Fisherman’s dream season

CARL HYLAND IT seems as if someone has thrown the fish switch — you know, the one where they come on the bite.

Now is a great time to consider setting a line.

I am amazed at the amount of people actually fishing now, From diehard anglers right through to whole families experiencing Tasmania’s great outdoors.

People with no experience at all — and with what many would consider basic gear — are catching fish that many can only dream about. Twokilogram kingfish can be found from rocky shores around the coastline from Low Head, Port Latta, down the East coast at Bicheno at St Helens and then right around to Port Authur and even in the Derwent, all without boats.

One family had great success at Akoroa at St Helens chasing whiting and Australian salmon. They caught a few, then their leads went down to the rocks and managed to get into the kingfish.

So too a group in a boat out from Port Arthur, with many species being caught and ticked off. They included arrow squid, calamari squid, gummy shark, 15kg bluefin and albacore in the 2-3 kilo range.

Pirates Bay is the hot spot, with many boaters reporting of getting amongst albacore and seeing all sorts of action close inshore.

Vast schools of baitfish are all along the coast as well as sauries and flying fish which bodes well for big game action.

In the Derwent, things have settled down after a recent competition with quite a few good fish being taken from the abutments of the Derwent Bridge. These include silver trevally, squid, and some thumping Australian salmon. Schools of larger fish, presumed to be kingfish or large salmon, have been spotted around Taroona.

Rocky platforms in the North are giving up squid plus some larger than average sweep and big horseshoe leatherjackets.

Inland waters are fishing well too, with some selected waters really firing.

Lake St Clair is well worth a visit with one party bagging out on fat, feisty rainbows.

Lake Barrington, being dark and deep, is a hot spot at this time with some wayward Atlantic salmon and big browns being taken mainly in the cool of evening.

Anglers should remember this is a shared water, with skiers and rowers all using the Barrington dam.

I checked out the water temperatures in some dams last week and Curries Dam was sitting in a balmy 22C, but the fish were still biting as we managed a couple of nice, fat rainbow which took a liking to trolled lures.

Great Lake was 16C but that would fluctuate with cool night-time temperatures.

Four Springs was sitting on 21C during the midweek and while we saw no fish caught, we did see a good hatch of mayflys and lots of empty mudeye husks.

Anglers on foot would be well advised to take care and look out for snakes as they are out and about and are very lively.

An angler fishing the South Esk recently can testify to that, for when he pulled his head up over a rock ledge while climbing, he came face-to-face with a very hostile tiger snake.

Dropping his gear and a backward flip resulted in broken rods plus many bruises — but he lived to tell the tale.