The touring lifestyle takes you to some pretty remarkable places, with spectacular scenery and interesting stories. But for some there needs to be another motivating factor to get them on the road, and for me that driving force is fishing!

There are three things that I have always looked for in every holiday I’ve ever been on: beautiful scenery, a little adventure, and most importantly, fantastic fishing! To be honest it was fishing that led to my love of travel, experiencing new destinations, exploring the history of an area and meeting new people along the way, all while absorbing the great scenery that seems to surround most of the better angling locales.

One of my favourite places to visit, where I can indulge in my favourite pass time while enjoying the touring lifestyle, is the pretty island of Tasmania. It’s a special part of Australia, unlike anywhere else, with a lot to offer any traveller. But the biggest drawcard for me is the sensational trout fishing. From the low-lying rivers to the high country lakes, there are trout aplenty! In the following pages I’m going to take a look at some of my favourite spots across Tasmania, traversing some of the most scenic parts of the Apple Isle while giving you access to what are arguably the top trout waters in Australia.

Longford/Cressy

Situated only 20 minutes from Launceston and 10 minutes from the airport, Longford is a historic town that lies on the doorstep of some sensational trout waterways. Also, only a few kilometers away is Cressy, with its fishing themed décor complete with trout-like street signs and a huge brown trout statue that stands proud in the centre of town. My focus will be on Longford, as it has more to offer than just angling.

To begin with there’s the Longford Riverside Caravan Park, nestled on the banks of the picturesque Macquarie River. This beaut little spot is near all the town’s facilities, including the bowls club, and from most of the van sites you can gaze at the water and spot rising trout during happy hour. Also, the town of Longford has beautiful old buildings, great little cafes and bakeries, plus five minutes drive away at the historic Woolmers Estate you will find the National Rose Garden. This two-hectare garden provides visitors with a unique journey through the evolution of the rose, from Abraham Darby to Zephirine Drouhin and dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The Garden displays all the recognised rose families and represents one of the finest collections of historic roses in the southern hemisphere.

But now to the fishing! The Macquarie River itself is a trout-rich waterway that meanders its way through farmland before merging with the South Esk River at Longford. Both these rivers are best fished from a boat, as you can float downstream and either blind cast into the shadows near the overhanging willows, or wait for rising fish. The best time of day to approach these rivers is early in the morning and late in the afternoon, though the scenery is so good you could easily spend a few days just relaxing and not really worrying if you manage to catch a feed! Most angling techniques will land a fish here, though fly and lure fishing will cover the most water and generally yields the best results.

Just south of Longford, outside of Cressy and on the way to the highlands, is Brumbies Creek. This is a superb fishery controlled by the hydro electricity scheme, and is fed with cool waters from Great Lake. This means the height fluctuates, and with this so to does the fishing. Fly fishermen will delight in the terrific mayfly hatches and also in sight casting to trout as they cruise over the weed beds. But as this is a very heavily fished creek you will need good casting skills and plenty of patience to trick one of the resident trout into taking your offering.

Arthurs Lake

Located in the central highlands, an hour and a half from both Launceston and Hobart, Arthurs Lake is Australia’s most prolific trout fishery and one of the best fly fishing lakes in the world. It is one of the ‘must visit’ lakes in Tassie, not only for the angling, but for the scenery too. Surrounding the shoreline is partly submerged timber that gives way to dense bush that covers the mountainous terrain. Typical of most of the large lakes in Tasmania the water in Arthurs Lake is used for hydro electricity generation with the water being pumped into Great Lake to feed the power station at Poatina.

Arthurs lake contains beautifully marked brown trout to 2kg with an average of about 750g to 1kg.
The fish are willing takers of dry flies and lures trolled or cast from shore amongst the timber. Almost any lure will land a fish or two, but preferred options are large celtas or Tassie Devils in bright hues. Fly fishermen can wade the extensive flats or drift in a boat casting their flies into wind lanes that form across the waterway.

For over-nighting there is bush camping along the western shore and a caravan park near the wall. At Pumphouse Bay there is a formal camping ground offering showers, toilets, water, and day-use picnic facilities. Another camping ground is located at Jonah Bay, the turn off is 4 km north along the Poatina highway from Pumphouse Bay. During peak season this place gets pretty busy, but busy in Tassie terms still means there’s plenty of space!

