Anglers brave the elements in pursuit of Tassie trout

PICTURE: Jed Langford with his competition winning 2.867 kg cleaned brown trout he caught trolling in the Derwent River last Saturday.

EARLY reports suggest most anglers who made the effort at the opening of the brown trout season caught some fish but did so battling the elements which we always see at this time of the year.

Temperatures have risen slightly this week and wind should ease into the weekend which should provide us better opportunities.I saw a couple of reports from anglers fishing Lake Plimsoll on Saturday who put in a lot of effort but also managed catch and release some good brook trout weighing up to 2.5 kg.This water doesn't give up fish easily but with it's recent stocking, opportunities have increased.

In regards to these unique fish please think about the practicing catch and release so others can experience the same thrill.

The Brady's Chain was popular and also rewarded persistance with trollers and bait anglers landing both rainbow and brown trout but reports suggest Bronte Lagoon's fishing was tough going.I saw some decent fish landed by wet fly anglers from Penstock Lagoon and Four Springs Lake also gave up decent numbers of rainbow trout which were stocked into the water recently.

Both the Huon and Derwent Rivers offered decent fishing for resident and sea run trout which should only improve in the coming weeks with settled weather.

A few smaller fish seemed to be working the Derwent at the weekend but that's not to say bigger fish aren't there because they are and this water is one of the best early season trout fishing waters in the State and Country.

Anglers fishing the lower Derwent estuary are also still catching some good Black Bream while targeting sea run trout.Here's a write up of a trout fishing competition held over opening weekend.

The New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association held their first competition of the 2024-25 Tasmanian brown trout fishing season on the Derwent River last weekend.

River conditions weren't perfect with water clarity compromised and fish only seemed to bite during small windows coming off high and low tides.Saying that most who made the effort were able to land a few fish and 45  trout were weighed in with a total weight of 28.175 kg and an average weight of .626 kg.

For the Seniors Jed Langford caught the heaviest trout which was a pearler of a resident brown that weighed 2.867 kg cleaned and was a personal best catch.Jed said he caught the fish trolling above New Norfolk on Saturday afternoon and he also landed another good fish that weighed 1.137 kg.

Female member Kirsty Chalmers landed a ripper sea runner which weighed 1.805 kg cleaned that ultimately won her the mystery weight award and bragging rights over partner Adrian Slater and son Jayden.

I fished long hours, over 12 on Saturday through to Sunday morning only to land five and seven in total and I kept two with my best weighing 0.978 kg with another at 0.910 kg.

Marty Evans had one at 0.947 kg, Craig Waddington two, one at 0.931 kg ,another at 0.885 kg, and Shayne Langford also had one at 0.880 kg.

The junior heaviest trout was won by Lucy Russell with a good conditioned trout that weighed 0.667 kg and Jayden Slater wasn't far behind with one at 0.414 kg.

The average weight award was won by Shayne Langford with a fish that weighed 0.595 kg which was closest to the total average weight of 0.626 kg.

Overall it was tough going for the majority of members fishing the river which was a surprise but also understandable with water clarity still dirty and temperatures down due to inflow from snow melt.

Reports from down stream around Bridgewater suggest seals and dolphins were active which shows fish activity.

The NNLAA's next competition is the popular Derwent River Interclub Challenge held from August 23-25.This competition is a highlight of the season with all STLAA clubs invited to fish and this year along with Launceston Anglers club, Deloraine, Ulverstone and Longford Anglers club have also been invited down to fish the competition.

Keep an eye out on the NNLAA Facebook page for more info soon and also for future reports as we push closer to competition time.

FOUR Springs Lake had a good upgrade before the start of the 2024-25 trout season with a new 9-km walking track put in place around it's perimeter.

The walking track project involved a land transfer agreement between the Inland Fisheries Service and Tasmania’s largest private forest management company, Forico, and will greatly improve foot access to the western and northern shores of the lake.

Other upgrades at Four Springs Lake include an extension to the car park with the addition of new fencing and gates installed to help ensure security for neighbouring properties, also providing access to water for firefighting.

Also the jetty on the western shore has also received an upgrade which will also please anglers.

In other news land at the northern end of Pine Tier Lagoon is now owned by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC). 

Foot access for anglers and walkers to the northern end of the lagoon is allowed but the area is now closed to traffic and camping.

The area has been fenced off and vehicle access blocked but parking and stiles have been installed to provide foot access for anglers.

Camping is still allowed on Hydro Tasmania land on the eastern shore.

Another 500 triploid rainbow trout weighing around 0.360 kg were stocked into Craigbourne Dam by the Inland Fisheries Service on August 1.

Tight lines until next week.

Send in your fishing reports, pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com and follow Adam Rice's popular fishing column at derwentvalleygazette.com

 

.