It’s a state of activity

IS this the last hurrah, or is it the beginning of a sensational season for fishing, particularly in the South of the state?

Fish are being caught absolutely everywhere, including some good snapper from Storm Bay, bluefin are at the Rock [Hippolyte Rocks], whiting are off most beaches, and of course Atlantic salmon in Craigbourne Dam.

The salmon aren’t doing too well in Craigbourne, and I reckon low water levels and oxygen content being low would play a part in that.

When I say “not doing well” it seems a few have perished and are floating around the dam. One would expect a few to go belly-up, because they will not handle transfer well, but in general most anglers who have caught fish have been very happy.

The salmon have been taken on a variety of lures and flies, with yellow being a good colour this time round.

Unfortunately, boat launching is nearly impossible with the water level being well below the boat ramp. In fact, it’s very dangerous, with mud and rocks causing injury to some people and their boats.

It would be a good time to extend the ramp and get it right before the rains come. I am led to believe that this is something on the radar for Marine and Safety Tasmania.

I mentioned snapper earlier, and for good reason. Some guys fishing at a southern jetty the other day saw some rather large fish being landed from a small “tinny”. Seems the guys who caught the snapper had found a patch of good reef near Betsey Island and were soon among the fish. The story goes that they left them biting.

Calamari squid can be caught off most jetties with lights of a night, and a few arrow squid are starting to

show as well.

It seems some people still aren’t getting the message about fish size, with a lot keeping small flathead and warehou after capture.

One person who was seen doing the wrong thing had a new Fisheries ruler pointed out to him. His response was that he couldn’t care less and he kept what he caught.

These are the sort of people who need a fine and to lose their fishing gear. Then it might start to sink in that undersized fish are thrown back for a reason.

Fish worthy of keeping are the King George whiting being caught the length of the Tamar. Some are actually more than 50cm in length, which is huge for this species. Most have been taken in shallow water and among weed with sandy patches.

If it was me, I’d be trying a float with a piece of squid bait in the shallow waters of Lagoon Bay, or perhaps in sheltered waters off Kelso Beach.

Some whiting, as well as warehou, are being taken inside Garden Island, so a trip to the sheltered shores there might be worth a visit.

Another location overlooked is the South Esk in the Gorge at Launceston. After watching a video of a young fellow pulling 2kg fish from this area last week, it’s fired me up to have a go.

We must remember that the trout season closes at the end of this month and then re-opens in August.

Good scallop captures are coming from the East Coast, with most shellfish being taken in shallow water. More on this next week.

Happy Easter fishing.