Scallop season closure

The Premier has announced that the recreational scallop season in Tasmania will remain closed as part of broader measures to protect Tasmanians during the current COVID-19 situation.

The season was originally scheduled to open this Saturday, 4 April.

As the scallop season can see thousands of fishers travelling to the East Coast, this decision is consistent with the Premier's goal to minimise non-essential travel.

DPIPWE Recreational Fisheries is working through the implications of this for recreational licence holders and will provide further information in the near future on our website and the Fisheries Tasmania Facebook page.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Articles

Category: IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

Published: 03 April 2020

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• IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

This trip today required a forty minute walk to where I started off the spin session in what was quite good conditions, apart from the lack of cloud it was a top morning to be chasing trout. It was 8:50am when I hit the river and started the session off with a well used #00 copper Aglia mainly because I was fishing in shade & the water was still reasonably dark in colour, if it doesn't catch a trout then I'll make a change. The water level had already dropped by a few inches since my last trip so I have to make the most of fishing these tannin waters while there's still some decent water flowing in them. Casting up and across the stream into the flat water near the river banks I had a few light hit and misses on the Aglia, I wasn't sure whether to stick with it or give it a bit longer. I did the latter and it wasn't all that long when I had my first hook up and trout in hand, a small/medium brown and a plump fish it was. I continued working the spinner from one side to the other in the stream as I slowly fished my way up it and had a couple more hook ups but lost both fish. I don't mind losing the odd trout every now and then but when I lose two in a row then it's time for a lure change, it was off with the Aglia and on with a #00 March Brown Bug spinner.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Trout Fishing

Published: 27 March 2020

Hits: 1487

• Adrian
• Trout Fishing

Read more: Brown Trout and March Brown Bug

Due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and following the Federal Government’s ban on outdoor gatherings of over 500 people, Trout Weekend 2020 will not be going ahead. The Inland Fisheries Service has reluctantly taken this measure, as this is an important event for anglers and the Central Highlands community alike.

The Trout Fishing Competition continues. This year the competition winners will be announced at a later date.

Trout Weekend will return over Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 May in 2021 and we hope you will be able to join us once again at the Liawenee Field Station.

If you would like more information, please contact me via email or mobile listed below.

Kind Regards,
Steve Paterson
Manager – Compliance, Inland Fisheries Service (Tasmania)

17 Back River Rd
New Norfolk TAS 7140
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Mob: 0438 338 530 Work: 03 6165 3808 http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Articles

Category: IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

Published: 21 March 2020

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• IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

After having such a great fast water spin session a few days ago I headed back to the Meander to have another crack at getting a double figure catch. This time it was a mid morning start, a morning that had clear skies, light breeze and a temperature of 22 degrees later in the day.

It was 9:45 am when I hit the river above the Chestnut Road Bridge to fish a long nice stretch of fast water, the first thing I noticed was green algae covering the most of the river bottom. Soon as I had seen that I knew then and there it wasn't going to be a good day on the trout here. I did fish around four hundred meters of river without seeing a trout so headed back to the car and drove to the fast waters in the upper Meander River.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Rivers

Category: Meander River

Published: 16 March 2020

Hits: 1782

• Meander River
• Adrian

Read more: More fast water wild trout fishing

The weather today was supposed to be fine and windy with rain due later in the day, well it was 2:00pm and the sky was still clear, there was hardly any wind blowing so I headed off for a spin session. This trip was to the upper reaches of the Meander River to fish the fast water, a long stretch of water that holds quite a few trout at this time of the year. It was 3:40 PM when I hit the river that was running clear and in full sun which didn't bother me all that much, as the day goes on it will be shaded by the trees and foliage that line both sides of the river.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Rivers

Category: Meander River

Published: 16 March 2020

Hits: 1486

• Meander River
• Adrian

Read more: Fast water trout fall to the Bug spinners

Our women’s fishing clinics are on this weekend:

• Saturday 7th March in Hobart at the Domain Boat Ramp below the Regatta Grounds,
• Sunday 8^th March (which is International Womens Day) in St Helens (Main Wharf) and Somerset (Cam River near the playground).
• All clinics 11.00am-1.00pm. 

Source :https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/sea-fishing-aquaculture/community-resources/fishcare-tasmania/fishcare-calendar-of-events

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Events

Published: 07 March 2020

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• IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies
• Events

Seeing as we had some reasonable rainfall in the highland areas I checked the river heights of the Leven River last night and saw it has risen to a reasonable wading height so thought a trip to it may be worthwhile. It was a late afternoon spin session as I had several things to do in the morning and with a forecast of a light Nth Easterly wind 7-11 kph wasn't all that bad, even though I'm not a lover of fishing with the breeze from that direction. Before I left home I checked the river height again to find it running at 392 mega litres which was a little on high side but which was a reasonably safe wading height, had it been above the 400 mega litres I would not have gone.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Rivers

Category: Leven River

Published: 25 February 2020

Hits: 2085

• Adrian
• Leven River

Read more: Leven River, spin fishing dark tannin waters

Seeing as it's been around ten or eleven weeks since I've fished the upper Mersey River I thought today would be the ideal day to do it with light winds & overcast conditions forecast. Getting to the river where I'll be fishing is one that's as tough as it can get, it requires bushing bashing though dense scrub and steep hills. It's also an area than runs hot and cold with the trout fishing too, they're either on in big numbers or they're few and far between. I'm hoping it's going to be a day when the trout are out and about and full of aggression, I'm not fussed about the size as long as they are in big numbers over the one and a half kilometres of river I'll be fishing.

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Rivers

Category: Mersey River

Published: 24 February 2020

Hits: 1926

• Mersey River
• Adrian

Read more: Chasing wild trout in the upper Mersey

Chris Wise with a nice Lake Gordon brown trout

A party of anglers had a productive trip to Lake Gordon recently and are planning to return soon. Launching at the Ragged Basin area off Boat Ramp Road, this narrow and overgrown 4wd track provides access to the sheltered and heavily timbered southeastern side of the lake. Launching is possible at the current level of -20.7 m below full supply level. Drift spinning with hard body lures amongst the structure, the three anglers were rewarded with eight nice brown trout up to 1.5 kg and around 50 redfin up to 750 g for a day’s fishing.

Please exercise extreme caution when boating on the lake due to the amount of submerged timber just under the surface and hard to see in the tannin stained water.

Here is the Lake Pedder and Lake Gordon Anglers Access brochure

Source : https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/news/2020/feb/24/put-lake-gordon-your-destination-list-season

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Lakes

Category: Lake Pedder and Gordon

Published: 24 February 2020

Hits: 1829

• Lake Pedder and Gordon
• IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

What's the Catch?

How many Tasmanians go fishing each year and what do they catch?

Written by Stephen Smith - Rubicon Web and Technology Training

Parent Category: Articles

Category: IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

Published: 13 February 2020

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• IFS, DPIPWE, MAST and Peak Bodies

Read more: Recreational fishing survey results released 2020