Tassie waters roll out the barrels

THE amazing run of Southern Bluefin Tuna moving through waters off the Tasman Peninsula continues with some even bigger fish landed last week.

In the past November hasn't been prime time to target these monsters but there are stacks of super sized fish around providing personal best opportunities for all keen game anglers .

The biggest I've seen landed was by Lachie Clues while fishing with brother Jonty last Thursday and the scales tipped out to a massive 141.5 kg.

Stuart Nichols who runs a fishing charter off the South Coast of Tasmania has also got anglers onto some big barrels with one weighing 128kg which was caught last Tuesday and another two were landed on Wednesday weighing 137 kg and 118 kg.

Ty Booker and Tye Curtain caught another monster and a personal best last Thursday that weighed 130 kg and Reid Hooker on a recent mission with mates to Pedra Branca area also landed 8 and kept one with all fish estimated to be around or over 100 kg mark as well.

The most experienced tuna anglers that have frequented areas for years are saying they've never seen or caught big fish like this through November and the massive amount of bait fish around has caused a feeding frenzy.

Anglers have reported multiple hookups and yes seals have been causing issues too but saying that a lot of the fish I've seen landed have been in superb "clean" condition and they're also fat and fit.

How long these amazing fish hang around for, nobody knows but it seems more and more are being caught and they're also getting bigger. Will we see someone crack the 150kg mark sometime soon? Time will only tell.

TROUT anglers reported some success last weekend with fishing improving in the highlands with the increase of terrestrial, insect and other bait fish activity as we approach Summer.

Anglers fishing Woods lake reported great catches of trout especially trolling although most of the fish caught were around the 0.600 kg mark there were some landed pushing over 1 kg in weight.

Talbots Lagoon in the states North West continues to impress with some great conditioned brown and rainbow trout being caught on lure and fly.

Wading the shores and trolling or spinning from a kayak is the best method to target trout here and fishing from a non motorised boat is allowed only.Lake Burbury in the North is another water definitely worth the effort to fish as well.Lake King William is still offering good bags of trout for trollers and spinners and for bait anglers also fishing from the shore with the water still up.

Bronte Lagoon and the Brady's Chain is still going ok but can change from one day to the next and the same can be said for Lake Echo.

Lake Sorell is giving up some good conditioned fish from 1.3 kg through to 3 kg and with Lake Crescent getting fished a lot it's well worth targeting whether from the shore or in a boat.

Remember if in a boat, watch your depth sounder for any hazards due to the shallowness of the lake and keep an eye our for any fish as well.

Great Lake is still offering good fishing and I'd keep in mind Shannon Lagoon with water levels always up and don't forget about Lake St Clair, Laughing Jack Lagoon, Dee Lagoon and the lower Derwent Catchments.

Lake Pedder is also under fished and a reminder that the Lake Pedder Anglers Club will be hosting the annual "Back To Pedder" trout fishing competition early in 2025 which is always a popular and well run event.

THERE is building concern for our whitebait fishery after what was another non existant run during the season that finished earlier in November.

For a number of years whitebait migrations have been very poor and recent angler reports mention that hardly any were seen again statewide during the 2024 season.

Much debate surrounds the reason why we're seeing a decline and the blame seems to be pointed towards the changing climate which in turn is affecting conditions in our oceans and rivers.

Our changing climate has seen our seasons become inconsistent and warming temperatures on land and at sea are also changing migratory and spawning/breeding patterns for a lot of species of animals and fish.

The most vulnerable species of life are affected first and foremost and recent La Nina weather patterns have added to the inconsistency and disruptions and ultimately it seems to have decimated some populations altogether.

Oppositely other species of animals, birds and fish have thrived and as an example cormorant life and predation on trout and other species has been rife this season and oppositely the enigma of the big southern bluefin tuna runs through November have never been experienced like this before. Add the recent reports of the booming sardine populations in Bass Strait and increasing catches of snapper and yellow tail kingfish from Tasmanian waters over the last few years and this also highlights a give and take changing pattern.

The East Coast current which is the largest current that moves close to Australia carries warmer water from the Northern Coral Sea down to the Southern Tasman Sea.

It's usually most active during the early months of a year during Summer and weakens in the colder months during winter and autumn.

It's claimed that the changing climate has meant this current is active earlier and also it could be somewhat affecting Whitebait life cycles.

Due to whitebait living out at sea it could be contributing to changes in lifecycle and mirgatory patterns more so than the lack of and inconsistency of rain events which in turn is degrading habitats, lowering water levels and flow in spawing rivers and creeks.

For whatever reason,what is happening is a serious issue, more so for our vulnerable cold water and climate preferring species. Tight lines until next week.

Tip of the Week - When fishing on a hot day target deeper, cooler water where fish are more likely to be found. Also adjust your techniques and slow down because the fish more often than not get lazy like we do when it's too hot.

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