Keeping in touch, in the wilderness
It's a great time of the year to be planning your next big trip of the season; quite often or not, for Tasmanian fly fishers it will be a trip into an off-the-beaten-track location, well out of mobile phone range. A consideration these days is what emergency communication and navigation systems to use? You should never be without a map, which are far more reliable than a GPS, but with this in mind technology can be a great additional tool....
Selected Tasmanian rivers – extended season in May
We received our Inland Fishing Service annual fishing licence renewals this morning, and noticed a change in regulations...from May 2020, the lower sections of the South Esk catchment including the lower Meander, Macquarie, South Esk and Brumbys Creek will be open until the end of May. This brings these sections of lowland rivers into line with closure times on the mainland, which feature similar climatic conditions, and will offer anglers the chance of getting out in one of our most...
Fly Fishing Tasmania Hatch Chart – March 9, 2019
Ranging from highs of 8 degrees to 39 degrees in the past fortnight, the weather is dictating the fishing day-by-day. The dull and overcast days have brought on great tailing and mayfly, while the bright and hot days have resulted in mega-hopper days, or completely underwhelming days, depending on where you are! Here's the latest hatch chart to help you hit the best fishing... St Patricks – Good summer height, with quality fish. Patchy, look for chutes and shin-deep runs. Esk...
Wilderness campouts – summer specials
Join us for a free river day this summer, with every three day, two night campout booking. If sight fishing is your passion, then join us for a Western Lakes wilderness trip from late January to early April. It looks like Tasmania is in for a prolonged-dry summer, much like the rest of Australia. The difference for us is that this weather pattern can create ideal fishing conditions for tailing trout in the wilderness lakes, while overnight low temperatures and weekly fronts...
How to fix leaky waders!
The summer break can be the ideal time to fix leaky waders, so here's a few tips from our experience: Hang the waders up, inside out on the clothesline. Fill one leg with 5-10 litres of water Now pick up the leg of water, and place a hand either side of the area you want to test, with the water trapped between. Twist each hand like your wrapping a lolly, which will pressurise the water, pushing it through any leaks...
Tasmanian fly fishing report – December 24, 2018
Mayflies and gum beetles have been the theme of December so far, along with sub-tropical low pressure systems and lots of easterlies! This has meant lots of rain in the east, and really good flows (sometimes too high!) down the two Esk rivers, and the granite streams. Snowflake caddis falls have been brilliant. The Mersey has also seen big rises most weeks, and has fished best on rising-levels and featured morning and late afternoon hatches. Brumbys on the otherhand has had great levels, but...
Tasmanian fly fishing hatch chart – December
On a day of wild wind, here is the latest fly fishing Tasmania hatch chart and fishing conditions (3/12/18): Esk rivers – Coming off high and murky flood levels. Excellent mayfly and beetle activity leading up to the rain, and young fish are in great condition St Pats – Brilliant fish quality, terrestrials are working well. Good numbers of snowflake caddis, patchy numbers in parts. Mersey – Good early-morning Caenids, and daytime spinners and caddis. Excellent conditioned fish. Tannin-coloured flows due...
Rainy days and dry flies – Tasmanian fly fishing
We are lucky to have had plenty of rain in Tassie, and plenty of high rivers currently (summer should be great!). The wetter days have seen lots of tannin in many of the streams, but this has brought on the best dry fly fishing of the season. With a hint of blood-red tannin, the trout have been rising confidently to large dries (such as our Bruisers Bugs), as well as the usual favourites of Glister Tags, 1864 Scruffys and Fastwater...
Fly fishing Tasmania hatch chart – 27/08/2018
Fly Fishing Tasmania Hatch Chart - 27 August 2018 The Tasmanian fly fishing season has been off and racing for a couple weeks now. Typical of most seasons, opening week featured some solid fishing to Four Springs trout feeding hard on jollytails (galaxia), and the Western Lakes gave us some great trout for those hardy enough to brave the cold. The rivers had a predictably slower start, but we've seen baetids and black spinner duns sparingly hatching on some of our...
Tasmanian fly fishing season highlight
The RiverFly team has been chatting about our favourite part of last season, and two highlights became obvious: the three week sea-trout and baitfish season during spring, and the phenomenal hopper season which ran the full length of January to April. Both events offered full-on sightfishing, but when we got to the nuts and bolts of it, the baitfish-feeder season won the award for best event. With fish to six-pounds hunting with their backs out, it is an event that...
Tasmania – the movie
Just in time for a scorching hot Australia Day weekend, Catchmagazine has released the full length (18 minute) version of their 'Tasmania' fly fishing dvd to Youtube. Featuring some of Tasmania's best dry fly action, and tailing footage, the feature is available to view in full below. Make sure you watch it in HD! Filmed in conjunction with RiverFly 1864 during February 2017, 'Tasmania' features brilliant footage from Tasmania's creeks and Western Lakes wilderness sight fishery.
Want a current model Sage for 40% off? How about Rio flylines or limited Patagonia gear?
With our renewed focus on guided fly fishing, we are selling-out of our retail stock. That means everything left is 40% off! This includes a heap of RIO flylines (including lots of salt lines), our last remaining Sage X (490-4), a Patagonia Guidewater II Duffel, and heaps of assorted leaders, dressings, tippet etc. All are available online, but it is first in, first served. Click here to visit our webshop, and use the discount code '1864sale' to apply the discount
Back-to-guiding moving sale – all stock minimum 30% off
The RiverFly 1864 team are moving! We are excited to be opening a new base and departure lounge on the second floor of Aspire Adventure Equipment at 136 York Street, Launceston. The new facilitates will give guided customers continued access to our great range of 1864 Tasmanian tied flies and equipment, while locals and interstate anglers will be able to continue to order their flies as normal through our online site (with the option of free local pickup). RiverFly 1864...
Fly Fishing Tasmania – Hatch Chart September 2017
The fly fishing season is well and truly underway in Tasmania, and we are about to enter that magic period when sea-runners, frog feeders, and the first mayfly of the season all happen at once! Nymphing on the rivers has been great, particularly in the tails of runs, and bait have started in some of our favourite estuaries. Check out the hatch chart for more info, or drop in and get the up to date info first-hand.
Trout fishing Tasmania report – August
A wild rainbow on The Earthworm fly. The Tasmanian season is well into a third week, and the fishing has been great. Well-timed rains on opening day produced brilliant flood-fishing on some of the smaller lakes, with RiverFly customers managing two days' with double-digit catches. Even cooler is that many of these fish took the dry, including the 1864 Fastwater Dun. Among other lakes Bronte, Four Springs, Penstock, Woods and Lake Leake have all been fishing well, with Fuzzle...