Check safety gear complies

ARECENT report by the Tasmanian Coroner had me concerned, as it should all people who venture out on to the water. In her findings, Coroner Olivia McTaggart said that the drowning of a northern man last year who attempted to secure his yacht in a storm may have been preventable, if the man had been wearing a crotch strap on his lifejacket or yolk.

This had me immediately searching for the straps that came with my and my partner’s yolks, as I replaced our old jackets recently. To my surprise, none came with the modern well-branded yolks and I found this strange.

When and if you enter the water and the yolk self-inflates, unless there is a crotch or leg strap, the device can potentially ride up and actually inhibit your breathing if you fall in, as your face can be occluded.

With that in mind, I went searching and they can be purchased as an aftermarket item either online or, as I found out, from a reputable Tasmanian company.

I would certainly recommend getting one and most definitely for younger children.

While jackets and yolks are a necessary device and are compulsory while on the water, one should make sure they are worn and fitted correctly, so that they can do their job if needed. While we would all like to think that life jackets keep us safe just by wearing them, we also need to be mindful that maintenance and the correct operation of these important pieces of safety equipment is also needed – as none of us plan to end up in the water.

The Tasmanian trout season is nearly upon us and most I have spoken to indicate that they won’t be going far from home this year as cold weather plus other factors such as fuel costs, boat costs and so forth, are making travel rather expensive. As I indicated in an earlier column, this will put pressure on local waters and generally see more people fishing close to home.

Waters such as Brumbies Creek plus Curries River Dam and the very popular Four Springs lake will no doubt be jam packed, but there are plenty of fish for all.

Last week, Curries Reservoir received a good stocking of trout on three occasions and even Lauriston Reservoir, near the George Town Golf Course, received an injection of fish which comprised of 26 1kg brown trout. Let’s hope the fish guard on the outflow is operational here, otherwise the fish will head straight out the outflow next to the old thermal power station. Sea-run trout will be much sought after, but I feel we need a lot more rain to get things firing around the state for the larger specimens to be attracted to outflowing water.

The River Derwent also received some good fish, 400 were offloaded and should provide good fishing for those wishing to wet a line.

Rostrevor Reservoir also received a good dose of larger brown trout, so this area should be on the to-visit list. This small water storage is found on private property on the eastern side of the Tasman Highway. Signage is present to indicate who to contact should you need access. All methods of fishing are permitted but fly and lure fishing is recommended here. Boating is not really suitable. One aspect that needs to be remembered is to obtain a licence before fishing. Fishing licences are now available at most outlets and online.

Don’t forget – if you’re having any luck out there, drop us a line at fish tas@iinet.net.au.