Trout fishing in Tasmania – our guided fly fishing locations
Trout fishing Tasmania – The river fisheries
Tasmania has a range of river fly fishing, where you can fly fish for wild trout in solitude.
Large slowing moving meadow streams are the setting for raft fly fishing, mixed with larger riffle and run rivers where a mixture of rafting and wading can occur. Freestone waters, and the headwaters of the larger rivers provide the settings for those choosing specifically to wade rivers.
Small stream ‘trout hunting’ venues are just that, streams small enough to jump across with typically open, undercut banks and all day sight-fishing opportunities.
Highlights of a day’s fishing are aimed at including a large proportion of dry fly fishing, whether it’s sight fishing to rising or tailing fish, or polaroiding trout on the brighter days.
The fish in our larger rivers are typically both rainbow and brown trout, averaging between one to one and a half pounds, with a good mixture of two to three pounders (20+ inches) available to the persistent and skilled. There are opportunities to target occasional 4 pound plus fish for the skilled angler.
Any fish larger than two pounds on the Tasmanian streams can be a real challenge for the angler to land, and as such, a three pounder or better is considered a ‘trophy trout’ for these waters.
On our smaller rivers the average size is closer to half to one pound, with a sprinkling of two to three pound fish. The trout are predominantly brown trout, though rainbow trout and even brook trout under special circumstances can be targeted.
Small stream (creek) stalking can provide for a large range of fish sizes to target. Most of these little gems house thousands of 8-12 inch trout and the occasional fish of up to two or three pounds, however a couple of secret streams house extremely challenging trophy sized fish in gin clear water – we reserve these for our repeat customers.
Fly fishing Tasmania – wild river trout
Trout Fishing Tasmania – The Western Lakes wilderness fishery
Tasmania’s Centreal Plateau hosts a World Heritage listed region that anglers refer to as simply, the Western Lakes. This is a vast area of remote lakes, lagoons and tarns, situated among an area of open moorland and sub-alpine woodland. Like many of the world’s great wilderness fisheries, the Western Lakes is an area of harsh weather and geography – but the sight-driven trout fishery is well worth it. Most of the lagoons and lakes are crystal clear, shallow, and often with a sand or silt-flat bottom. The trout are clearly visible as they cruise these flats, looking for mayfly and other invertebrates, or whilst ‘tailing’ for amphipods and caddis in water too shallow to conceal their tails – hence the term. RiverFly Tasmania is pioneering fly fishing guiding in the Western Lakes.