Annual harvesting of eggs from spawning wild brown trout has begun already

By Sarah Graham, IFS | As the weather cools and water temperatures begin to drop, the activities of Inland Fisheries hatchery staff are hotting up! Hatchery work of fish feeding and grading has increased over recent weeks, along with fish transfers to allocated waters, and the job of harvesting eggs from spawning wild brown trout in the Central Plateau, has come earlier than in recent years.

A first batch of approximately 720,000 wild brown trout ova was collected from Liawenee Canal, Great Lake in April.

About 560,000 of these eggs are now being incubated at the New Norfolk hatchery while a smaller number of 160,000 are being incubated at the Salmon Ponds as added security against loss at the main hatchery.

Adult transfers of wild brown trout have also commenced in association with ova collection from fish captured in the Liawenee trap. Approximately 2,100 of these wild brown trout spawners were transferred from Great Lake into Bradys Lake in late April.

In the hatchery tanks, about 15,000 yearling brown trout, each weighing less than 50g on average, still remain from last year’s spawning. These young fish continue to grow well in the tanks but are more than ready for transfer.

Ten thousand have been fin clipped ready for release into the Break O’Day River in early May while the remaining 5000 will be released later in the month, most likely into Craigbourne Dam.

A total population of approximately 272,300 diploid rainbow trout fry and fingerling are taking up the remainder of the tanks in the hatchery at the moment. These young fish, now weighing between 3.5 and 9g, have been growing steadily since last year’s spawning harvest. They have adapted to life in the tanks and are feeding well, with mortality rates continuing to decline as the fish mature.

In April, a proportion of this fingerling population that had matured more quickly, were released to allow more room in the hatchery with approximately 50,000 young rainbow trout going into Great Lake and 5,000 into the River Leven.

Patrick Sullivan with one of Team Spirit of Tasmania’s 21 fish winning tally.

By NEIL GROSE | The first round of the 2009 Spirit of Tasmania Trout Classic was held on Great Lake in terrible conditions, with wind averaging 25knots and gust exceeding 40 knots.

However the wind was from a reasonably favourable direction, allowing all teams to find productive water in safety.

All 18 teams were on the water early, so by 6:50am there were rooster tails heading out of Swan Bay below the Great Lake Hotel and out into the main body of the lake.

Team Bigfin Sportsfishing with one of their 12 fish

All teams managed to find the fish early as the trout were obviously looking to feed hard before the brunt of the expected cold front hit.

Sure enough, most teams struggled to land fish after 10:30am with the exception of Team Spirit of Tasmania and fourth placed Team Juicy Isle.

Team Juicy Isle stayed in Swan Bay owing to their small boat size, and managed to tally up 10 trout totalling 514cm.

Third placed Bigfin Sportsfishing used the rough water capacity of their large boat to head north into Elizabeth Bay, which delivered them 10 fish before retreating to the shelter of Swan Bay where they notched another 2 nice trout.

Team BridgesBros fished the windswept shores to finish in second place.

Second placed team Bridges Brothers also erred on the side of caution, and after an initial foray around the Bee Hives decided to head back into relative calm water inside Swan Bay, where they completed their 12 fish haul.

But it was team Spirit of Tasmania consisting of Patrick Sullivan and Andy McCarthy that smashed the weather with a Great Lake Trout Classic record haul of 21 fish totalling 10.33 metres, winning the round.

Fishing mainly on the exposed shore along Becketts Bay between McClanaghans Island and Tods Corner, the boys found plenty of fish willing to play ball in the very rough conditions.

Their bag consisted of a 50/50 split between rainbows and browns – all fish taken on Berkley T tails in Black and Gold. Sullivan fished Pflueger reels and rods, while McCarthy fished with Howler custom rods and Pfluger reels; both used 1/8th and 1/16th ounce jigheads according to wind strength and shore depth.

For their efforts they took home two Team Daiwa Tierra reels and a $500 cheque, second place received an EcoGear prize pack and $200, third place a Berkley prize pack and $200, and fourth received a Berkley prize pack.

Biggest trout of the round was landed by Peter Garwood with a massive 60cm brown trout taken near the dam wall in very rough conditions.

