I said earlier the last week of January had the lot, but I wasn’t prepared for superrod Jack! “I’ve only got the one day Roger, down here on business, it will have to be Saturday”
Well Saturday came round. Usual early am pick up in Hobart, took a look at Jack as he got in the Pajero, regular looking fly fisher, nice bloke, “looking forward to a good day on the water” was his position.
Got to the stream, day looked great, No breeze, overcast and about 15°C with a top predicted of 20-22°C.
“Nice looking stretch Roger,” was the opening comment. “Yes, think you should get a few today”, was my reply.
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The first cast back, or is it the first back cast! Anyway it was a great moment.
To many flyfishers this may just look like a cast on a river somewhere, but to my long standing (make that wading) client Gerald it was something he had been working on for over a year. Because since his last trip down, in our previous season, he has had his left foot amputated to the heel!
Now Gerald loves fly fishing Tasmania; the small streams, light gear and delicate presentation, ‘good presentation Rog, that’ll get one out’ I can hear him saying. No easy way out on the boats for him, if he was going to fish for wild browns then it was stalking or nothing!
With a special prosthesis fitted into his waders and an oversized boot he was ready.
He was also determined to do a two-dayer if possible, the plan being day 1, warm up, day 2, action!
Day 1 resulted in a couple of little ones on the nymph and a nice one lost on the dry — but day two brought five good wild browns to hand, all on the dry, three dropped adn a couple of other misses. Well done Gerald! Look out wild browns next season!
Garry (father of Matthew) had a day out on his own with Red Tag and had a ball. There must be something, as well as the trout, in our water that brings out the best in these Queenslanders.
Not only did Matthew star on a later trip (see Matthew’s Monster below) but here Garry gets a first class wild brown (around the 3lb mark) on the trial Stalker series #2wt Red Tag is testing for Pro Angler!
With some skillful rod work, good tackle and quick thinking Garry finally got this lovely fish to hand — another one on the pink bum ‘hopper.
Very taken with this prototype from Pro Angler and the boys tell me they will have a 6’ 6” or 6’ 9” model in the next season’s range — keep your eys open for them, they are little gems!
Dry fly enthusiasts Anthony and Brendan, shown casting above, ex internationals now from Queensland, had a top first up introduction to Tasmania fly fishing for wild browns with something like 30 odd fish to the fly and 15 to hand between them.
It again shows how the dry and mild autumns are extending our quality fly fishing into the last month of the season.
All fish to hand were on the dries and the majority of those on ‘hopper patterns.
Good fly fishing mates Ken & Don decided to stop off for a couple of days with Red Tag on their way through Tasmania.
Day one was a top day, but day two a more challenging one with the, by now, familiar cloudless sky and clear waters.
After seeing a very good brown leaping clear of the water chasing damsels and dragon flies, Ken exclaimed how do we get that one! ‘Put this blue damsel on and I’ll see how Don is getting on’.
Hadn’t gone twenty paces when Ken yelled ‘might need a hand here Roger’ with a very well bent #4wt and this 3+lbs wild brown on.
That fish certainly brightened Ken’s day.
Don was not forgotten by the trout either, here he is caressing a nice one in to hand the previous day.
This time it was Jon, ex Brit who now lives in USA and is visiting Australia on a work trip, found our site, loves river and stream lightweight gear dry fly fishing and had to get down here to give it a go.
Not a bad day, 35 to the fly and 18 or so to hand (all gently released) was a good effort.
It reminded him of his early fly fishing days in the UK, only this was a much more ‘natural experience’ with Tasmania’s wild brown trout.
That is the beauty of fly fishing Tasmania, particularly with Red Tag, if you’d like to do it! Take Roger from Queensland who didn’t arrive at Hobart airport ’till afternoon on day one of his five-day tour.
Check in at accommodation, then lunch, issue his fishing licence, gear up and on the water by mid afternoon, fish to hand before evening.
Great action and wide range of waters to fly fish every day.
Last day, after a leisurely breakfast, on to river, 10 to hand by late lunch, then to the airport by 5pm for evening flight home.
Robert stripping in fast to get control of another wild brown
Michael and Robert from NSW had just one day with Red Tag, which included a special detour via Miena to collect them, on a river somewhere.
They are good fly fishers and love small water work, and collectively got 18 to hand with something like 40+ to the fly despite the late start, although this did include a particularly hectic period of Rob’s where he had eight to the fly with none to hand only to find on close inspection the point past the barb of the hook missing!
Was some discussion about whether the guide had put on a punishment fly?
It does go to show, if you are fishing well and the fish are taking, always have a look at your fly to see if all is OK!
Michael with one of the best stream wild brown trout of the season — 3.5lbs+
