Lynne was our last wild trout outing for the 2007/08 season with an overnight fly fishing workshop. Lynne had wanted to fly fish ‘a river somewhere’ since she saw the show on ABC TV some time ago.

Finally managed to get the time together and this is the result. A great couple of days, learnt lots, fantastic Autumn weather, came to grips with our KOCPIT theory and presented the dry perfectly.

This fish was sighted surface feeding, stalked and presented to spot on … result lovely first up wild brown.

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!

After a cool morning start and some presentation practice, Zoe gets into the swing of things.

Having travelled all the way from southern England to Tasmania, she couldn’t resist the temptation to try and pick up a wild brown trout or two on the fly.

This one was headed for the dinner table.

I think Zoe was toast of the diningroom back at her digs with this one.

As I explained, the only way you can taste a wild brown trout in Tasmania is catch your own!

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.

Best fish by a Red Tagger on fly (est.5+kgs) — longest tussle to hand (approx. 90mins) — biggest grin (probably still there) — over 30” or 75cms in length.

Having had a previous, quite successful, trip with me in April, Matthew and his dad Garry were so keen to go again so they bribed me out of the one-day birthday break I had planned with a rather nice red (went down very well with a roast the other night thanks guys).

Matthew had heard of the escapee salmon down south and was keen to have a go at them.

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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.

Along comes the Hobart regatta and with it the Australian Navy – HMAS Paramatta and sub HMAS Collins.

Here Jared works a grasshopper on a broadwater.

Then the three submariners, Jason, Mat and Phil are in a very different environment than their day job!

To show some success was had, here is Jason with his first ever fish on the fly, a very nice rainbow!.