Spring and mid-summer Tasmanian fly fishing report:

December and January also brought out masses of beetles and grubs in some of the most consistent numbers in years, with soldier beetles, lady beetle larvae, gumleaf skeletoniser catepillars, and eucalypt gum beetles all making regular appearances on warm days. Just last week myself and a friend camped at the far end of a wilderness lake containing a 3km slick (lake current) turned yellow by the sheer numbers of gum beetles on the water. As you’d expect the fish were full to the brim, but a massive spinner fall on evening brought about an hour and a half of very fun Tasmanian dry fly fishing.

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Fly fishing through cormorants and drought – fly fishing Tasmania

As the 23/24 Tasmanian fly fishing season wraps up, there’s no doubt that cormorants combined with drought conditions were the talk of the town. After twenty-odd seasons guiding, including my fourth cormorant / drought combo, here are some observations from my experience, and a bit of science from overseas. Schooling fish are the giveaway. It’s…

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Fly fishing Tasmania report – February 2023

February is off to a great start, with plenty of settled and mild weather, and excellent river and lake heights. The lowland rivers are featuring good periods of mayfly spinner action during most days (particularily the smaller species), and excellent damsel fly hatches, including the South Esk, Brumbys Creek, Meander and Mersey rivers. The north-east…

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