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...
Mersey River after the floods
Mersey River flooding, 2016 Mersey River after the floods This time last year, the Mersey River was experiencing the most destructive flood in history. Houses were washed away, more than 300 cattle were lost, and the river set many new courses. So how did this affect the fishing this year? Our first inspection post-flood, in August 2016, revealed an almost unrecognisable river in parts. Whole river bends were gone, and thousands of tonnes of gravel littered...
30% off all all Simms waders, Scott fly rods and Lamson reels stock
RiverFly are clearing the decks for the new season, and are running a 30%-off sale on all Simms, Scott and Lamson. Discounts on any of these product lines are rare as hens teeth, and it is only available on existing stock. Specials include Simms G3 Guide waders, Scott Radian and Meridian, and Lamson Speedster reels. All specials can be viewed or purchased on our Specials page.
Autumn rod, reel and wader specials including Sage, Scott and Orvis.
Each autumn we run specials on demo-rods, along with soon to be replaced rod and reel models. These are all available on our specials page and include the following: Sage 3250 reels, 3250 spool (the best value reels getting around) at 20% off, Sage 4250 reel at 20% off, a ripper little creek rod in the Sage Approach 370-4 at 25% off (now $440). Ex demo / display rods, current models, as new with full warranties etc, may have been grass-cast...
‘Tasmania’ – fly fishing feature film by Todd Moen, Catch Magazine
During February 2017 we were lucky to host Catch Magazine Editor Todd Moen, for a week of filming. The goal was simple: highlight some of the creek and Western Lakes fishing that makes our island so special. During the six days we got some amazing snowflake caddis hatches on the creeks, and some brilliant tailing on the lakes around our RiverFly Wilderness Huts in the Western Lakes. Here is a short trailer for the film 'Tasmania'...the full-length 18 minute feature...
Fly Fishing Tasmania – March hoppers!
March fly fishing has got off to a great start in Tasmania, with clear and warm days, and lots of terrestrials. Hoppers, willow grubs and free-drifting mayfly nymphs have been driving the river fishing, and the 1864 Mini-WMD Hopper and Ostrich Herl Nymph have been two of the best flies. The Esk rivers, Mersey, Tyenna and Meander have all been fishing very well. Little Pine and Penstock have featured some brilliant mayfly hatches late in the day, with Shaving Brush style flies doing...
Fly Fishing Tasmania Hatch Chart – March 2, 2017
Here's the latest Tasmanian Hatch Chart from the RiverFly 1864 team. We've finally had a good spell of heat, which has brought on the terrestrials and morning midges!
Peter Morse casting day – Sunday 12 March 2017
RiverFly 1864 are excited to be hosting Australian fly fishing legend Peter Morse for a skills-development casting day on Sunday the 12th of March (8-4pm). Peter is an International Federation of Fly Fishers Master Fly Casting Instructor Peter Morse, as well as a Sage fly rod and RIO ambassador. Both Simone (who is also a IFFF casting instructor) and I have learnt a lot from Peter over the years, and can highly recommend this session. Particular areas of focus for this intermediate-level class will...
Five tips for chasing Western Lakes trophy trout
[pexvimeo pex_attr_src="https://vimeo.com/201763430"][/pexvimeo] Five tips for chasing trophy trout in Tasmania's Western Lakes, from the Western Lakes experts at RiverFly 1864: Where: Headwater lakes offer anglers the best chance to chase trophy trout, offering low fish numbers, but endless food. What's a headwater lake? Look for a lake with little or no inflow, and an insignificant outflow (a creek you can step across). This outflow should flow into a lake further down, rather than a major creek, to ensure low recruitment...
Mid-season rundown from RiverFly 1864
The season so far… Spring and early summer river fishing has been very dynamic. River levels were extremely reactive to rainfall (rising quickly), which meant taking each day as it comes from a fishing-planning perspective. With the extra flows and floods, the average fish size in the Mersey and Meander was bigger than previous seasons, with some real thumpers being landed. The South Esk has had high levels right up until Christmas, with a new cohort of young fish up...
Fly Fishing Tasmania Hatch Chart – 23 December 2016
Here's our last Hatch Chart for 2016! With a ripper weather pattern on its way, we hope that you all get out for a fish during the Christmas Break. Thank you to all of our customers, and we look forward to seeing you in 2017. Daniel & Simone, Peter and the RiverFly 1864 Team. Christmas / New year shop opening times: Closed 24-27th December Open 28-30th December Normal opening hours from January 3rd Fly Fishing Tasmania Hatch...
New in stock – Patagonia, Loon, RIO, BUFF and custom RiverFly 1864 gear
New Patagonia for 2016: Brilliant new-season gear from Patagonia include the re-designed Patagonia Stormfront Pack, a bullet-proof submersible backpack which we've been using for the past five seasons (check-out our reviews here). We also have a handful of the very popular, very hard to get Convertible Vest (last batch due to arrive early next week), and the re-engineered Rio Gallegos Waders, backed by the 'Ironclad Guarantee' for quality. New Loon for 2016: Loon is our favourite fly tying and gadget...
Fly fishing Tasmania – Hatch Chart November 23
The past week has saw hatch activity really pick up in Tasmania. Frogs are still going in the highlands, complemented by gum beetles and midges. Reports of duns have been sparse, but the hatches are starting to trickle through. Flooding on the lowland rivers has held fishing off on the South Esk and Macquaire systems, while the Meander, Mersey, St Pats and North Esk have all fished well. Small black spinners, baetids and snowflake caddis have all been hatching, along with...
Fly fishing Tasmania – Hatch Chart 28 October 2016
What a wet spring it's been! The good news is that on rivers such as the Mersey and St Pats, the fish are among the best early season condition we've ever seen. Stoneflies are hatching on Penstock and Woods, and black spinners have started on the South Esk and Mersey. Frogs are still showing up along with a lot of mudeyes and damsels in many fish, from Four Springs, Hunstman, Tooms and Leak. Saturday looks like ripper weather, have a great...
Tasmanian fly fishing – frog feeders!
Airborne tailer! The Tasmanian fly fishing season has got off to a super-wet start this season, the wettest year on record to be precise! This has made trip planning quite challenging at times, but has produced a lot more drowned food for the trout. Lots of the rough days have generated classic Tasmanian frog feeding conditions, with lakes such as Tooms, Leake, Echo, Woods, Huntsman and many others hitting perfect levels for flooded fishing. The brown...