Great piece of trout history revived

This is the Bantam trail bike of the late Noel Jetson, co-founder of Tout Guides & Lodges Tas Inc.

With the support of the Salmon Ponds Cafe and TGALT, it has been thoroughly cleaned and revived (thanks to Tandam Car Care Services, New Norfolk) and is back at the IFS Trout Museum at Plenty.

It was one of only two imported to the state (the other by his friend and fishing buddy Clyde Spencer).

Being Noel’s fishing transport, it is a lovely link to the 1988 WFFC and the WFFC 2019, as Noel guided the English team of 1988 to the WFF championship that year — and they are expected to be a major force in this year’s event.

With the Anglers Hall of Fame (Noel is an inductee there), the Museum and the Cafe at Plenty, call in and take a look at some of Tasmania’s trout fishing heritage and those that helped make it such a world quality fishery.

Mates have great start to fly fishing

Tim with one of his four to hand on Day 1 — a very nice young rainbow.

Jon with his first one on the fly — another nice rainbow.

Plenty of bent rods and action between them — six to hand Day 1 and as many dropped or break-offs.

Some fish needed a lot of managing to get them to the net …

… with some looking ('about time too') decidedly grumpy on release!

Another action workshop for family

Especially for Maddy, seen here with a nice take on the emerger.

A top result with rainbow to hand. Even better when the family had planned trout entree for the BBQ dinner.

Husband, Hamish had the first take for the day only to be broken off by a big fish.

Father, David, had three takes on the dry in this spot, only to lose one and break-off other two!

Oh well, at least Maddy did her bit to provide the trout starter!

Champion Your Own Cause

We hear on the grape-vine that the World Fly Fishing Championships 2019 in Tassie are putting some potential visiting anglers off, thinking there are fishers on the top waters?
Not so, with only three still waters, Little Pine Lagoon, Penstock Lagoon and Woods Lake plus parts of only two rivers, the Mersey & Meander, committed to the championships, Tasmania has thousands of lakes / lagoons plus thousands on kilometres of wild trout rivers and streams all holding great fish … there is room and trout for all.

A great example of just a small section of wild (brown) trout river — dry fly — rising trout and no other anglers in sight!

See! It’s easy, just present dry, hook wild trout, partner nets same — how good is that?
So don’t delay, if you’ve got the urge to wet a line, and hook a trout, while being well cared for, then get down to Tassie now.
If we are booked out — check the bookings calendar to see: then go to Trout Guides Tasmania to choose the help you want.

New ‘Tagger achieves another first!


Mark from north Queensland, seen here with his first trout of the day.

After this guy was found hiding from the wind on my hat … the hatch started.

A hook-up on the mayfly emerger — Mark’s first ever trout on the dry. Sighted, targeted, presented and to hand!

Nature never ceases to amaze me, in this one area on the top lake with the wind whipping around and only 12°C , the duns were popping and the resident fish going mad for about two hours.

Father & son — first up success!

Locals Bob, and son Brad, had a great start to their fly fishing future, with a two-day extended workshop.

Day 1: This was Brad onto his first for the day … not only that, it was the first for the season on the dry for both Red Tag & Currawong Lakes.

Not to be outdone, Dad gets onto a beauty with an unweighted nymph dropper.

Brad and his rainbow.

Bob and his effort.

The day finished with Brad getting this nice, sighted, brown to hand on the nymph

Day 2: A little unorthodox, but to top it off, (again the first on the dry for the season), Brad gets a lively little wild brown on the river … yes the mayfly have arrived!
Bob missed a couple and Brad dropped another, but both very pleased with the trip,

Spring into Tassie with fossicking, feeding fish …


Our trout season is well and truly open for business with scenes like this — stalking, hunting frog & tadpole feeders are happening across the state’s trout fishery.

Hook-ups and action in centimetres of water

Real quality wild fish fossicking in the shallows.

They are a challenge, but great fun … just remember to breath occasionally.

Beat the post World Fly Fishing Championship 2019 and Christmas rush, come on down for a short but frantic trout hunting break!
For a guide or advice go to Trout Guides Tasmania.

Hands-on marketing


From left, Graham, Alice (Tourism Tasmania) & Dean (Tourism Australia) on their recent trout/flyfishing familiarity tour that ended with a flyfishing workshop at the Currawong Lakes. With a good number of tailing trout on hand it was a mixed bag …


Graham, first time on the fly and first wild brown on!


Netted and released.


Next Alice stalked and hooked up … then broken off by the really good fish seen feeding near the reeds to her left.


Then Dean spotted and cast to a number of feeders only to come up empty handed — this time.