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

Rise fly fishing film festival

The 2010 Rise Fly Fishing Film Festival is hitting Tasmania next week. All of last year’s shows were sell-outs, so get your tickets now from http://www.gin-clear.com/gin-clear%20Film%20Festival/Venues.html

Show Times:

Launceston 9th of August 2010, Hobart 11th of August 2010, Burnie 12th of August 2010. Buy your tickets now! 

Feature films include The Source—New Zealand, and a segment for the up coming The Source – Iceland (see trailer below). Other features shown include Australian permit fishing in Heads or Tails, and Off the Grid from the USA.

Tied with Muz Wilson Fuzzle Dub.

Now available through our online shop by clicking here

After doing the rounds on national radio and print-press, including an hour-long interview on ABC Radio (available on podcast), Greg French is launching his first novel Menagerie of False Truths this Friday at Petrarchs Bookstore, Launceston:

BOOK LAUNCH INVITATION

Petrarchs Bookshop

on behalf of

Greg French

invites you to the launch of

MENAGERIE OF FALSE TRUTHS

__________________________________________________________________________________

A book about the human condition which confronts head on subjects like friendship and family, depression, faith, illness and autism.

The main character Jack’s world of doubts and depressions is tempered by a fascination for the natural world and a passion for fishing, wild places and literature.

The author grew up in a family that embraced the whole spectrum of autism disorders, and he draws upon his formative years, his passion for nature and his love of storytelling to deliver a delightfully quirky “factional” read.

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 30^th July, 2010

Where: Petrarchs Bookshop, 89 Brisbane St, Launceston.

RSVP: Thursday 29^th July to Petrarchs Bookshop

Phone: 63 31 80 88 Email: petlau@bigpond.net.au

Copies may be reserved for signing if you are unable to attend.

The Earthworm was our best early season last year, and ideal for polaroiding the swollen creeks early in the season.

The Pheasant Tail Red Spinner is one of our secret weapons for the Upper Macquarie and Brumbys Creek.

Read more about the patterns and purchase them here

Season 2010/2011 will again see RiverFly Tasmania running our Western Lakes Campouts. In 2009, RiverFly became the first fly fishing business licenced by Parks and Wildlife Tasmania to operate in the Western Lakes. This is something we are very proud of.

This licensing ensures that our guides operate to environmental, operational and safety management plans. Key features of these plans include:

• Minimising environmental impacts.

• Alleviating any conflict with other anglers – part of our Operational Plan was created to ensure that we bypass any waters being fished by other anglers, as a measure of courtesy.

• As a key requirement of our Safety Management Plan, all campouts are run with two guides.

In addition to these rigorous management plans, our formal licencing requires a small payment back to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania for administration and park management costs.

RiverFly Tasmania are proud to be leading the way in sustainable, licenced fly fishing operations in the World Heritage Area / Western Lakes.

How are our current camps run?

Our current camps depart from Lake Ada, where we commence on foot to Talinah Lagoon, and onwards into the greater Christys Creek Area. The greater Christys Creek area, along with the Pillans / Julians are the only two areas within the Western Lakes that licenced commercial operators are allowed to camp (as per the World Heritage Area Management Plan).

Our campsite was chosen after weeks of exploration and site assessments in 08/09, followed by on-site consultation with Parks and Wildlife managers. We did not take this process lightly, and it was worth the effort: our site is visually hidden from other anglers, and away from popular trout waters and foot traffic. This ensures privacy for all anglers in the area.

Our typical camps consist of 3-4 traditional hiking tents, with Trangia and gas burners used for cooking. All of our food is fresh, and carried in for the trip. Of course, all waste is carried back out, along with any other rubbish found during our tips. To date we have also carried out nearly a dozen additional cans and bottles left as litter over the years by other careless users.

As per the regulations of the World Heritage Management Plan, all of our camps are restricted to a maximum of 6 anglers. However, RiverFly goes one step further and restricts its campouts to a maximum of 4 customers.

During season 09-10 we were fortunate to spend more than 35 nights camping-out in the Western Lakes. We only encountered seven other anglers (whom by coincidence were all found fishing the same lake at various times!). In addition, we were able to co-ordinate assistance for one elderly bushwalker who was injured on the track between Christys Lagoon and Lake Antimony, with a storm front approaching.

