Back to angling business as flood waters reside

Picture: A fat female brown trout prior to being released. After conditions settle our trout should be fit and fat with a lot of food available for them to feed on from the floods.

AFTER a tense time water levels have subsided and we can all breathe a sigh of relief after one of the wildest ends to winter we've seen for a long time.

Floods and fire are a constant worry and mix that with winds comparable to a category 3 cyclone and it's a recipe for disaster.

Saying that we were lucky, miraculously lucky, even though thousands of people were left without power for days,  mobile networks crashed,major roads collapsed and were closed and properties suffered major damage.

Because of this trout fishing obviously hasn't been a high priority and we still have a lot of areas closed while authorities assess any damage and roads need to be cleared of fallen trees.

Saying that Hydro Tasmania opened recreational access to Great Lake and Lake Meadowbanks late last week and the road to Four Springs Lake was also reopened.

Anglers fishing slower pockets of water in the Derwent River with bait like worms and sandies have caught trout but it will be a while before flow slows and clears and lure anglers can get amongst it.

Keep an eye out on any updates during the week in regards to other Hydro waters re opening as conditions improve.

Water levels in our highlands continue to rise at a rapid rate and  I was told Lake King William rose a metre in just 36 hours.

The lake was sitting at -11 metres in mid August and at the time of writing this report levels have come up over seven metres.

Laughing Jack Lagoon has risen three metres in a fortnight, Pine Tier lagoon is still spilling as are Penstock, Little Pine and Shannon Lagoon.

Bronte Lagoon and the Brady's Chain are close to full capacity, Wood's Lake is just half a metre down ,Lake Augusta is spilling and Arthurs Lake is rising as well.

Lake St Clair is not far off full, Lake Echo is steadily rising and all the lower Derwent catchment waters are still spilling as are all the catchments In the North, North West and most on the West Coast.

Obviously there is an amazing amount of water flowing through our systems which will continue for a while as snow melts as well.

Luckily, locally during the flooding event most of the water went through the main catchments into the Derwent which spared it's smaller tributaries even though most received more than their fair share.

After the last flood episode we all know about the dramas caused at the Salmon Ponds and thankfully the Plenty River didn't see the water volume that caused issues which is great Others like the Tyenna, Styx and Lachlan all suffered minor flooding but thankfully we didn't see the kind of destruction we have in these runs in the past either.

THIS Sunday, September 15, Southern Licensed Angling Association clubs will venture out to fish the STLAA Interclub Challenge on the Huon River.

The annual event is held by an STLAA club each season and this year the Huon Anglers Club will play host on their own trout turf in the mighty Huon River.

This year it's a day event with fishing starting at 7 am Sunday,

finishing with a weigh in, barbecue and presentation at Franklin Boat ramp at 2 pm.

The Interclub Shield will be presented to the club with the three longest trout total and pics of fish on brag mats will be accepted with the date included.

There will be prizes for the adult and junior with the longest trout plus a mystery prize will be randomly awarded as well. Note that this is a trout fishing competition only and Atlantic salmon will not count in the total length measurements. It will be interesting to see how the Huon fishes and usually it's one river that floods first before others do but it seems the area didn't suffer too badly recently.

SALTWATER fishing is and will improve as spring temperatures rise and although the weather hasn't been ideal lately for any type of fishing when opportunity has allowed it anglers have been rewarded.

Australian salmon are an easy,awesome fighting sportsfish to catch using light tackle anywhere along the East and South Coast.

Lower runs of the Derwent and Huon Rivers and all Southern Estuaries offer good fishing and Cremorne, Dover and Clifton Beach are hot spots or any beach for that matter.

Fish from 1kg through to 3kg will test anyone's skill and salmon are one of the better fish to introduce the kids into fishing.

Southern bluefin tuna action should be starting to pick up off the Tasman Peninsula with Tasman Island, The Hippolyte Rocks, Fortescue Bay and The Lanterns well known haunts.

Sand Whiting are one of the tastiest and easiest fish to catch off our shores too and waters around Lewisham, Primrose Sands, Dunalley and down in the D'entrecasteaux Channel always offer a decent feed.

Other fish like morwong, leatherjacket, snapper, flathead, wrasse, cod, mackerel, barracouta, bream, gurnard, mullet, pike, shark, kingfish and warehou can also turn up.

One of the best things about saltwater fishing is we can catch anything at any given time when conditions are right which adds an extra element of excitement and almost all are good to eat as well. Tight lines until next week.

Tip of the Week - Good fishing times can often be linked to changes in barometric pressure. Stable pressure over a period of a few days and rapid drops in pressure can result in good fishing while rapid rises can oppositely mean poor fishing.

Send in your fishing reports,pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com and keep track of the Derwent Valley Gazette Fishing Page at derwentvalleygazette.com