Tasmania’s trout fishery is primarily lake-based, but there is good fishing for mostly small fish in the island’s streams.
Choosing a “best spot” is a seasonal affair, as annual and short-term weather patterns, the time of year and other factors affect the quality of fishing.
It also depends on what sort of trout fishing you like.
Do you want to stalk fish with a fly rod in a lake’s shallows? Wade a fast stream? Chuck spinners? Or troll? Or catch a single big fish rather than many small ones?
The Tasmanian fishery is divided between highland and lowland waters.
Lowland fisheries tend to be warmer and fish earlier, with alpine conditions experienced in highland locations.
There is a division between brown trout and rainbow trout waters, with only a few waters fishing well for both species.
Where the division is strong, there are usually different open/closed periods as the two species spawn at different times.
Brown trout are by far the dominant species across Tasmania, with very few waters having rainbow trout as the dominant species.
Fewer still are brook trout locations, as brook trout do not compete well with other species.
Atlantic salmon can be targeted in some areas as these fish escape from farm pens and hatcheries, and some large adult fish are released annually by Fisheries to spice up the fishing.
Redfin are found alongside trout at some locations and are a good sport and table fish despite their feral status.
Thankfully carp are not widespread in Tasmania.
“Sea trout”, being trout that have run to sea, or “slob trout” which have set up permanently in an estuary, can be caught around Tasmanian river mouths in late winter and spring when whitebait schools move up the rivers.
Tasmania has many small lakes and streams that are tucked away in hidden locations, and most of these hold trout.
There are also private fisheries.
Some Tasmanian trout fishing spots are historically consistent producers, here’s a list to get you started.
Tasmania’s best trout lakes
Arthurs Lake – a premium location where you can stalk fish around the shallow edges. Quality of fishing fluctuates, but when it is good it is great. Four Springs Lake – the dammed confluence of four creeks. Some big fish at times. Woods Lake – a large impoundment located south of Arthurs Lake. Lots of fish to 2kg, all types of fishing styles work with easy bait fishing on northern shore. Little Pine Lagoon – premier fly fishing water, with great dry fly fishing at times. Best fished by wading. Craigbourne Dam – open grassy banks just an hour from Hobart. Good fishing but can suffer from low rainfall. Penstock Lagoon – great highlands fly fishing for brown and rainbow trout. Bronte Lagoon – a popular fly fishing location. Bradys Lake – this is part of a chain of three lakes, all with good general trout fishing from boat or shore. Lake Pedder – loads of mostly brown trout to 1.5kg. Boat fishing is best as shore access is limited. Lake Gordon – loads of mostly brown trout to 2kg, and redfin. Good shore access for landbased fishing when levels are low. Lake Burbury – small rainbow and brown trout, usually lots of them. Great Lake – quality brown and rainbow trout but pick your weather. Lake Crescent – some of Tasmania’s biggest trout have been caught here. Rainfall dependent. Lake Sorell – same as Lake Crescent. Has had a problem with carp. Western Lakes – trophy trout are taken from the shallow clear lakes of the plateau, including the popular Nineteen Lagoons area. This a very special remote setting, but this is an area only for well-prepared, fit fishos if you are leaving the main tracks.
Tasmania’s best trout rivers
Tyenna River – this Derwent tributary river has a large concentration of fish and some good bankside access. Browns and rainbows. Derwent River – a large river that usually flows hard, contains some big fish, but bankside access is limited. Mersey River – fast river which contains browns and rainbows. Meander River – fast river with good brown trout fishing, and more opportunities at Huntsman Lake in the headwaters. South Esk – Tasmania’s longest river, although not a powerful one. Best section is between Clarendon and Mathinna. Brumbys Creek – possibly Tasmania’s best trout stream. A lowland fishery with that provides great fly fishing. Divided into three main sections behind weirs. Macquarie River – great fly fishing in the quiet backwaters. Leven River – sea trout in the estuary, with good fast-water stream fishing at Gunns Plains and Loongana. Mostly browns. St Patricks River – for those who like small streams.
Tasmania’s best sea trout estuaries
Derwent River – plenty of sea trout are caught from Hobart to almost as far upstream as the paper mill. Huon River – produces some good sea runners, with the area near the town bridge down to Egg Islands as good as anywhere. Tamar River – Launceston’s river produces sea trout in season. West Coast rivers – most of these produce sea trout in season. Tasmania’s East Coast is drier and the small rivers are better for bream fishing. North Coast rivers – some, such as the Forth, produce good sea trout in season.
Tasmania’s best rainbow trout waters
Weld River (southern Tasmania) – small but strongly flowing stream that runs through forests in southern Tasmania. Difficult access, plenty of small rainbows. Weld River (northern Tasmania) – small stream with rainbows. Vale River – small rainbows. Mersey River (upper section) – rainbows. Lake Burbury – about 50 per cent of catch. Great Lake – a small percentage of the catch, possibly around 10 per cent. Lake Skinner – small lake in the south, long uphill walk, limited bankside access. Stocked only with rainbows.
