then started to hail.

We drove out slowly in the continual hail (only small stones) but by the time we were almost home the rain/hail had stopped and driving to my folks the dirt road was dry and still dusty. The storm at this stage hadn’t made it there, but did so about an hour later and pelted down approx 20mm of much needed water.

I had a couple of dusk soft plastic sessions, in-between the howling winds I lost one small fish and had a few other hits.

The concerning thing for the Great Lake is the water level, every main boat ramp is closed and people are launching their boats from shoreline access points.

We trolled across the front of the Beehives on the Miena side. The water on the side closest to the Beehives Point was only 5ft in depth and coming back on the opposite side it was only 8ft. Also while trolling down the middle of the lake, areas dropped to only 11-12ft and down to as low as 3-4ft in certain sections. There are

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trees and rocky outcrops sticking out of the lake everywhere that people didn’t know existed.

The final week of my holiday was back down on the Northwest coast catching up with my relatives. I also had a few more fishing trips along the way.

I fished a nice little dam on the outskirts of Waratah, again the water was a bit low, but twenty minutes of fishing and I nailed a nice 1.5lb brown on soft plastics. I walked over to another spot and again after approx 20 mins nailed another brown just on a pound. Both of these fish were in top condition and put up a good fight.

We then headed to Talbots Lagoon, which has now been fully opened back up to the public. However, once we arrived again we noticed the water level was down and several other people fishing there, so we headed back and decided to fish one of my old childhood stomping grounds the Pet Dam (Burnie’s Water Supply) until dark.

Things were quiet for the first hour or so. An old local who was fly fishing had no luck so he stopped and chatted for a while. He was waiting to see if any fish would rise just after dusk till dark. The fish did, so off he went with the fly gear and I waded out with the soft plastics. Not too long into it he was on to a nice little rainbow so into the net for him. Luckily for me, shortly after that I hooked into a nice 2lb brownie that made it to shore.

The old fella had no more luck so off he headed.

I dropped another small fish, and then ten minutes later landed another nice brown almost identical in size to the first. Things went quiet so off we went to home.

The next two days were both down again at my favourite river fishing two other separate locations with 22 and 18 brown trout landed respectively each day from approx 6hrs fishing, and I again saw another good size tiger snake mid-river on the rocks.

Ag ain the quality of fish was outstanding, which included one good size trout that hit the Celta so hard it knocked my hand off the handle, and a trout estimated to be approx 3lbs chomping on the Celta but as I hooked into it the fish it rolled on to its side and the Celta came free, BUGGER!!!

So the end tally for my holiday was 87 trout, of them 76 were caught in three sessions from my favourite river. Out of all the trout caught only nine were kept for a feed and the rest returned to grow bigger!

Mark Whiteroad

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Fishing News - Page 35

RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS

What possession limits apply the smaller islands in the Eastern Region such as Clarke or Schouten Island?

Does the line separating the Eastern and Western Regions go through mainland Tasmania?

What if I am at my shack or camping on the East Coast (Tasmanian mainland) such as The Gardens or Orford?

No. The Regions apply to state fishing waters and most islands. The line separating the regions doesn’t extend through the mainland.

December 2016/January 2017

ROCK LOBSTER

With the recreational rock lobster season underway, it’s a good opportunity to clarify some rules relating to possession of lobsters at sea and on land.

What are the possession limits?

Region is defined as all State fishing waters and islands eastward of Point Sorell and Whale Head. It includes any surrounding waters or shore to the high tide mark and within 100 metres of unloading any rock lobster.

A boat limit of 10 applies in this region.

In the Western Region, the daily bag limit of 5 applies, a possession limit of 10 and a boat limit of 25.

A recreational licence holder can possess up to 10 rock lobster in total on mainland Tasmania, Bruny, Flinders and Cape Barren islands at any one time. The possession limit includes the fish you have in your home, cauf and any that you possess when driving back to your home.

A more restrictive possession limit of 4 applies in the Eastern Region and a daily bag limit of 2. This

What if I am on Bruny, Flinders or Cape Barren Islands?

The land mass of Bruny, Flinders and Cape Barren Islands are excluded from the Eastern Region for the purpose of possession limits. A possession limit of 10 applies on these islands.

What about fishing around Bruny, Flinders or Cape Barren Islands?

In any of the surrounding waters or shore to the high tide mark of these islands, and within 100 metres of unloading any lobster, the daily bag limit is 2 and the possession limit is 4. The boat limit of 10 also applies.

These islands are in the Eastern Region and the possession limit of 4 applies even while you are on the land mass on the island. If you are using a cauf, you need to include those fish.

The overall possession limit is 10, as you are not in the Eastern Region. Eastern Region limits do apply below the high water mark or within 100 metres in which you unload your lobsters.

