If you're heading to Tasmania for a fly fishing trip, these tips from Trout Tales guide Matt can help you get the most out of your adventure.
When it comes to fly fishing trips, Tasmania is well known for its diversity - the combination of lakes, lagoons, rivers and streams along with ever changing weather conditions and abundance of stunning backdrops make it a truly unique place to go fly fishing.
With this diversity comes a handful of challenges for anglers visiting the state looking for a fishing experience, with common questions including:
- what to pack
- what fishing gear to bring
- how long should I visit for and
- where are the best places to fish
In this post we provide a brief overview on the fly fishing landscape in Tasmania - as well as three expert tips to help get the most of your trip.
Is Tasmania a good place to go fly fishing?
Tasmania presents some of the best fly fishing opportunities in the world.
A key feature of fly fishing in Tasmania are the variety of streams, rivers and lakes that are home to both brown and rainbow trout populations.
Another highlight is the variety of locations that are suitable for both beginners and experienced anglers, so whether you've spent plenty of time on the water or you're relatively new to fly fishing - Tasmania is a great place to hone your skills.
Along with the diversity, other reasons anglers enjoy fly fishing in Tasmania include:
- location of excellent fly fishing locations that are close to the main arrival areas in Hobart, Launceston and Devonport
- diversity of fishing location, scenery and backdrops all within close proximity of each other
- consistent fishing for both brown and stunning rainbow trout
- range of options for anglers of all experiences and ambitions
If you're after more you can check out another of our latest blog posts for the best places to fly fish in Tasmania.
What are the best months for trout fishing in Tasmania?
The Tasmanian trout fishing season runs from the first weekend in August until the last weekend in April.
With the peak of the dry fly fishing season in Tasmania is from December through to March, and wet fly or loch style fly fishing from August-November, Trout Tales provides tailored trout fishing charters around the state at any time during the season.
Our top tips for planning your fly fishing trip to Tasmania
If you're thinking of heading to Tasmania for a fly fishing trip, we've compiled a few tips that can help not only make your trip more enjoyable, however also improve your success when out on the water.
These are:
- Engage a fly fishing guide
- Bring a good range of gear and flies
- Be prepared to adapt your plans to suit the conditions
Tip 1 - Engage a fly fishing guide
Engaging a fly fishing guide can be an excellent decision in planning your fishing trip to Tasmania.
An experienced guide has a wealth of knowledge about which locations will be best for your trip, how each spot is currently fishing as well as intimate insight about weather conditions; something particularly important in places like Tasmania!
A fishing guide can also assist with providing feedback on your casting technique and other elements to improve your fly fishing game, not to mention helpful tips on what are the best fishing flies and techniques to increase your success.
Another helpful note is to engage a guide before you arrive for your trip.
This will ensure you get the most out of your fishing adventure and that the dates you would like to book are available.
If you're looking for an experienced guide for your fishing trip to Tasmania, Matt and the team at Trout Tales have over fifteen years experience navigating and fly fishing through out Tasmania's lakes, rivers and streams.
You can check out our fly fishing charters packages or dive straight into the action by booking a Tasmanian fishing experience.
(You can also get in touch via our social media, such as Trout Tales on Instagram and Facebook).
Tip 2 - Bring a good range of flies and fishing gear
One of our best fishing tips when visiting Tasmania is to bring a good range of flies and fishing gear.
Fly fishing in Tasmania presents a range of different water types and is known for a variety of conditions and adapting your techniques to suit is often critical to success. Bringing a range of flies and gear set ups will enable you to adapt to these changing conditions and ultimately optimise your fishing experience.
Having the right gear can also help you be more efficient when fishing - the right waders and boots for example can be much more comfortable, let alone safer, while the right flies can drastically increase your fishing success.
Engaging a guide can also be a great way to ensure you've got the right gear for your fly fishing tour in Tasmania.
Expert tip - When it comes to fly selection, experienced Tasmanian fly fishing guide Matt Stone recommends a wooly bugger for wet fly fishing, while a possum emerger is a good dry fly that can help you cover all basis.
Overall, having access to a range of fly fishing flies and gear can help you be prepared and adaptable - not to mention enhance your fishing experience.
Tip 3 - Be prepared to fish to a variety of conditions
Tasmania is known for its stunning landscapes, but it can also be highly unpredictable when it comes to weather and fishing conditions.
A bright sunny morning can quickly and suddenly become an overcast and windy afternoon on the lakes, rivers and streams - so another key tip when planning your fly fishing tour in Tasmania is to be ready to adapt and change the plans with weather conditions.
This includes aspects such as
- packing a variety of clothes, particularly warmer garments such as thermals, long sleeve tops and appropriate pants
- have wet weather gear on hand including rain jackets and overcoats
- also be prepared for hot weather - this may include bringing a face buff, sunscreen and appropriate hydration
- as above, a range of fishing flies and adjusting your technique can also help navigate the changing conditions
In summary...
Tasmania represents one of the best opportunities for visitors to experience trout fly fishing in some of the most breathtaking, rugged locations - but when it comes to planning your fishing trip, it's important to be prepared.
At the end of the day the best outcome is catching some stunning brown and rainbow trout during your fishing trip - and the experienced guides at Trout Tales bring a wealth of experience when it comes to understanding the most up to date fly fishing conditions and best locations in the state.
Engaging a fishing guide before your trip can be one of the best decisions to increase your success and make the most of your visit to Tasmania, making sure you return home with many memories to cherish until your next visit.
If you want to experience fishing in Tasmania, we recommend booking our multi-day trout fishing packages to give yourself the best chance and experience a variety of locations.
As a trained chef, our fly fishing charters not only include the best insight into where and how to fish - but also a delicious lunch each day as well as your accommodation requirements sorted for you.
If you're keen to keep up that Tassie fly fishing fix - you can also follow along with our trout fishing tours via social media with Trout Tales on Instagram, our Tasmania fly fishing Youtube channel or Trout Tales on Facebook.
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.
