Tasmanian Fishing Report – 2nd September 2021

Tasmanian Fishing ReportTasmanian Trout Fishing

2 Sept

Saltwater anglers struggle to find breaks in the weather conducive fishers make the most of a great opening month to the 2021-22 Trout Season with many waters producing well conditioned trout …..

Saltwater

Flounder almost non existent due to bad weather causing a lack of calm conditions needed for lighting and spearing.

Sand Flathead continue to bite on the right day in deeper water - Fortescue, Tasman Island and lower Channel / Bruny Island producing fish.

Calamari are building in numbers around the southeastern waters. Bright jigs are working in cooler winter waters. Triabunna, Mercury Passage and Marion Bay seeing good sized squid.

Silver Trevally are available throughout the Channel and lower Huon Estuary these fish are being caught at night amongst schooling mackeral schools around jetties and rock structures.

Australian Salmon have been taken in good numbers around Cremorne and Clifton Beach and further along the east coast. Some fish along the east and southeast coast have nudged 3kg.

Tiger Flathead are few and far between – the very occasional fish has been caught out wide in 60m plus of water.

Morwong Perch are plentiful around the Peninsula and Schouten Island and Storm Bay.

Striped Trumpeter were biting well when weather allowed. The Striped Trumpeter fishery is now closed September 1st 2021 and will reopen on Nov 1st 2021.

Southern Bluefin action saw a return to levels we had been used to on the Peninsula with fish to 28kg last weekend. Hotspots include Tasman Island Hippolyte Rocks and Fortescue Bay at The Lanterns.

Estuary

Both the Derwent and Huon estuaries have seen sea run trout activity increase significantly in recent days but have generally been fishing well since the opening of the trout season a few weeks back. All methods taking fish.

Drift spinning and spinning form shore has seen good captures made with fish up to 3.5kg landed. Trolling the higher reaches around Granton saw many fish caught last weekend in the STLAA Interclub Derwent River competition where it is reported over 67kg of trout were landed between those participating in this event and around 95 trout weighed for the two day competition.

Fly fishes have done well fishing the edges and following bait schools.

Daiwa Bait Junkie soft plastics taking their fair share of fish too in recent weeks for soft plastic fishers.

Bream are a little quiet.

Freshwater

What a fantastic few weeks its been since the opening of the 2021-22 Trout Season. With rumours that nearly all waters are fishing well again this year. The pick of the bunch seem to be Bronte Lagoon, Lake Leake, Tooms Lake, Woods Lake, Four Springs and Great Lake.

Both the River Derwent and Huon River inside the freshwater limits are rewarding anglers with healthy resident, estuary and sea-run trout and Atlantic salmon.

Craigebourne Dam is still producing nice fish. The Dam is full and the water semi murky water. Bright flashy lures and flies have taken nice browns to 2.1kg. A $2000 tagged fish from IFS was caught earlier in the week by two lucky anglers who we believe are happy to share the prize.

Great Lake is producing well conditioned brown trout but the action has been a little patchy thus far. Both unpredictable fish and weather making life hard for the keen angler.

Bronte Lagoon has started the season the way it finished – still producing good trout. As of yesterday levels were high and many drowned worms were seen in the shallows boding well for upcoming fly action over the weekend.

Lake Leake would have to again be the pick of the bunch with both rainbows and browns taking lures and fly readily in recent weeks. Fish to 3.7kg have been landed so far.

Tooms Lake is still spilling for the moment and this is great news on the back of severe drought and low water levels on this water in recent years. Fish are biting eagerly but condition is down and a few more weeks needed for trout to recover from a hard winter.