What if I live on mainland Tasmania on the East Coast such as at St Marys, and I tow my boat to the West Coast to fish?

You can drive back from the West Coast on land with lobster that have been legally taken (i.e within the western region limits). Eastern Region limits do not apply to the land mass of the East Coast (mainland Tasmania) except below the high water mark or within 100 m of landing fish in that Region.

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Fishing News - Page 36

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Some happy fishers from rock lobster opening weekend.

Left: Some of Tasmania’s outstanding Fishcare volunteers.

Below: A recent fishing clinic.

What if I fish in the Western Region and return by boat through to the Eastern Region?

While you are in the Western Region you can fish up to the Western Region Limits. Once you cross into the Eastern Region waters, you must be within the Eastern Region limits.

More information on the recreational rock lobster rules can be found at: www.fishing.tas.gov.au/rec/ rocklobster

SEASON OPENING NEWS

The St Helens Fishcare volunteers were out early at the Burns Bay boat ramp in the fine weather for the Eastern Region opening weekend on 19 November.

Fishers returning from pulling their pots were reporting good catches and many took the opportunity to brush up on the rules in discussion with the volunteers.

Five out of seven Eastern Region biotoxin zones were cleared for the opening of the season. A sixth zone around the Furneaux Region opened soon after, leaving the Maria Island Zone the only zone not yet cleared to open at the time of writing.

FISHCARE SCHOOL HOLIDAY EVENTS

The Fishcare team from the north, north-west and southern regions will be attending fishing and community events around the state during the January school holidays. Why not take the family to a learnto-fish clinic or participate in the Parks and Wildlife

Summer Ranger Program which educates children about Tasmania’s marine and coastal environment. Check the calendar below to find an event near you.

For more information or to confirm the status of the event, contact Fishcare on (03) 6165 3039 or email fishcare@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Need more information?

Get a copy of the Recreational Sea Fishing Guide from Service Tasmania Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app Go to 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 Date ​Friday, 6 January ​Saturday, 7 January ​​Monday, 9 January ​​Wednesday, 11 January ​​Saturday, 14 January ​​Saturday, 21 January ​Thursday, 26 January​ ​Friday, 27 January ​Saturday, 28 January ​​Saturday, 28 January ​Thursday, 2 February

Check out the events and locations below.

​Fishcare Event ​Parks and Wildlife Summer Ranger Program ​Parks and Wildlife Summer Ranger Program ​​Devonport City Council Fishing clinic ​​School Holiday Program Fishing Clinic ​Group Patrol with PWS Bridport to Ansons Bay​ ​​Community Event ​Bridport Splash ​Parks and Wildlife Summer Ranger Program ​Parks and Wildlife Summer Ranger Program ​Tasman Regatta ​Devonport City Council Fishing Clinic

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​Location Triabunna ​Dunalley ​Reg Hope Park ​​Sandy Bay ​​North Coast ​​Risdon Vale ​​SLSA Foreshore ​Smithton ​Zeehan ​​Nubeena M ​ ussel Rock Light Fishing News - Page 37

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Fishing News - Page 38

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

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.

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

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

Top Service – Top Price

Boat trailer wheel and tyre

St Helens

Your every need catered for • Eight en-suite cabins • Convenience store • Hot takeaways • Groceries • Newspapers • Boat parking • Fuel • Bait and tackle • Boat and car wash

Dunbier and early Holden pattern

around $90ea 62 Hopkins St, Moonah 6228 0274

Hillcrest Tourist Park and Mini Market

100 Chimney Heights Rd. St Helens 6376 3298

Outboard Technology

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.

Quality service and repairs to all Outboard Motors

Southern Region

Gone Fishing Charters St Helens

David Gillespie 6248 9080 or 0417 562 859

Michael Haley 0419 353 041 mhaleycharters@bigpond.com www.breamfishing.com.au

96 Clifton Beach Rd Sandford Tas 7020

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

(03) 6289 0111 info @tarraleah.com www.tarraleah.com

cosy wood fires

wine & whisky tasting

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

guided fishing trips

great pub

Fishing News - Page 39

Know your lifejacket

Better safety and facilities for Tasmanian boaters

Incorrectly worn or fitted lifejackets may not work effectively Make sure yours; • Fits • Is serviced regularly • You know how to use it • If it is inflatable - is it auto or manual inflate? Explain that to the crew

Scan the QR code above or go to www. mast.tas.gov.au to see MAST’s lifejacket awareness video.

Incorrectly worn or fitted lifejackets may not work effectively

MAST spend $1,000,000 every year improving your recreational boating facilities around Tasmania. THE BOATWISE COULD

Apply any time for better boating facilities. Go to www.mast.tas.gov.au

SAVE YOUR LIFE. DOWNLOAD IT NOW.