The lake is open to fishing from the Saturday nearest the 1st August through to the Sunday nearest to the 30th April. The legal limit is twelve trout per angler, per day.

Tarraleah

Heading northwest of Arthurs Lake along Lake Highway and then taking a left onto the Marlborough Highway takes you through scenic and sparsely populated countryside. At the end of the road, some 30km or so, turn left onto the Lyell Highway, which takes you south towards Hobart. After around 25km you’ll reach a sign pointing towards Tarraleah, and it’s here you’ll find the next stop on this fishing trail.

This unique and picturesque place was once a thriving town, housing hydro engineers and company directors from the nearby hydro-electric scheme. But with its closure the village became a ghost town. Thankfully though, some enterprising entrepreneurs came in and turned the entire town into a resort. Now, while there might be high-end accommodation for those without a home on wheels, they haven’t forgotten about us ‘vanners.  Sitting on the edge of the wilderness in this most spectacular of locations is Tarraleah Caravan Park. With 30 powered sites, 50 tent sites, a modern campers kitchen, BBQ’s, modern bathrooms and laundry facilities, it’s an awesome location to settle in for a couple of days fishing in the nearby lakes.

Besides the multitude of activities like wilderness walks, golf, squash, bocce, plus wildlife and safari tours, there are some sensational trout-rich lakes that consistently produce plenty of fish. The three main waterways, each linked by canal systems, are Brady and Bronte Lagoons, and Lake Binney.

As is the case with all high country hydro lakes, the margins are dotted with partially submerged trees and shores strewn with boulders. While it makes for beautiful scenery and loads of fish-holding structure, it also means the lure and bait fishermen are faced with snags. But the persistent fisho will be rewarded, with worms or grubs working a treat when submerged a couple of meters below a bubble float. Other consistent producers are Tassie Devils in bright hues like pink and green, plus gold celtas.

The best times to tackle any of these lakes are during warmer weather when the fish are a little more active, and outside of holiday periods when the lakes become rather busy. Also, late afternoon seems to be much more productive, and pretty too, for lure and bait fishermen, but early risers that are handy with a fly rod will generally snag a few fish too.

Heading slightly northwest of Tarraleah you’ll find yourself at Derwent Bridge, right next to Lake St Clair. The lake itself is within the National Park area and a parks entry permit is needed to access the waters here. The main lake is a clear, deep water with some of the most magnificent scenery in Tasmania. This in itself is reason enough to visit. The iconic Overland track from Cradle Mountain ends here and for the energetic there are several other hikes that take you through lush rainforest and into the wilderness.

While Lake St Clair might not be the most famous of Tassies trout waters, it has great summer hatches and windlane fishing for fly anglers. It is also suited to deep trolling and there are several small rivers that enter the lake and provide good lure and fly fishing during moderate water flows. A tourist boat services the North end of the Lake, which gives anglers access to Narcissus Bay and the Narcissus river. The southern end has the Lake St Clair lagoon, which has great foot access and a wide expanse of shallow water ideal for fly fishing.

For accommodation there’s the Lake St.Clair Wilderness Resort at Derwent Bridge and a great van park/campground right on the shores of the lake, with powered sites and good facilities. If you’re here in the summer months, to avoid disappointment be sure to book a site early.

This brings us to the end of the road. But by no means are there no more rivers, lakes or streams in Tasmania to find trout in. The problem is there are too many, and part of the fun of a trip to the Apple Isle is discovering new things for yourself!

Need Some Help?

There are professional guides that operate across Tasmania. Their knowledge and skill makes it much easier to get angling success.

Recommended Guides:

RED TAG TROUT TOURS

Tasmania’s fly-fishing specialists for rivers, streams and lake margins. Roger offers friendly and private teaching workshops, plus all inclusive day or extended tours. 
Contact Roger Butler 
on (03) 6229 5896 Mobile: 0419 348 070 e
mail: roger@redtagtrout.com website: 
www.redtagtrout.com

FISH WILD TASMANIA

Guided fly-fishing in most lakes and rivers from Hobart to Launceston and the highlands. Experienced or novice packages available. Contact Bob McKinley on 0418 348 email: info@fishwildtasmania.com website: www.fishwildtasmania.com