World Fly Fishing Championship 2019

We are one year away from Tasmania being flooded by international anglers as we host the World Fly Fishing Championship 2019. The five venues for the event are Little Pine and Penstock lagoons, Woods Lake and the Meander and Mersey rivers.

In the weeks leading up to the event the competing anglers are not permitted to fish the competition waters so you will find them fishing places like Arthurs Lake, Bronte Lagoon, Four Springs Lake and the South Esk River.

Go to the Inland Fisheries Service web site for more information.

Longest Red Tag tour

Kathy & Marty from Florida, USA, had the longest tour Red Tag has ever done – 9 days/8 nights!

Fished many rivers and some lakes and had a great time (see Testimonials page).

Great teamwork pre ‘tea-break’ day one. Marty gets this top conditioned wild brown on a #14 copper bead-head, while Kathy does the honours with the net

Marty is delighted and about to return same.

 

Roles reversed, Kathy ‘somewhat’ pleased with this effort, while Marty does the netting.

Another good rainbow returned.

Marty in action on one of the many waters they fished. This was an emerger taker hiding amongst the strap weed. Needed an excellent presentation and good reflexes here.

Both Kathy and Marty loved sharing the waters and opportunities they provided and had success on dries, nymphs and wets across the trip.

‘Red spinners’ hatching for father & son

The sun is out and the mayflies finally make an appearance — John gets the first for the season on the dry. A beautiful wild brown on the Dark Brown Emerger.

John spotted his brown feeding along the reed edge, less than a metre off them.

Then it was dad’s turn with Garry picking up a couple of young browns, again on the dry.

Fit young brown about to go back.

Workmates have top workshop

Greg, James, Josh, Caleb & Brie had a full day’s introductory workshop at Currawong Lakes late October. All got onto trout, break-offs, and dropped fish, with Brie and Josh getting fish to hand.

Brie bringing her 2nd one to the net …

 

An excellent 2.5lbs rainbow.

One of Josh’s successes, another good rainbow. Although nothing on the dry, the damsel nymph and woolly bugger did the trick.

Tassie success for US angler

Rich, from Pennsylvania, USA, had some great close up moments with wild Tassie trout. This was a 3.5lbs wild brown sighted, stalked and netted in less than a foot of water, three feet off the grassy edge where Rich is stalking.

It as just one of the reasons fly/trout fishers from all over the globe come to pit their wits against our wily fish.

Even as Rich is controlling this one, another can be seen feeding in the background. These are referred to as ‘Tailing Trout’. A style of fish foraging found around Tasmanian lakes, lagoons and tarns.

We have just spotted a movement at the outer edge of this reedbed.

A couple of casts and Rich brings a nice 2.5lb rainbow to hand.

West Aussies have a good trip

Ian was first up having sighted a ‘nymphing’ fish just off the reed beds – the stalking begins!

Yes! hook-up on the un-weighted damsel nymph pattern and successfully brings wild brown to the net.

It was Andrea’s first-time fly fishing, and although getting the hang of it really well and targeting a fish or two, the fish had the last laugh, this time.

Day 2 saw Ian on the river with a neat netting effort on the first on the dry for the season.

A lovely 16″ wild brown on the mayfly emerger.

Early workshop brings first wild brown for the season

Recent Tasmanian (via Sydney and originally west coast USA) Tim, gets the first wild brown trout on an unweighted damsel nymph.

Big grin and well deserved. Fish was sighted breaching in the shallows alongside the reeds and Tom got a good cast to open his own fly fishing account.

Beautifully spotted young wild brown from 2016 spawning run at Currawong.

Finished off with some delicate stalking of edge feeders (2-3lbs) in 6 to 12 inches of water. This time the trout had the big grins!

Top workshop for first timer!

Although our teaching dam level is currently down a bit, the trout were ready for their first learner of the season. David from Queensland had just done his gear and grass casting introduction when we headed up to the dam. In the first 10 minutes David hooks a lively rainbow on an unweighted WB.

Nice one David.

This was followed by some great margin polaroiding and stalking at Currawong Lakes with a picture of concentration on a wild rainbow.

Hook-up: sighted, damsel fly (The Lost Fly) presented, netted and released.

Great first up day on the fly, and such a warm early Tassie spring day even had a few adult damsels hatching at Currawong Lakes.