Jan Fishing Report

Saltwater Fishing

Tuna: Small bluefin 60 to 80cm have been reported close to shore along the east coast. They have been a bycatch of anglers targeting kingfish in a lot of places. Albacore tuna seem to be very elusive so far this year but there has been a few caught out the back of Maria on the edge of the shelf and there has been multiple reports of tuna being seen along the shelf at eaglehawk neck while deep dropping. Bigger Bluefin seemed to have moved south with some good-sized fish being caught around Whale Head and Pedra.

Mako Shark: a few really good makos have been caught recently up to 200kg out of eaglehawk neck. With most anglers attempting to catch one having them show up in the burley trail.

Deep Dropping: Is extremely productive at the moment with a wide variety of species getting caught such as Blue Eye, Gem Fish, Grenadier, Pink ling and Alfonso. With a few good weather windows over the last few weeks anglers have taken the opportunity to fill freezers with tasty fish.

Striped Trumpeter: continue to fish well at Eaglehawk neck and further south with some great fish been caught.

Bream: have been exceptional lately with the Derwent estuary being a real standout. Sandy Bay to Bridgewater has all been fishing well. East Coast lagoons have also been firing with some great topwater action been found on high tide.

Salmon: Salmon are plentiful in almost every estuary and bay at the moment with big schools been found all over. Reports of larger models around Dover, Southport and Port Arthur.

Snapper: Snapper have been extremely good throughout storm bay, South Port and Frederick Henry Bay. Good numbers of 30-40cm fish are being found with a few bigger 70-80cm models also being caught.

Kingfish: So far, the Derwent and North West Bay have been a little quiet with only a few fish here and there being caught but traditionally Australia day has been the time of year they really fire up. Port Arthur, Triabunna, St Helens, Dover and Coles Bay have all been fishing reasonably well with fish averaging 50-70cm. There have also been some rumours of much bigger models been found at Southport. Trolling diving lures at 6 -8 knots is a good way to locate fish and bait, while sluggos have proven to be most effective at hooking fish when they are found. New casting minnows from Samaki are a great option for people fishing from the shore to cover a lot of water.

Squid: Good numbers have been reported over the last few weeks. One customer catching a few squid with hoods over 50cm. Southport, Bruny, Swansea, Coles Bay, Maria and the lower Derwent have been good areas to try with Yamashita Jigs being the most effective.

King Flathead: Have been fishing really well anywhere from 20-60m+ on the east coast with the average size being very good.

Blue Mackerel: are been caught all over the place with big schools throughout the channel, fresh bait and smaller hooks with flash are the most effective way of catching.

Couta: Big numbers of smaller couta are being caught around Triabunna and Swansea at the moment with people complaining about being bitten off a lot by them.

Flounder: with some calmer weather lately and warmer nights a few people have been out chasing flounder with great success.

King George Whiting: with a lot of anglers heading north over the holidays reports of king George have been flooding in from Georges Bay, Bridport and Tamar. There have even been a few recent reports of southern King George as far south as dover and south port so it would be worth having a look around south and you might be surprised what you will find.

Freshwater Fishing

Trout fishing has seemingly improved everywhere in recent weeks with cormorant numbers dwindling reports have been flooding in from anglers seeing fish in places they hadn’t for months.

Great lake: has been a standout all season with good number of fish been caught on the dry early and late in the day. Wind lanes have been hit and miss but if you strike a good day fishing has been exceptional.

Burbury: Now is a great time to head over and check out this stunning fishery with anglers reporting some great numbers of fish up in the wind lanes. With 20-30 fish mornings common.

Sorell: there has been a resurgence of people heading back to fish Sorell lately and it hasn’t disappointed with anglers reporting catching some beautiful fish in the 3-5lb bracket with the odd bigger fish up to 8lb floating about. Water clarity is still poor but trollers and drift spinners haven’t struggled to find fish. Many have commented how good it is to get back to fish this fishery and the quality of the fish.

St Clair – is a great fishery to check out this time of year, with the water in shallower fisheries heating up fast deeper fisheries like St Clair tend to fire. Reports of beetles, caddis and spinners in the area make for some great visual fishing in the crystal-clear water.

Echo – has been fishing well especially around the edge’s early morning for the fly fisherman. Lure anglers have reported doing well deep in amongst the trees on shady shores.

Tyenna and Styx – have both dramatically picked up since mid-December with anglers reporting catching a lot fish and seeing fish actively sipping insects of the surface.

Huon – The Huon and its tributaries - Russell, Denison, Mountain, Arve and Weld rivers have all started to pick up recently with fish catches improving but numbers are still relatively poor compared to other areas.