We would like to thank our sponsors Spirit if Tasmania, Daiwa, Berkley, Ecogear and the Great Lake Hotel for their support.

I’d also like to thank Damien and Nick for their help checking boats, retrieving score sheets and with the final scoring.

A massive thanks to Jason Harris for the PA system as well – it certainly makes the whole event run smoothly.

118 trout were caught in total (58.6 metres) with an average length of just a smidge under 50cm. Very impressive results on a shockingly windy day.

The next round is on the 28th of November on Arthurs Lake – can Team Spirit of Tasmania make it four Trout Classic round wins in a row?

1 Spirit Of Tasmania 21
2 Bridges Bros 12
3 Bigfin Sportsfishing 12
4 Juicy Isle 10
5 Toad Lickers 9
6 Cranka 8
7 Specialist Outboard Service 2 7
8 Launceston Powder Coating 7
9 Bream It On 6
10 Specialist Outboard Service 5
11 Ecogear 4
11 Tackle Us 4
13 Rod & Range Sports 4
14 Strike Pro 3
15 Tasfish.com 3
16 Fishtas.com 2
17 Unique Breaming 1
18 Tomcat 0

Oatland’s Lake Dulverton is finally transformed — flooded for the first time since 1990 — and teeming with more than 6300 brook and rainbow trout.

And, each afternoon, the local schoolchildren try and haul them in. For the majority it is has been their first opportunity to fish.

Organised by local angler Kerry Mancey, below, the lake has been stocked with 6000 yearling rainbows (about 200mm) released by the Inland Fisheries Service and supplied by Springfield Hatcheries in north-east Tasmania, who had them surplus to their needs.

And on October 20-21 two more lots of adult fish, mainly brooks, were released by the Australian Maritime College. The 300-odd fish were also surplus to their research needs.

By Neil Grose | Tasmania, rightly or wrongly, has an international reputation for very large trout. Most locals, however, would recognise that big trout are very much a rarity.

By big trout, I really mean anything over 8 pounds. Big fish, of course, are relative. A 2 pounder in the St Patrick’s River is a giant, a 5 pounder in Lake Crescent is perhaps only average!

In the heydays of Lake Pedder, 10 pounds was considered well below par and Great Lake in 1870 saw plenty of double figure fish!

Much of the ‘big fish’ reputation was gained on the back of numerous new Hydro impoundments that caused an acceleration of trout growth.

Lake Pedder is the prime example of this; the artificial raising of the water level led to a massive explosion in midges, which caused a massive explosion in mudeyes and galaxia, which ultimately led to a massive increase in the average size of the trout.

It has been quite some time since a new impoundment has created the conditions for accelerated growth, (and no more are planned), so as a result in these post Hydro growth days, we will have to work a bit harder, (or get luckier) if we are to crack the big fish bonanza.

You would be hard pushed to mention any lake in Tasmania and completely rule it out as a big fish venue. I have seen photos of 12 pound fish from Pine Tier Lagoon, 16 pounders from Arthurs Lake, 20+ pounders from the Tyenna River and quite a few 8 pound plus fish from the junction of the St Patrick’s and the North Esk River.

Great Lake still sees big fish, Blackmans Lagoon still has the odd thumper, and then there are the western lakes, starting from East Rocky Lagoon all the way out to the back of beyond. Some of these really big fish from the popular lakes get big and fat from eating discarded guts from around boat ramps, but there are far more large fish caught that feed on a natural diet than these aberrations.

Dedicated anglers looking for a big fish sporting challenge need to look a lot deeper into the reasons for big fish to exist in order to stand a realistic chance of catching them.

Big fish don’t get big on fresh water alone you know!

Probably the most popular of trout waters in Tasmania is Arthurs Lake.

Whether it keeps this title after 2 years of intense pressure from downstream irrigators on the Lake River and the need to keep Tasmania’s lights on remains to be seen.

Arthurs Lake does, however represent a viable big fish location. While some areas on Arthurs are plagued with small fish, there are some notable areas that house some big fish – really big fish!

What makes these areas so special? Big fish food is the basic answer. Small fish in Arthurs generally eat small mayfly nymphs, stick caddis and scud if they can find them.

