Cast a line for mental health

FOR a number of years the team at Tasmanian Devil Lures and Spot On The Fishing Connection have supported Movember and those at "Tackling Mens Health" by selling limited edition devil lures during November with all proceeds going to charity.

Last year $16,680 was raised from sales taking the total to $81,000 and this year the crew are hoping that they can crack the $100,000 mark.

The new 2024 "Mojo" 13.5 g Tasmanian Devil lure has recently been released and for the first time it's got "yellow wings" and it's also decked out in a striking gold, yellow and red paint job that has already seen Tasmanian trout attack it.

Mental health is a life issue and everyone suffers from various degrees of it throughout their life and more often than not men tend to shut down about it which in turn can lead to more serious problems.

It's noted that typically more men go fishing than women and for a lot of men whether they realise or not fishing provides a distraction that also helps the healing process for both mental and physical health issues.

For men and women life is about making memories and it's a fact that fishing provides these opportunities which in turn can improve mental and physical wellbeing and this is something I and a lot of other anglers can definitely vouch for.

To support this great cause the new and limited 2024 Mojo Tasmanian Devil lures are available from Spot On The Fishing Connection and Tackling Men's Health website.

THE Game Fishing Association of Australia held its national junior tournament awards night in Melbourne recently with a number of local Tasmanian anglers being honoured for their efforts during the past season.

The awards night celebrated outstanding catches and performances from junior anglers from around the country and our own Darcy Robertson from the Southern Gamefish Club had a standout season.

Darcy received awards in the small fry category, one being for an Australian and Tasmanian record of a 12.4 kg southern bluefin tuna that he caught on 4 kg line and another which was just 2kg off the Small Fry Australian record that was an SBT weighing 22.4 kg caught on 15 kg line.

Darcy and his sister Grace also won awards in the same categories release section with both winning it for the second year in a row.

Congratulations also to Tasmanian Junior Female Release champion Lucy Russell who has also won this award for the second year in a row as well fishing out of the Southern Gamefish Club.

Another local angler Konnah Smith also won the junior male release category and his younger brother Tayte Smith also won the junior male capture award as well whilst fishing with the Tuna Club of Tasmania.

Also a special mention to Shanae Dance who also took out the junior female capture award also fishing with the Tuna Club Of Tasmania.Congratulations to all winners and well done for dominating your categories ats state level and also representing us so well on the National stage.

The Southern Gamefish Club also held their annual dinner and trophy presentation night at the New Norfolk RSL club and young Darcy Robinson received recognition for his above mentioned National and State small fry SBT record.

TASMANIA experienced a warm winter and with another hot summer approaching precautions are being put in place.

Uncontrolled private fires have already been reported and have caused issues and campfires can easily spread which are then difficult to control and in turn become a danger to everyone.

Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife have put in place campfire bans from Tuesday the 5th of November 2024, across Reserved Land (as declared under the Nature Conservation Act 2002) within the following local government areas (LGAs) King Island, Flinders Island, Dorset, Break O’Day, Sorell, Glamorgan - Spring Bay (including Maria Island).

This ban will also extend to Narawntapu National Parks and other areas will be added when conditions worsen.

Bans include the use of fire pots due to sparks, embers and ash being potential fire hazards and obviously any open campfire.

Last year there were 285 reports of unattended or illegal campfires on PWS managed land which had the potential to cause serious issues around the whole State.

Note that gas stoves and gas barbecues are still allowed to be used but always be vigilant and use common sense.

Tip of the week- Have a spare $30 million dollars to spend?. Tasmania's iconic central highland fly fishing estate the  "London Lakes" is now up for sale. The property includes three lakes- Lake Big Jim, Lake Samuel and the smaller Lake Benjamin. The estate also includes lodging accommodation on the shores of Lake Samuel which has six bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, dining areas, a kitchen, laundry, an office, library, storage and of course a fishing rod room.vTight Lines until next week.

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