Fishing Report 4/5/20 and COVID-19 Changes
HOORAY!
Stage 2 Restrictions start 3pm Friday 5 June
This week the State Government announced an early easing of Stage 3 Restrictions and on Friday 3pm we enter Stage 2 a good 12 days sooner than we thought and just in time for the long weekend allowing us to :
go fishing for longer than just the day
go hunting for longer than just the day
launch our boats outside of our municipality,
have overnight stays,
return to shacks and
go camping (effectively allowing us to access freshwater areas previously limited to your own Municipality or 30km).
This opens up some exciting fishing opportunities and here is some of our top recommendations.
Last week we detailed a substantial list of species that were fishing well for a quick check have a look at last week’s report – these species are still fishing well.
This week we have picked a few species and destinations that should excite anglers this Long Weekend.
Popular Long Weekend Destinations:
Swansea – Flathead, Salmon and Squid have been firing inshore up here lately while good numbers of bluefin are being caught around the back of Schouten Island.
Eagle Hawk Neck – The game fishing has been firing down here lately with good numbers of Bluefin Tuna being caught. There has also been a good variety of bottom fish being caught like striped trumpeter and flathead.
St Helens – Georges bay is a fantastic fishery with a lot of variety, snapper, silver trevally, whiting and Bream are all on the species list.
Freshwater
Overnight stays finally lead to quality winter freshwater fishing. (Please remember the Brown Trout season is closed but certain waters remain open 12 months of the year).
Great Lake – we’ve had reports of good numbers of both Brown and Rainbow trout being caught in close proximity to the shore, bite time has reportedly been between 10-3 when the water is a bit warmer but make sure you pack some warm clothes though as weather is sure to be cold.
Derwent River – if you don’t feel like travelling too far the Derwent has continued to provide some excellent fishing with a good number of resident and sea run trout being caught.
Species of Interest for the Long Weekend
Flathead are still biting well even though its June! Bait, Troll and Spin working well over sandy bottom …. Enjoy this specie while good catches are available as sand flathead aren’t normally available this late in the year in many spots.
Without doubt the fishing talk at the moment centers around SBT …. These fish are biting really well with nearly all size classes available from 15kg to 110kg at the moment. Tuna are available from virtually Pedra Branca to well north of St Helens. Weather is looking a bit blustery and from the S and W but good fish should still be able to be found.
How to take better fishing photos
This week Brett from Daiwa takes through to basic tips on how to take better fishing photos. You can read the full article here or watch the video below.
Covid 19
Please remember although restrictions have been reduced to Stage 2 from 3pm this Friday, we still are operating under some restriction.
Let’s set a good example and do as we are required to do and:
Practice good social distancing both in vehicles and boats and at the boat ramp of 1.5m
Wash hands regularly (even if on the water).
Use sanitizer in vehicles, on the jetty and in the boat.
Adhere to restrictions around numbers (the 4sqm does not apply in boats)
Above all and in these trying times especially – have a safe Long Weekend!