As the fish get bigger they look for more of those items, plus galaxia, damsel nymphs, mudeyes, snails and so on.

Really big fish in Arthurs almost exclusively eat crayfish and galaxia! There are plenty of places in Arthurs that have crayfish, most are quite deep, but some are reasonably shallow.

Without making life too easy for you, look along the eastern shore of the Sand Lake, the western shore of the Blue Lake, the Morass, the deep areas off Phantom Bay, parts of Hydro Bay, south of Tumbledown Bay and the deep water off the eastern side of Brazendale Island.

By their very nature, these Arthurs fish feed deep and stay deep, meaning that without specifically targeting them you are only going to come into contact by chance.

I have seen some big fish on fly in Arthurs, (my wife Nicole caught one about 9 pounds on a dry fly a few years ago), but the majority of big fish specialists go deep with soft plastics and specific nhard body lures. The key areas are in and amongst the drowned timber, and often on the deep side of the lake.

Deep in Arthurs means 15 feet and over. Big fish are caught mostly when lures get down deep enough to be in front of the fish’s nose.

Crayfish are by their very nature on the bottom all the time, so lures sailing by 5 feet off the bottom aren’t going to attract the big lads very often. You will catch plenty of average 2 and 3 pounders though!

Lures and flies don’t have to be exact imitations of crayfish, and the now traditional 3” Berkley Power Minnow seems to take its fair share of large fish in Arthurs!

Crayfish and galaxia are a deep olive green along their back, but for some reason the Pumkinseed colour is the better one!

Fish them deep and hop them along the bottom. This is where heavier jig heads will be better than light – you will get down quickly, and the tail of your plastic will stand up off the bottom, very similar to the defensive response of a crayfish about to be attacked by your average big trout!

The advertisement below says it all:

Take a mate fishing

By NEIL GROSE | As much as we all like to dream about shallow-water feeding trout, the reality is quite a different kettle of fish! Trout in the early months of the season, for the majority of the time at least, will be in water deeper than 2m.

More often than not, they will prefer to be 3m down, and deeper depending upon waters of course! So for the keen flyfisher, the answer isn’t so much blowing in the wind as hugging the weed!

The early season features cold water in the highlands, with most waters over 600 metres in elevation being around the 5°C mark. Often Arthurs and Great Lakes will be around 3°C!

As cold blooded creatures, trout metabolise in direct relation to the water temperature. The colder the water, the slower they digest food – the less they need to eat! It also means that their primary sources of food are down deep to escape the often extreme variations in temperature in the shallows.

The food that trout will seek out in the early months of the season are pretty standard fare — stick caddis, immature damsel fly nymphs, scud, blood worms, snails, galaxia and in some lakes, immature mayfly nymphs. The stick caddis that early season trout will encounter down deep aren’t the free swimming variety that we see during spring and summer.

Often the trout seek out what I refer to as horned caddis their case looks a lot like a cows horn, with the tip being quite dark. The tip of the horn is embedded in the bottom (usually in muddy type bottoms), with the top bit plus the caddis pupa that lives in the horn poking out the top feeding on what ever drifts by.

Trout, usually brown trout, tend to graze over the bottom, and sip these caddis up quite casually. The two other major foods are scud and snails.

In Arthurs Lake, for example, scud and snails are pretty much everywhere that weed is found around 3m deep and deeper.

These are slow moving beasts, and as a result trout move quite slowly in search of them.

So there are two options, match what is down there, or make your offering a little (or a lot) different. From where I sit, there are two real approaches to catching these deep feeding fish match the hatch and fish deep and slow, or take the fight up to the fish and attack!

Even though deep feeding fish are on the search for slow moving, drab coloured things, on the right day they will chase and hammer fast fished, brightly coloured flies. On the right day? Any day you can get out really!

Scuds, snails and shrimps

If the shrimp are tending towards spawning as they seem to do around September, then a bright orange hot spot in the middle of the fly is a good idea.

The good thing about fishing deep early in the season is the lack of complication.

Presentation of the fly is down deep, so all those dodgy casts that spook the fish in summer don’t matter here; as long as you can get the fly deep you are in with a shot at the big time.

