Much needed rain throughout Tassie sets scene for opening of brown trout season

AS anglers we'd rather see flooding happen now and not in the week leading into Opening Weekend of the brown trout fishing season but we all know the likely scenario.

Trout fishing through the Huon and Derwent Rivers improved recently with the latter giving up some good resident and sea run fish although water releases over the weekend from the lower Derwent Hydro Catchments made fishing tough going.

For a number of weeks now young lamprey eels have been a target for trout and they've been gorging themselves and in doing so putting weight back on after spawning.

Last week anglers caught trout on hardbodied lures either spinning or trolling from Bridgewater through to New Norfolk and soft plastic anglers have also had success using minnow style plastics fished with a 1/16 oz -1/8 oz jigheads on an outgoing tide run.

Bait anglers have also landed fish spinning sandies and wattle grubs and also soaking them and worms on the bottom.

The Huon River from Huonville to Port Huon is a popular area to target trout at this time of year as well with the occasional escapee Atlantic salmon also available. Boat and shore-based anglers have opportunity fishing with lures deep around drowned logs, snags and edges of rips and currents are always good places trout tend to sit in.

A key anywhere at this time of the year is to work lures slowly as trout are pretty lethargicuntil spring temperatures arrive.

Great Lake is still giving up some good brown and rainbow trout although parts of the lake were recently frozen over, Craigbourne Dam has also given up fish but it seems cormorants are catching more than anglers and Hunstman Lake, Lake Pedder, Meadowbank Dam,Brushy Lagoon and Lake Burbury were also mentioned the most last week.

The Inland Fisheries Service continued their trout stocking program last week as we push towards the opening to the 2024-25 Tasmanian brown trout fishing season on August 3.

Brushy Lagoon recently took 500 triploid rainbow trout weighing on average 0.360 kg, Lake Lynch took 20 brown trout, Penstock Lagoon 122, Lake Duncan, Bruisers Lagoon and Camerons Lagoon all took 30 brown trout each weighing from 0.463 kg to 0.638 kg.

Trout angling licences for 2024-25 have been available for a while now and licence renewal letters have been arriving in mailboxes over the last few weeks as well.

If you're like me your licence has already been paid for and the job of stocking up in readness for the new season is also well under way.

For reference the only times an inland fishing licence isn't needed is when you're fishing at a registered private fishery, fishing for native fish including bream in specified waters and areas listed in the Inland Fisheries Regulations 2019 and with a single rod at an open inland water if the person is under 14 years old.

Children from 14 up to and including 17 years of age can fish Tasmania’s inland lakes and waterways with a free licence which still must be purchased online or through designated agents.

Those aged between 18 and 21 can also benefit from a reduced angling licence fee which is $50.

THE Rise Fly Fishing film series returns To Tasmania for the 18th time which is now an official part of the world fly fishing film tour.

This compilation of short fly fishing films that are sure to get you fired up for the fly-fishing season showcase the best of fishing and locations to inspire anglers for the coming season.

Movies include Visibility, What Lies Above, Only the Salmon Know, Transitions - The Bow, and A Line in the Sand and more.

The Fly-Fishing Film Tour is the original and largest fly-fishing film event of its kind in the world and is now partnered with local fly-fishing film festival RISE to bring you even more fly fishing.

The Rise Fly Fishing movies will screen at the Burnie Metro Cinema on Thursday August 29 at 7.30 pm, followed by the Hobart Peacock Theatre at Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart on Friday August 30 at 7 pm.

Tip of the Week

Fishing is a guaranteed way to calm the mind and build patience and resilience. Fishing isn't about instant gratification but the pride in the rewards of determination and persistence.

Send in your fishing reports,pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com and keep track of the Derwent Valley Gazette Fishing page on Facebook.

Tight lines until next week.

Picture: Some juvenile lamprey eels that a trout I caught from the Derwent River regurgitated and they were still alive. Trout have been feeding heavily on these little lampreys for the past fortnight or so.