Here’s a mini-report for the last week of the season:

Lots of flooding in northern Tasmania has meant the best fishing has been on the small rivers and streams. The St Patricks and Meander have proved the pick, with 25% of trout to dry flies (Fastwater Duns) , and the rest to nymphs (Pheasant and Peacock, Black and Peacock, and Ostrich Herl nymphs). Late afternoon, from 2-4pm has seen the best fishing, and the chance of small-scale baetid mayfly hatches. The South Esk should be at a great level for fishing by this weekend, whilst the lower Macquarie and Brumbys Creek are best left till next season.

Fly Fishing during May: The best of the rainbow fishing will be on the rivers, including the Weld (southern Tasmania), Leven (rainbow sections) and upper Mersey.

Out in the Western Lakes the tailers are well and truly back in action, along with dry fly fishing on the still days. Gum Beetles and Jassids are out on the lower altitude lakes.

The key for this time of year, whether on the rivers or lakes, is to fish the calm weather patterns: frontal systems affect the fishing quite severely.

Mini-report:

Lower Macquarie and Brumbys Creek are fishing well, with high and clear water during the weekdays in particular. The fish are in superb condition, averaging a shade over 2lbs, all on dry flies (raft fishing these waters should be on every angler’s ‘bucket list’). The two Esks are also fishing well, with high flows from recent rains. The St Pats and smaller creeks have colder than normal water-temps, however dries and nymphs are effective. The Meander is still dirty from a land-slip caused by clearfelling in the headwaters (State Forest), and it is not known when it will clear. Hoppers have begun, with our WMD Hopper claiming some good catches during the past week. Mayfly will also increase in numbers again, as the month progresses.We are expecting excellent hatches during March and April. Sight-fishing the Western Lakes has been below average in general, caused by the unusual weather patterns this year. The bonus is average sizes measuring 30% above average years, so bright polaroiding weather (when it comes) has yielded trout to 6lbs on the dry this season.

A Sunburnt Country

With the large-scale floods across Australia at the moment, it’s an appropriate time to remember Dorothea Mackellar’s iconic Australian poem, My Country. Here’s an excerpt that fits in well with the last decade of drought and floods in Australia:

 ‘I Love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.’

 Like most of Australia, Tasmania has received record rainfall. The floods of last week took out bridges over the Liffey, Brumbys and Meander, and made roads over the Mersey, Georges, Brumbys and Meander all impassable. Poatina road along with the East Coast and Bass Highways were all closed in sections. Six hundred cubic metres of water per second is currently flowing down the South Esk and into Launceston. It’s plain to see the damage and heartache that floods across Australia have caused, but what is not immediately clear is the beneficial gasp of fresh air that the aquatic environment will receive, once the mud is gone and scouring has repaired.

After two years of above average rainfalls, it has been amazing to see the way aquatic eco-systems bounce back. When I first started guiding, late in 2002, I’d guide and fish on the Lower Macquarie and Brumbys Creek for one hundred days per season. The water was always high, and always clear. This all changed as the drought took hold, and these famed tailrace fisheries began to lack the medium to high flows that had been norm since the late 1960’s. All of a sudden there were months at a time when either fisheries were not worth fishing. Trout from Brumbys Creek and the Lower Macquarie River dropped to an average size of a pound or so, and long gone was the polaroiding and dry fly fishing that elevated these fisheries to icon status. But then the rains came over the winter of 2009, Great Lake began to fill, and in January 2010 the waters began to flow high and clear again, down Brumbys Creek and into the Lower Macquarie.

Move forwards to the current day, and these fisheries have made a remarkable return to old. The average size of trout in Brumbys Creek for the season has been 2lbs, and the Lower Macquarie has featured an amazing average size of 2 1/4lbs. The flies of choice have all been dry flies. Over on the Meander River, which has benefitted from legislated environmental flows for the first time in history, the average sizes have doubled in size from the drought years, and rare and endangered green and gold bell frogs now happily dot the green riverside banks. The rains have certainly had their benefits, and our rivers have shown that given the chance, they will rejuvenate from the worst of droughts, and no doubt, the worst of floods.