Gear is simple. You need a method of getting the fly down deep relatively quickly. This either means heavy flies or heavy fly lines. If you are fishing deep and slow with imitative flies, it is often beneficial to have a heavier fly on a long leader, coupled to a floating line.

In some cases however, a non-weighted fly on a sinking line can be good as well; it will provide a natural presentation of the fly, especially if you are using small stick caddis and scud patterns over the top of weed beds.

If you are on the attack, then it is the domain of fast sinking lines as fast sinking as you can find them. In combination with weighted flies you have to strip fast just to keep them off the bottom, but this is the speed needed. Rods by necessity are fast action rods of between 6 and 8 weight. I prefer a fast action 10 footer for this, however a 9 footer is great as well.

Leaders are very business-like my recommendation is for 8 feet of 8lb fluorocarbon, 12 feet for 2 flies and 14 feet for 3 flies.

Tweak, twiddle, strip, whack! If there is one constant with fishing deep, irrespective of whether it is fast or slow, is the need to keep in 100% contact with the flies. As trout are feeding slowly and methodically at this time of year, the takes of the fly are correspondingly slow and subtle, with the exception of fast attack methods.

The Inland Fisheries Service has been busy adding stock to a number of trout waters.

Here’s a summary of activity in recent months:

Part of the promotional power soon to go on tour. See above.

Atlantic salmon were stocked into Meadowbank Lake, Bradys Lake, Brushy Lagoon and Lake Barrington during the last week of November 2008.

According to Inland Fisheries, surplus stock from Saltas were released into the waters, with Meadowbank getting 180, Bradys 80, Brushy 160 and Lake Barrington 100. These fish averaged 3 kg and are in superb condition.

Bradys also got 100 large rainbow trout that had been held at the Salmon Ponds, these fish averaged 4 kg.

By Dan Ivanof | Sitting above beautiful Lake St Clair and at the base of a natural grandstand formed by Mounts Hugel and Rufus, lays one of Tasmania’s true natural delights and possibly best kept secrets — the Shadow and Forgotten Lake system.

Consisting of only a few tiny blue dots on the map of Tasmania, Shadow and Forgotten create a place where fishing is just a darn good excuse to be there to sample the sounds, sights, colours and smell.

It’s a pre-historic place that really activates the senses, cleansing all who visit of the pressures of a modern existence.

The amazing midge hatches, incredible deep water polaroiding and teasing shallow water tails are just a bonus! The system consists of 3 very different waters, namely lakes Shadow, Forgotten and Solitude.

These pristine waters all feed the Hugel River and eventually become a major water course supplying Lake St Clair itself.

Whilst I offer a view of the system through fly fishers eyes, real opportunity exists for lure and plastic enthusiasts.

We are still in denial that our aging bodies are to blame, but we were certainly ill-prepared for the walk.

The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service rate the 13km return walk at ‘moderate’ and ‘suitable for younger children with bushwalking experience’.

Well, with a steady climb of 220m and with 20 odd kilos on the back, be prepared for a little pain.

The walk, however, is spectacular! Beginning with a leisurely stroll from Cynthia Bay at Lake St Clair to Watersmeet where the Hugel and Cuvier rivers become one.

From here, ascend with the Mount Rufus track through temperate rainforest before emerging into tall eucalypt forest.

The approach to Shadow Lake is finally signposted by a screen of native pencil pines that eventually gives way to some of the clearest water you will ever see.

Depending on your fitness level allow between 90 – 120 minutes – a little less with gravity in your favour on the return.

From Shadow, a very pleasant 10 to 15 minute stroll along raised board-walk will put you on the northern shore of Forgotten Lake.

A visit to the Shadow system would be somewhat incomplete without pitching the tent and experiencing the solitude.

The dusk and dawn midge rises in Shadow and tailing browns that haunt the creek mouths of Forgotten are likely to be missed if allowing the trek time in or out for a day trip.

A day trip is easily possible, but overnighting will really expand the experience.

Read the full story, published with permission from The Tasmanian Sportsfisher, here.

Dan Ivanof is a qualified biologist with a background in fisheries management, aquaculture research and the fishing tackle industry. He pursues all forms of fishing with borderline obsession and has a real hunger for ‘adventure angling’.