A little cold comfort
ADVERSE weather didn’t really affect the fishing over the past week. If anything, it was spurred on by the fact that many people couldn’t do jobs around home, so a fishing trip was in order.
Those who braved windy and sometimes cold conditions fared very well, with some nice fish caught from Four Springs in the North.
Most good, solid brown trout and some rainbows were taken in shallow margins at the top end of the lake.
Some anglers, after reading this very column of recent times, tried a trip to Tooms Lake and were very impressed with the new and improved amenities, which had hit by vandals.
The fishing here was even better CARL HYLAND than they anticipated, with one member of the party landing a nice, fat brown of about 4.1kg.
Most of their fish were caught using small, hard-bodied lures and the method was wind, pause the retrieve, wind, and pump the rod.
This caused the lure to dart and twitch from the surface, which resulted in some spectacular takes.
Weed is allegedly starting to become a problem, with pretty much every cast interrupted by weed fouling the lures.
One method I have found successful on lures is to swap the trebles for single hooks or, even better, weedless hooks with a weed guard fitted. INLAND Fisheries Service staff have told me of some good fish starting to line up at Liawenee and Great Lake, just in time for the Trout Weekend on May 20.
Planning is well under way for this event, so come with your family, enjoy displays, demonstrations, the ever-popular junior angling pond, and of course see hundreds of wild brown trout on their annual spawning migration.
And don’t forget to get your entries in to the Tasmanian Trout Fishing Photo Competition, which closes on April 30.
There are great prizes and the IFS will announce the winner at next month’s Trout Weekend. TUNA action continues from St Helens and along the South-East, with some good school albacore being taken.
School bluefin are about in good numbers and anglers are no doubt hoping for the big “barrel’’ tuna to arrive soon.
It looks like being a good year for big fish because there are still a lot of squid around, as well as redbait and flying fish.
Squid can still be caught from the Margate Wharf and in Storm Bay, and even in the shallow waters off Taroona and Blackmans Bay.
One angler was telling of bagging out on yellowtail kingfish.
Anglers diving for scallops had success off Maria Island recently, with plenty of scallops apparently available in shallow water.
Dover is another good area, as is Bicheno in about three metres.
Scallops have been of a good size and are being found in plentiful numbers.
For those wanting fish in the North, try Kelso or Greens Beach because King George whiting have been caught from there up to last week.
Finally, a reminder that the banded morwong fishery has closed until April 30.