 Fishing report Dec-Jan 2011

Terrestrial beetles have been a major food source on the rivers over the past two months, with mayfly (including red spinner) also present. Black spinners have been the most dominant mayfly during spring and early summer, with baetids and caenid hard to find. The damsels and dragonflies have been out and about, tempting trout at the usual haunts of Brumbys Creek and the South Esk. The South Esk fished well through December, when flows decreased enough to wade. The Lower Mac has been flowing high and clear, and featured excellent dry fly fishing to sippers. Lots of fish in the 3-4lb class for those with a keen eye. Brumbys has also featured excellent dry fly fishing, in particular from 1pm-3pm, prior to the afternoon sea breeze. The upper Meander has fished consistently, though the middle and lower Meander has been too high to fish for most of the season. We are expecting exceptional conditioned fish as the levels drop by late January, and the hopper fishing begins. The upper St Pats and North Esk have fished extremely well as trout have been less flighty in higher than average summer flows. The Western Lakes have fished sporadically (reflecting the weather patterns), but stable days have seen some excellent sight-fishing on the big fish waters, particularly to gum beetle feeders and black spinner sippers. Frontal systems have effected the fishing more than usual however, and prolonged high waters have left the flooded edges less fertile than would be found during spring floods. Woods lake and Great Lake have been the pick of the hydro-lakes.

February –April forecast

As January progresses and dries out, we will be targeting sporadic hatches of juvenile grasshoppers and mayfly. Damsel and dragonfly leapers on Brumbys will also be a reliable target, as will sippers on the Lower Macquarie. Into mid February and the hoppers will start in proper, and be joint by the beginnings of the late summer / autumn mayfly hatches on the South Esk, North Esk, Lower Macquarie and Meander. As late March arrives the hoppers will disappear for the season, leaving us with six weeks or so of excellent ant and mayfly hatches to the end of April.

Tasmanian Land Conservancy New Leaf Project – $23 million conservation project

Many of you would have heard that Gunns timber company sold the majority of their freehold land assets(28,000 hectares) to conservation group, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. Make no mistake, this is a turning point in the history of Tasmania, and a monumental move away from extractive industries such as wood-chipping, and towards sustainable industries such as eco-tourism supported by conservation. The Tasmanian Land Conservancy now manages more than 1% of Tasmania’s land mass for conservation, but this comes at a cost: more than $23 million dollars. The initial land purchases were funded by a number of philanthropic Australian business people, including the founders of Kathmandu and Wotif.com, but to ensure that the properties remain in the hands of the TLC, significant additional funds need to be raised. The project has be coined the ‘New Leaf Project’, and if you want to see Tasmania turn over a new leaf and change direction from industrial clearfell logging to eco-tourism and conservation, then I urge you to visit this site, and make a donation. http://www.tasland.org.au/newleaf/

Fly Cards fly tying booklet

Just a quick reminder that our new Fly Cards fly tying booklet is available from www.inseasonflyfishing.com . Fly Cards has recently received great reviews in FlyLife magazine.

That’s all for now, have a great 2011! Thank you from the RiverFly Team – Daniel, Simone & Patrick.

Sign-up to our email newsletter list here

Book your Jan-April guided dry fly fishing by sending us an email

I just wanted to confirm that the 2012 Commonwealths will be hosted by Fly Fish Australia in Tasmania in 2012. Planning is well under way and all the details are available on the web site http://www.flyfishaustralia.com.au or through our mirrored site http://www.2012commonwealths.com.au. We are also hosting the 2011 Oceanias in NSW in the previous year. Its mirrored site access details are 2011oceanisa.com.au

Both competitions will be great for tourism, fly fishing generally and of course will showcase our wonderful fisheries and sponsors.

Regards,
Stephen Chatterton
President – Fly Fish Australia Inc.

Flies of the moment: Fastwater Dun and Ostrich Herl nymph, available from http://www.inseasonflyfishing.com

Changeable spring days have been stiffling the hatches, but the red spinners are showing, along with beatids, during warmer muggy days. Flying ants have also been on the menu, along with lots of mayfly and stonefly nymphs. Thirty percent of fish are now coming to dry flies.

