The Tasmanian Fishery & Other Info

The Fishery

From the lakes of the Central Highlands and the lakes of the 19 Lagoons to the rivers of the lowlands in central and northern Tasmania, there is a broad range of options available to the visiting angler.

• Polaroiding - sight fishing for cruising trout

• Dry Fly Fishing - on lakes and rivers using imitations of the aquatic and terrestrial insects of the day.

• Wet Fly Fishing - woolly buggers, fur flies and streamers to imitate the fry, the tadpoles, the frogs and the leeches

• Nymph fishing - on streams and rivers mimicking the hatch of the day

Wherever you go, remember that Tasmania’s strongest reputation is for its truly wild brown trout. Our brown trout are all descendants of the first fish bred back in the 1860’s from eggs transported from the United Kingdom.

And, although they are as not highly revered as the browns, some of our waters also offer up rainbow trout, some of which might have naturally spawned in waters like the Great Lake but also some of which might be the product of captive breeding programs.

Finally, one word that is invariably associated with our trout fishery is “challenging”. It is a fishery that challenges every angler from the beginner to the most experienced. It is a fishery in which the weather, water levels, insect life and fishing pressure all impact on the experience you will have. But it is that mix of challenges that makes the ultimate catch so much more satisfying. And it is that set of challenges that a local guide like myself can help you overcome, or minimise.

Accommodation Options

STAY LOCAL AND FISH LONGER

One way to get the most out of your fishing time is to stay where you are fishing. The following are some of the options I recommend. Please feel free to ask me about other options in areas you might be contemplating.

• Central Highlands Lodge - hotel style accommodation in Miena on the Great Lake

• Thousand Lakes Lodge - luxury wilderness accommodation in 19 Lagoons area

• 28 Gates - farmstay accommodation with a private fishery in the Derwent Valley

• Currawong Lakes - luxury private fishery in Tasmania’s north east

• Rock Bottom Accommodation on Flinstone - AirBNB on Arthurs Lake

• Great Lake Hotel - hotel accommodation in Miena on the Great Lake

Regions

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS / SOUTH / NORTH

Although Tasmania offers trout fishing across all regions in the State my focus is generally on three regions

• The Central Highlands - where the fishing is predominantly in lakes associated with Tasmania’s Hydro Electric system. Lakes like Little Pine Lagoon, Penstock Lagoon, Arthurs Lake, Herne Lodge, Woods Lake and the Great Lake are my major go to lakes.

• The South - offering a mix of stream fishing in waters like the Tyenna River and the Plenty River, or fishing at the 28 Gates private fishery.

• The North - using my Central Highlands base, I am happy to explore the northern rivers like The Meander, The Mersey or the Lake River

Webcams

The following are links to some of the webcams established across the state.

Great Lake

Arthurs Lake

Penstock Lagoon

Little Pine Lagoon

Useful Resources

If you’ve already found me on the internet, you’ve shown you have the capacity to find resources, but here are a few that I find really helpful:

Tasmanian Inland Fisheries

The IFS manage the Tasmanian trout fishery and have plenty of useful information and services including:

• Where to buy your fishing licence and

• Their fantastic Angler Access Program resources - flyers for a huge number of individual Tasmanian fisheries.

YouTube Resources

Check out my own (modest) YouTube channel to see some of the small videos I have posted.

A fantastic resource for those of you who want a bit of guidance on fly fishing techniques is the Orvis “How to Fly Fish” learning centre.

FlyLife

FlyLife is Tasmania’s pre-eminent fly fishing magazine that offers a wealth of information on Tasmanian fly fishing (as well as other Australian and New Zealand locations).