Stockings are not ‘one size fits all’
IT seems like a few people aren’t happy with the current stocking rate of brown trout into places such as Penstock Lagoon and Four Springs.
The few anglers I have spoken with indicate that the waters will probably not fish well because fish won’t be well fed, meaning that, in their opinions, food sources are minimal as it is, without all those extra mouths to feed.
Trout require a lot of insect life, shrimp, plus many other invertebrates to be able to survive, and if times get tough, fish lose condition and actually decrease in size.
Instead of increasing the size of the fish by mass stocking, perhaps it has the opposite effect?
While it is good to see fish being relocated to waters that aren’t self-sustaining, one wonders if the science is right.
Waters such as Four Springs are heavily fished, and it is a “put and take” fishery, which keeps a lot of anglers happy.
These waters may not hold trophy fish, but anglers can source trophy fish at many other waters throughout Tasmania.
Waters such as Lake Crescent give up some thumping trout, both rainbows and browns.
One angler with a lot of knowledge is sourcing some huge fish from the Great Lake at a secret location and using methods only known to him.
I suppose there will always be those who aren’t happy with whatever happens with fish stockings.
I for one am thankful for the opportunity to catch fish anywhere in what I consider to be a world-class fishery. BREAM fishing is going well, but it depends who you talk to.
Some are having luck and some aren’t, such as the lad from CARL HYLAND Kingston who broke two rods at Browns River last weekend. Neither of the rods was his but belonged to friends. And they weren’t broken on fish, which makes it all the more disappointing (and expensive) for the young fellow.
The moral to the story is to watch your back cast, and don’t leave your best rod on the ground.
Georges Bay at St Helens has been firing over the past week or so, with silver trevally and large Australian salmon being caught in the shallows and out into the deeper channels. Most of the best fishing has been had with soft plastics. Colours that stand out are blue or pearl-blue paddle tails.
Offshore at the Continental Shelf, bluefin are being caught but in limited numbers and of a small size.
In the Tamar, some anglers chasing big Australian salmon put in at York Cove but never got out of the cove because the big fish came right into the bay. Great fun was had with white flies and blue soft plastic lures. I AM often asked which is the right weight fly rod for Australian salmon, and I’d suggest a maximum weight of 6, and some even use a 3 weight, which is really testing the stick. I have a 9 weight (which is difficult for me to cast now), but it was an awesome weight rod for kingfish and tuna.
The reel is not really important because it is only a line holder, but you do need lots of backing if fishing for large Australian salmon because I find they can be demanding on line when fishing deep.