In the highlands, Arthurs Lake is fishing well for tailing trout as water floods into new tree and sag-covered grounds, and the Nineteen Lagoons region of the Western Lakes is at perfect levels for tailing trout. Snow is predicted on the mountains for Friday and Saturday, but Sunday could be perfect for finding fish covering new ground.

Flood fishing…

Tasmania hasn’t escaped the big wet of the past month, with many lakes and rivers overflowing at present. The rain has been welcomed as we enter our second wet spring in a row, and the Tasmanian fishery hasn’t looked this healthy in more than a decade.

Little Pine Lagoon was one of the first lakes to overflow late in August, offering two days of unbelievable flood-fishing. Spiders were one of the main food items, an event that was mirrored on the middle Macquarie River during the same period, with the addition of earthworms and beetles to the menu. Following on from these early floods, the South Esk has risen and dropped three times, as has the Meander and North Esk rivers. The increased availability of food during the early season is great for the trout, which have recovered quickly from winter spawning, and started to put on weight.

North Esk and Meander rivers are currently in flood, but should be back to normal by the end of the week. Sunday saw the new Lake Huntsman, on the headwaters of the Meander River, rise an enormous thirty centimetres overnight; the result was some phenomenal fishing to more than thirty tailing and foraging trout. The average size was fairly consistent, between one and two pounds, with a handful of fish to three pounds. Earthworm’s were the target at Lake Huntsman, but our un-weighted Mk2 Woolly Buggers proved to be the best pattern. Tied on heavy hooks, but lacking any lead or beads, these flies almost hover in the water column, making it easier to keep them weed free. These fly patterns are one of many that I tie-to-order for customers, and are available through our online shop, In Season Fly Fishing http://www.inseasonflyfishing.com

Western Lakes Campouts

As many of you would know, each summer we run campouts in the Western Lakes region, which is part of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area. Our business is pioneering sustainable guiding in the Western Lakes, and in 2009 became the first guided fly fishing business to be licenced by National Parks Tasmania to operate in the area.

The feature of the Western Lakes fishery is the sight fishing, which ranges from mayfly hatches, to wade-polaroiding silty-flats (similar to bonefishing), and of course the tailing trout. From our basecamp we range across thirty or more lakes, lagoons and creeks, each offering a different setting than the last.

If you would like to join us on one of our campouts this season, send us an Email as we are filling places now.

The Tasmanian mayfly season

Mayfly are famous in fly fishing around the world: they are the iconic insect of fly fishing. In less than twenty day’s time the mayfly will begin to hatch on the lowland rivers of Tasmania, an event eagerly anticipated each season. These early hatches are my favourite, particularly on famed streams such as the Macquarie and South Esk rivers, and offer the first consistent dry fly fishing of the year. The river levels are perfect for the lead-up to the hatches, and we are expecting excellent fishing on the Meander, Macquarie, North and South Esk rivers, on any of the spring days featuring calm and stable weather.

For those of you interested in tying your own flies for the start of the mayfly season, we recommend the deer hair Shaving Brush, Possum Shaving Brush and Ostrich Herl Nymph. The tying instructions for these patterns are included in my new fly tying book, Fly Cards, which is available from our online shop http://inseasonflyfishing.com/shop/fly-cards/ .

Fly Fishing Tip

Most early season trout, found foraging flooded edges in search of worms and frogs, take an inert (stationary) fly. Fish in this situation will chase a moving fly, but only a minority will actually eat it. Use movement to attract the trout’s attention, but then keep the fly still, and look for the white flash of the mouth as it opens and shuts, or a swirl as the trout turns on the fly. Detecting the take on an inert presentation can be difficult, so watch the leader carefully, and strike with confidence.

In Season Fly Fishing

Many of you would know that we have launched our own online shop, In Season Fly Fishing http://www.inseasonflyfishing.com . For anyone wanting to purchase our tied-to-order trout flies, Fly Cards and In Season Tasmania books, The Source Tasmania dvd or our limited edition Western Lakes artwork, this is the place to order them. Thank you for supporting our family business, and the products that we create.

