FLY FISHING experience
There is not a strict schedule, routine or itinerary etched in stone prior to your arrival in Tasmania. The possibilities for the best returns from trout fly-fishing in Tasmania are influenced by weather conditions. Chris has experience in working with older people, people with different levels of experience and people who have disabilities. Your day’s fishing experience is about looking after and working with you to greatest benefit. He is also a member of the Trout Guides & Lodges Tasmania so he can call upon other guides to work with you to cater for larger groups.
“I like to offer something special in the way of a challenging possibility whether we agree to do a one-day trip to a “Mecca” of fly fishing like Little Pine Lagoon – or we can do a solid day of ‘polaroiding’ in the Western Lakes (best if we have blue sky conditions).”
It’s not all mayflies and dry fly fishing every day … but Tasmania is famous for an outstanding wilderness fly fishery that can be sampled during settled weather conditions …
The Tasmanian High Country is as fickle as a snowflake ... as profound and mysterious as the legend of King Arthur where you might expect to see ... through the mist ... the Lady of the Lake waving the Sword of Excalibur ... it is the tail of a wild brown trout as he is hunting in the shallows ...
On a bright, still summer’s day the skies can be cobalt blue ... You can’t determine where the water ends and the sky begins ... The mayflies dance as they hover in a column as dense as the smoke from a small camp-fire. It’s just beautiful. A puff of breeze blows them away from the shore ... where there is danger lurking ... There’s a shadow moving across the bottom ... around the weed bed ... and heading towards you ... and she is searching for prey ... closer ... closer ... you can see her white mouth open and her every spot ...
“Polaroiding” in crystal-clear, shallow water - Sometimes you can count the spots on their back, but they can be very difficult to catch.
Chris Stopp (trading as Tas High Country Fly Fish Tours) is an approved Nature Based Tourism Business Licensee by Parks and Wildlife Service – Tasmania (Business License LM-LM-RL-DN-292198) to operate trout fish guiding services in the Central Plateau Conservation Area, including the Nineteen Lagoons, Western Lakes and National Parks of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA).
Amongst other things this means that the business has developed occupational health and safety systems and procedures, work and environmental practices and agreed to offer professional trout fish guiding services to the demanding standards of Parks and Wildlife Service – Tasmania who are the custodians of the Central Plateau Conservation Area, including the Nineteen Lagoons, Western Lakes and National Parks of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA).
Weather permitting - Tasmanian Highland Spinner (Tasmanophlebia lacustris) imago can be found along the shores of the High Country from as early as October-November through to April. (Photo: O’Dells Lake)
“The Western Lakes is wild, pristine, and unlike any other high-country wilderness anywhere in the world. Best of all, it is bejewelled with a thousand crystal-clear lakes and tarns. … The region is uniquely well-suited to locating and stalking individual trout. … The fishing is extraordinarily diverse and provides enough challenges to outlast a lifetime. Indeed, challenge is the essential attraction.”
(Greg French, “Heart of the Western Lakes” in FlyLife magazine, Vol 100, p 38).
There are two significant fisheries within 35 minutes of Miena which have very good mayfly hatches and spinner falls in Spring / Summer – as well as the possibilities of caenid (“anglers’ curse”) hatches. There are 4-5 fisheries located within 45 minutes of Miena where “visual hunting for trout” is an option under different conditions.
Little Pine Lagoon has the potential of early morning “tailing trout” where the trout come into the shallow grassy margins around the lake in the early morning twilights and at dusk to forage on amphipods and phreatoicids (crustaceans) in such shallow water that you may be able to see their tails and dorsal fins breaking the surface as they search for food that is only inches deep – but they can still be challenging to catch.
Great Lake can offer early morning midge-feeding fish rising in the windlanes and deep-water, ”polaroiding for sharks” on blue-sky northerly breeze days.
On warm days – we can experience terrestrial “gum beetle” falls – which can be fished from a boat.
In February-March-April the terrestrial red-legged leaf-hopper (the jassid – Eurymela distincta) can create exciting dry-fly fishing opportunities.
You will need:
Tasmanian Angling Licence – can be purchased online from Tasmanian Inland Fisheries’ Service (www.ifs.tas.gov.au) at cost from $23 for 48 hours to $75.50 for 9 month Trout Season
Comfortable, warm weather clothing - possibly undergarments, vests, etc.
Rain coat
Hat
Comfortable walking boots
Polaroid sunglasses (prescription if necessary)
Your own fishing gear (if you want to use it), otherwise I can provide gear, waders and flies if requested.
I would appreciate if you could advise me:
If you have any special dietary needs or preferences – to plan for catering (Lunch, Morning and Afternoon Teas)
A brief statement about any pre-existing medical conditions
A brief statement about any previous small boating experience
Your foot size – if you are requiring that I provide you with waders for comfortable, best fit
Your proposed accommodation (I am pleased to recommend accommodation and dining at a range of venues – according to your needs and desires.) I can also provide advice on transport to and from airports if requested.
Any other special requests / needs
Get in touch with Chris today on 0417 354 520 to book your Fly Fishing Tour in Tasmania.
chris@tasflyfish.com.au
On a blue-sky day the water in many of the tarns can be so clear that it’s hard to tell where the water stops and where the sky begins.
As a Licencee, Chris Stopp and Tas High Country Fly Fish Tours are subject also to by-laws, codes and practices established by:
Inland Fisheries Service, (IFS)
Australian Maritime Safety Authority, (AMSA)
Marine and Safety Tasmania, (MAST)
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, (TICT) and \
Trout Guides and Lodges Tasmania Inc. (professional peak body)
to maintain $20 Million Public Liability Insurance and to operate as a professional business.
An “un-Licenced” operator may be prosecuted and excluded from insurance cover in the event of an accident in the Central Plateau Conservation Area.
“May time fly until mayfly time?” - The Tasmanian Giant Red Spinner (Tasmanophlebia australis) is one of the most elegant mayflies that commences hatching in October-November in some parts of the High Country.
There are strict rules for commercial operators in bushwalking, camping and trout fish guiding in:
The Nineteen Lagoons
The Western Lakes
The Central Plateau Conservation Area
National Parks (eg Walls of Jerusalem NP, Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park)
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA)
The weather in the Central Highlands “High Country” can be very “fickle” and change dramatically very quickly indeed.