Fishing in Tasmania

Tasmania sits at the bottom of Australia, separated from the mainland by Bass Strait and exposed on its southern and western flanks to the full force of the Southern Ocean.

That geography shapes everything about the fishing here — the water is cold and clean, the rivers run reliably, and the island carries a freshwater fishery unlike anything else in the country. The inland story is trout.

Brown trout were established here in 1864, and the wild population that descended from those fish is what the Inland Fisheries Service has been managing ever since.

The Central Highlands hold over 3,000 lakes and tarns, most of them carrying fish, and the Great Lake — the largest water in the highlands — is the kind of place that rewards patience.

It's big, exposed, and subject to hydro drawdowns in summer, but it fishes well even in low water. Wild browns and rainbows averaging close to 3 pounds, clear water, and fish that rise freely to dry flies.

Canal Bay, Tods Corner, and Swan Bay are the areas locals gravitate toward, though the shoreline is long enough that you can find your own water.

The season opens 1 August and a freshwater angling licence is required for anyone 14 and over — issued by the Inland Fisheries Service. Rivers matter here too.

The Derwent system drains much of the south, and the Tyenna — a tributary that rises behind Mount Field and runs east for around 40 kilometres before joining the Derwent above Bushy Park — is the kind of river that draws dedicated stream anglers.

The Central Highlands and the rivers feeding out of them are within a couple of hours of Hobart or Launceston, which means good trout fishing doesn't require a serious expedition, though plenty of the highland tarns do. On the salt, St.

Helens on the northeast coast is where game fishing concentrates. The continental shelf is close enough that a 20-minute run puts you over deep water, and southern bluefin tuna are the main draw — Tasmania holds several world records for the species.

Striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, and albacore move through the same waters.

Closer in, the Scamander River mouth on the east coast holds sea bream, and the lower Derwent around Piersons Point and the Iron Pot produces flathead, Australian salmon, barracouta, and squid.

There's a Marine Reserve between Tinderbox and Bruny Island worth knowing before you set up there. Rod and line fishing in marine waters doesn't require a licence, but rock lobster, abalone, scallops, and net fishing do — check current rules through fishing.

tas. gov. au, as seasons and areas shift. The fishing here asks something of you. The highland tarns reward the angler willing to walk in. The game fishing requires reading weather that can turn fast.

But the water is genuinely healthy, the wild trout fishery is carefully managed, and the conservation ethic runs through the whole scene in a way that's easy to respect.