Tasmanian fishing report - October 2021
by Carl Hyland 5 Oct 2021 17:27 BST
Intermittent spring weather has put paid too many fishers' getting out and experiencing the fickle fishing that can be found at this time of the year.
Heavy rains one minute, gale force winds and hail all make it difficult to wet a line. For those who are hardy though, the rewards are there.
Throughout the state and with the rainbow trout season just opening, flooding rivers are the place to wet a line. Whitebait are absolutely everywhere and are making their way up streams in vast shoals, just in time for the whitebait season which opened on 1st October. The season will run for 6 weeks before closing on Thursday 11 November.
A whitebait licence permits anglers to take a maximum of 2 kilograms of whitebait per day, and a total of 10 kilograms for the season. Please check the 2021-22 Inland Fishing Code for the regulations relating to whitebait fishing.
The following waters are open to whitebait fishing this year:Black River,Brid River,Don River, Duck River (except 50m above or below the weir), Henty River,Huon River, Inglis River, Little Forester River, Pieman River,River Derwent, River Forth, River Leven, River Tamar, Rubicon River (except 50m above or below the weir), With the weather warming up why not purchase a licence and go catch a feed of whitebait, or any number of the sea-run trout chasing the bait upstream around the State at the moment!
Rainbow trout have now just about finished spawning and thet are hungry. Waters like Lake King William will produce well and fish will be looking to stack on weight quickly. Anglers seemed undeterred with the easterly rain experienced last weekend, which also heralded the opening of the 2021-22 rainbow waters on Saturday 2 October. Reports of good catches were received throughout the State, with mild temperatures and increased water flows providing ideal conditions. Good sized sea-runners and lake trout were on the chew after the snow melted from the peaks.
Tasmania's rainbow trout waters are:
- Dee Lagoon
- Junction Lake
- Lake Meston
- Lake Rowallan, Lake Skinner
- Lake Youd
- Mersey River above Lake Rowallan
- River Leven upstream of Loogana Road Bridge
- Weld rivers (both North and South)
Most of the waters are fairly remote and lakes Junction, Meston, Youd, Skinner and the Mersey River above Lake Rowallan are waters that you need to walk to but they are great fisheries that offer a range of fantastic fishing opportunities. Dee Lagoon is an accessible lake on the central plateau. It has good access with two formal boat ramps. There are also a number of informal boat ramps.
All these waters will close on 29 May 2022. Please check the 2021-22 Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code for the regulations on these waters as some are restricted to artificial methods and others are distinct sections of rivers. Don't forget the Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion is still running, with 45 trout still outstanding worth $2000 to the lucky angler who bags one (conditions apply).
Bream are now starting to show in some estuarine waters; places like Pipers River in the North plus the Rubicon are well worth a visit. The usual methods that take bream are proving successful and baits, lures and soft plastics are best at this time.
Saltwater action is starting to fire, with a number of tuna being caught at Pedra Blanca in the south and St Helens in the east. Many are looking forward to the start of the Striped trumpeter season which kicks off on 1st November this year. King flathead are on the move as are big Blue spot flathead as this time of the year the big fish move inshore to breed. Strict limits apply for these big fish and these can be found here.