Read on for our recap of the 2022 Tasmanian Trout Fishing Season opening - and what we're expecting from the upcoming season.
Tasmania's brown trout fishing season runs from the first Saturday of August until the last Sunday of April.
Every year the re-opening of the season draws anglers from across Tasmania, with everyone keen to get back out on the water.
The recent opening marks a close to the three month break where the fishing season is closed for the annual spawning migration that occurs between May - July.
How were the Tasmanian brown trout season opening conditions in 2022?
Opening weekend is notorious for adverse weather, with snow, rain and wind a common occurrence.
The weather forecast for this year was no different and anglers prepared for the worst based on previous years experience.
However, much to everyone's joy, the conditions turned out better than anticipated, making for comfortable, albeit cold, conditions for fishing. These conditions no doubt deter some anglers, but those who committed to the journey up to the Central Highlands were rewarded with some excellent days of brown trout fly fishing.
How was the fly fishing to start the new Tasmanian trout season?
We decided to focus our efforts on Penstock Lagoon, located just outside of Miena, on Tasmania's stunning Central Plateau.
With its slightly lower elevation and protected position to wind, this is always a consistent early season choice for us. Penstock Lagoon is ideal for early season wet fly fishing with large brown and rainbow trout aggressively feeding on small baitfish (galaxia), tadpoles and frogs and other aquatic insects found in the shallow weed beds and marshy shorelines.
The trout feed heavily in the early stages of the trout fishing season in Tasmania, in an effort to regain condition lost over the rigorous spawning season.
Penstock Lagoon provided exceptional fishing over the opening weekend with many large brown trout coming to the net. Drifting across the wed beds found throughout the lake, we fished with a team of three small streamer style wet flies such as shreks and magoos.
Paired with a DI3 intermediate sinking line, the trout were coming into the boat freely, making for a successful opening weekend and a great start to the 2022 trout fishing season in Tasmania.
What to expect for the early 2022/23 trout fishing season in Tasmania?
Early season fly fishing in Tasmania provides some exhilarating sport on the lakes. High lake levels due to rain and snow melt provide the ideal conditions for the trout to feed heavily. This feeding behavior results in aggressive takes of the fly and some epic battles between angler and trout!
Whilst many fly fishing anglers still await the much sought after dry fly fishing experienced in the warmer months, there are some great days of fly fishing in Tasmania to be had in the cooler months.
Read on: Tasmanian Trout Fly Fishing Season - The Ultimate Guide
If you're looking for more information, look no further than our dedicated guide to helping anglers of all experiences learn more about Tasmania's trout fly fishing season. The guide contains information on weather, fishing information and some handy angler notes for all seasons through out the year.
Hi, I'm Matt Stone - for over fifteen years I’ve developed my passion for fly fishing, wild trout and for the amazing places experienced in Tasmania along the way.