That’s all for now. Our October newsletter will include fishing reports from the start of the mayfly season, as well as reports from our first Western Lakes fishing of the season.

Thank you from the RiverFly Team – Daniel, Simone & Patrick.

Lake Huntsman flood feeder

After another wet week in Tassie, the flood fishing is beginning to peak. The past couple of days were spent guiding on flooding lakes and rivers, where trout foraged in newly flooded margins, predominantly in search of drowned earthworms. Mid-mornings were the best time for catches, but as the water temperatures rise, the early morning action should also increase.  Waters to watch over the next three weeks will include the middle and upper Macquarie (if the nearly-filled Tooms Lake spills, the Macquarie River should feature some great flooded-margin fishing), Lake Huntsman and Lake Echo (as it approaches the 4.0m – 5.0m from full level). Of course, the famed Nineteen Lagoons will be on everybodys list to target, once the road gate at Lake Augusta opens.

We’ve used a number of patterns over the past few days, included The Earthworm and Fuzzle Bugger, however, our unweighted Mk2 Woolly Buggers proved to be the best patterns on slightly hesitant trout. These can be found at our webshop, and tying instructions are included in our new fly tying booklet, Fly Cards.

Fly Cards by Daniel Hackett

Mt Wellington in the south, and Gray in the East both received around 200mm of rainfall in total. The South Esk River is in major flood—to put this in perspective, good flood fishing occurs as the river reaches about 2.4-3.0 metres; the river is expected to exceed 8.6 metres today! The Macquarie River breaches the banks around Ross at 0.40 metres, but has far exceeded this and is now running at 1.00 metre (the Southern entrance to Ross is closed due to flooding). The Meander has also flooded the paddocks, as has the North Esk River which will be re-arranging a few river-bends. 

My pick for the best flood-fishing today: the Macquarie River at Cressy, which was just breaching it’s banks as of the last measurement.

Liawenee on the edge of the Western Lakes received in excess of 60mm for the downpour, which augers well for the highlands.

The flooding is great news for the health of our waterways, which will all receive a good flushing for the second consecutive year following from the previous period of drought! Keep an eye out for pot-bellied brown trout over the coming weeks, all fattened on drowned earthworms and terrestrials.

It’s back to the vice for me, time to stockpile some earthworm patterns! http://inseasonflyfishing.com/shop/fly-patterns-tied-to-order-in-tasmania/wet-flies/the-earthworm/

Daniel Hackett

Wild fisheries on the rise… 

Over the past couple of seasons, mates and I have been exploring fisheries that barely see a person. We’ve explored the Mersey and Meander rivers from top to bottom, waded up and down the southern rivers and rainforests, and explored even more of the Western Lakes area. All of these fisheries are bucking the Australia-wide trend of disastrous impacts from drought and climate change, and have become a shining light in the future of the fisheries I work among. 

The Mersey and Meander rivers in northern Tasmania now have legislated environmental flows for the first time in their histories; hatches are developing with vigour, the average size of the wild trout in these rivers is on the increase, and the fisheries themselves are becoming more consistent, and more predictable. Rainfall in these catchments has decreased, but better resource management has countered any effects, and the fisheries are beginning to achieve their potentials.  

Down south there has been some positive flow-on effects from climate change. A decrease in annual rainfall throughout southern Tasmania has made the big rainforest rivers more accessible to wading and fishing, whilst pressure on the logging industry has led to increased public access to our forests, and our rivers. The excellent brown trout fisheries we’ve found along these river systems has raised more than a few eyebrows in surprise.

Equally, better environmental management along the Derwent River has led to the re-birth of another major fishery. Drastically improved environmental impact management from heavy industry along the urban sections of the river have seen remarkable changes such as whales swimming through Hobart, but more significantly for fly fishers, sea-run and resident trout populations have begun to flourish. Sight-fishing to large sea trout along the estuary and lower sections of river is now a year-round prospect, complete with annual ‘hatches’: lampreys, glass eels, crabs, isopods, amphipods and the whitebait runs all create feature hatch-driven fishing events. 

