A light breeze and a forecast temperature had me heading off to fish another tannin water, it's one I had partly fished sometime ago but really would like to fish a lot more of it. Today was the day because that's the area I felt would fish well and give up a few wild brown trout. The water level was around the same as last time, running at a medium to low level and a good rich tannin colour with a water temp of four degrees. There's been some more snow falls in the highlands and we've also had some heavy frosts, that's why the water temperature had dropped two degrees since the last trip.
Beautiful warm (17 degrees) conditions saw me heading off for another spin session in a small stream this afternoon. This trip was one to a stretch of water I haven't fished since the 12th August so with the warmer temps I felt it was time to give it another go. The last trip this area only gave up two small browns, today I'm looking for a big improvement with the fishing. I had a twenty minute walk to where I started the spin session off and found the water was still running at a nice wading height. The water temp sitting on six degrees, a rise of three degrees which was good, three degrees doesn't sound a lot but it is when chasing trout.
The conditions for trout fishing today couldn't have been better with a clear sky and hardly any breeze, it was a beautiful day. I had a few things to do during the morning so I couldn't get to the water until after 2:00pm, I was in it by 2:35, it was still running on the high side and a cool 3 degrees. This trip as like all my trips so far this season was to a small tannin stream, mainly because they're the only ones that are low enough to hop in for a spin session. Not only that, they're giving up a few trout where as reports from those fishing the larger rivers aren't all that flash.
Very cold blustery conditions today and again tomorrow had me thinking there wouldn't be any trout fishing going on for me until around Thursday or Friday. At 1:30pm the wind was only blowing around 10 kph & the air temp was hitting 11 degrees so that was enough to get me off my backside, grab the fishing gear and head of to a small tannin water for a spin session. The large rivers were still running on the high side so really the small streams are my only alternative for now. No sooner had I hit the water at 2:00pm up came the wind, and it hit with force, very strong hard wind gusts that would have been in the 25-30 kph range.
I only realized a few days ago that during the 2019/20 trout season I will be going for my 10,000th trout since we moved to Tasmania back in March 2000.
With a total catch of 8,956 brown trout, 914 rainbow trout & 1 brook trout (total 9,871 trout) to the end of the 2018/19 season I only need 129 trout to reach it.
With 16 trout already caught & released in three trips I hope to catch another 113 by the end of October- early September providing the weather improves.
I have also set myself a target of 600 again for the 2019/20 trout season, same as I set last year & fell 27 short of the target. Will I reach it, who knows but I'll certainly be having a good crack at reaching it. Look forward to getting back into the rivers once the levels drop to a safe wading height and become a little warmer too.
Adrian Webb
PS - If you want to read Adrian's complete tally sheet, click HERE
More poor weather was forecast for later in the day so I was a little undecided whether or not to head off for another spin session in a small tannin stream. At the moment I'm staying away from the larger rivers due to the lack of trout being caught in them as well as the high water levels & water temps being so low. Not only that, I really do love fishing the little tight tannin streams, even though the trout may be small it's still a challenge finding them. In the end I got my act together & headed over to the same little stream I fished back on the 12th August where I caught a couple of browns on the Mepps #0 Aglia fluo rainbow trout coloured blade.
Today being the last day of the trout season saw me heading off to try another piece of tannin water in the middle of the bush and yes it did require a little bush bashing to reach it. As tough as it was getting to that small tannin water it was well worth it because I was sheltered from the gusty wind that was still blowing. As I reached the water I could see it will be a pretty tough spin session, the water was very shallow, this meant I was having to go into stealth mode.
Like most mornings lately I was in two minds whether to go chasing trout today mainly because it was cold, wet and blowing a gale. With just two days left of the 2018/19 trout season left I really wanted to go but the weather was holding me back. In the end it got the better of me and I headed of to try a tannin stream, one I've never fished before but one I've always thought about trying. Thirty minutes after leaving home.
With some good rain forecast for later in the day and with it being a dull humid overcast day I thought another afternoon trip to the small tannin stream was worth a shot. I was hoping it was still at a nice depth for a spin session. Once there I could see the water level was well down, much lower than I had expected it to be so it's going to be a tough spin session. With the water being so low is going to have the trout on edge, they'll be darting every which way at the slightest sound on the river bottom.
Brown trout are available in the River Derwent year round below New Norfolk Bridge: photo D.Green |
The rainbow trout waters closed last weekend (Sunday 2 June) but there are still lots of freshwater fishing available over winter. Waters open all year round are:
- Brushy Lagoon from one hour before sunrise to three hours after sunset on any day
- Craigbourne Dam from one hour before sunrise to three hours after sunset on any day
- Great Lake other than Canal Bay
- Huntsman Lake from one hour before sunrise to three hours after sunset on any day
- Huon River from the Huonville Bridge downstream to the seaward limit of that river
- Lake Barrington
- Lake Burbury
- Lake Meadowbank
- Lake Pedder
- Lake King William
- River Leven from the confluence of Whisky Creek, delineated by a straight line between grid reference 422710E 5442177N and 422750E 5442142N downstream to the seaward limit of that river
- North Esk River and River Tamar from the Lower Charles Street Bridge on the North Esk River downstream to the seaward limit of the River Tamar
- Pioneer Lake
- River Derwent from the A10 Road Bridge at grid reference 504630E 5263716N downstream to the seaward limit of that river
- South Esk River and River Tamar from the West Tamar Road Bridge on the South Esk River downstream to the seaward limit of the River Tamar
Get out and have a go!
Source: https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2019/jun/07/winter-fishing
I had no intentions of going fishing today, then as the day went on I couldn't help myself, I just had to go even if it was only for a couple of hours. The original reason I wasn't going is because I'm having a big spin session in the Leven River tomorrow and I didn't want to aggravate the back & hips. I had placed several heat patches on my back & hips from the time I got up in the morning and I felt fine. It was dead on 2:00pm when I hit the little tannin stream, my set up was a Okuma 6' LRF 1-3 kg rod, Okuma Ceymar C-10 reel spooled with brand new Platypus Super 100 clear 4lb mono line, the starting lure was a Mepps #00 copper Aglia spinner.
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and an art worth your learning.."
Presented from Issue 112, October 2014
So said Izaak Walton in the 1600s. It seems that Burnie’s Hannah Ledger has combined angling with art rather well. Hannah is a fish fanatic, outdoor enthusiast and budding, self-taught artist. From as young as she can remember, she has always had crayon in hand, colouring book under arm and as she’s grown as a painter, jars full of paintbrushes and cupboards full of ready-to-go blank canvas’.
A country girl at heart, Hannah was schooled at Yolla District High School, a small ‘farm’ school in the states North West, then went on to Hellyer College where she was given the opportunity to really grow her art skills; And by grow, that meant skipping the classes that would probably have more an impact of getting her somewhere in life, like English and Math to spend every spare minute with the art teacher, painting or drawing.
As typical teenagers do, they make poor decisions- and after being accepted in to one of the countries top art schools, turned down the offer and decided to move to the big island, where she lived for 5 years working in what seemed ‘dead end’ retail.
Read more ...