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Lake Burbury - A great all year round water

Leroy Tirant
Lake Burbury is a massive body of water located near Queenstown on Tasmania's west coast. The water has a dark tannin stained appearance and can seem as though a fish wouldn't see a lure swim past its nose, but don't let this fool you, as the water is usually visually clear. In this article I'll briefly discuss popular methods practiced for fishing Lake Burbury but I will cover my favorite methods more in depth.

Lake Augusta - an underfished gem

Joe Riley
At the entrance to the Nineteen Lagoons, behind a Hydro Tasmania build rock dam wall lies one of the most versatile fisheries in the Central Highlands, Augusta Dam. This water was created by Hydro Tasmania in 1953 as a means to control the flow of water into Liawenee Canal, by building a large rock wall, and a smaller concrete levee West of the dam.

Chasing chooks

Tim Anderson takes a look at one of the mainstays of Tasmania's gamefishing. Albacore are not as regal as marlin, yellowfin or bluefin, but they are fun to catch and great to eat.

The build up
What smells like fish and tastes like chicken? This question has so often been asked by the likes of Cheech and Chong and although the very term conjures up images of "hedgehogs" and alley cats, rarely has the question been posed in this arena.

The answer I am looking for in this forum is obviously albacore tuna.

Lines and getting the most from a trolled lure

Bill Presslor
One of the most critical factors in achieving optimum performance from any trolled lure is line selection. The line you choose for a particular application deserves a lot of careful consideration, after all it's your main connection to a fish. Though it has been said countless times, a lot of anglers seem to pay little attention to this detail when it comes time to spool up for a fishing trip. The age-old adage about getting what you pay for certainly rings true when it comes to line selection. The technology and choice available to anglers in the form of monofilaments, co-polymers, braided superlines, and fluoro carbon lines is really quite staggering. The array of manufacturers and brands of lines, along with the price and availability, seems to have expanded enormously in the past ten years. The most important areas for consideration with trolling applications should be lead length (dropback or line out), line diameter, stretch, and abrasion resistance. Manipulating all of these factors can have a huge impact on your success.

Surface fishing

Leroy Tirant

In Tasmania surface fishing for trout has been a long standing tradition. "Top spinning" with wood and wattle grubs is still a favored past time for many, but in recent times anglers have been starting to become aware of hard bodied lures and soft plastics that can be used for the same purpose at less expense. Nearly all fresh and inshore salt water species available around Tasmania's coastline will take a surface lure fished with a variety of retrieves. Anglers have to remember that fish spend a fair amount of their time in the upper reaches of the water column either because of water temperature, or because that's where they are feeding. When they are high in the water column or near the surface, fish spend a fair amount of time looking up and are always opportunistic when looking for a feed. I guess the most appealing prospect when fishing with surface lures is that its visual fishing. Quite often you will see the fish before it strikes, which can lead to stressful precious seconds before it grabs the lure and of course the amazing strikes that leave a hole in the water where your lure once was. It can at times be a more productive method, often out fishing other techniques.

It's all happening in the highlands

Peter Hayes
March and April are among my favourite months for fishing in Tasmania's Central Highlands.

The weather is generally at its most stable in these months and breathlessly still, bright, sunny day are not uncommon.   I remember being at Great Lake one day in a spot I call Proposal Point and looked in awe of the stillness of this wonderful environment. The surface of the lake was literally like a sheet of glass and I remember commenting that it looked possible to roll a marble all the way from Miena to Breona on the surface of the lake.

Let's hit the beach

Dan Clifton.
Beach fishing is probably the most popular form of fishing in Australia; more people take part in beach fishing than any other form. Why? Because it is accessible to just about anyone, chances of success between beginners and experienced anglers is not too dissimilar. Having said that, experience will lead to better quality catches.

Sarah's Kitchen

Sarah Sherriff
I thought that I would do another recipe using squid as everyone seems o be catching it at the moment and it is surprisingly easy to work with:

Starlo's breamin essentials

Steve Starling
With several important BREAM Tournaments coming up on the Tasmanian calendar, we figured it was high time to hear from a regular competitor on how he prepares for these events. In addition to being one of the country's most prolific angling journalists and TV presenters, Steve Starling is a high-profile regular in the ABT's National BREAM Series, and a former top-three cash prize money earner on the circuit. He was also NSW Team Captain in 2001 and 2002, NSW BREAM Angler of the Year (AOY) in 2001, NSW AOY runner-up in 2002, Victorian AOY in 2002 and is a dual National BREAM Circuit tournament round winner. So, when Starlo talks about his list of "essential" gear for competing in these events, it pays to listen! Here's what he had to say when we asked him about this important subject:

Bait collecting

Leroy Tirant
Owning and working in a tackle store I get the privilege of talking to fisherman all day long about all types of fishing. And regardless of how long they've been fishing for I am usually able to come up with something new for them to try; even more so when it comes to bait fishing. Like any form of fishing using the right bait, collecting and storing it properly can make the difference between catching fish and going home empty handed. I find a lot of anglers for one reason or another get stuck into a routine of using just one type of bait, and whilst this may be fine if you catch fish with it every time, what if you don't?

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