Tasmanian Fishing Report 04/12/20
Saltwater
Atlantic Salmon this week saw another massive escape on Nth Bruny, this time 120,000 fish of approximately 500g in Storm Bay. This has resulted in a huge number of these fish being spread out throughout the channel area and fish already pushing up the Derwent estuary system. Last weeks escape, of 50K 4kg fish, should be well up the Derwent and Huon estuaries by now.
Bream are starting to be caught throughout the Derwent system on most shores. Daiwa Bait junkie grubs are a popular choice.
Australian Salmon are in good numbers around the Derwent and further up the east coast, size varies depending on the school from anywhere up to 2kg, these fish are now feeding heavily on pilchards.
Yellowtail Kingfish are creating a little bit of a buzz at the moment, with a few rumours coming to hand of kingfish encounters around Bicheno and St Helens. This is on the back of a nice sized fish being caught on the NW coast last Saturday. Already this year temperatures are beginning to sky rocket as the water starts to warm, with pictures from the north end of the state confirming they are on there way down.
Sand Flathead – are continuing to be caught in most areas, fresh bait is working best on them, while sand flathead are also loving curl tail soft plastic Gulp grubs.
King flathead are biting well on Black Magic flasher rigs and fresh bait in 50m+.
Calamari continue to bite well up the east coast with the Yo-Zuri “The Jack Piggot Special” jig producing the goods.
Flounder are still available on calmer nights.
Snapper are available in limited numbers throughout the SE – these years early run a result of increased water temperatures and the availability of food.
Jack Piggott taking credit for a big cal his girlfriend caught.
A quality King Flathead recently caught on a lumo Black Magic Snapper Snack.
Freshwater
Lake Pedder: a few have been venturing west to lake Pedder recently with reports of good bags of good-sized fish being caught. Drift spinning small lures like the Ecogear MX48 being the most productive choice at the moment.
Dee Lagoon: lots of smaller fish are being caught trolling King Cobras No 41 with reports of gum beetles and the odd mayfly keeping the fly fisherman entertained
Tooms Lake: has been getting some great hatches of beetles and mayflies with fish eagerly rising to the dry fly. Lure fisherman are also doing well drift spinning although the average size seems to be down.
Arthurs Lake is patchy … with some anglers reporting good bags and nice fish while others are struggling, and it really is a case of pot luck when spinning and trolling for the moment.
Great Lake is still producing browns and rainbow to 2.1kg – the rainbows hitting brighter offerings such as Tasmanian Devil 13grm - 121 and 89 while the browns are favoring more natural subdued colours such as 107 and 48.
Xmas Opening
In addition to our regular trading hours we will be open Sundays 13th and 20th from 10am-3pm.
Bunyips, Bogans and Brown Dogs
Book Signing
Saturday 12th December – 10am – 2pm at The Fishing Connection Hobart.
Long Time customer, keen fisher and author, Paul Abbott will be instore to sign a copy for you on the day. Please see below for more info about the book:
Have you ever…
…spent a night on an old wooden yacht on its side on a mud bank?
…been bittten by a tiger snake and survived?
…hugged an albatross?
…been nearly drowned by a platypus?
…operated a remote lighthouse?
…been pestered by a pelican?
…had a very close encounter with a humpback whale?
Paul Abbott has: all these and more. “Bunyips, Bogans and Brown Dogs” is a collection of tales from a few of his experiences – some mundane, but many others quite unlikely – accumulated over more than 40 years of fishing, boating, and almost drowning near, on, and sometimes reluctantly in, Tasmania’s many picturesque waterways.
New book tells of adventures and misadventures.
Tasmanian publisher, Forty South, has just released a new book by Huon Valley-based author, Paul Abbott, titled Bunyips, Bogans and Brown Dogs. This is a collection of tales - some funny, some frightening, some preposterous – born out of a 45-year love of fishing, boating, walking on, by, or sometimes in Tasmania’s various beautiful waterways. Every incident that occurs, and every setting in which it occurs, is drawn directly from the author’s own experience.
They tell of encounters with possums, platypus, pelicans, whales and seals; of eagles and dolphins and albatross. They introduce a few oddball characters, awkward situations, and scary moments in which the author narrowly avoids death by snakebite and by drowning, and injury from a variety of causes, not to mention overcoming his fear of heights by tending a towering lighthouse perched on 1000-foot high ocean cliffs! There is sailing (and coming to grief) in a historic wooden boat, and crewing on a modern ocean racer. There is a big bird that comes begging, and one that requires rescue. There are cute furry creatures, sinister serpents and ravening beasts – and a mythical monster, perhaps.
The book visits the far south coast of Tasmania and tracts of the Southwest Wilderness World Heritage area, which can only be done on foot. It wades (and several times, nearly comes to grief) in the rivers of northern, central and southern Tasmania. It wallows in the waves off the south-east coast, where the highest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere tower. It watches a birthing whale up close in a secluded bay and others surfing the break. It takes an eagle’s-eye view of a beautiful Central Plateau lake and trips over a platypus in a sparkling clear mountain stream. It plays tug o’war with a determined bull seal and meets people, some notable, some not so, doing the things that people do in these settings.
Noted TV current affairs presenter Charles Wooley was moved to comment: “I wish I had written it. This is a very funny book. I believe almost every word.”
Author biography
Paul Abbott was born in England, and migrated to Australia with his family at the age of nine, enduring six long weeks of debilitating sea-sickness in the process. Since arriving he has lived in Tasmania, with brief forays interstate and overseas. Paul obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in languages from the University of Tasmania in 1972 and has since enjoyed several careers: as a teacher of English and modern languages; a public relations officer for the Education Department of Tasmania, and in a variety of both front-line and managerial positions in youth support work, employment services and vocational education. His abiding passions have been angling, and later, boating: he has spent thousands of hours on, by, or sometimes reluctantly in, the water. He is now notionally “retired”, although home food gardening as well as fishing, boating, writing, cooking and occasional consultancy work keep him constantly busy. This is his first full-length work to be published, but won’t be the last!