And then there’s Tasmania’s perennial wilderness fishery, the World Heritage Listed Western Lakes region. This fishery thrives on seasonal wet and dry periods, fluctuations that inundate new ground, providing fresh flushes of food for the wild brown trout, and dry periods that restrict spawning and recruitment to headwater trophy fisheries. This fishery is as healthy as ever. 

Thanks for letting us share the good news stories with you!

Now available: Fly Cards book by Daniel Hackett, and Western Lakes Limited Edition print

After three months of hard work, Fly Cards has arrived back from the printers this week. It’s been more than a decade since Australian’s have had a fly tying book of their own, and a lot has changed in that time: we’ve seen the beginnings of a generational change in in fly tying. Foam products are now an integral part of fly tying, U.V. reflective materials have opened up a new school of thinking, and the transplanting of British loch-style fly fishing techniques to Tasmania has lead to the development of our own specialised loch-style flies. In Fly Cards I was able to represent these new materials, techniques and styles, and also cover their origin and history. We hope that Fly Cards stands testament to the beginning of a new chapter in Australian fly tying history. Fly Cards is available now from our webshop http://inseasonflyfishing.com/shop/fly-cards/

Fly Cards by Daniel Hackett

 To create our Western Lakes artwork, our second new product for 2010, we commissioned third-generation Western Lakes fisherman Clifford How to capture the unique pencil pine’s of the plateau, and the historically important trapper’s huts that now provide shelter and inspiration to fly fishers. Inspiration for the pencil pines and dolerite scree depicted in the artwork came from those found on the islands of the Lunka Lake system. These island outcrops of centuries-old trees are testament to the fire protection that these lakes have provided since their glaciated inception. Junction Lake hut plays the role of muse for the cryptic trappers hut sketched in charcoal, complete with the ‘RRR’ branded timbers that represent the makers mark found on many huts in the area. The wild trout of the artwork is pictured with the vivid golds of the brown trout found in the region, a colour made ever more vibrant by a diet rich in shrimp and crustaceans.Western Lakes limited edition print is available now from our webshop http://inseasonflyfishing.com/shop/fly-art-limited-edition-artwork/

Opening Day fishing report

Opening day in Tasmania was last weekend, with lots of reports coming in. I had a great day of guiding on the Derwent for fresh sea-run brown trout, an experience echoed by a lot of lure fishermen over the weekend. The current run is mainly 2-4lb trout, but larger fish will begin to follow the whitebait up the estuary within the next few weeks.

The South Esk is looking excellent after some cleansing winter floods, and is now running high and very clear. The Meander also had one good winter flood, and things are set up perfectly for the start of the late September, spring mayfly hatch. The upper Macquarie River (which began a recovery from drought last year) has featured high winter flows, and with one more good rain event, we should see the headwater dam (Tooms Lake) overflow and flood the river for the second year running. This is great news. Tooms Lake itself is fishing well.

In the Central Highlands, Penstock and Little Pine lagoons produced the best fishing for trout to 4lbs, whilst Great Lake was a bit slow off the mark. The Western Lakes are still frozen, with daytime temperatures peaking at a mere 2 degrees last weekend!

Mayfly Hatches and dry fly fishing – only 40 days, and counting…

With the season now underway, it’s less than 40 days (and counting) till the spring mayfly hatches and dry fly fishing gets underway. After a second consecutive wet winter, the northern rivers are looking primed for a big year of mayfly. Send us an Email if you would like to book in for a couple days break away from the city. For those pressed for time, we can pick you up from an early morning flight into Launceston, and drop you off for the late evening flight back to Melbourne or Sydney: tickets are often cheaper than the alternative cost of driving to the Snowy Mountain’s or North Eastern Victoria!

Custom Trout flies tied-to-order

Just a quick reminder to everyone that tied-to-order flies are available from our webshop www.inseasonflyfishing.com . Orders are dispatching in 7-8 days currently. New patterns that I am tying include our MK2 Fuzzle Bugger, the Claret Dabbler, and The Earthworm.

That’s all for now. We hope you all have a great season in 2010/2011, and feel free to pass this newsletter on: word-of-mouth is the cornerstone of our successful business.

Thank you from the RiverFly Team – Daniel, Simone & Patrick.

Email us