Froggy had always wanted to learn to fly fish, and a visit to Tasmania was the perfect opportunity. He is already a keen lure fisher from the south coast of NSW and wanted to improve his ability to catch a trout. Casting and understanding of fly fishing came along nicely and he caught brown and rainbow trout on the fly.
Here’s Froggy with his brown trout from Four Springs Lake.
We love this shot, taken in January, 2018. During extremely hot conditions in Tasmania it’s well worth giving thought to cooler rivers, streams, and tributaries. And they would be tail-race rivers such as Brumbys Creek and the Meander River. Then, depending on the flow, the upper North and South Esk Rivers and their tributaries, just to name a few.
This time we decided to explore the upper Mersey River in the Mersey Forest area. Water temperatures were a lovely 16 degrees Celsius and the wild browns and rainbows were feeding without too much hesitation.
Small mayfly patterns along with grasshopper patterns in some areas did the trick.
This wild brown trout was caught on a 4 weight with a grasshopper.
Father and son team Peter and Stewart Rasmussen were keen to improve their fly fishing knowledge and skill level.
We spent the day at Penstock Lagoon in Tasmania’s highlands. There were a few jassids around but the trout were showing more interest in the adult mayfly; the spinner.
In light wind conditions, stealth was needed to get close enough to these fish for the cast and good presentation was crucial.
Peter and Stewart’s presentations were spot on, and here is their fine brace of wild brown trout.