Phil, inaugural winner of the annual Pro Angler/Red Tag Tassie competition, now makes Tasmania a regular event. This was his best tour so far with many wild browns and rainbows to hand.

A nice rainbow came from a backhand crosswind presentation of a mayfly emerger. Dual rigs, feeders on emergers and polaroided successes, doesn’t get much better!

With record temperatures across Tasmania this summer, fishing our smaller waters was difficult at times, but there was no shortage of ’hoppers.

This is a snapshot of some of the action during the month focussing on that food item.

Rhett worked very hard for this top brown – was to be dinner with his wife.

Peter brings this nice wild brown to the net, an evening sipper of a small grasshopper pattern after one of our hot summer days.

Warwick (a repeat ’Tagger) nets a nice wild brown – taken on a Nobby’s ’Hopper

First 30 minutes on day 1 and Neil had this nice wild brown trout to hand (on the Blue Damsel no less). As you see a nice stream trout, and Neil says “well that’s the pressure off Roger, monkey off back, and we can relax now!” or words to that effect.

Last 30mins of day 2 — this is the closest we got to a second one! Quality fish missed, dropped, watching feet instead of fly, etc, etc, we all know the comments.

Saving grace was that Neil mastered the Red Tag ‘flick retrieve’ and didn’t lose a single fly in two days!

Trent (left) and Lachlan get a great start to fly fishing

Lachlan into his first fish while still working the nymph

Trent returning his first on the fly – a good rainbow fell to the Blue Damsel

Then its Lachlan’s first on the dry (Blue Damsel again)

Finally, Trent gets the biggest for the day (on the Red Tag of course)

Best thing was, all the fish on the dry were polaroided, stalked and presented to as ’sighted fish’. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Steve wanted to learn more about stream craft, and three days on four different rivers and creeks helped him fulfil his ambition.

Day one saw the first catch of the trip on an emerger fly

Day two: Going well, with plenty of ‘hopper action

Day Three: Yet another water and more success

Ernst (ex-Singapore) is delighted with this top 23" wild brown on his lightweight Tasmanian made cane rod. First for the season on the Pink Bum ’hopper.

Small cane also handled the tight conditions on day one.

Leigh, from Victoria, was keen to come to grips with stream/river fly fishing. He fished three different rivers over three days, and caught fish on each.

Big grin says it all.

By early morning on day two he was doing it all on the #3wt. Dry fly upstream sighted, hooked and netted

… and releasing

John lands some top fish:

Good hook up on small water

Nice wild brown released

Great Rainbow – taken on Aire series #2wt