Fishing in Walls of Jerusalem National Park

Walls of Jerusalem sits on Tasmania's central plateau, a glacially carved alpine landscape with no road access to its interior. Water is everywhere here — highland lakes, tarns, and streams threading between dolerite peaks and pencil pine stands.

Getting to any of it means walking in, and the fishing reflects that: remote, lightly pressured, and governed by the same artificial-lures-only rule that applies across the broader Western Lakes wilderness fishery.

The park sits within the Western Lakes system, and the trout fishing here is almost entirely wild. Brown trout dominate the Western Lakes as a whole, with rainbow trout present in some waters.

Lake Meston is one of the named waters inside the park and holds only rainbow trout — wild fish that can be seen feeding in open water. It's accessed from the northwest end of the Western Lakes, with Lake Rowallan as a common staging point.

The walk-in nature of the access keeps pressure low. Lake Salome, also inside the park, is trout-free — worth knowing before you plan your day around it.

Powena Creek drains into the Pine Valley, which can be reached by walking through the Walls of Jerusalem from the west, or from Ada Lagoon to the east — a through-walk of around 35 km that suits a three-day trip.

The Talleh Lagoons sit along the approach from the Ada Lagoon side and hold trout to around 3 lb; the uppermost lagoon is the easiest to work with a polaroiding approach.

Across the Western Lakes, the regulations require artificial lures and flies only — no bait. The fishery is managed under the Western Lakes Fishery Management Plan, which leans on natural recruitment of wild fish.

Check current size and bag limits with the Inland Fisheries Service before you go, as these apply across the combined Western Lakes waters. A valid parks pass is required for entry to the national park itself. These are small, sensitive waters.

The IFS actively encourages angler dispersal to protect both the fishing and the wilderness character of the place. That's not bureaucratic language — it's a fair description of how the country works. Spread out, move quietly, and the fishing rewards it.