Environmental Best Practice and managing our Environmental Impact into the future

As an eco-tourism business working in a delicate World Heritage Listed environment, we are always looking at ways of decreasing any potential environmental impacts, whilst continually improving our customer experience. To achieve this, RiverFly Tasmania has submitted an application to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania to install a seasonal toilet pod and temporary tent platforms at our secluded location.

Whether its commercial or recreational, two of the possible impacts from any camping relates to the trampling of delicate flora around campsites (particularly under tents), and issues relating to the disposal of human and grey-water waste. These are both areas that RiverFly Tasmania is looking to minimise, and manage to World’s Best Practice.

To do its part and minimise impacts, RiverFly Tasmania is planning to install seasonal tent platforms. These platforms will only be on-site  for the season, and would mean that our tents don’t sit-on or smother any plant life in the area. Such platforms are already used by Parks Tasmania to minimise impacts on the Overland Track and Walls of Jerusalem National Parks, and by private operators in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, South West WHA and Maria Island National Park.

To manage human waste, and any contaminated water from dish-washing, RiverFly is also applying to install a small toilet-pod at the secluded campsite. This would mean that all human waste and contaminated water would be flown-out and disposed of outside of the World Heritage Area, ensuring that we are protecting our delicate water courses into the future. It is planned that the toilet-pod would be emptied each May, after the close of the fishing season. This prevents any possible or perceived conflict between other users of the area and the short (30min) use of the helicopter.

As a final element of our proposal, RiverFly will be limiting the number of fly fishing campouts we run each season. From our plans we will be spending a realistic maximum of 70 days per season in the Western Lakes, with our fishing effort being spread across 30 or more waters. Considering that literally thousands of nights are currently spent by anglers in the Western Lakes, our real impact on visitation numbers in the area will be tiny—Lake Ada alone sees more than 900 angler days of use per season, to put things into perspective . This minimal-impact camp will provide  jobs for Tasmanian’s, increased awareness of the value of recreational fishing in the Western Lakes, and the opportunity for anglers to learn more about the fishing, flora, fauna and history of the Western Lakes.

The camp approval process

Our application is currently with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, and is being assessed through a process called the Reserve Activity Assessment. This assessment ensures that all aspects of the World Heritage Management Plan are met by the proposal. As part of this formal process, public consultation will occur, which will be run in partnership between Parks and Wildlife Tasmania, and RiverFly Tasmania.

Upon a successful final approval, RiverFly will enter into a contract with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. This would see our business pay a commercial lease back to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania (and the Tasmanian people), which will then be used to manage our great National Parks and World Heritage Areas. This is a great example of how our small business can contribute directly back to the management of the Western Lakes for the future.

Re-enforcing the World Heritage Area values

As we work towards environmental best practice, there are a few things that we definitely won’t be doing:

1. We will not be applying to fly customers into the Western Lakes. We believe that one of the greatest parts of the Western Lakes fishery is the remoteness, and the need to use your own energy and initiative to get there. This remoteness and solitude is further protected by the WHA Management Plan, which actually prohibits the use of helicopters to take anglers in/out of the WHA.

2. We will not be building a private hut or lodge! One of the great enjoyments of our Western Lakes campouts is indeed the camping. In a world full of stuffy-office blocks and hotel rooms filled with recycled air, we can see the value and appeal of sleeping under the canvas. As such, our camp will remain as just that – a tent camp utilising tents for accommodation. To ensure these values are protected in the Western Lakes, the WHA actually prohibits the building of private huts or lodges in the World Heritage Area.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Daniel Hackett at RiverFly Tasmania.  Further details will be made available as assessed by Parks and Wildlife Tasmania. You can read testimonials, including those from campout customers here

Demoiselle dragonfly, England

The famous chalkstreams…

Just a week ago I was fortunate to find myself fishing a Hampshire chalkstream, in England. These slow flowing rivers are regarded as the birthplace of modern fly fishing, and as luck would have it, I was there in time for the mayfly. It was truly marvellous, watching the large danica mayfly (size 10!) hatch off the carefully managed river.

