That’s right, the new Tasmanian brown trout season has started.
Good north of state rains during winter have meant the lowland rivers and streams will have a strong flow and be somewhat coloured for the first few weeks.
However, expect mid to late Spring mayfly, etc, to be good again. Southern waters have had little to no winter rains yet, but hopefully August will see that corrected and water levels increase to give us a good run into summer.
My favourite private lake levels are full and this should mean top-conditioned fish and plenty of fly life, ie, excellent mayfly hatches as spring progresses.
If the settled, if occasionally cool, weather continues into early season, it should be great learning time and August/September have plenty of booking spots available.
A reminder that the interstate annual Pro Angler Tassie nights as follows:
Paramatta – NSW July 12 and 13
Bentleigh – VIC July 14
Geelong – VIC July 15
We will be launching the next Pro Angler / Red Tag Trout Tours / Tourism Tasmania wild trout fly fishing Give-a-Ways (2 x 3 days & 2 nights ALL inclusive guided tours) for the 2011/12 season.
There’s one for Pro Angler New South Wales clients and another for Pro Angler Victorian clients.
Gavin from Pro Angler will be releasing the details, with entries welcome at all stores right through the year to the Tassie nights functions in 2011.
You could even enter on the Tassie nights – check with Pro Angler – conditions apply.
The 2010-11 Pro Angler & Red Tag $10,000+ competition winner is Phil Osborne.
He gets an all-inclusive five-day, four-night trip with fishing mate or partner on Tasmania’s wild trout waters plus two sets of the great Pro Angler range of gear, including the Stalker Aire top of the range fly fishing outfits.
Congratulations Phil. Red Tag Trout Tours is looking forward to introducing you both to some wild Tasmanian trout this coming season.
Just received this lovely response to Red Tag’s latest newsletter from a former client. Hope you don’t mind me sharing it.
It’s been many years since I fished with you, but that was one of the best fishing experiences of my life. I still consider you one of the top two guides I’ve ever fished with, and I’m not sure who’s in second place. Great fishing, great food, great time all around.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back to Taz again, but a terrific memory. — Frank Smith
If you’d like to subscribe to the newsletter [it comes via email 2-3 times a year] please click here.
As I have said Currawong Lakes is a great place for a group of keen learners to have a go with a good chance of getting some nice fish to hand and seeing a bit of action while picking up much of the skills needed to cast a fly.
Good mates, Leigh, Pete, Craig & Mathew from the Hobart area joined together at the end of April, while trout were still taking dry flies.
Although it was a tough day fish to hand wise, light leaders and aggressive fish making it difficult for the learners to hang onto many, it was still a top day for the boys.
Final tally was one to hand, one to the shore, two dropped, five broken off and three misses.
Above, Pete is on to a good one, taken on the emerger and Mathew gets one on the un-weighted nymph to hand, below, which brings a big smile.
While Leigh and Craig are still stalking their targets along these nice reedy shores, below.
Ian and Rosemary were Red Tag’s 2008 ‘Tassie nights’ 3 day/two nights all-inclusive flyfishing package winners and they had a ball earlier this season.
Ian, above, kicks off a somewhat misty day one with an early hook up to a nice stream wild brown.
Then he followed up with supplying entree that evening, a very nice wild brown trout — remember the only way you can eat brown trout, wild or otherwise, in Tasmania is to catch your own.
Not to be outdone, Rosemary wanted to learn and join in the fun, and after some practice casting and presentation work it was off to Currawong Lakes to see what happens.
The damsels [blue variety for the catching of trout] were really on and soon Rosemary was into action and then releasing this beauty, below, again taken on the Blue Damsel.
A great trip with top stream and lake fish for both Ian and Rosemary.
Marcus and good mate Campbell came down for three guided days fly in early December.
Marcus to get back in the swing, which he did successfully and Campbell to be introduced to the gentle art.
Above, Marcus is onto a nice solid and very feisty rainbow on the emerger, while below, Campbell after a steep learning curve on day one with dropped fish, missed chances and a break-off on a ‘big’ brown, came good on day two with this lovely wild river brown trout, again on the emerger, for entre as his first wild brown to hand.
