Two fly rig fools nice browns
Here's one of a couple of good browns caught through the middle of the day that took a stick caddis underneath or the spinner on the surface of a two fly rig. Image: Gary France
Learning to fly fish
Fly Fishing workshops start off with a chat about trout foods such as fish, snails, and insects etc., that are part of the trout's diet, and the flies we use to imitate them. We show you how to make those imitations move on or in the water. Participants get an overview of fly fishing gear, how to use it, how to present a fly. For beginners, casting instruction and practice starts on the grass, and then we add water! Our workshops are ideal for beginners, as well as those who would like to hone their existing skills. If learning to [...]
Life Cycle of the Tasmanian Mayfly
In Tasmania, developing a sense around what trout foods are available, where and when, increases the chances for success. Mayfly are in full swing from September/October on the lakes and rivers of the lowlands. The highlands follows a little later due to its altitude and climate. These mayfly hatches continue through to around March, peaking again on the lowlands through to the end of April and the season's close. Altitude plays a major role along with water and air temperature; changing light conditions, i.e. cloud cover; and wind and climate. Nymph The Nymph Nymphs live in the water [...]
Trout Territory fly fishing tours in Tasmania
Got a minute? That's all you need to check out this great little video about Trout Territory! Gary talks about Tasmania's beautiful trout fishery and how we can help anglers have a great time when they come fishing with us. This gorgeous video is filmed by IdeasbanQ as part of Tourism Australia's #NECIAUS program. Thank you Merel, Billie-Jo, and Dennis for your fabulous assistance!
Leven River, Tasmania
The upper reaches of the River Leven, not far from Cradle Mountain, rise through sink holes just like the Vale River and they are both on opposite sides of the range. The water of the Leven is very light tannin, and the Leven is one of the only rivers in Tasmania with no dams on it. It also has the highest values for macro invertebrate counts. There are good numbers of Mayfly and this is used as a scientific indicator to show the quality of a river system. There is Anglers Access at Loongana, a section which is open from [...]
Mersey River Tasmania
MERSEY RIVER The Mersey River is a very clear-water stream, has a long journey from the mountains to the sea, and is well served with Anglers Access information and infrastructure. There are bright open sections with plenty of shaded areas, fast water runs and riffles, as well as extended flat pools. On bright sunny days, late season, Mersey trout can be found sipping small mayfly from the surface. Felt soles are ideal on the rocky river sub-straight for good grip and a silent approach. Oxley Falls, above Lake Rowallan, which is open until the end of May. The fish [...]
Smelt Feeder
On this particular day earlier in April, it was hard to find enough mayfly on the surface or find any fish even looking for them. The tactic here was to find bust ups of small smelt spraying on the surface and the signs of charging trout. We hang in on the zone until they show again, then cast. Mark is pretty happy with this wild brown trout.
Waterbug Blitz
Larva is the stage of development of an insect between egg and pupa. Instar is a stage of life of an insect between two periods of moulting. Nymph is an immature form of an insect. The shedding phases. Pupa is an insect in the stage of development between larva and imago (aka: Emerger - a word commonly used in fly fishing terms when talking about mayfly emergence). It's more involved than that, of course, but there's a quick little summary. Why are we talking about this? Because we participated in a project and were excited to find some up close. [...]
River Leven Tasmania
River Leven TasmaniaThe River Leven is a wild trout fishery in Tasmania's north west. A bubbly, boisterous river, it is long, with much of it in deep forest and gorge terrain. A river of classic runs, riffles, glides, and pools etc. The head waters start not far from Cradle Mountain and enters the sea at Ulverstone.Great trout fishing can be found on the River Leven late season, boasting beautiful coloured wild browns a month or so away from spawning. Cool water temperatures, clean tannin water, and the fish still willing to take dry flies.It's a diverse fishery, and this is [...]
South Esk River Tasmania
SOUTH ESK RIVER The South Esk River is Tasmania's longest river, rising to the east of Ben Lomond and flowing east then south to Fingal where it then turns to the south west and follows the Esk Main Road toward Conara, then turns North West where the Macquarie River flows into it at Longford, flowing on through Hadspen to the Trevallyn Dam in Launceston, the final leg courses through the Cataract Gorge into the Tamar River estuary. We love the South Esk, there are so many great access points to generally clear water, many tributaries joining it along the [...]