I was lucky to be fishing with a friend and customer who owns a membership to a 4 mile stretch of water. Unlike Tasmania, most of the rivers are privately owned, and access is only available to syndicate members. Even if you want to, you cannot buy your way on to many stretches, it is strictly by invitation only.

As mentioned, the fishing was marvellous. We landed a dozen trout, each found rising to the natural mayflies (and there was three species hatching!). The river itself is managed by the owner, who in turn employs a river keeper to tend to the river. The river-keepers current goal? To replace the stocked trout with wild trout, which are now less common than stocked trout in England. It is an uphill battle.

Further highlights of the river included the lush bankside vegetation, carefully managed to suit the native insects and animals, and the surrounding land which was also managed to minimise impact on the river: cattle are kept away from the banks, and cropping is not permitted on the river’s floodplain. The river keeper and the management of the river is all paid for by the monies returned from the syndicate memberships. The result? The most cared-for river I have ever fished, all within an hour of the busting city of London.

In Season Fly Fishing – New online shop, and new book from Daniel Hackett

Last month, Simone and I were excited to put the finishing touches to our new online shop, In Season Fly Fishing www.inseasonflyfishing.com. Created to showcase and sell our feature products, such as our book In Season Tasmania and our hand tied flies, the webshop features secure shopping, and accepts credit card or PayPal. The website has been launched just in time for the release of a new fly tying booklet (Fly Cards, by Daniel Hackett), and limited edition print celebrating the Western Lakes fishery.

New ‘Fly Cards’ by Daniel Hackett, and ‘Western Lakes’ Limited Edition print

Both products arrive back from the printers over the next couple of weeks, each of which we are quite excited about.

Western Lakes is our limited edition print, featuring our most famous wilderness fishery. Click here to find out more about this limited edition print, which is the result of a partnership between In Season Fly Fishing, and local Tasmanian artist Clifford How. Measuring approx. 580×320mm, there are only 100 copies available. We recommend reserving a copy now, rrp $99.00

Fly Cards is our second new production, and is an innovative fly tying booklet written by myself. Featuring 20 of my favourite Australian fly patterns, with full-colour photos and tying instructions, ‘Fly Cards – A Series of Australian Fly Tying Patterns’ suits all levels of fly tyers from beginners to advanced. Visit the Fly Cards page at our webshop for more details and to order rrp $34.95

Would you like custom-tied trout flies from the RiverFly team? You can order these now from In Season Fly Fishing www.inseasonflyfishing.com .

Availabilities for September 2010 – Christmas 2010

We have started taking bookings for the up-coming season. If you would like to book a pre-Christmas trip to fish the mayfly hatches (From late September to Christmas), send us an Email now www.riverfly.com.au/contact

FlyLife Magazine – Free Online Magazine

FlyLife Magazine have just released their E-Magazine Winter Edition. The theme of this edition is ‘Tasmania’, with the magazine featuring a ‘best of’ selection of Tasmanian articles. Click here and select issue 2 to read the new edition http://www.flylife.com.au/emag/default.htm

Winter fisheries report

Winter has been good for the fisheries to date, with most fish across the state spawning a few weeks earlier than usual. This allows them to re-cuperate quicker, and should see fatter fish during the season as a result.

On the South Esk River, heavy rains around the start of June saw a good flush of water pass down the river, cleaning the riverbed of silt and leaving the river clean for next season. With the water tables re-charged from consistent light rain, I expect to see most rivers get a good flush over the next month or two.

That’s all for now, stay tuned for a pre-season opening newsletter next month. Thank you for supporting an Australian small business, and please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends.

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

*New from Daniel Hackett for winter 2010 *

Fly Cards – A Series of Fly Tying Patterns by Daniel Hackett, includes recipes and instructions for 20 Australian trout flies, full colour photographs, along with fishing notes and their history. Click on the webshop for more information.

Also very exciting for the mad keen wilderness fisherman is ‘Western Lakes’ by Cliff How, a limited edition print celebrating Australia’s greatest trout fishery. With only 100 numbered prints we recommend you pre-order for release in June. Click on the webshop for more information.

Thank you for supporting us and other Australian’s in small business.

Dan and Sim.