Fly fishing report – Tasmania, February 2015
After a tough, cool-weather January, summer has been back with a boom during February. Lots of warm, humid days have brought out the ants on both rivers and lakes. Hoppers and late afternoon black spinners have been on the Tasmanian rivers, while beetles and mayfly have been firing up the lake fishing. Best down low has been the South Esk, Meander and Mersey, while up to Little Pine, Penstock, Bronte and Great Lake have been reliable. Our 1864 black spinners has been...
Welcome to our new fly fishing shop – 29 The Kingsway, Launceston, Tasmania
Keeping your fly local... A big thanks to all of the customers that have dropped in to our brand new fly shop at 29 The Kingsway Launceston. If you are after a bright and clean new shop, with the best advice, and a customer friendly layout, then drop in for a chat or give us a call. We'd love to help! New in stock this week is the complete range of Klean Kanteen bottles and gear (my three-year-old bottle is kicking-on strong...
Fly fishing the Western Lakes, Tasmania
Fly fishing Tasmania's Western Lakes is all about polaroiding. Just seconds after this image was taken, the brown trout we were looking for appeared under the angler's rod tip. A quick and accurate presentation on the back cast, and the black spinner fly was nailed. That's what it's all about! Where: RiverFly Wilderness Huts, Western Lakes Tasmania. RiverFly Wilderness Huts, Western Lakes Tasmania.
RiverFly 1864 is moving!
Exciting news, RiverFly 1864 will be moving in late January. Our new home will be 29A Kingsway, Launceston (in the old Downtown Tackle building). Kingsway has had a very long history of being the focal point for fly fishing during the past one hundred years or so, so it's great to be building our new hub there. We'll be expanding with the move, and offering a drastically increased range for our customers: Veniard, Montana Fly Company, Airflo, Lamson, Scott, Manic Flies, Wapsi,...
Loon and Montana Fly Company in stock, Redington fly fishing kits from $220.00
Montana Fly Company - Manic Tackle now available at RiverFly 1864 We are excited to have just received our first shipment of fly tying and fishing gear from Loon Outdoors. Products are available via phone or in-store now, with online listings to come. Products include UV fly paint, tippet spool holders, Lochsa floatant, Top Ride and floatant caddies. Also in stock are some pretty cool Montana Fly Boxes, including the Udesen's and Maddox design boxes. These...
Fly fishing Tasmania – Hatch Chart November 28 2014
Wild Tasmanian brown trout South Esk - Good spinner action, morning caenids (Pheasant Tail Black Spinners) North Esk - Good nymphing, good mornings St Pats - Reliable polaroiding and dry fly (baetids / Iron Blue Duns) Meander - Morning caenids, daytime spinners (F Fly and Pheasant Tail Blacks), Mersey - Excellent morning caenids Brumbys Top Weir - daytime red spinners (Pheasant Tail Red Spinner) Arthurs - Good duns, good early morning midges Great Lake - sharks are...
Brumbys Creek Weir One – Tasmanian fly fishing mecca
Everyone asks, 'where's your favourite place to fly fish?'. It's a hard question to answer, and a few places come to mind: the Western Lakes wilderness fishery, the South Esk River flowing at 130 mg/day, or Weir One at Brumbys Creek during high flows. These are all brilliant options, and at the top of my list. But its Weir One, or the 'Top Weir' as locals know it, that I've fished the most-400 days+. What's so good about Weir One? It's easy to answer: clear water,...
Big fish and dry flies – Tasmanian fishing report
The past week has been a ripper time for hitting the rivers and streams. We've seen all species of riverine mayfly starting to hatch - big red spinners on Brumbys, Leven and Mersey, big and small black spinners on the South Esk, Meander and Mersey, and even early morning caenids. Fish size has also been the talk of the town. Young fish and old fish alike are fat as butter - my favourite destination has been the Top Weir at Brumbys Creek, where...
Riverfly Tasmania fly fishing Tasmania report – October 2014
Check out our latest fly fishing report here http://createsend.com/t/t-51345397EBD9893A The second week of October traditionally marks the first mayfly hatches of the season. Have a great week! Thanks, Dan.
Fly fishing Tasmania – whitebait feeders!
On a whim I ran away from all commitments in search of fun, adventure and the river. I found all this, settled in only to stumble across one of those rare events that takes your breath away. The river was different. It was calm, its surface unbroken - not a fish nor an insect in sight. Yet there was a sense of reason for all this - the fish had moved. If we stayed we would have been bitterly disappointed, instead we chose to seek out these fish...
Tacky fly boxes – now in stock
Tacky Fly Boxes - now in stock after taking out best new accessory at the recent International Fly Tackle Dealers show. A slim box with 'tacky' (grippy) slit-rubber design that won't wear out like foam inserts, heat resistant so it won't de-laminate, and constructed with crush resistent poly carbonate. This is my new favourite box! http://flyshop1864.com.au/shop/accessories/tacky-fly-boxes-now-in-stock/ Also in stock for the fly tyers are new Hare's masks, whiting saddles, UV Bug Bond, flashabou, EP Fibres, Steve Farrar flash blend, bronze mallard, veniard UV straggle, bulk tungsten...
Fly fishing Tasmania – searching for tailers
Tailing trout, or tailers' as we like to call them, are the number one target for September. They can be bloody hard - spooky, head in the weeds, and fickle, but they make up for it by the visual nature of the fishing. Swirls, tails, and fins all giving away the position of these shallow water browns. As the month progresses and spawning frogs get onto the menu, tailers get easier to catch. Morning is my favourite time to fish, with...
Fly fishing Tasmania – bush huts
Springtime at one of the original Tasmanian bush huts.
Fly fishing Tasmania hatch chart – 29/08/14
Breaking-in the chalkboard for this season's first hatch chart, courtesy of the team at RiverFly 1864 (click to enlarge):
Tasmanian fly fishing season opens tommorrow – here’s our tips
We are in for a ripper start to the season - that's my prediction! The weather this week has been shocking, with category #2 cyclone equivalent winds yesterday, and more than 300 mm of rain in some of the catchments this week. But despite this, we are expecting some brilliant fishing as the weather moderates. The spawn-run at Arthurs Lake contained some magnificent fish, with many over three pounds and fit as a fiddle. Great Lake has been quite low...