Trout time run to perfection
LIAWENEE is a small town in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It is a Tasmanian Indigenous name that means ‘frigid’. This is very fitting, as Liawenee is classed as one of the coldest permanently inhabited places in Australia.
This time of the year is when the brown trout get it on, so much so that masses of fish, averaging about 1kg, mass for the annual spawning run up every creek, rivulet and waterway that runs into the Great Lake and other waters in the state.
It’s hard to imagine the humble beginnings of Tassie’s trout fishery, for in the mid-1800s, a group led by James Youl made several unsuccessful attempts to import live trout and salmon eggs to Tasmania.
In 1864, live eggs were sucmainland cessfully imported from England packed in moss. The first small trout were released into the Plenty River in Tasmania in 1865. The first recorded attempt to bring salmon and trout eggs from England was in 1852. The journey took four months and the eggs were stored in containers of fresh water that was topped up four times a day. The eggs all perished.
Subsequent attempts used up to 30 tons of ice to produce cool water which was run over the eggs in trays. However, the ice supply inevitably ran out before the end of the voyage with fatal results for the ova.
Finally, in 1864, salmon and trout eggs from England were packed in moss in boxes and stored in ice aboard a ship. While many of the eggs still died, enough remained to produce fry. By June 8, 1864, 300 healthy trout and several thousand salmon were observed at the Salmon Ponds in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley.
The first fish were released the following year.
While the salmon disappeared and were never seen again, trout appeared to adapt well to local conditions. They were later introduced on the of Australia.
The first successful introduction in NSW and the Canberra region was in 1888, when a number were released into the Cotter, Naas, Molonglo and Queanbeyan rivers. Trout stocks have been maintained over the years by governmentrun hatcheries.
Rainbow trout, native to North American, were introduced to NSW from New Zealand (where they had been previously established) in 1894. Acclimatisation societies then transferred the fish into Victoria and Tasmania.
According to Brett Mawbey, fish stocking manager for the Inland Fisheries Service, Tasmanian brown trout have established themselves in not only the Great Lake but also though the inland waterways of the state and ideally, the species like the cold, fast moving waters of most streams. They are targeted by many anglers, from many persuasions throughout the world as was evident by the success of the recent World Fly Fishing Championships.
Spawning runs usually occur from April to July but are dependent on weather conditions and other factors.
Stocking of waters this year looks like being no different with thousands of fish being translocated into waters around the state, just in time for the trout season which officially opens on Saturday, August 6.
Don’t forget if you’re having any luck out on Tassie waters, drop us a line to carl@fishtas.com and you can send in any photos of your catches to readerspics@fishtas.com