Other lakes with some rainbows – Bradys Lake, Bronte Lagoon, Pine Tier Lagoon, Lake St Clair, Lake Echo, Lake King William, Penstock Lagoon, Dee Lagoon, Brushy Lagoon, Four Springs, Curries River Dam, Lake Leake, Tooms Lake and Craigbourne Dam and Lake Sorell.
Tasmania’s best brook trout waters
Lake Plimsoll – a specialist brook trout fishery on the west coast. Easy bankside access. Lake Rolleston – a specialist brook trout fishery on the west coast. Easy bankside access. Clarence Lagoon – regular brook trout catches.
Other waters – brook trout are occasionally released from hatcheries and show up in associated waters, such as the Huon River.
It is likely that rainbow and brook trout will be first affected by warming from climate change. Highland fisheries will likely be least affected.
A Redcliffe Peninsula coast marine park zoning map … note the sanctuaries
Redcliffe Peninsula is a great fishing area north of Brisbane, with many good landbased locations thanks to the abundant coastal reef and rubble.
Being located within northern Moreton Bay, with Moreton Island providing some shelter from the open ocean, Redcliffe’s coastline is a low-energy environment, with somewhere safe to fish in most weather conditions.
Redcliffe is reached by vehicle from Brisbane via the Hornibrook Highway bridge, which crosses the mudflat and channels of Pine River mouth and Hayes Inlet.
Hayes Inlet is a good fishing spot for boaters and landbased fishos, but note the green sanctuary zone.
There are two channels into Hayes Inlet. The southern channel that runs into a creek system inside the sanctuary is a particularly good area for bream and flathead.
Fish the channel for bream and flathead during the five or so hours of low tide.
It is possible to walk the channel edge at Hayes Inlet at low tide as the bottom is mostly firm.
Try walking out from the end of the street on the north side of the inlet.
Note that stonefish and stingrays are common in the shallows off Redcliffe, so don’t wade.
Immediately north of Hayes Inlet, Clontarf is one of the good fishing areas, with quality bream around the rocky foreshore at high tide.
Clontarf jetty is on the north side of the Hornibrook Highway bridge. This is a popular spot, but fishing either side of the jetty from land avoids the jetty crowd and produces bream, flathead and whiting, along with whiting, trevally and oxeye herring.
Squid are caught here and are best across Redcliffe in winter when the water is clearer. Both arrow squid and tiger squid are caught.
To the north, Woody Point has a long jetty that produces a variety of fish, along with sand crabs, squid and sharks.
Once again, good landbased bream fishing can be had over rough ground either side of the jetty during large high tides, which helps avoid the jetty crowd. The east side of the jetty foreshore can be fished on smaller tides for flathead.
North of Woody Point is Scotts Point, which has a sanctuary (no fishing) on the south side. The north side is an excellent landbased spot for bream, goldspot cod and small snapper, with plenty of bream and flathead from the beach next to the point.
Fish Scotts Point itself around the bottom half of the tide, including about the first two hours of run-in, as the rocks submerge at high tide. The rocks can be slippery.
Further north, Redcliffe jetty is popular at times, with plenty of winter squid. There are usually baitfish around the pylons, including pike, and bream around the rocky foreshores.
Both sides of the jetty have shallow reef, with bream, snapper, flathead and the chance of passing chopper tailor and school mackerel.
The Shields St platform north of Redcliffe jetty is a rocky spot that reliably produces snapper.
Further north, the Osbourne Point platform produces mainly bream. It has a boat ramp next to it for small craft (yaks and cartoppers).
Scarborough has a platform with a small-craft launching area. At high tide it is only a metre or so deep, and at low tide there is no water. Bream, flathead and snapper can be caught here on bigger high tides, and squid.
Scarborough reef is home to bream and small snapper. The author has dived this reef and seen very big bream, notably far more cautious fish than the many small ones.
Scarborough marina has a rock foreshore that is a good landbased spot in winter for tailor, bream and flathead, with bream and flathead in summer.
The spit at Scarborough is a great place to net hardiheads for bait.
Newport Canal mouth has a fishing platform nearby with barbecues and seats, it is not usually a red hot spot but it is pleasant and does produce bream. Note that heavy metals were found in part of Newport Canal sediment many years ago, the current state of flesh of resident fish is unknown, post a comment if you know more.
Snorkelling around Redcliffe reveals that mud crabs live in the crevices of some of the shallow inshore reefs, and there are big bream about that can be difficult to tempt on a line.
For boaters and landbased fishos, night fishing can produce excellent results on the shallow reefs.
Also, flathead can be seen lying among the rocks, these fish don’t just dwell on the flats.
Around Redcliife, mangrove jacks are caught from time to time, as well as goldspot cod, gold-spotted sweetlip, tuskfish (bluebone) and even cobia.
Great winter whiting grounds exist offshore in Bramble Bay and Deception Bay, with school and spotted mackerel and tailor often caught at the same time, just move around until you find a patch of fish.
The rock worms found around much of the Redcliffe foreshore are exceptional bait, and the small crabs found on foreshores are great bream bait.
Pilchard baits work well for flathead, and mullet and chicken gut baits work well on bream, but locally caught crabs are the better choice.
Lure fishing is best in winter when the water clears.
Further north, good fishing can be had in Pumicestone Passage and around Bribie Island.
