This time on Currawong Lakes with Red Tag, first up a very nice early spring wild brown, then later on some great fun with a few lively rainbows.

First the fighting grin, above, then the fish, below, a bit hard to see with Dave hanging on prior to release, but look at the depth, superb condition for so early in the season.

Next month will be the start of the mayfly hatches around our rivers and lower lakes.

If you want to have a go at bringing a sucessful fly you tied yourself, in my view the Dark Brown Emerger is one of the best.

Also a great all round fly for the majority of the season

Hook: any size #14 – suitable for straight backed nymph ties
Tail: a few dark brown cock hackle fibres
Body: Dark Brown Antron or similar body material
Ribbing: fine copper wire
Post: white calf-hair (or equivalent)
Hackle: parachute tie of ginger cock feather.

This is a durable and very visible ‘in the surface’ mayfly emerger pattern that can bring up polaroided patrolling fish, deceive bubble-line lurkers and attract mayfly risers.

Also check out Tassie’s Dangerous Dozen Flies. All irresistible to Tasmania’s famed wild brown trout.

April is our last month on the rivers in Tasmania, but the dry fly is still working fine as Ian shows only to well with another fine stream specimen to hand.

Early in the day and he is onto a nice wild brown on the emerger.

Having had a good single day with us last season, Mike decided to put a five-dayer together and try some Tassie river and stream variety this time, and he wasn’t disappointed.

With around 30 fish to hand and twice as many to the fly he had plenty of action on all days.

Our photograph above, shows Mike starting out early day 1 and soon has a very healthy wild brown to hand on the dry fly, below.

Whether in runs, top photograph, shallow glides, or deep quiet pools, below, Mike had success. From emergers to dunns to grasshoppers — all took their share of fish.

This is a typical Tasmanian small clearwater stream, not big fish, but very skillful small dry fly presentation situations. This one was picked up by newcomer Wes on one of our #14 para emergers.

And then Wes lifts on another wild brown in this tight pool. They don’t worry the record books on weight, but are as demanding to get to the fly as any trout about.

The February top fly fishing continued with Graham’s extended trip and I think he enjoyed the heritage setting of Somercotes almost as much as his tradition of using his Tasmanian friend, Peter McKean’s, beautifully handmade cane rod to bring a very good number of local wild trout to hand.

On day 1 he was into action, above, picking up a shadowy lurking brown sighted surface feeding under the overhanging bush.

To highlight Graham’s love of the traditional, in this shot, above, you can see his Bakelite (circa 1930s) single action fly reel and dressed (imitation) silk line.

The result of this action was this great conditioned typical Tasmanian wild brown, Graham does not have small hands and this one would have been 17″+.

Finally these balanced cane rods have a beautiful bend on them when handling our wild trout, this shot shows the complete arch from the very butt.

Marcus, wanted to fly fish again in Tasmania and also participate in the Wooden Boat Festival, so he came down a few days before the WBF and got into the dry fly fun with the February ‘hoppers’ about.

Day 1 with a nice touch of ‘high stick’ control on this lively stream fish, above.

Then on a longer line take with a good looking brown picked up on the dry found lurking under the strap weed.

Red Tag regulars, Iain, Rebecca and John returned for their longest yet small waters stint with the addition this time of John’s wife Lorraine, having her fly fishing introduction.

Iain and Rebecca were armed with their new, lovingly and beautifully built hand made Taransky cane rods, a 2/3wt and a straight 3wt for Rebecca.

What a work of art these rods are and to Rebecca’s credit she stuck with her cane rod through wind and heat with determination and great results.

Rebecca is delighted with her first ‘caning’, above, while Iain proudly looks on and then to top off her efforts, this magnificent 3+ pounder wild brown was brought to hand with a real team effort.

High bank polaroided by guide, perfect presentation by Rebecca, great rod control on the cane 3wt and finally well netted by Iain.

This was the toast of the trip till Iain took the small water monster, top, on his Sage ’00 — yes, a 5-pounder on his 00 (was too windy for the cane) in the last session of the trip.

Below, Iain shows how to put a bend in the 00! This is the best small water wild brown landed by a Red Tagger since guiding Tasmania’s small rivers and streams. Both tales are getting bigger as you read.

Not to be forgotten, John was quietly and successfully going about his love of Tasmanian stream fly fishing with Iain’s straight 3wt cane rod, seen below with a very respectable wild brown.

Finally to top off all-round trip success here is Lorraine, below, with one of her wild brown’s taken on her first fly fishing tour.

To top off the commitment of this dedicated fly fishing group, it must be said not one nymph was even considered during the many days and varied weather over the whole trip with the single dry fly only presented to every fish.